N00802:570
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 › Right Confession, its nature and usefulness. DOCTRINE. › Proposition 4: PROPOSITION IV.
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. We must confess all our sins without any reserves. That there is no sort or degree exempted, hath been already observed; but there are also individuals in these kinds, which we should have a regard to in our acknowledgement; and though it be not possible for us to come at all, yet we should be as particular as we may. Compare, Psal. 19.12. with Job 34.32. But that which I more specially here aim at, is that when the Spirit of God convinceth us of, and humbleth us for any one Sin, and puts us upon confessing it, we ought not to tarry there, but amplify our Confessions farther. Here observe,
1. We must confess all our sins without any reserves. That there is no sort or degree exempted, hath been already observed; but there are also individuals in these kinds, which we should have a regard to in our acknowledgment; and though it be not possible for us to come at all, yet we should be as particular as we may. Compare, Psal. 19.12. with Job 34.32. But that which I more specially here aim at, is that when the Spirit of God convinceth us of, and humbleth us for any one Sin, and puts us upon confessing it, we ought not to tarry there, but amplify our Confessions farther. Here observe,
1. That the Spirit of God frequently begins a Conviction ⟨p. 205⟩at some one sin, which the man hath been guilty of. If in an Afflictive Providence he awakeneth Conscience, there is some remarkable sin is brought to remembrance, as in Josephs Brethren: if in an Ordinance he smites the man with a word, it most commonly lays some particular thing to his charge, and saith, Thou art the man, as to David.