N00802:1890
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
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.
A. 1. Negatively; It is no foolish and frothy mirth that is here called for; we are to leave that to a vain world, whose mad frolics are unbecoming the gravity of a Child of God, and carry in them the discovery of a crazed mind. We do not find the Spirit of God directing to any such thing but something else to show our mirth in, Jam. 5.13.
A. 1. Negatively; It is no foolish and frothy mirth that is here called for; we are to leave that to a vain world, whose mad frolicks are unbecoming the gravity of a Child of God, and carry in them the discovery of a crazed mind. We do not find the Spirit of God directing to any such thing but something else to shew our mirth in, Jam. 5.13.
2. Positively; there are these things principally in it.
1. We should always so carry it as to make it appear that we are satisfied in our portion. The true nature of joy is a contentment or satisfaction in the ⟨p. 616⟩Object: that then whereby we give a practical evidence of this, is a right Testimony of our joy, Psal. 36 8.63.5. Joy is the rest of the soul in the thing enjoyed David therefore expresseth it by returning to its rest, Psal 116.7. A Child of God should always carry contentedly as one whose cravings are replenished in the Object of them; and hence, to show no other cravings but such as are after •he more complete fruition of it; and in that also to be satisfied in the expectation thereof.