N00802:635
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.
1. That God may have forgiven their sin, and not for the present witness it in their Consciences. As a man may be in a pardoned state and yet question whether he be so or no, by reason of darkness in his mind, and the Spirits withholding his testimony; so it may be in respect of the actual forgiveness of this or that sin that he hath fallen into: he may have repented, confessed, sought forgiveness, and God hath pardoned him, and yet doth not instantly proclaim it in his Conscience; and he acteth much of his Holy Sovereignty herein, for reasons known to himself, so that we have a great deal of reason charitably to think this of some that are under the hurries of such perplexities: And let not such be overborne with the misgivings of their hearts, but say to themselves as he, Psal. 43.5. Why art thou cast down, &c. God will have his time to let them know it, though now they are in the dark about it.
1. That God may have forgiven their sin, and not for the present witness it in their Consciences. As a man may be in a pardoned state and yet question whether he be so or no, by reason of darkness in his mind, and the Spirits witholding his testimony; so it may be in respect of the actual forgiveness of this or that sin that he hath fallen into: he may have repented, confessed, sought forgiveness, and God hath pardoned him, and yet doth not instantly proclaim it in his Conscience; and he acteth much of his Holy Soveraignty herein, for reasons known to himself, so that we have a great deal of reason charitably to think this of some that are under the hurries of such perplexities: And let not such be overborn with the misgivings of their hearts, but say to themselves as he, Psal. 43.5. Why art thou cast down, &c. God will have his time to let them know it, though now they are in the dark about it.
2. But usually the reason of the distress lieth in the want of a right confession. It is good therefore in such a searching time to enquire whether we have not failed on this account, and this may be discovered in several respects; for either,