N00802:998
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.
5. You will thus prevent abundance of Repentance and Sorrow. If now, without delay, you will forsake all vain things for Christ, and seek him with your whole heart, you shall never repent of it, but rejoice in it. You never heard of a sincere convert that complained of making too much hast, o• was sorry that he took not a little more liberty i• his sinful ways: but on the contrary, if ever o•• be truly converted, who hath lost his youth in pursuit of sin, he will bitterly bewail his former times, together with celebrating the Grace which appeared in bringing him home to God at last. How doth he cry out, how much time have I lost? what opportunities have I slipped? how miserably have I consumed my days? Besides, there is abundance that old Sinners lay in for repentance; which will make the pangs of the New birth very terrible, which by this may be prevented. Can you think to go on in sin, and not smart for it? and truly there is enough already to make the New birth sharp and severe; be wise then, and add not to it by delays.
5. You will thus prevent abundance of Repentance and Sorrow. If now, without delay, you will forsake all vain things for Christ, and seek him with your whole heart, you shall never repent of it, but rejoyce in it. You never heard of a sincere convert that complained of making too much hast, o• was sorry that he took not a little more liberty i• his sinful ways: but on the contrary, if ever o•• be truly converted, who hath lost his youth in pursuit of sin, he will bitterly bewail his former times, together with celebrating the Grace which appeared in bringing him home to God at last. How doth he cry out, how much time have I lost? what opportunities have I slipt? how miserably have I consumed my days? Besides, there is abundance that old Sinners lay in for repentance; which will make the pangs of the New birth very terrible, which by this may be prevented. Can you think to go on in sin, and not smart for it? and truly there is enough already to make the New birth sharp and severe; be wise then, and add not to it by delays.