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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 2: Guilt apprehended, Distressing to Gods Children. DOCTRINE II.
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.
1. That a true Convert may fall into some Conscience wasting Sin. He is not out of danger, yea sometimes is so overtaken. All the Sins of Gods Children are in a sense, sins of Infirmity, because there is a party in them that consents not, but yet there are some that have more of boldness in them, and do more nearly strike the Conscience, which are presumptuous sins, which he prays hard against, Psal. 19.13. When prevailing Concupiscence hurries them to do things against the light of Conscience, either to shut their eyes, against it, or to be born down by the force of a lust, to commit it, though Conscience saith it ought not to be, this is a Conscience wasting sin: and though it looks unlike the Spot of Gods Children, yet sometimes when left to themselves, they are thus entangled. Davids Adultery and Murder were such, and such was Solomons Building Idolatrous Houses.
2. That God doth not ordinarily suffer his own to lie long under the insensibleness of such sins. How long he may, is not for us to tell, yet he is wont in due time to awaken their Consciences, and give them the feeling of them. He sends some Messenger or other to rouse them; some Prophet, as he did to David. Either he meets them in an Ordinance, and causeth some word to fasten on them, or in a Providence, as Josephs Brethren; and thus God doth in faithfulness, because whiles ⟨p. 152⟩Conscience is thus wasted and stunned, it can do its Office aright in nothing, and so the mans graces are not exercised in vigour, but miss their end, which he will not suffer ever to be in such whom he hath planted his fear in.
2. That God doth not ordinarily suffer his own to ly long under the insensibleness of such sins. How long he may, is not for us to tell, yet he is wont in due time to awaken their Consciences, and give them the feeling of them. He sends some Messenger or other to rouse them; some Prophet, as he did to David. Either he meets them in an Ordinance, and causeth some word to fasten on them, or in a Providence, as Josephs Brethren; and thus God doth in faithfulness, because whiles