N00766:163
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.
We may add; A Justifying Faith, is an Ingenuous Thing. If a man have the least Grain of True Faith in him, he will make that Enquiry, in Psal. 116.12. What shall I render to the Lord, for all His Benefits! And upon this Enquiry, Faith Resolves as the Lord Himself Directs, By Obedience to show its Thankfulness, unto the Lord, who has Loved us, and Washed away our Sins, in His own Blood. That Obedience that was once to have been our Justifying Righteousness, is now▪ Endeavoured by Faith, as a Piece of Thankfulness, to our Lord Jesus Christ, for Justifying us, by His Righteousness. We read, in Gal. 5.6 Faith works by Love. Christian, Thy Faith will Discern and Admire the Love of God unto thee, in helping thee to the Righteousness of thy Lord Redeemer. The Faith of this Love, will Work upon thy Heart, until it hath Raised an unquenchable Flame of Love in thee, unto Him that hath so Loved thee. And if thou Love the Lord, thou wilt then Hate the Evil: All Sin will become Hateful to thee, as the worst Evil in the World. Yea, Thy Love to God, will set thee to Work, in Cleansing thy self from all Filthiness of Flesh and Spirit, and perfecting Holiness in the Fear of God. If they that are made Righteous, by the Lord Jesus Christ, should continue Wicked in their Dispositions and Conversations, This Would be an horrible Reproach unto our Lord Jesus Christ, as if He were, A Patron of Sin; and as if He were. A God that had Pleasure ⟨p. 65⟩in Wickedness. But a True Faith, will never let a man be so Foolish and Unwise, as thus Reproachfully to Requite the Lord. The Return, which our Lord Jesus Expects, for His Mercies unto us, is, That we Devote our selves unto the Service of our Lord: And Faith owns▪ That this is now, a most Reasonable Service▪ Faith of the Right sort, cannot but argue after such a sort as This; What? Has my Lord Jesus Christ made me Righteous? Oh, then let me Glorify Him, with my Spirit, and my Body, which He has bought for Himself with such a price! Where Faith ha's Ennobled the Heart, of any man, there is no motive to Good Works more powerful than This upon him: If he could think▪ I shall escape Hell, yea I shall merit Heaven, by well-doing; this would not so powerfully move him, as to think, By well-doing, I shall Glorify my Lord Jesus Christ; who has done so much for me!