N00499:84
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.
Hac Casti maneant in Religione Nepotes.
Thirdly. Things will go well, when a people do neither want, nor chill, any Public Spirits among them. What is the first cause, why things do not go well in our days? Tis intimated in 2 Tim. 3. 1. 2. In the Last days perilous times shall come: Why so? First, Because men shall be lovers of their own Selves. That is, men shall so Love Themselves, as to love no body else. But when there is a plentiful set of men, that are sincerely desirous to Know what they may Do, and to Do what they shall Know, for the service of the Public; Such men will do much to make things go well where they come. They that have a single Eye at, The good of many, in such things as they propose and pursue; They with whom the old Heathenish virtue, Pietas in Patriam, is become a Christian Grace; and they whose chief Mark is not, They seek their own things, will cause Things to go well indeed! A Soldier in a Battle, having received his Deaths-wound, cried out, O that I had another life to lose for my Lord-Jesus Christ! They that are Blest ⟨p. 68⟩with many persons who are spirited like so brave a Soldier; Persons willing to part with any thing for the Lord Jesus Christ and his people; persons who count not all that is done or spent, for the Public, merely thrown away, while they can Lavish out of the Bag, upon every little impertinency; These will see things go well among them. It was a most unhappy thing, that an Eminent Venetian Ambassador, after a long residence in England, Sailing homeward, should not without cause cast his Eye back on the Land, and say, The Happiest country on the face of the Earth, were there not a want of Public Spirits in it! And it will as much forebode things going not well, in our New England, if the like lamentations must be made upon us. How should Things go well when every thing is begrudged that should make them Go! I am very sure, Things did not go well in Constantinople, when the Citizens would not be at the Charges of Defending their walls; whereby the Turks became the Masters of their Wealth, whereof they found vast Coffers hoarded up. No, a few Public Spirits will make all to go well. Only then, tis of inexpressible importance, that Public Servants be not abused for what they do. Let not unreasonable Reproaches, and Revilings, and Hard Speeches, too Reasonably and roverbially be called Country, pay for worthy