N00766:95
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.
First, Mere Natural Reason, without Revelation, both External, and Internal Revelation, would never understand the Mystery of a Sinners being made Righteous, by the Righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. For the Righteousness of God, wonderfully to become the Righteousness of a Sinner; It is most Reasonably called, The Wisdom of God, in a Mystery; and, The Mystery, which hath been Hid in God. It is unto Humane Reason Incomprehensible. The Reason of Angels does Admire it, and Adore it, That God should be Manifest in Flesh, to bring it about, for Sinful Flesh to be Justified before God. Much more then it is above the Reason of silly, shallow, sinful Mortals! If a man come to understand any thing of this Mystery, it may be said unto him, as in Matth. 16.27. Flesh and Blood hath not Revealed it unto thee. We are beholden to a Revelation from Heaven, for all that we know, of the way to become Righteous. 'Tis an Impious Thing, to imagine, That without the Gospel, a man may Learn how to be Righteous. No, If our Gospel be Hid, it is Hid unto them that are Lost. Poor man in his Fall, cast himself into such a desperate and complicate Wretchedness, that nothing Understood by man could Rescue him: He must Eternally perish, if the Infinite Understanding of God alone, did not put forth it self to Rescue him.
First, Meer Natural Reason, without Revelation, both External, and Internal Revelation, would never understand the Mystery of a Sinners being made Righteous, by the Righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. For the Righteousness of God, wonderfully to become the Righteousness of a Sinner; It is most Reasonably called, The Wisdom of God, in a Mystery; and, The Mystery, which hath been Hid in God. It is unto Humane Reason Incomprehensible. The Reason of Angels does Admire it, and Adore it, That God should be Manifest in Flesh, to bring it about, for Sinful Flesh to be Justified before God. Much more then it is above the Reason of silly, shallow, sinful Mortals! If a man come to understand any thing of this Mystery, it may be said unto him, as in Matth. 16.27. Flesh and Blood hath not Revealed it unto thee. We are beholden to a Revelation from Heaven, for all that we know, of the way to become Righteous. 'Tis an Impious Thing, to imagine, That without the Gospel, a man may Learn how to be Righteous. No, If our Gospel be Hid, it is Hid unto them that are Lost. Poor man in his Fall, cast himself into such a desperate and complicate Wretchedness, that nothing Ʋnderstood by man could Rescue him: He must Eternally perish, if the Infinite Ʋnderstanding of God alone, did not put forth it self to Rescue him.