N01347:74
A sermon preached by the Reverend, Mr. John Cotton, teacher of the First Church…
A sermon preached by the Reverend, Mr. John Cotton, teacher of the First Church in Boston in New-England. Delivered at Salem, 1636. : To which is prefixed, a retraction of his former opinion concerning baptism, uttered by him immediately preceding the sermon emitted. He dyed on the 23. day of December, 1652. Entering [sic] on the 68 year of his age. : [Seven lines from I Corinthians]A sermon preached by the Reverend, Mr. John Cotton, teacher of the First Church in Boston in New-England. Deliver'd at Salem, 1636. : To which is prefixed, a retraction of his former opinion concerning baptism, utter'd by him immediately preceeding the sermon emitted. He dyed on the 23. day of December, 1652. Entring [sic] on the 68 year of his age. : [Seven lines from I Corithians]
Boston: : s.n., Printed in the year, 1713
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.
Ans. I beseech you consider it, you have fallen upon this Reformation, you have undertaken a Covenant, yet now you have failed, and what then have you done? I go to Christ, and desire him to sprinkle me with the blood of his ⟨p. 30⟩Covenant. Is not this a safe Estate? Truly this is no more than the very Covenant of Works, which the People of Israel entered into at Horeb, the Lord shook the foundations of their hearts; upon it they entered into a Covenant; All that God commandeth us, we will hear it and do it; and if they did offend, they then go to the appointed Sacrifice; and what, saith the Soul in such a case? I thank God, I find some Peace to my Conscience. All this you may do, you may reform your Selves and Families, and Churches; and when you fail at any time, you may return to Christ, and He may give you some remorse, as he did to the Israelites, Psal. 78.34, 35, 36. All this may be by a Spirit of Bondage: He in Mercy forgave their Iniquities, and destroyed them not. So they may come to have their Sins Pardoned, but this kind of Pardon, is but a reprievement; it is not in everlasting Righteousness & Mercy: they Pray for Christ, and Mercy, and He doth sprinkle them, and then they see & find, that the Lord hath been Merciful unto them: but this will not do, the Lord will soon call back such Pardon, as may plainly appear: Mat. 18.28. A certain man owed his Lord ten thousand talents, but when he had nothing to pay, he fell down at his Masters feet, and said, Have Patience with me, and I will pay thee all; his Master had compassion on him, and loosed him, and let him go; was this in everlasting Mercy? See what followeth, This fellow would pay all; and thus it ⟨p. 31⟩is with these men, that have been under a Spirit of Bondage, they will cry hard for Mercy, and Promise to pay all in time; and now in their dealings with their Brethren, they are full of Censoriousness, and will not bate an inch of any Covenant; and they will take a man by the throat, tho' it be but for an hundred Pence: and then what saith the Lord of such a Servant? Oh! thou wicked Servant, I forgave thee that great debt, shouldest not thou have had compassion of thy fellow Servant? he is then wroth, and delivers him up to the tormentors, until he hath paid the utmost farthing; even so shall my heavenly Father do unto you.