N01732:94
Five sermons on several subjects. I. A birth-day sermon, preached on the day when…
Five sermons on several subjects. I. A birth-day sermon, preached on the day when the author attained to the eightieth year of his age. II. A dying testimony to the sovereign grace of God in the salvation of his elect, containing three sermons. III. Believers encouraged to pray from the consideration of Christs interceding for them, and with them. / By Increase Mather, D.D ; [Six lines of quotations]
Boston: printed by B. Green for Daniel Henchman, 1719
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.
USE, I. If Men are Saved by Grace, then they are not Saved by their own free ⟨p. 78⟩Will. There have been those in th• World, who have maintained, that Men are Saved by the Power of their […] free will; that they have naturally a free will to that, that is good, as well as to th•• which is evil. They say the reason why some are Saved and not others, is not because of any special Grace of God towards them; but because some impro••• the power of their own free will mo•• than others do; this was the opinion […] Pel•gius, Austin therefore calls him […] enemy of the Grace of God. This […] was condemned by a whole Synod […] Palestine, and afterward by three othe• Synods, to be Heretical. It is certainly • great Error. How can Men be Saved, […] the Power of their own free will, whe• they have not a free will to that which is Spiritually Good, till God by His powerful Grace shall renew their wills, and of unwilling make them willing? Psal. 110. 3. Thy people shall be willing in th• Day of thy power. God does show the power of His Grace in making those that are unwilling to become a willing People. As Men have no power to do that that is Spiritually Good by nature; […] ⟨p. 79⟩[…] power▪ to will it neither. It is God works in you both to will and to do of His own good pleasure. Christ says, Joh. 15. 5. Without me ye can do nothing. One of the Ancients descanting on those words of our Saviour, speaks thus, Christ does not say without me, ye can do but little; He does not say without me, you can do no great Matter; He does not say you cannot, except with great difficulty do that that is necessary for you to do, but you can do nothing that is Spiritually good without Christ. The fruit will be according to the Tree it grows upon.