N00766:39
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.
THE Justification of a Sinner, in the Sight of God, being a matter of greatest Importance, and Concernment to the Souls of men; it hath been the Practice of the Ministers of New-England, (according to my Observation) from the Beginning, frequently to acquaint their People with, or to insist upon the true Doctrine of Justification, according to the word of GOD; and the Confession of our Faith, and concurrence of the Protestant Divines and Churches in other parts of the World: and for divers of the most Eminent of the first Ministers to leave upon record the same Doctrine in their Printed works for the benefit of Posterity; Such as Mr▪ Hooker, Mr. Richard Mather, Mr. Chaney, Mr. Shepard and Mr. Norton: in which Practise they have been followed by the Minister who have succeeded them: As there was a very useful Discourse of Mr. Willard on Justification, Published some few years ago; So here is now presented to the Readers view, another little Treatise on the same Subject▪ containing no other Doctrine of Justification, then ⟨image ?⟩what hath been Preached and Received in New-England from the beginning.
It is true indeed that in our first times and for some few years, the Peace of these Churches was disturbed by a Company of real Antinomians, who zealously crying up the free Grace of God, and the Righteousness of Christ for Justification; but grossly neglecting, slighting and vilifying the Graces and Duties of Sanctification, they made their folly appear unto all men, and their Religion quickly came to an end. For by their general removal out of this Colony to Road-Island (a place where they might every one do what was right in their own eyes) they showed themselves to be mere Libertines, and downright Worldlings: contenting themselves with the accommodations of a fruitful Island, they cast off the very Form of Religion; they and their Posterity (for the generality of them) living about these threescore years past, without any Churches, Ministers, Ordinances, or keeping of the Lords Day, only professing Liberty of Conscience at large, that men might there be of any Religion or no Religion, as they would themselves: this is notoriously known to all New-England. So dreadfully dangerous it is to turn the Grace of God into Wantonness, and to pervert the Doctrine of Justification.