N00766:101
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.
And then we by Faith lay Hold on Him, crying, In this Lord let me have Righteousness! And now the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, with His Righteousness is made over unto us forever.
'Tis true; We sometimes read, That Faith is Imputed for, [or, To] Righteousness. 'Tis not unlikely that one Thing intended in it, may be This; That though Faith be the Gift of God unto us, yet God Reckons this Faith our own; for except the Faith be Reckoned our own, how should it be subservient at all, to bring unto us the Righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ. But the main thing intended is, That the Righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ apprehended by Faith is Reckoned, for our Righteousness: Faith is here put for the Object of it. There is nothing more usual, than to speak that of the Instrument, which is meant of the Object, that is by that Instrument applied unto. Doth any man Scruple to say, The Hand feeds the Body? why so? Because the Hand is that which takes the Meat, that Feeds the Body. Faith Justifies a man, even as the Hand Feeds the Body. Our Faith is not the very Thing, that God Reckons to be our Righteousness! ⟨p. 25⟩For, our Faith is our own; but the Righteousness, whereby God is rendered propitious to us, is not our own. Our Faith at best is not Perfect; but it is an affront unto Heaven, to dream of standing before it, in any but a Perfect Righteousness.
'Tis true; We sometimes read, That Faith is Imputed for, [or, To] Righteousness. 'Tis not unlikely that one Thing intended in it, may be This; That though Faith be the Gift of God unto us, yet God Reckons this Faith our own; for except the Faith be Reckoned our own, how should it be subservient at all, to bring unto us the Righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ. But the main thing intended is, That the Righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ apprehended by Faith is Reckoned, for our Righteousness: Faith is here put for the Object of it. There is nothing more usual, than to speak that of the Instrument, which is meant of the Object, that is by that Instrument applied unto. Doth any man Scruple to say, The Hand feeds the Body? why so? Because the Hand is that which takes the Meat, that Feeds the Body. Faith Justifies a man, even as the Hand Feeds the Body. Our Faith is not the very Thing, that God Reckons to be our Righteeousness!