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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 1: The distress of a Conscience burdened with Sin. DOCTRINE. I.
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 III. Let this help to bring secure Sinners into Distress. And Sinner! Beware of flying from it. How afraid are men of trouble of mind? how do they shun it? And how fearful are many of bringing them into it? how many preposterous courses are used to comfort them against it? Well, you that live in sin, and are quiet, that sleep and care not to be awakened; let me tell you, my hearts desire and prayer to God for you, is that he would bring you into this distress. Oh that you would think and consider of the Guilt that is ⟨p. 142⟩lying upon you; that you did but feel the Curse that is upon you for sin, and had the Sentence of Death and Damnation upon you. And be not angry at me for such wishes and requests as these are; for Consider,
1 You are certainly under all this Guilt, whether you will believe it or no. You brought it with you into the World, and if Christ hath not removed it by his Grace, it abides on you; yea, and you have increased it by every sin you have committed since you were born: the least vain thought hath laid in more for your Condemnation; and if you are Guilty, you may well think what is like to become of you, if you so abide; that is one of Gods Attributes, as well as those that vain men feed their presumption with, Exod. 34.7. That will by no means clear the Guilty.
1 You are certainly under all this Guilt, whether you will believe it or no. You brought it with you into the World, and if Christ hath not removed it by his Grace, it abides on you; yea, and you have encreased it by every sin you have committed since you were born: the least vain thought hath laid in more for your Condemnation; and if you are Guilty, you may well think what is like to become of you, if you so abide; that is one of Gods Attributes, as well as those that vain men feed their presumption with, Exod. 34.7. That will by no means clear the Guilty.