N00532:20
The great blessing, of primitive counsellors. Discoursed in a sermon, preached in the audience…The great blessing, of primitive counsellours. Discoursed in a sermon, preached in the audience…
The great blessing, of primitive counsellors. Discoursed in a sermon, preached in the audience of the governor, Council, and representatives, of the province of the Massachusetts Bay, in New-England. May 31st. 1693. Being the day for the election of counsellors, in that province. / By Increase Mather. President of Harvard College in Cambridge, and teacher of a church at Boston, in New-England. ; [One line epigram in Latin]The great blessing, of primitive counsellours. Discoursed in a sermon, preached in the audience of the governour, Council, and representatives, of the province of the Massachusetts Bay, in New-England. May 31st. 1693. Being the day for the election of counsellours, in that province. / By Increase Mather. President of Harvard Colledge in Cambridge, and teacher of a church at Boston, in New-England. ; [One line epigram in Latin]
Boston, : Printed and sold, by Benjamin Harris, over-against the Old-Meeting-House., 1693
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.
I must now do Him that Right He expects from Me, before all the World And as I have elsewhere said, I say again, it is not in the Power of New-England duly to Reward his Endeavours. But to requite him with Censures, will not be only Vile▪Ingratitude (the Compendium of all Evil) but great Folly ⟨p. 7⟩You cannot loose His Friendship alone: and who will ever make an Interest for you again, if He must be rewarded with Slanders for all His Care and Pains? By such things you may soon make yourselves Friendless, and the most miserable people in the World. Some Friends of mine in England who were very willing I should spend the remainder of My days amongst them, told me, that they had bin informed that the People of New-England were always ungrateful to their Public Servants, & that although' they knew I had with Industry & Fidelity served them to the utmost of my Capacity, they doubted, whether they would be sensible of it, or no. My reply to them was, that (with the Divine Permission) I would go to N. Engl. & see, and if I found their prognostications true, I should see (the dear people in Boston concurring with me) my Call clear to return to England again. And now I cannot understand but that the Inhabitants of the Province do generally rejoice in what they at present enjoy. And their Representatives did (the last year) not only thank me, but were so civil as to propose a Reward for the service I had done for them, which I was not free to except, being desirous to convince my Country that (as the Apostle said to his Corinthians) I have sought them not theirs. And that I expect my Reward in another World. Nevertheless inasmuch as there are some (a few are to many) ill Spirits who make it their design, by Slanders to disaffect others, I have complied with the advice of those who persuaded to the Publishing these things that so Credulous persons may not be imposed on by the invented stories of a few Whisperers. I Remember that at My departure from London, taking my leave of a Noble Personage, and Craving His Lordships Advice what might be said to satisfy the People of New-England, now they were deprived of so great a Privilege as that of Choosing their own Governor, His Reply to Me was.
I must now do Him that Right He expects from Me, before all the World And as I have elsewhere said, I say again, it is not in the Power of New-England duely to Reward his Endeavours. But to requite him with Censures, will not be only Vlle▪Ingratitude (the Compendium of all Evil) but great Folly