N00341:43
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.
3. Christ did never yet cast out any that came to Him. We read of many in the Gospel that ⟨p. 14⟩came to Christ for help and healing as to their bodies, but we do not read of so much as one whom he would not have compassion on. Indeed he made as if he would have rejected the Woman of Canaan when she came to him, but he never intended it, only was willing to try her Faith: And why was this? but to let us know that if men come to Christ with their souls, they shall surely find acceptance with him. Many have come to Christ, yea, many thousands but he never rejected any one of them. Tho some of them which came to Christ, were such as one would have thought he would never have given entertainment to, having been the vilest wretches in the world; yet when they came to Christ with a true desire to be his Disciples, he never did reject so much as one of them; therefore we may conclude he never will do so.
4. Christ dyed for those that shall come to him. Therefore he will in no wise cast them out. If God has given to a man a heart to come […] Christ, he may be sure that Christ hath dyed for him. Joh. 12.32. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. If a soul be drawn to Christ, 'tis certain that Christ was lifted up on the Cross, there to bleed […] die for the salvation of that very soul. And ⟨p. 15⟩•f Christ has loved him, so as to dye for him, he will never cast him out. Sinners may look upon Christ dying on the Cross, and see him with his arms open, ready to embrace them.
4. Christ dyed for those that shall come to him. Therefore he will in no wise cast them out. If God has given to a man a heart to come 〈…〉 Christ, he may be sure that Christ hath dyed for him.