N00802:613
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 6: PROPOSITION VI.
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.
6. There must be this forgiveness really past in order to the Spirits bearing witness to it. The man must be forgiven, at least in order of nature, before he can be ascertained of it: for this Testimony is to a thing that really is; and though God sometimes doth together with pardoning the Sinner, let in this light, whereby he discerns it; yet he doth not always do so, he acts his Sovereignty in this matter, but he giveth no assurance of a pardon to him before hand; he indeed offereth it, tells him where it is, and how to be obtained, encourageth him to wait for it, offereth him his assistance: but all this while the matter is in suspense as to the man; and if he complieth ⟨p. 223⟩not with these offers, he remaineth in a state of Condemnation. God is not wont to reveal his purpose to the man on this account, till he hath given being to it in his Providence, and this assurance follows upon that faith by which he embraced the offer of Grace which had been made to him.
6. There must be this forgiveness really past in order to the Spirits bearing witness to it. The man must be forgiven, at least in order of nature, before he can be ascertained of it: for this Testimony is to a thing that really is; and though God sometimes doth together with pardoning the Sinner, let in this light, whereby he discerns it; yet he doth not always do so, he acts his Soveraignty in this matter, but he giveth no assurance of a pardon to him before hand; he indeed offereth it, tells him where it is, and how to be obtained, encourageth him to wait for it, offereth him his assistance: but all this while the matter is in suspense as to the man; and if he complyeth ⟨p. 223⟩not with these offers, he remaineth in a state of Condemnation. God is not wont to reveal his purpose to the man on this account, till he hath given being to it in his Providence, and this assurance follows upon that faith by which he embraced the offer of Grace which had been made to him.