N00532:42
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.
PRIMITIVE COUNSELLORS, A Great BLESSING.PRIMITIVE COUNSELLOURS, A Great BLESSING.
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.
And yet more than all this is required in a Counsellor. A man may be a Pious, a Faithful, a Courageous man, and for all that not fit to be a Counsellor. Therefore 4. It is necessary that a Counsellor be qualified with the Grace of Wisdom. The Divine Wisdom is expressed by that of being Great in Counsel. Jer. 32. 19. Only God, Angels, and men are Causes by Counsel. The more Wisdom there is in any man, the more able he is to give Counsel: It is noted concerning that Faithful Minister of God, Zachariah, who was (as Interpreters have noted) an Ecclesiastical Counsellor, one with whom the King was wont to advise in matters of Religion, that He was a wise Counsellor, 1 Chron. 26. 14. So should all Counsellors be men of Wisdom. Hence 'tis said by the Prophet, Jer. 49. 7. Is Wisdom no more in Teman? Is Counsel perished from the Prudent? is their Wisdom vanished. Imprudent men are unfit to be made Counsell••• Pharaohs Counsellors of Old were wise men, but his Chief Counsellor Joseph (tho' a young man did Excel them all in Wisdom. Pharaoh said to him, There is none so discreet and wise as thou art. Gen. 41. 37. And the Psalmist saith of him, that He Taught Pharaohs Senators (his Counsellors) Wisdom. Psal. 105. 22. Courage without Wisdom, in one that undertakes to be a Counsellor, will do more hurt than good. An Horse that is full of Metal, if he has no Eyes to see his way before him, is a dangerous Creature to make use of. If rash, heady, unthinking men are made use of for Counsellors, the Public Weal of such a People is in danger. The carnal Jews indeed depended too much on this that they had Wise men at Helm to be their Counsellors of State Jer. 18. 18. The Law shall not perish from the Priests, nor Counsel from the Wise. We have wiser men than Jeremiah (say they) to Sit in Council, and therefore what He adviseth unto is not to be regarded; but tho' a Nation whose Counsellors are great Politicians may possibly be ruined (as the Jewish ⟨p. 15⟩