The Childs Portion, Title page 1 – To the reader
The Child's Portion: Or the unſeen GLORY Of the Children of God, Aſſerted, and proved: Together with ſeveral other SERMONS Occaſionally Preached, and now publiſhed.
By Samuel Willard Teacher of a Church in Boſton, New-England.
Pſal. 42. 11.
Why art thou caſt down, Oh my Soul? and why art thou diſquieted within me, hope thou in God, for I ſhall yet praiſe him, who is the health of my Countenance, and my God.
BOSTON, in NEW-ENGLAND, Printed by Samuel Green, and are to be ſold by Samuel Phillips, at the Weſt end of the Town-houſe, 1684
Chriſtian Reader.
THough it be a fault over common for men to pick a quarrel with the preſent times for being worſe than thoſe that went before, reproved by the Wiſe Man, Eccleſ. 7. 10. When men have more reaſon to fall out with themſelves for making the times ſo bad; yet it is certain that the al wiſe Providence of an holy God brings many changes over the World, and his People in it. There are times when the Churches have reſt, are edified, and multiplied: and there are times when iniquity abounds, and Perſecution ariſeth, and Gods People are ſcattered. What theſe times are into which we are now fallen is obvious to him that will not ſhut his eyes It is the happineſs of the true fearers of God, that he hath provided them conſolations ſtrong enough to hold up their heads above water when the waves riſe higheſt, and the raging billows make the greateſt noiſe. When the Earth and all in it will afford us no comfort, then heaven can. And as it is our wiſdom to be laying up treaſures beyond Death and the Grave, out of the reach of time and change, ſo it is our intereſt to be ſtrengthening our faith, and corroborating our hope by ſuch things as all the malice of Men and Devils cannot pluck away from us. The time is coming when every mans foundation ſhall be tryed, he only that is built upon the Rock ſhall then ſtand. To be able in an evil day to ſit ſtill with an undaunted courage and calm ſerenity upon our ſpirit, is a great felicity: The only way to do this is to be able to truſt in the Lord, and with all grounded confidence to rely upon his Power, goodneſs, and fidelity: This is no common thing, but the priviledge only of a few, and thoſe ſuch whom God (having ſet his Love upon them in Chriſt) hath taken to be his poſsesſion, and liſted in the number of his Children. To be of this number is to be happy indeed: to know our ſelves ſo, is a beam of light ſo full of refreſhment, that nothing but heaven and glory can afford any more ſatisfying. Could we draw all the water out of this Well, it would make us to think our ſelves in Heaven before we come there. But the Well is deep, and our line too ſhort, and bucket too ſhallow, whence they are but ſips and ſmall draughts we here obtain. Some of theſe you may poſſibly find in the enſuing diſcourſe, And had my skill anſwered my deſires, and the excellency of the ſubject, they had been far larger and more refreſhing: Yet I truſt (God affording his bleſſing with them) they may not be altogether fruitleſs: And, may they but perſwade, either ſtrangers, to labour after ſon-ſhip, or Children to be more comforted and ſtrengthned to all patience, by the conſideration of their wonderful relation to the great God, I ſhall not have laboured in vain. Think not that I have h…perbolized in any particulars; no, the one half is not told you, nor can by the tongue of man here: and becauſe I was not able to pourtray, I have but drawn a vail upon this glorious priviledge: think it to be infinitely more excellent than all that is ſaid of it, and live accordingly. Of the following Sermons, I ſhall only ſay thus much: They were (through grace) profitable to ſome in the preaching, whoſe deſire and ho…es of their being further profitable, if Printed, gave occaſion to the Publication of them, which that they may ſo be, and that the Author may be ſerviceable in his generation, to the glory of God, and good of Souls, your Prayers are earneſtly requeſted to him from whom every good and perfect gift deſcends.
By your Servant in and for Chriſt, S. W.