N00499:32
Optanda. Good men described, and good things propounded. A serious consideration of two very…
Optanda. Good men described, and good things propounded. A serious consideration of two very important cases. I. What should be our spirits, and II. What should be our studies, that so all things may go well among us. / By Cotton Mather. ; In two sermons; whereof one, was preached unto the governor, and General Court, of the province of the Massachusetts-Bay, in New-England; at their first session: June 9. 1692. ; Published by authority[.]Optanda. Good men described, and good things propounded. A serious consideration of two very important cases. I. What should be our spirits, and II. What should be our studies, that so all things may go well among us. / By Cotton Mather. ; In two sermons; whereof one, was preached unto the governour, and General Court, of the province of the Massachusetts-Bay, in New-England; at their first session: June 9. 1692. ; Published by authority[.]
Boston: printed by Benjamin Harris, 1692
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.
V. If a man could get his Natural Humour to be Sanctified, there would be an Excellent Spirit in him; and this is an Happiness which a good man would be very ambitious of. It was the Blessing, in I Thes. 5. 23. May your whole spirit and soul and body, be preserved Blameless. There are who judge, that by Spirit, here, is meant our Humour or our Temper, which is that Air of our Complexion that results from some circumstances of the Union between our Soul, and our Body. If a man be of a Generous, Affable, Candid Humour, we say, He is a man of such a Spirit; and it were indeed that Excellent Spirit, which a good man would fain work himself unto. Every man, is born with some Spirit, which we call the Genius of the man; and a good man would gladly have his Humour, his Temper, his Genius, cured of all that may be distasteful in it. He would therefore Learn, what his own humour is, which indeed is not very commonly or easily ⟨p. 19⟩Learned. We shall not be many Weeks, with scarce any man alive, but we shall give a shrewd guess, What humour be is of? Whereas we are many Years before we take an exact view of our own. But I say, A good man, would be throughly acquainted with his own humour; and then, he would both Limit it, and Apply it so, as that it may serve him like Sails to a Ship, or like Wings to a Bird, in the Glorifying of God. One good man, is like Abraham, of a free, noble, spending Humour. He would now take advantage from this, to supply and nourish the Distressed Members of the Lord Jesus. Another good man, is like Sampson, of a merry, cheerful, pleasant Humour. From this would he take advantage to be much in Thanksgivings unto God, and in the Joy of the Lord. Here you shall see a good man like Elijah, of a Choleric Humour. Now from thence he would take occasion to testify against the Sins of the place, with more warmth and zeal, than is in other men. There you shall see a good man, like Jeremiah, of a Melancholy Humour. Now he'll turn this, into the channel of Mourning over his own Sins, and the Sufferings of his Neighbours. A good man is sometimes like Peter, of a Forward Humour. ⟨p. 20⟩From hence he'll be ready to undertake any Testimony that must be born for the truths and ways of God. Sometimes a Good Man is like John, of a very loving Humour. Then he'll set himself to Enkindle Charity, and Extinguish all Contention, in those that are about him.