2 Matching Annotations
  1. Sep 2020
    1. You have offended him infinitely more than ever a stubborn rebel did his prince: and yet ’tis nothing but his hand that holds you from falling into the fire every moment; ’tis to be ascribed to nothing else, that you did not go to hell the last night; that you was suffered to awake again in this world, after you closed your eyes to sleep: and there is no other reason to be given why you have not dropped into hell since you arose in the morning, but that God’s hand has held you up; there is no other reason to be given why you han’t gone to hell since you have sat here in the house of God, provoking his pure eyes by your sinful wicked manner of attending his solemn worship: yea, there is nothing else that is to be given as a reason why you don’t this very moment drop down into hell.

      In today's world, I find this sermon to be over the top and invalid of what we have been taught in current day about Jesus Christ and his message of God being spread over the world. Current teachings state that we have a loving God who would assist anyone in need. This particular passage states that the congregants are held over "the pit of hell" and that you as a parishoner were grossly sinful and you were not a true follower of God as you needed to be "pure". Again, this sermon must have been quite upsetting for the faithful to hear that they were in essensce, not able to live up to what God needed and expected of them. It is quite excited language that is used and some of the most angry references could sit with a parishoner for some time!

    2. How dreadful is the state of those that are daily and hourly in danger of this great wrath, and infinite misery!

      Having a group of people given this sermon and preached to that in any moment, danger and problems exist that if you have chosen wrong, God could remove you at any time is actually terrifying. Acknowledging to the group that they will only be spared if they choose the right path and are subserviant to the God they are praying to is their only way to remain here in the earthly world. These parishoners must have been terrifed to do anything that would vary from what the Church was teaching them. Repeating over and over that misery for eternity was an option for them, is not something anyone who was a devout Christian would want to have happen to them.