N00802:655
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. You are Sinners. That is the condition of all men by nature, Rom. 5.12. Yea your whole course in this world hath been a trade of Sin, Gen. 8.21. You have done nothing else since you were born but sin against God; this is the very Character given of a natural man, Psal. 58. The wicked is estranged from the womb, they go astray as soon as they are born.
2. You are on this account Guilty before God. This is the state in which all men are by reason of sin, Rom. 3.19. There is always a Guilt cleaving to sin, till by a pardon it be removed: where therefore Sin may be charged, and is not forgiven, it inferreth Guilt; and every unpardoned one is under the efficacy of the Sentence.
3. Hence you have the matter of this distress on you. And what is it that is so bitter and burden some to the Conscience, but a Conviction of Sin, and apprehension of the Guilt that attendeth it? It is a fear of the wrath of God, arising from •n expectation of having it fall upon us: whiles then you are under Guilt, there needs nothing but the awakening of Conscience, and making it to feel the impressions thereof upon it, to bring the man under the most hellish amazements that can be thought of. It is only because Conscience is asleep, ⟨p. 240⟩