A50172:78
The way to prosperity a sermon / preached to the honourable convention of the…
The way to prosperity a sermon / preached to the honourable convention of the governor, council, and representatives of the Massachuset-Colony in New-England on May 23, 1690 by Cotton Mather.The way to prosperity a sermon / preached to the honourable convention of the governour, council, and representatives of the Massachuset-Colony in New-England on May 23, 1690 by Cotton Mather.
Boston: printed by Richard Pierce for Benjamin Harris, 1690
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.
If we are not With God, we shall be guilty of an Apostasy, and that under very shameful, very direful Aggravations too.
If we are not With God, we shall be guilty of an Apostasie, and that under very shameful, very direful Aggravations too.
We shall be Apostates, and O let us not be so, lest our God say, My soul can have no pleasure in them. But if we are so, we shall be of all Apostates the most inexcusable Let us Consider, what Fathers we have had; they were with God. I may say of 'em as in hos. 9. 8. They were with my God: & they are gone to be so forever. ⟨p. 23⟩What an unaccountable thing will it be for us, to have that Character, which we have been so much cautioned against, There arose another generation which knew not the Lord? What? Shall the Grandchildren of Moses turn Idolaters? and shall the Children of Samuel become the Children of Belial? Shall we forget the Hope of our Fathers, or forsake our Fathers Friend? The very Graves of those blessed men, every Post, every Stone upon their Graves, is a Witness against us, if we do. With dismal Accents, Methinks, their very Ghosts, will groan unto us, Alas, Is our posterity come to this! Nay, Abraham would be Ignorant of us, and Israel would not acknowledge us, if we should be so degenerate as to lose the Presence of the Lord.
Let us also consider, what Warnings we have had. It may be said unto us, as in Jer. 25. 4. The Lord hath sent unto you all His Servants the prophets. This Country has been blessed with a most faithful Ministry, by which, I suppose, every Assembly in this Territory, has been called upon, to Be with God, and to keep with Him. Especially the Sermons which our ELECTIONS have put the Ambassadors of God upon Preaching and Printing of; these have been so many loud Warnings unto us, That we leave Him not.