N00526:197
Unum necessarium awakenings for the unregenerate. Or, The nature and necessity of regeneration. Handled…
Unum necessarium awakenings for the unregenerate. Or, The nature and necessity of regeneration. Handled in a discourse designed for the service of any that may be thereby assisted in the grand concern of conversion unto God; but especially the rising generation. : With an addition of some other sermons relating to that important subject. / By Cotton Mather. ; [Five lines from Ezekiel]
Boston printed: printed by B.H. i.e for Duncan Campbell, 1693
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.
Proposition, III.
Multitudes of wretched sinners Resist the Methods used by the Holy Spirit for the Conversion of their Souls; and in so doing they Resist the Holy Ghost. But how is this done? The Greek word here to Resist signifies To throw something in the way, to hinder the Passage or Journey of another. The Spirit of God is in the way of Converting many a man, but the mad sinner will throw, something or other in the way of the Holy Spirit, so that He makes a stop, a stand, He goes no further in it; This 'tis to Resist the Holy Ghost. Particularly;
First, Unconverted Sinners, Resist the Spirit of God by Diversion; when the Spirit of God would be Renewing of them, they throw some Diversion in his Way. Perhaps this Holy Spirit cannot come at them, because of their Business. When the Spirit would have been Recovering of wicked Cain from his forlorn estate, we find in Gen. 4.17. He went away to building of Cities. Men so get and keep in the clattering noise of the world ⟨p. 149⟩they always find something to do, and create a Thousand Hurries for themselves: Hence the Spirit of God never finds them at leisure enough, to do any thing upon them. Or, the Holy Spirit cannot come at them, because of their Company. 'Tis said of bad Companions, in Prov. 5.9, Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of Life, their ways are moveable. Even so, least the Spirit of God should make men begin •o Ponder, and Practise too, as they ought to do, the moveable and mutable Humours of their Society prove a fatal entanglement unto them; they hear so much and so loud their Boon Companions, that the Spirit of God can have no Admission to speak unto them.