N00946:89
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.
First, Something may be mentioned for the Demonstration of it.
Secondly, We shall enquire whether such as belong to God may not fall into the sin of Despair?
For the Demonstration of the Doctrine now to be insisted on.
1. It is evident in that in Despair there is a Blasphemous Reflection on the Glorious Name of God. It is a disowning and a denying of his Glorious Attributes. It is a denying of his Omnipotency. God can do every thing; the doing whereof does argue or require power. And in the forgiveness of sin power is ⟨p. 83⟩required. Therefore when Moses prayed for the Children of Israel that their sin might be forgiven them, he said, Numb. 14. 17. Let the Power of my Lard be great. q. d. The greatness of thy power is shown in forgiving great Sins. But Despair makes the Omnipotent God to be no better than Impotent sinful Men. To forgive sin is an act of Omnipotent Goodness. Despair robs God of this Glory. Men are apt to judge of God by themselves. Because they are not able to forgive very great wrongs, they are apt to think that God can't do so neither: but this the Lord reproves,