N00254:230
Practical truths tending to promote the power of godliness
Practical truths tending to promote the power of godliness: wherein several important duties, are urged, and the evil of divers common sins, is evinced; delivered in sundry sermons. / By Increase Mather, teacher of a church at Boston in New-England. ; [Ten lines of Scripture texts]
printed by Samuel Green upon assignment of Samuel Sewall, 1682
Baptised Persons are under Sacred and Awful Obligation to the Lord.
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.
Alas! there are many that do thus: yea, as for the generality of baptised persons, this is sadly true concerning them. How few are there, that ever had serious thoughts with themselves, about this matter? If they and their Children may be baptised, they look no further, as if that were all that the Lord requireth of them. And hence it is, that many who are unholy and profane, having no right to baptism in sight of God nor of men, neither for themselves nor for their Children, are very desirous to have that ordinance administered to them; it is partly for that they suppose the reproach of Egypt will then be ⟨p. 110⟩rolled away from them: it being esteemed a dishonourable thing to be un-baptised, where the name of a Christian is in credit with the world, but chiefly, because they are not aware of that dreadful Obligation which their Souls are brought under by baptism; and the astonishing curse of Heaven, that will at last most certainly come up on them, if they violate their baptismal Vow and Engagement unto the Lord.
Alas! there are many that do thus: yea, as for the generality of baptised persons, this is sadly true concerning them. How few are there, that ever had serious thoughts with themselves, about this matter? If they and their Children may be baptised, they look no further, as if that were all that the Lord requireth of them. And hence it is, that many who are unholy and profane, having no right to baptisme in sight of God nor of men, neither for themselves nor for their Children, are very desirous to have that ordinance administred to them; it is partly for that they suppose the reproach of Egypt will then be ⟨p. 110⟩rolled away from them: it being esteemed a dishonourable thing to be un-baptised, where the name of a Christian is in credit with the world, but chiefly, because they are not aware of that dreadful Obligation which their Souls are brought under by baptisme; and the astonishing curse of Heaven, that will at last most certainly come up on them, if they violate their baptismal Vow and Engagement unto the Lord.