N00427:76
The present state of New-England. Considered in a discourse on the necessities and advantages…
The present state of New-England. Considered in a discourse on the necessities and advantages of a public spirit in every man; especially, at such a time as this. Made at the lecture in Boston 20.d. 1.m. 1690. Upon the news of an invasion by bloody Indians and French-men, begun upon us. / By Cotton Mather. ; [Two line epigram in Latin]
Boston: printed by Samuel Green, 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.
Consider 2.
Tis a Precious People of God, which the ⟨p. 36⟩present Exigencies press us to the Serving of. The people which has a Little while possessed this Land may say before the Lord, as they in Isa. 63.19. Lord We are thine. A Venture of your All, is bespoke for a people that are in Covenant with God, and under a Comfortable Relation to Him. Tis for a People that the God of Heaven has heretofore miraculously appeared for: A People which have proportionably more of God among them than any part of mankind beside. A People who concur in, and Suffer for, that Protestation, The Lord is our King, our Lord, our Law-giver. Who would not Serve such a• People? It was an Expression used once by a most hearty Servant of New-England, (the Honourable William S•oughton) to a very gerat Assembly, God Sifted Three Nations, that He might bring choice, Grain into this Wilderness The Product of that choice Grain, is that which now calls for our Adventures. If New-England miscarry, there will then fall some Thousands of People that Love the Lord Jesus Christ in Sincerity, and that are affectionately Acknowledging of Him in all their ways. But if Things go well with New-England, there will Myriads of Praises be continually going up from hence unto the God of our Fathers. Our God will he Praised here, for our Deliverances, […], ⟨p. 37⟩shall I say it? He will be Praised for it in the Third Heaven too▪ as it was said, in Rev. 18.20. Rejoice over her, thou Heaven. If Heaven will Rejoice at the Destruction of Antichrist, it will also Rejoice at the Deliverance of New-England, which tho it be in the same Latitude with Italy, is yet among the Sincerest of its Antipodes. In the Day when poor New-England shall be del vered from its present Extremities Then, Rejoice over her, thou Heaven. Doubtless, There will Tidings be carried unto Heaven of it; and it may be particularly notified unto those good old men that went from hence to those Blessed Regions. Our Predecessors which are gone to the Spirits of just men made perfect, may hear what a Deliverance God has […] for their poor Children here; and […] ill then Ring with Triumphant […] the great Saviour of New-England, who can withhold his All, from the Service of such a People? Methinks, I should say as the Martyr once, Alas, That I have but one Life to loose! Tis Immanuels Land that we Venture for.