N00620:174
Angelographia, or A discourse concerning the nature and power of the holy angels, and…
Angelographia, or A discourse concerning the nature and power of the holy angels, and the great benefit which the true fearers of God receive by their ministry: delivered in several sermons: : to which is added, a sermon concerning the sin and misery of the fallen angels: also, a disquisition concerning angelical-apparitions. / By Increase Mather, president of Harvard College, in Cambridge, and preacher of the Gospel at Boston, in New-England. ; [Two lines from Hebrews]Angelographia, or A discourse concerning the nature and power of the holy angels, and the great benefit which the true fearers of God receive by their ministry: delivered in several sermons: : to which is added, a sermon concerning the sin and misery of the fallen angels: also, a disquisition concerning angelical-apparitions. / By Increase Mather, praesident of Harvard Colledge, in Cambridge, and preacher of the Gospel at Boston, in New-England. ; [Two lines from Hebrews]
printed by B. Green & J. Allen for Samuel Phillips, 1696
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.
And when the Angels sinned but once, as soon as ever they had but once transgressed, He spared them not. But now though men have sinned a million times over, God spares them; although they continue sinning from one year to another, God not only spares them out of Hell, but tells them of a Heaven, and sends his Gospel to them, to assure them, that all their sins shall be pardoned, and their Souls saved, if they obey the Gospel: Here now is wonderful Grace, that we may be astonished to consider of. The Angels that sinned, ⟨p. 123⟩never had one offer of a Christ: They never had a Jesus Preached to them as a Deliverer from the Wrath to come. God himself Preached the Gospel, and promised Salvation to fallen man, on the very day in which he first sinned. Gen. 3.15. What glorious Grace was this!
Inference 2. We see here a glorious evidence of the holiness and of the Justice of God. He is an Holy God, He cannot endure sin. He will not suffer sinners to be in his sight. If they be sinners, tho• they be Angels, if once they become sinners, out of Gods sight they must go. Such is the Holiness of Gods nature. David being a man after Gods own heart, could say, A Liar shall not dwell in my house, nor tarry in my sight. Psal. 101.7. But Oh! the Holiness of the blessed God, that when the reprobate Angels did once become Liars, they might not dwell in Gods house, nor tarry in his sight one moment longer. Such is his Holiness, that he cannot look upon sin with approbation of it. Hab. 1.13. He is of purer eyes, than to behold evil: he cannot look upon iniquity without detestation thereof. 'Tis not only true that he will not, but that he cannot. God can no more approve of sin, then he can cease to be God. Thus glorious is he in Holiness And we see before our eyes a glorious and dreadful demonstration of the Justice of God, in that he does punish sinners whoever they be. The truth is, He never spared any sin, there was never any sin committed in the World, nor