N00499:92
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.
Seventhly. Things will go well, when People do much Flock to, and Keep up, well-constituted ⟨p. 77⟩Churches of our Lord Jesus Christ. When things went externally well, among the old Romans, even Cicero, an Heathen could acknowledge, Non calliditate aut Robore, sed pietate ac Religion gentes superaverant; it was Piety and Religion which all their Successes were owing unto. If any one ask, unto what the Sudden and Matchless thriving of New-England may be ascribed? It is the Blessing of God upon the Church-Order, for the sake whereof, [Let all Mankind know] this Plantation was first Erected: Things have Gone Well, while our worldly accommodations have been Subordinated unto that GREAT INTEREST: And God has Built and Filled our Houses while we have been doing so for His. Our ChurchState is our Glory; and as it is said, in Isa.45.Upon all the Glory shall be a Defence; thus all things will go well, where there is this Well Descended Glory! If once our people become generally careless about Church-Work, it will soon come to that issue, whereof a young Prophet in a vast Assembly once admonished the Backsliding Jews; In those Times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in; but God vexed them with all adversity. What is it, that brings the Blasting Strokes of Heaven, upon a people? When they look for much, Lo, it comes ⟨p. 78⟩to Little; and all things go ill among them; Whence is it? I pray, Take the God of Heavens answer to that enquiry; It is because of my House, that is wast, and ye run every man to his own House. Only, that things may go well, we must be concerned for this also, That the Altar be set upon its right Bases; That we keep close to our Scriptural, Platform of Church-Discipline; That we have our Churches framed, according to, The pattern in the Mount. Let the Things of a True Church-Order Flourish well in the midst of a people; and all things will go well among them; Let us be duly careful, To dwell in the House of the Lord; and we need not fear but Goodness & Mercy shall follow us all our Days. To retrench our Churches of all that may be offensive unto the Glorious Eyes of the Lord Jesus, who walks In the midst of the Golden Candlesticks: To supply our Churches with all those things which our Lord Jesus ha's appointed for the Edifying of the Body of Christ; and for us to procure ourselves a Lodging in Churches thus instituted: