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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 › Doctrine 1: Examples of Pardoned Sinners, our Encouragement DOCTRINE I.
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. To nourish hope in us against despair. When upon the apprehension of our Sins, and the aggravations of them, we are ready to sink in discouragement, we should gather hope to our selves, by contemplating these, and fetching arguments of hope, and they are such as these.
1. That there have been those who were in our case, and have done well. Unparalleled cases are apt to put men to a stand, and Satan endeavours by them to dishearten us; but when we discover how others have been in all points as bad of it as we, possibly worse, and yet have obtained Mercy of God; it tells us there is hope that we may fare well; Paul therefore tells us that this was Gods design in him, 1 Tim. 1.16.
1. That there have been those who were in our case, and have done well. Unparallel'd cases are apt to put men to a stand, and Satan endeavours by them to dishearten us; but when we discover how others have been in all points as bad of it as we, possibly worse, and yet have obtained Mercy of God; it tells us there is hope that we may fare well; Paul therefore tells us that this was Gods design in him, 1 Tim. 1.16.
2. God herein exhibits his readiness to pardon. He hath declared it fully in his word; and if we ⟨p. 281⟩will follow him in his works of this nature, we shall find it plain; and there is abundant force in this way of reasoning: if God had not delighted in pardoning Sinners, certainly those that had done so much to provoke him to the highest, would never have found favour: David therefore thus pleads, Psal 51.13. Then I will teach Transgressors thy ways, and Sinners shall be converted to thee.