N00802:830
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 2: Forgiveness obtained in the way of Prayer. DOCTRINE II.
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.
3. There are none that do so resent the need of forgiveness as the Godly when under Conviction. For,
1. The anger of God is more terrible to them than to others. Others indeed may be more slavishly afraid, but these have a more genuine fear of it, Psal. 119. 120. My flesh trembleth for fear of thee. The most genuine fear is filial, and that which is grounded in love. A gracious Soul valueth the Love of God more than life it self, & therefore his anger is awful to him: he hath felt the bitterness of it, and that maketh him to dread it.
2. Hence the apprehension of Guilt is to him more intolerable. He knows it to be a Fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God, Heb 10 31. And when he finds Guilt upon his Conscience, he knows that he lieth exposed to Gods anger; and he cannot tell how to bear it, he cannot live under it, the weight of it sinks him; he can have no rest so long as it abideth on him, Psal. 38 3.
2. Hence the apprehension of Guilt is to him more intolerable. He knows it to be a Fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God, Heb 10 31. And when he finds Guilt upon his Conscience, he knows that he lyeth exposed to Gods anger; and he cannot tell how to bear it, he cannot live under it, the weight of it sinks him; he can have no rest so long as it abideth on him, Psal. 38 3.