N00946:52
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.
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.
Once more,
God requires that men should Pray to him for Faith. For Faith is the gift of God, Eph. 2. 8. We are saved by Grace through Faith, & that not of our selves it is the Gift of God. That Faith that men have if a true Faith, 'tis the gift of God to them. Faith is of the Operation of God. Then God requires & expects from men that they should pray to him for this gift; that they should go alone and Cry as for their lives and souls to God to give them Faith. They say they can't come to Christ except God draw them, then you ought to Pray to God that he would draw you. Cant. 1. 3. Draw me and I shall run after […]. ⟨p. 39⟩So ought sinners to pray to God that he would draw them to Christ. He will be enquired of by the House of Israel to do this thing for them. 'Twas said to the Woman of Samaria, If thou •adst asked he would have given thee living water. So God expects of sinners to ask Faith in Christ. We have instances of those that prayed for Faith, Mark. 9. 24. Lord help my Unbelief. So the Lord would have sinners come before him and complain of their Unbelief, & to Cry to God to help them against their Unbelief. The Apostles prayed for more Faith, Luk. 17. 5. Lord increase our Faith say they. So sinners should go to God and should Pray to him, Lord give us Faith, and help us to lay hold on Christ. •ow our hearts to accept of him, as in the Gospel he is offered unto us. But this they will not do: Or if they do, it is in a formal careless manner, they are not in good earnest ⟨p. 40⟩in Crying to God for Faith. Tell me if you can, where there is one Unbeliever in the world that does day and night Cry to God to help him to believe, that does Cry to God to give him saving Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I am persuaded there is not one such Unbeliever in the World. Therefore how vain is it for an Unbeliever to say I cannot Believe, when he can pray to God for this Grace, but will not.