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A complete body of divinity in two hundred and fifty expository lectures on the…A compleat body of divinity in two hundred and fifty expository lectures on the…
A complete body of divinity in two hundred and fifty expository lectures on the Assembly's Shorter catechism wherein the doctrines of the Christian religion are unfolded, their truth confirmed, their excellence displayed, their usefulness improved; contrary errors & vices refuted & exposed, objections answered, controversies settled, cases of conscience resolved; and a great light thereby reflected on the present age. / By the Reverend & learned Samuel Willard, M.A. late Pastor of the South Church in Boston, and vice-president of Harvard College in Cambridge, in New-England. ; Prefaced by the pastors of the same church. ; [Six lines of Scripture texts]A compleat body of divinity in two hundred and fifty expository lectures on the Assembly's Shorter catechism wherein the doctrines of the Christian religion are unfolded, their truth confirm'd, their excellence display'd, their usefulness improv'd; contrary errors & vices refuted & expos'd, objections answer'd, controversies settled, cases of conscience resolv'd; and a great light thereby reflected on the present age. / By the Reverend & learned Samuel Willard, M.A. late Pastor of the South Church in Boston, and vice-president of Harvard College in Cambridge, in New-England. ; Prefac'd by the pastors of the same church. ; [Six lines of Scripture texts]
printed by B. Green and S. Kneeland for B. Eliot and D. Henchman, 1726
AN EXPOSITION OF THE ASSEMBLY's SHORTER CATECHISM: IN Two Hundred a… › Sermon 21 (Question 4 cont.)
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.
USE 1. LEARN hence, How worthy the Works of God are of •ur Contr•••••• & •d•••tita. Wisdom is that which ••mmends any that have it, to others: it gains their applause and wonderment. And indeed, it hath so much radiancy & splendour in it, that it cannot but s•prize such as behold it. Sol•m•n tells us. F••l. 8.1. Who is •s the wise man' end aks known' the interpret••en of a thing? a man's wisdom ••theth has face […] shine, and the badness of his sort shall be •••god. The Wisdom of God then is a fit Object for the reasonable Creature to employ his thoughts & observation upon. This is not to be seen os••ntially & d•redly by us, the light of it is too dazzling for our weak eyes: but the re••ections of it that are made by the works of Creation & Providence, in which it is so admirably imprinted, will lead us by the hand to make precious discoveries of it, and most astonishing. It is the Psalmists remark, Psal. 111.2. The works of the Lord are great, sought rat of all them that have pleasure therein. And certainly one thing that so engageth them is the admirable Curiosity of them; the accurate and astonishing streaks of Divine Wisdom that are there to be discovered. The speculation of these things would mightily help us to honour and adore this God; to love him, and to trust in him. Man's Sabbath was at first appointed him, to sequester himself to this employment: it will cost us time and labour, but the profit will recompense us for all. And there is no Day passeth, which gives us not occasion to make remarks upon it And if our hearts be right, we shall see so much of it, as will abundantly satisfy us in the Wisdom of that which we cannot penetrate into; and make us acknowledge the Reason, not to be the want of Wisdom in the thing, but the darkness that is upon our understandings; and say as he,