N00499:87
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.
Fourthly. Things will Go well, when people, having laid aside all Dividing and Contentious Animosities, do come to Love one another. I have good Authority for this ⟨p. 70⟩Assertion; even, the Word of God Himself, in Psal. 133. 1, 3. Behold, how good, and how pleasant it is, for Brethren to Dwell together in Unity.—There the Lord Commanded the Blessing: And surely, Things will Go well, when they have the Blessing of God, commanded upon them. But Things cannot Go well, where there is Every evil work; and you know where that is. Especially, we may say it, If, The Mountain of the Lords House, become, A Mountain of Bether, it will not be a Mount, whereof any Disciple of our Lord can have cause to pronounce, It is good to be here! When People are Vultures and Harpies one unto another, they disoblige that Spirit, who has taken on Himself, the Representation of a Dove; and when that Spirit is vexed, he causes all things to fall out vexatiously, among those who have made Him their Enemy. The People that are always Enkindling and Fomenting of Sinful Fires among them, will provoke the, God of Love and Peace, to say, These people are as a Smoke in my Nostrils, Isle be gone from them. But let people have no such Fires, among them, and they will procure a Sabbath for themselves, a little Anticipating of that New Jerusalem, wherein all Things will Go well among the Nations. Breache•• in our Love one unto another, ⟨p. 71⟩are so many Breaches in Gods Hedge about us; the Devils themselves break in upon us, [whereof we have now a Stupendous Instance in our Vicinage!] and confound all things where there are those Breaches made. But let us be a Philadelphia, which you know signifies, Brotherly Love; and our Lord will speak nothing but Good of us, nothing but Good for us; yea, He' will preserve us, though we should have but, A Little Strength. That Great Man, whereof Dr. Wilkins would say, 'Twas enough for one Age to produce such a person; had this Excellent Expression, I can as willingly be a Martyr for Love, as for any Article of the Creed. For what he could be a Martyr, for the same let me be a Beggar this Day. It it a pearl, even an UNION, whereof I now Beg, not that you would Bestow it on me, but that you would Accept it for your selves; 'twould so Enrich us, that All Things would Go well upon it.