N00766:96
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 way for a Sinner to be made Righteous, is laid so High, that no Humane Reason could ⟨p. 18⟩Ever have reached it. When this Mystery come• to be discovered in the Gospel, no man can say I thought afore•••d that this would be the […] This Mystery wa• adjusted in the Breast of […] Almighty God alone. And its being laid […] High, is to lay man Law; 'tis that Man […] be kept in the closer Dependence on God ••lone, for the Discovering of it. Yea, Though the Gospel do discover this Mystery, yet no thir•• will satisfy the Heart of a Sinner in it, unto the Spirit of God, which Dictated this Gospel▪ assure him of it, with a Supernatural work upon him. The Righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ for an Unrighteous and Self-Ruined Sinner, is one of those Things, whereof […] are told, in 1 Cor. 2.14 The Natural man cannot know them, for they are Spiritually Discerned Humane Reason Illuminated by the bare Dispensations of the Gospel, may take in many Things, about the way of a Sinners being made Righteous by the Lord Jesus Christ. But Reason alone, won't persuade a man of this Thing, That God can find in his Heart, for to Save a Sinner on the Account of the Lord Jesus Christ, and of His Righteousness alone. Vain men may talk, Tis the Easiest thing in the World for a man thus to cast himself on the Righteousness of Christ, and multitudes of them that are gone to Hell have done it! But these men have sad cause to Search their own Hearts over again, Whether they have ever done it themselves? I remember, I have Read of a carnal man, who having a Friend in Despair, flouted at it, saying▪ ⟨p. 19⟩The person's well Enough, only they wont Believe. The man soon after this, fell into Terror of Conscience himself; and being then bidden, To ••lieve; What? can't you Believe? with Anguishy Despair, he cried out, Oh, There are Millions of •in that I have been guilty of, and God hath let se all the Devils of Hell upon my Soul; and how, […], how can I Believe? When a Sinner comes to be Enlightened and Affrightened, and in horror of Soul for all his horrible Sins, it can't enter into his Heart now, that God should be free to Forgive him, and Relieve him, only for the sake of what Another ha's done for him. Such an Astonishing Mercy of God, cannot be conceived by a Distressed Sinner; and he will not be pacified without some Righteousness, and Worthiness of his own, to Commend him unto God.