N00802:926
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 3: God to be sought in a finding time. DOCTRINE. III.
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.
8. Possibly a great portion of your little time is already gone, and you have hitherto neglected this great business. You have had a fair season for many years, living under the Gospel, and enjoying all helps for seeking and finding of God; but you have squandered them away negligently; and you have now reason to think that your time is hastening to an end: it may be grey hairs predict your approaching dissolution; it may be you labour of wasting bodily infirmities, that are undermining ⟨p. 323⟩your lives, and telling you that you can hold out but a little longer. And is it not time for you to rouse up now at last, who have so small a remnant of a short life left you to seek God in? and will you lose this too? shall the few flitting hours that are behind be sent after the rest? there is time yet, but it is upon the last sands; Oh! redeem it.
8. Possibly a great portion of your little time is already gone, and you have hitherto neglected this great business. You have had a fair season for many years, living under the Gospel, and enjoying all helps for seeking and finding of God; but you have squandred them away negligently; and you have now reason to think that your time is hastening to an end: it may be gray hairs predict your approaching dissolution; it may be you labour of wasting bodily infirmities, that are u••dermining ⟨p. 323⟩your lives, and telling you that you can hold out but a little longer. And is it not time for you to rouse up now at last, who have so small a remnant of a short life left you to seek God in? and will you lose this too? shall the few flitting hours that are behind be sent after the rest? there is time yet, but it is upon the last sands; Oh! redeem it.
9. The longer you delay, the harder work you will find of it. It is the most unhappy way of arguing, for men to plead, they shall be better disposed afterward, when they grow into years, or their youthful lusts are tired out, or worldly business a little over, and in better order, &c. Assure your selves, he that is not ready to day, will be more unready to morrow: it is the deceitfulness of sin, to use delays on such pretences, while sin taketh faster hold, and gets deeper rooting; and custom in sin adds a second nature. When lust pleads hereafter, the true meaning is never. For helps in this affair;