N00499:6
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.
To His Excellency, Sir William Phipps, Kt. Governor of the Massachusetts Province, and General of NEW-ENGLAND.
To His Excellency, Sir William Phipps, Kt. Governour of the Massachusetts Province, and General of NEW-ENGLAND.
May it please your Excellency.
ALtho' the Great Austin, once entered it among his Aged and Humble Retractations, That in a Dedication of a Book, unto one, whom be yet Esteemed, A Good Man, he had spoken more Honourably of that Person, than be deserved; I am abundantly satisfied, That I shall never have cause to Retract my Dedicating of this Little Book unto you, as unto a Person, Most Exemplarily desirous to serve Your Country, and as Exemplarily Self-denying in the doing of that Service. The World surely must be now convinced, That we were not at all deceived in our Expectations, when we publicly Saluted You some years ago, As, One Raised by God, for such a Time as This! And your People would now be the most Ungrateful of Men, if they should not acknowledge, That your Indefatigable ⟨image ?⟩Endeavours to Do us Good, have more than a Little obliged us, to Thank you, to Value you, to Honour you, and to Pray for you. But as you have often expressed your Esteem for the Prayers of such men as now Rejoice under your Protection; so the Sermons uttered among them, have had a singular Acceptance with you. 'Tis upon this encouragement, that I now ask Your Excellency, to Accept of a Sermon, which describes, An Excellent Spirit; a Spirit no less Needful than Useful in all sorts of men; but especially in those who on the score of any preferments do Excel other men; even, that Spirit, whereof whoever shall be destitute, may have this Lamentation made upon them, Does not the Excellency which is in them, Go away? They Die even without Wisdom.