N00341:95
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.
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.
Consider 5. The Infinite danger which is in mens Delaying their Conversion. Every Sinner had need make haste about this matter, because a little Delay may cost him his Life. The Angel said to Lo• (Genes. 19.17.) Escape for thy Life, look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain les• thou be consumed. So I say to thee, O sinner, don't stay in thy present estate, but make hast to Christ as for thy life, lest if thou lag & linger the fire of Hell take hold on thee suddenly, and thou be consumed. 'Tis a dangerous ⟨p. 54⟩thing for a man to defer his Repentance tho but for one day. One days delay may cost a man the Life of his soul. When Michal told David, saying, If thou save not thy life to night, to morrow thou shalt be slain, He went and •led and escaped. 1. Sam. 19.11, 12. Thus O Sinner, If thou dost not turn from thine Iniquities this day, it may be to morrow thou shalt be slain. So that it is a very dangerous thing for any man to put off his Repentance a day longer: because of the uncertainty of life it is so. When once Death has given the fatal Blow, it's too late for the Sinner to think of turning and making his peace with GOD. Isai. 38.18. They that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The Sinner whose Body is gone down into the pit of Death, and whose soul is gone down into the pit of Eternal Darkness, cannot hope that he shall ever be Converted, or that ever his soul shall be saved. And who knoweth how soon the Arrow of Death may strike him! The Thunder-bolt of Death may kill thee before another morning. Then turn from thy sins now. I have diverse times put you in mind of an Expression of that famous Minister of Christ, Mr. Bolton, who would sometimes say, I would not be in my unconverted estate again one day, tho I might have all the world for it, lest haply death ⟨p. 55⟩should come upon me that day, and so my immortal soul be lost for ever. And it is a dangerous thing for men to delay their Conversion, because the longer they delay it, the more unlike are they ever to be converted. Sinner it is possible and most probable that now or never is thy time to repent in. The longer thou dost delay, the more unwilling and the more unable to turn art thou like to be. For Satan will get faster hold on thy soul; and the longer he has held his Possession the more difficult will his Departure be.