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Soul-saving Gospel truths. Delivered in several sermons, wherein is showedSoul-saving Gospel truths. Delivered in several sermons, wherein is shewed
Soul-saving Gospel truths. Delivered in several sermons, wherein is showed: I. The unreasonableness of those excuses which men make for their delaying to come to the Lord Jesus for salvation. II. That for men to despair of the forgiveness of their sins because they have been great, is a great evil. III. That every man in the world is going into eternity. / By Increase Mather. ; [Eight lines of Scripture texts]Soul-saving Gospel truths. Delivered in several sermons, wherein is shewed: I. The unreasonableness of those excuses which men make for their delaying to come to the Lord Jesus for salvation. II. That for men to despair of the forgiveness of their sins because they have been great, is a great evil. III. That every man in the world is going into eternity. / By Increase Mather. ; [Eight lines of Scripture texts]
Boston : Sold by Eleazer Phillips., 1703
Title page typeset from the transcription.
TO DESPAIR Of the Forgiveness of SIN, Is a GREAT EVIL. › Conclusion 3: CONCLUSION III.
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.
CONCLUSION III.
It is possible that a Godly man may dye under a Cloud. We must not judge of men by their last hours, but by the former course of their lives. As some Ungodly Hypocrites ⟨p. 113⟩go smoothly out of the world: There are no •ands in their Death. Psal 73. 4. They have a deluding Confidence of their own good estate, Prov. 30. 12. Rev. 2. 17. They may live so and dye so, and never be sensible of their woeful mistake, until it be too late to help it, Jer. 2. 37. Our Learned Cartwright observes that many a Sinner has gone to Hell with a Lord have mercy in his mouth: So have they with an ungrounded persuasion of their finding mercy. From thence it is that some Ungodly persons are not afraid of death, pretending to an assurance of Heaven. So on the other hand, Gracious Souls may live and dye under great Fears what will become of them after death. A great Casuist speaks after this manner, The common Opinion (says he) is, that if a man Die quietly and go away like a Lamb, then he goes straight to Heaven, but if the violence of the Disease ⟨p. 114⟩cause frantic behaviours, then men use to say there is a Judgment of God, serving either to discover an Hypocrite, or to plague a Wicked man. But the truth is otherwise. For indeed a man may dye like a Lamb, and yet go to Hell. And one that dies in exceeding Torments and strange behaviour of the Body, may go to Heaven. Thus speaks our famous Mr. Perkins. And how often has it been seen that men of the greatest Holiness have gone out of the world tho' with inward tranquility of Soul, yet not with Eetasies of joy. That Heavenly Saint, Mr. Paul Bains when dying had not any transports of Joy. Yea, it is possible that men of great Pity may die by Calentures, or other Diseases causing distractions, and then if they utter Despairful speeches, it is not to be wondered at. Now then concerning the present case, I say with that Eminent Divine Mr. Bolton, that for my part, I