N00830:86
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 3
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.
2 Christ is in respect of Nature God. And that is true concerning Him only, who is the great God. For those gods that the Gentiles Worshipped, had not the Nature of a Deity in them▪ Gal. 4.8 You did Service (says the Apostle) to those which by Nature were not Gods. There are Creatures that have the name of Gods given to them, but have not the nature of God in them. There are those who in respect of Similitude are said to be Gods: Psal 97.7 Worship Him all ye gods; that is to say, all ye Angels, who resemble God more than any other Creatures. And some are said to ⟨p. 49⟩be Gods in respect of Office: So Magistrates, especially Sovereign Princes: Psal. 82.6 I have said you are Gods, but you shall Dye like men. There are those that are Gods in respect of Reputation and the vain Opinion of them that worship them, thereby making them to be Gods that are not so▪ 1 Cor. 8.5 There are Gods many, and Lords many; that is to say, who are reputed to be such. But there is but one that has the Nature of God in him· Only one that is the True God. Therefore the Israelites said when they saw the Miraculous Fire descending from God out of heaven, 1 King 18 39 The Lord he is the God, the Lord he is the God. That is to say, the true God that has the Nature of a God in him. Therefore others are not the Great God; That is a Style peculiar to the true God, and cannot be given to any other without Blasphemy. And to him must it be ascribed; Deut. 10▪ 17 The Lord is God of gods, and Lord of lords; a great God, Mighty and Terrible. Greatness, Infinite greatness, must be ascribed unto him. Great is the the Lord, and greatly to be Praised, his greatness is Unsearchable▪ Psal 145 3 But the Lord Jesus Christ is in respect of Nature God. Most true it is, that Christ in respect of his Nature is Man also, which is a wonderful thing. 'Tis an amazing Mystery, that the great▪ God should become a man; 1 Tim