B09511:32
The Bostonian Ebenezer. Some historical remarks, on the state of Boston, the chief town…
The Bostonian Ebenezer. Some historical remarks, on the state of Boston, the chief town of New England, and of English America. With some, agreeable methods, for preserving and promoting, the good state of that, as well as any other town, in the like circumstances. / Humbly offered, by a native of Boston.
Boston: printed by B. Green & J. Allen for Samuel Phillips, 1698
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.
And first, You may assure yourselves, That the Ministers of the Lord Jesus Christ among you will be Joyful to approve themselves, as the Book of God has called them, The Helpers of your Joy. O our dear Flocks; we owe you our All; All our Love, all our Strength, 'all our Time; We, Watch for you, as those that must give an Account: And I am very much mistaken, if we are not willing to Die for you too, if called unto it. If our Lord Jesus Christ should say, to us, My Servant, if you'll Die to Night, you shall have this Reward; The People that you Preach to, shall be all Converted unto me. I think, We should with Triumphing Souls Reply, Ah! Lord, Then I'll Die with all my Heart. Sirs, we should go away Rejoicing with Joy unspeakable & ⟨p. 25⟩full of Glory. I am satisfied, That the most Furious and Foul mouthed Reviler, that God may give any of us, to be Buffeted withal, if he will but come to sober Thoughts, he will say, That there is not any One man in the Town, but the Ministers wish that man as well as they do their own Souls, and would gladly Serve that man by Day or by Night, in any thing that it were possible to do for him. Wherefore, O our Beloved People, I beseech you, Leave off, Leave off, to Throw Stones at your Ebenezers. Instead of That, Pray for us, and Strive together with us, in your Prayers to God for us. Then with the Help of Christ, we'll promise you; We will set our selves to observe what Special Truths may be most needful to be Inculcated upon you, and we will Inculcate them. We will set our selves to observe the Temptations that beset you, the Afflictions that assault you, and the Duties that are incumbent on you, and we will accommodate our selves unto them. We will set our selves to observe, what Souls among you, do call for our m•re particular Addresses, and we will Address ⟨p. 26⟩them faithfully, and even Travail in Birth for them. Nor will we give over Praying, and Fasting, and Crying to our Great LORD for you, until we Dy. Whatever other Helpers the Town Enjoys, they shall have that convenience, in Ezra. 5.2. With them were the Prophets of God, Helping them. Well then, Let the rest of our Worthy Helpers, Lend an Helping Hand, for the promoting of those things, wherein the Weal of the Town is wrapped up! When the Jews thought that a Defiling Thing was breaking in among them, in