N00766:100
The everlasting Gospel. The Gospel of justification by the righteousness of God; as 'tis…
The everlasting Gospel. The Gospel of justification by the righteousness of God; as 'tis held and preached in the churches of New-England: expressed in a brief discourse on that important article; made at Boston in the year, 1699. / By Cotton Mather. ; And, asserted with the attestations, of several Reverend and eminent persons, now most considerable in those churches.The everlasting Gospel. The Gospel of justification by the righteousness of God; as 'tis held and preach'd in the churches of New-England: expressed in a brief discourse on that important article; made at Boston in the year, 1699. / By Cotton Mather. ; And, asserted with the attestations, of several Reverend and eminent persons, now most considerable in those churches.
Boston: printed by B. Green for Nicholas Buttolph, 1700
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.
Thirdly. We are not made Righteous by the Righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ, before, or without, but upon our Faith Apprehending of it. By Faith and on our part only by Faith we come to be made partakers of the Righteousness, which our Lord Jesus Christ hath provided for us. It is therefore called, The Righteousness of Faith. Why, God never gives the Righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ unto any man, without giving him Faith to Take the Gift of Righteousness. The Righteousness is indeed got ready for us, without and before ⟨p. 23⟩any Act of ours, but we are not actually Invested with a Power to claim the Righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ for us, until with the Heart man Believe unto Righteousness. We are told, in Rom. 4 24 It shall be Imputed, if we Believe. This is the Everlasting language of that Book of Life, our Bible. And we are all over the Gospel taught that thing, in Rom. 5.1. Being Justified by Faith. Indeed he that weighs, what are the properties of a Condition, in the sense of the Civil Law, will easily decline saying, That Faith is the proper Condition of our Justification. However, in the sense that it is commonly taken, Even That also is to be Asserted. But it will suffice, if we say, That Faith is the Instrument of our Justification. By Faith we Accept and Apply the Righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ, for our Justification before God: And God will not permit us to be called, Righteous, until the Faith to do This, be given us Faith does not Justify us, as it is a Work; No, 'Tis Instrumentally, and Relatively, and because it carries us unto the Righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ alone, for our Justification. By Faith, according to the Ordination of God, our Union with the Lord Jesus Christ, is accomplished. In that Union, the Lord Jesus Christ and Believers coalesce into one Mystical Person; The Holy Spirit in that Glorious Head above measure, does inhabit Believers in a measure, and produce between them the Union, that is between the Head and the Members. In this Union is ⟨p. 24⟩founded the Imputation by which, He that knew no Sin, having been made Sin for us, we are made the Righteousness of God in Him. Accordingly, Our Lord Jesus Christ, with a wonderful prevention of His Holy Spirit first lays Hold on us, to make us Prize Him, and Choose Him, and Trust in Him for His Righteousness.