N00731:52
The folly of sinning, opened & applied, in two sermons, occasioned by the condemnation…The folly of sinning, opened & applyed, in two sermons, occasioned by the condemnation…
The folly of sinning, opened & applied, in two sermons, occasioned by the condemnation of one that was executed at Boston in New-England, on November 17th. 1698. / By Increase Mather, president of Harvard College, in Cambridge, and preacher of the Gospel at Boston in N.E. ; [Two lines from Romans]The folly of sinning, opened & applyed, in two sermons, occasioned by the condemnation of one that was executed at Boston in New-England, on November 17th. 1698. / By Increase Mather, praesident of Harvard Colledge, in Cambridge, and preacher of the Gospel at Boston in N.E. ; [Two lines from Romans]
Boston: printed by B Green for Michael Perry over against the Town House, 1699
THE FOLLY OF Sinning. › Sermon 2 › Proposition 2: PROPOSITION. II.
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 our trespass is gone up unto the Heavens▪ An heap of Sand which shall reach as high as the Heavens, must have an infinite number of Sands in it: So is every man guilty of an Infinite number of sins. But how few are sensible of this? Men do not mourn for their own sins, much less for the sins of others. The holy Apostle reproveth the Corinthians in that when one in their Communion was found guilty of Incest, they had not Mourned. 1 Cor. 5.2. They would have done well to have set some time apart to Fast and Mourn because of the dishonour done to the Name of Christ, and the wound which Religion received by means of that Scandalous person. The ⟨p. 54⟩Psalmist could say, not only that he beheld the Transgressors and was grieved, but that Rivers of waters run down his Eyes because men kept not the Law of God. Psal. 119.136. How few can say after him?
2. They that seek to Excuse and Extenuate Sin, make too light of it. Thus our first Parents did. The woman who was first in the Transgression, would lay the blame at the Serpents door: The Serpent beguiled me. Thus Eves Children think to Excuse or Extenuate their sin by laying the fault on the Devil. Why would you do such an evil thing? The Devil Tempted me say they. The man sought to make some excuse for himself by accusing his Wife▪ & silently reflected on the providence of God, The woman whom thou gavest me she gave to me of the Tree and I did eat. Gen. 3.12. Thus sinners to Extenuate their Crimes will reflect upon God: They say, If God had given me Grace, I should not have done so wickedly. Ever since Adams fall it has been natural for men to excuse and extenuate their faults either by blaming others, or by some other pretext. When Aaron committed a great Sin in making the Calf in the Wilderness, what a frivolous excuse did he make for himself,