N00597:77
Solemn advice to young men, not to walk in the ways of their heart,…Solemn advice to young men, not to walk in the wayes of their heart,…
Solemn advice to young men, not to walk in the ways of their heart, and in the sight of their eyes; but to remember the Day of Judgment. / By Increase Mather, president of Harvard College in Cambridge, & preacher of the Gospel at Boston, in New-England. ; [Five lines of Scripture texts]Solemn advice to young men, not to walk in the wayes of their heart, and in the sight of their eyes; but to remember the Day of Judgment. / By Increase Mather, praesident of Harvard Colledge in Cambridge, & preacher of the Gospel at Boston, in New-England. ; [Five lines of Scripture texts]
printed by Bartholomew Green. Sold by Samuel Phillips, 1695
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.
1. Sin is Contrary to the Holy, Nature and perfect Will of God. They that have any Love to God, cannot but hate sin. Psal. 97. 10. Ye that Love the Lord hate evil. There is no sin whatsoever, but it is an evil committed against God: and is indeed a greater wrong to God than any one else. A man ⟨p. 75⟩by sin may wrong himself and his neighbour very much, but he is most injurious […] the […] God. David had grievously […] against Uriah and Bathsheba, and against his own Body and Soul; yet he said to God, against thee, thee only have I […], Psal 51. 4. Sin is High Treason against the Eternal Majesty. God is Holiness it self, Amos 4. 2. The Lord God […] Sworn by his Holiness: He never Swears by any thing less then Himself. But sin is Unholiness, sinners are called the Un•••y: So then sin is contrary to the nature of God. He cannot sin: It is impossible that he should, Heb. 6. 18. He can no more sin, then He can cease to be God: Nor can He be the Approver or the Author of sin, Hab. 1. 13. Thou art of purer eyes then to behold evil, and […] on iniquity. He cannot look on […] with approbation or without […]. Hence James speaks as in the […] Chapter and thirteen Verse of his Epistle, Let no man say when he is tempted I am tempted of God. for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man. Neither is there any sin, but it is contrary to the […] will of God. Every sin is a Transgression of his Law. 1 Joh. 3. 4. There is not the least sinful Word or ⟨p. 76⟩Thought but the Divine Law Condemns it. A sinner and a transgressor of the Law are the same. A sinner does practically declare that the Law •f God is no good Law: He trampleth it under foot, he casts it behind his back. Sin is therefore an hateful and a horrible thing.