N00107:340
Indian dialogues, for their instruction in that great service of Christ, in calling home…Indian dialogues, for their instruction in that great sevice of Christ, in calling home…
Indian dialogues, for their instruction in that great service of Christ, in calling home their country-men to the knowledge of God, and of themselves, and of Jesus Christ. : [Seven lines from Malachi]Indian dialogues, for their instruction in that great sevice of Christ, in calling home their country-men to the knowledge of God, and of themselves, and of Iesus Christ. : [Seven lines from Malachi]
Cambridge: printed by Marmaduke Johnson, 1671
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.
John. The first endeavour of the heart of man, is to pacify Gods ⟨p. 78⟩wrath with something of our own; and first by mincing, excusing and apologizing, as they did, Jer. 2.33, 34, 35, 36▪ 37. Why trimmest thou thy way to seek love? thou teachest ways and arts to sin cunningly; and hence the blood of innocent souls is openly sound in thy skirts: yet thou sayest, I am innocent, and his anger shall be turned away. But then divine Justice taketh the cause in hand; Why gaddest thou about to seek so many shifts? I will never leave thee till I have made thee ashamed of them all, for none of them shall prosper to turn away divine wrath, or to procure thee a pardon. But I find not your soul mincing of your sin, nor making excuses for your self. The next course the heart of man will take, is to purchase a pardon, by giving to God some great sacrifice, or by doing some great penance; as it is expressed in Micah 6.6, 7, 8▪ Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and b••e my self before the high God? sha•l I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of r•vers of oil? shall I give my first born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin […] my soul? He hath showed thee, O man, what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to l•ve mercy, and […] walk humbly with thy God? The inquiry is wherewith a sinner shall pacify God; he proffers great matters, more then he can perform: he bids low at first, only burnt-offerings and calves; but when that will not be accepted he rises higher, s•ewing what he would do if he had wherewith, he bids thousands of rams, ten thousand rivers of oil; if that will not do, he offers the fruit of his body for the Sin of his soul, whether macerations of the body, or any other fruit: but alas, all will not do. And then ver 8. he shows what is the only thing that will satisfy, only Jesus Christ, believed on by faith, held forth in those works of sanctification and holy l•fe, for so the Scripture testifies, 2 Cor 5.19. God was in Christ Jesus reconciling the world unto himself. And