N00896:123
The excellency of a public spirit discoursedThe excellency of a publick spirit discoursed
The excellency of a public spirit discoursed: in a sermon, preached in the audience of the General Assembly of the province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England, May 27. 1702. Being the day for election of counsellors in that province. / By Increase Mather. ; [Four lines of quotations]The excellency of a publick spirit discoursed: in a sermon, preached in the audience of the General Assembly of the province of the Masachusetts Bay in New England, May 27. 1702. Being the day for election of counsellors in that province. / By Increase Mather. ; [Four lines of quotations]
printed by B. Green for Nicholas Boone, 1702
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.
4 Stars and especially the Morning Star gives light unto the World. Jer. 31.35. God giveth the Sun for a light by day and the Stars for a light by night. Hence is that expression of Stars of light▪ Psal. 148.3. Praise the Lord ye Stars of light. The morning Star is in a singular manner one of those Stars of light. But this must we say concerning the Lord Jesus Christ: He gives light unto the world, Luk. 1.78▪ 79▪ Through the tender mercy of our God, the day spring from on high has visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness Christ is called the Light of the world, Joh. 8.12 There is light enough in him to enlighten all the world, and therefore he is said to be a Great light. As in Isa 9 Tis said▪ the dimness shall not be as in the Land of Zebulun and Naphtali, and in Galilee, the People that sat in darkness saw a great light, for unto us a Child is born, a Son is given, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God. To open that Scripture as we go along. The words are a Prophecy that the Messiah should live in Galilee: And so it came to pass; for although he was by a wonderful Providence born at Bethlehem, acc•• ding as the Scripture had foretold: and altho••• ⟨p. 70⟩his Passion was at Jerusalem, and his Ascension was from Mount Olivet near Jerusalem, yet his Conversation was for the most part in Galilee. When Isaiah wrote those words, a sad calamity had newly befallen Zebulun and Naphtali, which were in Galilee, the Assyrians had made them Desolate: Now the Prophet to comfort them, tells them of a thing that should happen in that part of the Land of Canaan, which would make amends for all their sorrows and miseries, namely that when the Messiah came, he would live in Galilee, and enlighten them by Preaching the Gospel unto them; and so it came to pass. For our Saviour during his private life dwelt in the City of Nazareth, a Town in Galilee; & when he Entered upon his Public Ministry, he did Reside in Capernaum, which was the Metropolis of Galilee: And all his Disciples were Galileans; the blind Jews objected that Jesus could not be the Christ, because he came out of Galilee, whereas if they had understood the Scripture, they would rahr thence have concluded that he was the Messiah, since the Prophet Isaiah had foretold that he shoud Preach in Galilee: