N00946:81
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.
TO DESPAIR Of the Forgiveness of SIN, Is a GREAT EVIL.
GEN. IV. 13. And Cain said unto the Lord, My Punishment is greater than I can bear.
IN the former part of this Chapter we have the History of the two first Mon that ever were Born into the World, viz. Can and Abel. Abel the Younger ⟨p. 80⟩Brother was a very pious Man One that •eared God, and that trusted in him for Eternal Life, through the promised Saviour: Which he testified by the Sacrifice he offered to the Lord; and at last he died a Martyr. […] who was the first man that ever was born, made himself to be the First-born of the Devil. He Sacrificed without Faith, & was angry at God because He did not accept him. He regarded not the […] which the Lord gave him, but envied and at last murdered his Brother because his Brothers works were righteous. So that well might the Apostle say, 1 Joh 3. 12. That Cain was of he wicked one. And when an heavy Doom was passed on him, he reverthel•ss did persevere in his Sin. He was far from repenting or praying for the Pardon of his great iniquity; but went from one sin to another, and fell yet further into the Condemnation of ⟨p. 81⟩the Devil▪ As we see in the words before us to •e insisted on Which some take to be words of Complaint and Murmuring against God, saying that his Punishment was greater than he deserved. But others take the words to be words of Despair. The […] word Nasa translated to Bear, signifies also to Forgive. And according to the Seventy Greek interpreters they run thus, My Fault is greater than it can be forgiven to me. My Sin (says he) is so great that God Himself can't never forgive it. And in so saying he did exceedingly sin. One of the Ancients observes, that Cain in saying that his Iniquity was greater than could be forgiven, was guilty of a greater sin than when he murdered his own Brother. It was surely an heinous n in him.