N00357:285
The safety of appearing at the day of judgement, in the righteousness of Christ
The safety of appearing at the day of judgement, in the righteousness of Christ: opened and applied. By Solomon Stoddard Pastor to the church of North-Hampton in New-England. ; [Nine lines from Philippians]The safety of appearing at the day of judgement, in the righteousness of Christ: opened and applied. By Solomon Stoddard Pastor to the church of North-Hampton in New-England. ; [Nine lines from Phillipians]
Boston: printed by Samuel Green for Samuel Phillips, 1687
Title page typeset from the transcription.
The Safety of Appearing in the Righteousness of Jesus Christ. › Chapter 5
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. If God commands us to believe on the righteousness of Jesus Christ then we must do it upon pain of damnation, if we fail thereof: every sin does by Law deserve death: and the continuance in the neglect of any known command does unavoidably bring death and ruin, and so the neglect of this command, John 3.18 He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath n•t believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of God; certainly then it must be a safe thing to believe on Jesus Christ: if there be no safety in believing, there is no reason that we should be punish for not believing: if there be no safety in believing in Christ, then ⟨p. 110⟩it is madness to believe in Christ, and will God punish us for not acting the part of mad men: it were an unreasonable thing for a man to believe in Christ if it were not safe so to do; and therefore unreasonable that he should be punished for not doing of it: will God damn man for not building their hopes for Heaven upon the sand? will God cast a man into Hell, because he will not embrace a delusion, and put his confidence in a broken Reed? the Lord is a righteous God, and would never punish men for not believing if they had not abundant encouragement to believe: the command of this holy God gives us great security in believing, John 12.50. I know that his command is life everlasting.
3. If God commands us to believe on the righteousness of Jesus Christ then we must do it upon pain of damnation, if we fail thereof: every sin does by Law deserve death: and the continuance in the neglect of any known command does unavoidably bring death and ruine, and so the neglect of this command, John 3.18 He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath n•t believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of God; certainly then it must be a safe thing to believe on Jesus Christ: if there be no safety in believing, there is no reason that we should be punish for not believing: if there be no safety in believing in Christ, then ⟨p. 110⟩