N00802:374
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.
2. Hence you will unavoidably be brought into Distress sooner or later. Guilt will not always lie still, nor suffer the Conscience ever to be quiet, but there will be a time when you shall be roused by it to purpose; the Damnation of Guilty Impenitent Sinners doth not slumber; the Sentence past will be Executed, the Wrath that is out against them will fall upon them; and then they will be in distress. When the Sinner shall have his eyes opened, and see himself just dropping into endless Woes, it will put him into agonies.
2. Hence you will unavoidably be brought into Distress sooner or later. Guilt will not always ly still, nor suffer the Conscience ever to be quiet, but there will be a time when you shall be roused by it to purpose; the Damnation of Guilty Impenitent Sinners doth not slumber; the Sentence past will be Executed, the Wrath that is out against them will fall upon them; and then they will be in distress. When the Sinner shall have his eyes opened, and see himself just dropping into endless Woes, it will put him into agonies.
3. If now you were in distress, there would be hope you might do well for all. Christ is now exhibited in the Gospel, inviting all such to come to him. Shortly your distress will come too late for an escape, ⟨p. 143⟩but now it may be a step to it. Next to the Joy over a Sinner that is Converted to God, is that of a Sinner in anguish of Soul, crying out, How shall I be Saved? And of all the sights in the World, there is none more dreadful, than to see a Sinner manacled with the Chains of Guilt, and unconcerned as if nothing ailed him.
USE IV. Let this serve to direct distressed Sinners what to do. This will follow to be particularly spoken of afterwards; here only in general. Are there any that can on experience seal the Truth of the Doctrine, and say, I am the person that you speak of, I find all to be true that you tell me; nay, there is none that can tell the load, the burden that my afflicted Soul is sinking under, and is there ever a word of relief to be spoken, that may under-prop me? To such let me say.