N00597:91
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.
Infor. I. Hence Sinners are foolish Flatterers. And who do they flatter? Sometimes in distress they will Flatter God: they will promise Him fair: If the Lord will deliver them, they say they will never sin against him as they have done, but will turn over a new Leaf, and become new Creatures: They have said well, and Oh that there were such an heart in them. But they are like the Hypocrites, spoken of in the Psalms, who when the Lord slew them, then they sought him, nevertheless, they did flatter him with their mouths, and they lied unto him with their tongues, for their heart was not right with him, neither were they […] in […] Covenant, Psal. 78. 36. But ⟨p. 92⟩they also like foolish Creatures Flatter and deceive themselves: What folly is it to do so? Sure they had better know the worst of themselves before it be too late to help it. They flatter themselves that they have Faith, when they have no true Faith; they believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and they say they trust in him for Salvation, and yet they continue committing iniquity still: This is no true Faith. What doth it profit my brethren, though a man say be ha's Faith, & ha's not works, can his faith save him? Jam. 2. 14. There are many such who say they have faith, and they think as they say, but they deceive their own Souls, and their Religion is vain. They flatter themselves that they shall go to Heaven as soon as the greatest Precisian in the World, though they live ungodly lives: They will Swear, and Lye, and be Drunk sometimes, yet they please themselves with vain hopes of Salvation because they have something of a form of Godliness. Will you believe the Word of God? Hear then what He saith, in 1 Cor. 5. 9, 10. Be not deceived, neither Fornicators, nor Idolaters, nor Adulterers, nor Effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor Thieves, nor Covetous, nor Drunkards, nor Revilers, nor Extortioners, ⟨p. 93⟩shall inherit the kingdom of God. It is then folly for men to promise themselves a Kingdom, if they live in any of these sins. Is it not folly for men to flatter themselves that they shall get to Heaven at last, though they never take one step in the holy way which leadeth thither? There are sinners that are convinced of their misery; they know they must either repent or perish;