N00896:136
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.
Worship him all you Angels.
2. Hence then Christless Sinners are in a dismal Estate. For they, yea their Souls are in Midnight Darkness. Has not this Star Risen on thee? then what if thy case? Has not Christ by his Spirit risen on thee with his saving influences, then thou art none of his, Rom. 8 9. If a man has not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his! And if none of his, then whose art thou? And where art thou, but in the Kingdom of Darkness, in black chains which thy miserable Soul is captivated and held fast in them. Has not thy Soul seen this Morning Star! then thou hast no assurance that ever thou shalt see a good day. No Assurance that ever th•re will be a day of Salvation to thy soul What a miserable case be they then in, that never saw this morning star, that never heard of Christ; they sin in Darkness and in the Region of the shadow of Death. And ⟨p. 80⟩those will be a thousand times more miserable that have heard of Christ, but never had an heart to believe on him. That this bright Star has risen on them, but they will not behold the glory of it; they shut their eyes against this light. This is the Condemnation that light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light; for such in a special manner is Reserved the blackness of Darkness for ever.
3. Hence then the Lords People should observe Christ's Providential Dispensations and Appearances to them, so as to be encouraged thereby. Christ is wont to appear first as a Morning Star, and then as the Sun; that is to say, he does fi•st give a lesser degree of light unto his people, and that as an assurance of far greater light, and tha the light given to them shall shine more and more to the perfect day. Christ as a Morning Star has been dispensing himself to his people in the two last ages of the World. When the Reformation began, then did Christ appear in his Providence as the Morning Star in respect of that light of knowledge which he blessed the world with. It was a dark day, (or a long night rather) during the Reign of Antichrist; but when the Providence of Christ began a Reformation in the Nations near two hundred years ago, there did appear the Morning Star. And the Light has been advancing and growing ever since that day. The Age wherein we now live is an Age of great light, (would to God it were