N00441:29
Fair weather. Or Considerations to dispel the clouds, & allay the storms, of discontent
Fair weather. Or Considerations to dispel the clouds, & allay the storms, of discontent: in a discourse which with an entertaining variety, both of argument and history, lays open, the nature and evil of that pernicious vice, and offers diverse antidotes against it; / by Cotton Mather. ; Whereto there is prefixed a catalogue of sins against all the commandments, whereof all that would make thorough work of repentance, especially at this day when the God of heaven so loudly calls for it, should make their serious and sensible confessions before the Lord; with an humble and fervent address unto this whole people, there-about.Fair weather. Or Considerations to dispel the clouds, & allay the storms, of discontent: in a discourse which with an entertaining variety, both of argument and history, layes open, the nature and evil of that pernicious vice, and offers diverse antidotes against it; / by Cotton Mather. ; Whereto there is prefixed a catalogue of sins against all the commandments, whereof all that would make thorough work of repentance, especially at this day when the God of heaven so loudly calls for it, should make their serious and sensible confessions before the Lord; with an humble and fervent address unto this whole people, there-about.
Boston: printed by Bartholomew Green for Benjamin Harris, 1692
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Introduction: AN Humble and Faithful TESTIMONY For God, unto the Children of my People.
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.
I. I would then in the first place, humbly say; Why may not our Churches, even every particular Church by it self, have their blee•ings, wherein after their Mighty Cries to Heaven, they may freely, fairly, with all Humility, and without all uncomely Reflections propound, what they judge to be any Evil growing upon them? And so far as they can comfortably Agree, in their Sentiments, why may not every such Evil be in a proper Instrument for that purpose, declared a thing against which they will be watchful, both in themselves, and in one another, as God shall enable them? Our Churches are well formed with a most sacred Covenant, and that Covenant is but a Recognition of our Obligation to the Duties in the Covenant of Grace. Every Church-Mender when he says Amen, to ⟨p. 16⟩the Church Covenant, professes himself to be in that Covenant which forbids all manner of Iniquity, Transgression, and Sin. How Inquisitive then should all ChurchMembers be after all •hose Evils against which their Covenant is to Arm them, that they may be Stoned before the Lord! Behold, a most Natural, Rational, Unexceptionable way for our Churches to Purge themselves, and become, Terrible as an Army with Banners! The only Exception that I know against the practice of it, I shall remove, by saying, 'Tis not so mean a person as my self, that is the first proposer of this Thing. I suppose there are divers Churches among us, that have been looking this way. And, for their Encouragement I would say, That on• Church, yea, one Man, thus Reforming, may fill a• made Gap, in the way opened for the Anger of God. Moreover, Holy Mr. Herbert Palmer Produced a wonderful Reformation, in his Town of Canterbury, by prevailing with his people, to sign an Instrument, where in they declared their Detestation of sinner Evils grown common among them, and Resolution with Gods Help, to take heed of such Evils ⟨p. 17⟩for ever. Truly, a most Excellent Precedent! The Quakers in their late Pamphlets presume to foretell, The utter Removing, Undoing […] of all (our Churches, which they call) our Babylonish Buildings: and no doubt, the Devil will turn every stone to accomplish that Prediction. But some such courses as are now recommended, would procure us those Protections of Heaven, which would render those Adversaries, as great Liars in their Prophecies, as they are in their Principles.