N01064:67
A discourse concerning earthquakes. Occasioned by the earthquakes which were in New-England, in the…
A discourse concerning earthquakes. Occasioned by the earthquakes which were in New-England, in the province of Massachusetts-Bay, June 16. and in Connecticut-Colony [sic], June 22. 1705. : Also, two sermons, showing, that sin is the greatest evil; and, that to redeem time is the greatest wisdom. / By Increase Mather.A discourse concerning earthquakes. Occasioned by the earthquakes which were in New-England, in the province of Massachusetts-Bay, June 16. and in Conecticot-Colony [sic], June 22. 1705. : Also, two sermons, shewing, that sin is the greatest evil; and, that to redeem time is the greatest wisdom. / By Increase Mather.
Boston: printed by Timothy Green for Benjamin Eliot, 1706
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.
Yea, (which is a dreadful thought) they give that Honour to the Devil, which is due to God alone. For when a man is tempted to sin, God says, Do it not, O do not that abominable thing which I hate. But the Devil says, Do it. So that the ⟨p. 43⟩Question then is, who is most worthy to be honoured with Obedience, God or the Devil? Now as the Jews said, Not Jesus, but Barabbas; so Sin says, not God, but the Devil. So it was in the first sin that ever man was guilty of: God said, Do not Eat of the forbidden Fruit, the Devil said, Do Eat of it; so that when man sinned, he hearkened to the Devil rather than unto God. What hideous Blasphemy is it, to say, God is not to be Obeyed, or to say, the Devil is to be Obeyed? Yet this is the Cursed Language of Sin. And when men give way to Sin and Satan, they practically say as bad as all this.
Yea, (which is a dreadful thought) they give that Honour to the Devil, which is due to God alone. For when a man is tempted to sin, God sayes, Do it not, O do not that abominable thing which I hate. But the Devil sayes, Do it. So that the ⟨p. 43⟩Question then is, who is most worthy to be honoured with Obedience, God or the Devil? Now as the Jews said, Not Jesus, but Barabbas; so Sin sayes, not God, but the Devil. So it was in the first sin that ever man was guilty of: God said, Do not Eat of the forbidden Fruit, the Devil said, Do Eat of it; so that when man sinned, he hearkened to the Devil rather than unto God. What hideous Blasphemy is it, to say, God is not to be Obeyed, or to say, the Devil is to be Obeyed? Yet this is the Cursed Language of Sin. And when men give way to Sin and Satan, they practically say as bad as all this.
2. Sin is injurious to the Blessed God, in that it has defaced and spoiled His Works. They were all Good and Beautiful as they came out of his Hands, but sin has brought a Curse and a Blast upon many of them. Yea, such a Curse as the whole Creation groans to be delivered from it. Sin has put all out of Order, and has brought Confusion and Desolation on the works of God. If a man shall show his Art in framing an excllnt piece of Workmanship, and another shall come and break it and trample it under foot, the skilful