N00830:47
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.
The Blessed HOPE, And Glorious Appearing of JESUS CHRIST. › Sermon 1 › USE.
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.
Alas! For those that Look not for this Hope. And truly there are but few that do: The Generality of men, yea, and of those that call themselves Christians too, do not really believe that Christ will appear. If they did, they would not, they could not, Live such Unholy Lives as they do. 2 Pet 3.11, 12 What manner of persons ought you to be in all Holy Conversation and Godliness? Looking for the coming of the day of God. Ay, if men really Looked for that day, they would live after a more Godly manner than many do. When a Profane man said to a late Deist (or Atheist rather) that ridiculed the Scriptures, and all Discourses of Christs coming to Judge the world, That he wondered at his Incredulity; The other replied, I wonder at you more, for Living as you do; for (said he) if I did believe ⟨p. 27⟩that there is another World▪ and that there will be such a day of Judgment, as you say you believe there will, I should be afraid to commit such Sins as you make light of. This was a sharp Reply: But sure it is, that a wicked Life is a sign of Unbelief reigning in the Heart. Alas, Sinners seldom think of Christs Glorious Appearing: They are far from being like that Ancient. who said, Wherever I go, and whether I eat or drink, or whatever I do, methinks I hear the last Trumpet Sounding, and that Voice, Arise you Dead and come to Judgment. Oh! how many are there that live whole days together, without having so much as one thought in their hearts about the Glorious Appearing of the Great God our Saviour Jesus Christ? Much less do they wish for it. It is related concerning that Excellent Young man, and Young Scholar, John Janeway, that when there was a Discourse about the nearness of the Day of Judgment, and some discovered fear and a concernedness of Spirit about it; I wonder at you, (said he) If I were sure that Christ would come to judgment within this hour, my Heart within me would leap for joy. I doubt not, but that there are some in this Assembly, that can say after him. Nevertheless, I am afraid that there are more than a Thousand of you, that cannot say so. How many are there, that if they should hear that Christ would ⟨p. 28⟩