N00499:60
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.
Magistrates are called Gods, or Angels, in this most Angelical Book of God. Now if they would have the Hearts, and lead the Lives of Angels, they would make all Things to Go well, among those, to whom God has made them Guardians. They with whom these are Charged, will have cause to make that Address unto their Magistrates, Because the Lord Loved us, therefore has He set thee to be a Ruler over us. When Magistrates over men, being but Enemies unto God, will at last have cause to Order that Epitaph to be Inscribed on their Graves, Hic Situs est, cu• nihil infoelicius in vita accidit, quam quo Regnaverat.
Magistrates are called Gods, or Angels, in this most Angelical Book of God. Now if they would have the Hearts, and lead the Lives of Angels, they would make all Things to Go well, among those, to whom God has made them Guardians. They with whom these are Charged, will have cause to make that Address unto their Magistrates, Because the Lord Loved us, therefore has He set thee to be a Ruler over us. When Magistrates over men, being but Enemies unto God, will at last have cause to Order that Epitaph to be Inscrib'd on their Graves, Hic Situs est, cu• nihil infoelicius in vita accidit, quam quo Regnaverat.
2. Things will go well, when Magistrates are to Others, great promoters of the […] that good is, and of what the Lord requi••• of them. I do not mean, that it would […] well for the Civil Magistrate, with a […] Penalty, to compel men unto this […] ⟨p. 43⟩Way of Worship, which they are Conscientiously Indisposed unto. No, let him rather say, as the King now on the British Throne explained one of his Coronation Oaths, I will now be obliged to become a Persecutor. He is most properly, the Officer of Humane Society; and a Christian by Non-Conformity to this or that Imposed Way of Worship, do's not break the Terms on which he is to enjoy the Benefits of Humane Society. A man ha's a Right unto his Life, his Estate, his Liberty, and his Family, altho' he should not come up to these and those Blessed Institutions of our Lord.