N00860:67
Walking with God, the great duty and privilege of true Christians. In two sermons,…Walking with God, the great duty and priviledge of true Christians. In two sermons,…
Walking with God, the great duty and privilege of true Christians. In two sermons, preached on the lecture, in the year 1700. / By Samuel Willard, teacher of a church in Boston. ; [Four lines from Micah]Walking with God, the great duty and priviledge of true Christians. In two sermons, preached on the lecture, in the year 1700. / By Samuel Willard, teacher of a church in Boston. ; [Four lines from Micah]
Boston: printed by B. Green, 1701
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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. We must seek God, and not our selves, ultimately in these things. The things of this life are given to us for our support in the world, & the comfortable supply of our outward man; these being, by the Divine appointment, the things, on which we have our dependence for our bodily life and livelihood whiles we continue here, in the ordinary course of Gods Providence; and hence it follows, that the next and immediate design of our contriving and labouring for these things, in the several vocations that God placeth us in, is for the body, and the suitable support of it. But we must not centre here, and look no further; much less are we to seek to gratify our fleshly lusts with them, which is the farthest reach of unregenerate men, and is born witness against, Jam. 4.3. Ye ask and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon ⟨p. 46⟩your lusts. But as we are to devote our whole lives to the Service and glory of God; so we ought to desire, endeavour and pray for the supplies and comforts of it, with this great purpose, that therewith we may the better honour him and be encouraged therewithal in our faithful obedience: that therefore is a precept enjoined us, Prov. 3 9. Honour the Lord with thy substance; and we are told that God gave Israel all those things for this end, Psal. 105 44, 45. And gave them the lands of the heathen; and they inherited the labour of the people; that they might observe his statutes, and keep his laws; & the neglect of this is secretly threatened, in Deu 28.47, 48. Because thou servedst not the Lord with joyfulness & gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things, &c.
1. We must seek God, and not our selves, ultimately in these things. The things of this life are given to us for our support in the world, & the comfortable supply of our outward man; these being, by the Divine appointment, the things, on which we have our dependance for our bodily life and livelihood whiles we continue here, in the ordinary course of Gods Providence; and hence it follows, that the next and immediate design of our contriving and labouring for these things, in the several vocations that God placeth us in, is for the body, and the suitable support of it. But we must not center here, and look no further; much less are we to seek to gratify our fleshly lusts with them, which is the farthest reach of unregenerate men, and is born witness against,