N01064:97
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.
Inf. II. The patience of God towards the world, and his mercy towards his People is wonderfully great, yea, infinite. How wonderful is his patience towards a sinful sinning world. The Name of Long suffering may well be given to him, Exod. 34. 6. Sin is an infinite wrong to his Divine Majesty: It strikes at his Crown and Dignity. Yet there is not a day, nor a minute of a day, but innumerable millions of sins are committed against him: And there are many thousands in the world who are denying and defying of him continually. There are a great many Atheists and Blasphemers on the Earth; They set their mouth against Heaven, Psal. 73. 9. A late Writer speaks of one City, in which there were fifty thousand Atheists ⟨p. 77⟩How many then are there in the World? And thus have men been provoking the Eyes of his Glory from one age to another for many generations: And for all this, God does not as yet set the world on fire: None but a God of infinite patience could bears with such Indignities. But as for his people he doth not only forbear them; but forgive them upon their repenting and believing in the Name of his Son Jesus Christ: He then forgives their sins freely, fully, and for ever. Some of his Elect have been as great sinners as ever lived on the face of the earth. What a Sinner had Paul been before his Conversion! How injurious to God & to His People! He was a Blasphemer and a Persecutor and Injurious, but (said he) I obtained mercy; 1 Tim. 1. 13. If the mercy of God had not been Infinite, he had never found mercy: The grace of the Lord was exceeding abundant towards him: For God did not only pardon him, but made a special favourite of him: He made him to be an Ambassador of Heaven, and accepted of great Services from him. If we had done a million part of that ⟨p. 78⟩wrong to men, which we have done to God, they could never forgive us. Wherefore the Lord says, let the wicked turn unto the Lord and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. For faith the Lord, My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways; as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts,