N00341:29
The greatest sinners exhorted and encouraged to come to Christ, and that now without…
The greatest sinners exhorted and encouraged to come to Christ, and that now without delaying. Also, the exceeding danger of men's deferring their repentance. : Together with a discourse about the day of judgement. And on several other subjects. / By Increase Mather teacher of a church at Boston in N. England. ; [Six lines of Scripture texts]
printed by R.P. for Joseph Brunning i.e, 1686
Title page typeset from the transcription.
John 6.37. —And him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out.
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.
2. The Believer cometh to Christ for Salvation. He seeth that Christ is in himself lovely; and from that consideration goeth to Him. Moreover, he seeth all that life and Salvation in Christ which his soul stands in ••eed• of, and therefore cometh to Him. It's true (as […] intimated) that in closing with Christ, respect is to be had to His Person, and not to His bebenefits ⟨p. 6⟩only. Nevertheless a man in Coming to Christ may and should have respect to his own Salvation. It is a very needless scruple which some have concerning their Coming to Christ, as if it were not right, because Desire of Salvation puts them upon it; so it may be, and so it should be. Christ Himself calls upon men from that very Consideration to come unto Him. Joh. 7.37. If any man thirst let him com• […] me and […]. A man may and should come to Christ that so he may drink, that he may from and by Christ receive the waters of life for his soul. The Believer cometh to Christ as to a Priest, who has by the Sacrifice of himself purchased life for every comer to him. He looketh for Reconciliation with God only by the Sacrifice which Christ has offered for that end: He casts his soul and all the eternal Concerns thereof, upon the Merit and Mediation of Jesus Christ. He looketh for all Acceptance with God, for the Pardon of all sins, for eternal life in another world, for the alone sake of Christ and His Righteousness; thus does he come to Him.
2. The Beleever cometh to Christ for Salvation. He seeth that Christ is in himself lovely; and from that consideration goeth to Him. Moreover, he seeth all that life and Salvation in Christ which his soul stands in ••eed• of, and therefore cometh to Him. It's true (as 〈…〉 intimated) that in closing with Christ, respect is to be had to His Person, and not to His bebenefits ⟨p. 6⟩only. Nevertheless a man in Coming to Christ may and should have respect to his own Salvation. It is a very needless scruple which some have concerning their Coming to Christ, as if it were not right, because Desire of Salvation puts them upon it; so it may be, and so it should be. Christ Himself calls upon men from that very Consideration to come unto Him.