N00830:153
The blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the Great God our Saviour, Jesus…
The blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the Great God our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Opened & applied, in several sermons. / By Increase Mather, president of Harvard College in Cambridge, and preacher of the Gospel, at Boston, in N.E. ; [Nine lines of Scripture texts]The blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the Great God our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Opened & applied, in several sermons. / By Increase Mather, praesident of Harvard Colledge in Cambridge, and preacher of the Gospel, at Boston, in N.E. ; [Nine lines of Scripture texts]
Boston: printed by Timothy Green for Nicholas Boone, 1701
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.
USE I.
This should put us upon Examination, whether we have Christ to be our Saviour or no. It is worth more than all this worlds Goods, to be able upon good Grounds to say, as the Church did, Cant. 2.19 My beloved is mine, and I am his. To be able to say with Paul, Christ Loved me, and gave Himself for me. Gal. 2.•0 Well, then Examine we whether Christ be our Saviour? He is so in a General sense, & in respect of the profession we make of his Name; we all of us say Christ is our Saviour. But alas! Many a man that says so, will in the last Day, when the Great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ shall appear, find himself utterly disappointed, and deceived, in his hopes of salvation. Christ has said, Not every one that says to me Lord, Lord; that is, that call themselves after my Name, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Many that call themselves Christians, and say, I hope to be saved by Jesus Christ▪ he will in that Day say unto them; I never knew you. ⟨p. 108⟩It concerns us then to Examine whether we have an Interest in Christ as a Saviour? This is a Duty in special incumbent on believers, when they approach unto the Table of the Lord: 1 Cor. 11.28 Let a man Examine himself, and so let him Eat of that Bread and Drink of that Cup. The Church of Christ ought to Admit none into their Communion, but such as can Examine themselves, and such as we may rationally hope do and will Examine themselves; Namely, whether they have a real Interest in Christ, yea, or no. Therefore we should Examine, what our Faith is, whether we have true Faith? 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves, try your selves. This is a duty of great moment, Examine, Try whether you be in the Faith? Know you not that Christ is in you, except you be Reprobate? Would you know whether Christ be in you, whether you have a true and real Interest in Christ, Have you true Faith? You may know by that. Have you given your self to Jesus Christ, not your Names only, but your Hearts to Christ? Have you made with him an Everlasting Covenant, a Perpetual Covenant, never to be forgotten? Have you given your self to the Lord according to the Terms of the Covenant of Grace: Have you Accepted of Christ on his own Terms as he is offered in the Gospel? And has Christ saved you from the Dominion of sin? Then