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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 › The distress of Conscience from Gods heavy hand. DOCTRINE.
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.
3. Why or for what end he doth it?
1. That God is the author of this, by laying his angry hand heavy on the man? There are two things in this Conclusion.
1. That God is the author of it. It is in it self a fore evil, though by the over-ruling Providence of ⟨p. 176⟩God, it is made to issue in good to some. Now there are two sorts of evil that the Scripture tells us of, viz of Sin, and of Affliction. As to that of Sin, however the permissive Providence of God is conversant about it, and is not idle; yet we are utterly to disclaim his being the Author of it: but as to that of Affliction, God challengeth it to himself universally, Amos 3.6. And looks on himself as dishonoured, if we do not see and acknowledge his hand in it, Isa. 26.11. And this extends not only to outward and temporary troubles, but to all the inward anxieties and terrors of Conscience that overtake them, Lam. 3.65. God indeed many times useth the instrumentality of second causes in the production of it, but still he manageth them, and brings about the issue according to his pleasure: he terrifieth and amazeth them, hence that deprecation, Jer. 17.17. Be not a terror to me, &c.
1. That God is the author of it. It is in it self a fore evil, though by the over-ruling Providence of