N00896:85
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.
He mentions it as a thing most undoubtedly true, That the Judge of all the Earth would do right; whereas if he should inflict equal punishment on those that have been unequal Transgressors, that would not seem to be right. He was concerned lest the Name of God should suffer, and therefore prays that God would for the sake of the Righteous spare the wicked, or however spare the Righteous themselves. This verse is the Lords gracious Answer to Abraham's first request. It may be (says he) there are fifty righteous men in the City, and wilt not thou spare them for their sakes. The Lord in the words before us declared that if he found so many in that wicked place, he would spare the whole City for the sake of such a small number ⟨p. 43⟩of Righteous Ones. The Doctrine which the words afford unto us, is,
He mentions it as a thing most undoubtedly true, That the Iudge of all the Earth would do right; whereas if he should inflict equal punishment on those that have been unequal Transgressors, that would not seem to be right. He was concerned lest the Name of God should suffer, and therefore prays that God would for the sake of the Righteous spare the wicked, or however spare the Righteous themselves. This verse is the Lords gracious Answer to Abrahams first request. It may be (says he) there are fi•ty righteous men in the City, and wilt not thou spare them for their sakes. The Lord in the words before us declared that if he found so many in that wicked place, he would spare the whole City for the sake of such a small number ⟨p. 43⟩of Righteous Ones. The Doctrine which the words afford unto us, is,
That Wicked men while in this world fare the better for the sake of Righteous men.