N01625:35
Three sermons lately preached at Boston. I. Showing the virtue of Christs blood to…Three sermons lately preached at Boston. I. Shewing the vertue of Christs blood to…
Three sermons lately preached at Boston. I. Showing the virtue of Christs blood to cleanse from sin. II. That natural men are under the government of self-love. III. That the Gospel is the means of conversion. : To which a fourth is added, to stir up young men and maidens to praise the name of the Lord. / By Solomon Stoddard A.M. Pastor of Northampton.Three sermons lately preached at Boston. I. Shewing the vertue of Christs blood to cleanse from sin. II. That natural men are under the government of self-love. III. That the Gospel is the means of conversion. : To which a fourth is added, to stir up young men and maidens to praise the name of the Lord. / By Solomon Stoddard A.M. Pastor of Northampton.
printed by B. Green for Daniel Henchman, 1717
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.
Of Reproof to those that despise the blood of Christ. We read of some that count the blood of the Covenant a common thing, Heb. 10.29. You may well think, that God takes it heinously, when you despise it as if there were no great virtue in it. There be some Men that are distressed for want of pardon, Death is amazing to them; but they dare not trust in the blood of Christ, as if there were little virtue in it: you heat great commendations of it, but you don't believe them: you slight it as insufficient for the Expiation of your Sins: You don't believe that God has any great esteem of it, you think if you should ⟨p. 17⟩trust in it, it would be a presumptuous thing, that would be a way to be cheated of your Soul. Though you pray that you may be sprinkled with Christs blood, and profess the saving virtue of it, yet you do despise it.
Of Reproof to those that despise the blood of Christ. We read of some that count the blood of the Covenant a common thing, Heb. 10.29. You may well think, that God takes it heinously, when you despise it as if there were no great vertue in it. There be some Men that are distressed for want of pardon, Death is amazing to them; but they dare not trust in the blood of Christ, as if there were little vertue in it: you heat great commendations of it, but you don't believe them: you slight it as insufficient for the Expiation of your Sins: You don't believe that God has any great esteem of it, you think if you should ⟨p. 17⟩trust in it, it would be a presumptuous thing, that would be a way to be cheated of your Soul. Though you pray that you may be sprinkled with Christs blood, and profess the saving vertue of it, yet you do despise it.
For, it is not from the low opinion that you have of your self that you are afraid, but from the low opinion that you have of Christ. You say you are a poor wretched Sinner, you have a bad heart and are extreme vile, and run out very much in condemning your self, as if you had a very humble sense of your own unworthiness, but this is not the thing that hinders your coming to Christ: Many persons that have lower thoughts of themselves than you have, do yet venture upon Christ. Notwithstanding your pretended humility, you have too high thoughts of your selves; but the cause of your fear is, you are not sensible of the mighty virtue that is in Christ: it is not because you see your self a great Sinner, but because you don't see Christ to be a great Saviour. It is not because you have so deep a sense of your malady, but because you have so little sense of the remedy. Men that are wretched Men are invited to Christ.