N00802:694
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 › Gods readiness to forgive on Penitent Confession. 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.
A. Forgiveness properly signifieth a free remission of an offence, without any satisfaction made by the person so forgiven. For, when a man hath fully satisfied for the injury, he hath bought his peace, and it would be injustice to pursue him for it afterwards: but Forgiveness is an act of free favour. Now this may be considered either in respect of personal ⟨p. 250⟩wrongs between man and man, or with regard to the Transgression of a Law, wherein there is a penalty due in Justice, and the Judge is concerned in pursuing it: and this latter best resembleth the case of a Sinner; and in this respect, satisfaction may be given to the Law, by the procurement of the Judge, that so Justice be not perverted, and yet a free pardon may upon it be given to the Offender, who did nothing to the procuring of that satisfaction; and such is the case here. This Forgiveness then belongs to, and is one essential part of Justification; and therefore presumeth such a satisfaction made, and accepted by God, upon which, and in respect to which, he proceedeth to pass an act of forgiveness upon the person who before stood Guilty: and it properly consisteth in a free and full discharging of him from the whole Condemnation of the Law, and putting him out of the danger of it: and hath these things contained in it.
1. He is supposed to be arraigned, tried at Gods Bar, and there found Guilty, and Sentence of Death there past upon him for his sin. All this in course goeth before, and maketh way for a pardon; and this the Spirit of God doth in the Conscience, when he E•ecteth a Tribunal in Gods Name, and formally proceedeth: We read of our own hearts condemning us, 1 Joh. 3.20. And this is the first work of Conviction, ascribed to the Spirit, Joh 16. 8 without which the riches of Gods grace cannot be suitably apprehended, and acknowledged by the pardoned one.
1. He is supposed to be arraigned, tryed at Gods Bar, and there found Guilty, and Sentence of Death there past upon him for his sin. All this in course goth before, and maketh way for a pardon; and this the Spirit of God doth in the Conscience, when he Eecteth a Tribunal in Gods Name, and formally proceedeth: We read of our own hearts condemning us,