N00802:1671
The truly blessed man
The truly blessed man: or, The way to be happy here, and for ever: being the substance of divers sermons preached on, Psalm XXXII. / By Samuel Willard, teacher of a church in Boston. N.E. ; [Five lines from Isaiah]
printed by B. Green for Michael Perry, 1700
Sermon › Doctrine 3: Faith the foundation of true Obedience. DOCTRINE III.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
USE I. For Information in a few particulars.
1. Learn hence what to judge of those that profess faith, and yet live in all disobedience. Gospel times and places afford a great many of these, who talk big of their faith, and yet declare by their Conversation that they are under the dominion of their lusts; these boast of a false gift, and that may be applied to them, Jam. 2.18. A dead faith is of the same import with no faith, for if there were any▪ it would be active, and if so it would have its operations: ⟨p. 549⟩and we are certain that the genuine operation of faith is by love, Gal. 5.6 i. e. Obedience to God, which flows from a sincere love to him: and though it should sometimes be supperest, yet it would recover again, and show it self forth. It is then vain for Drunkards, vain Company keepers, profane Sweaters, and such like, to talk of their faith, whose lives say they have none.
1. Learn hence what to judge of those that profess faith, and yet live in all disobedience. Gospel times and places afford a great many of these, who talk big of their faith, and yet declare by their Conversation that they are under the dominion of their lusts; these boast of a false gift, and that may be applied to them, Jam. 2.18. A dead faith is of the same import with no faith, for if there were any▪ it would be active, and if so it would have its operations: ⟨p. 549⟩and we are certain that the genuine operation of faith is by love,