N00569:113
Early religion. Urged in a sermon. the duties, wherein, and the reasons wherefore, young…
Early religion. Urged in a sermon. the duties, wherein, and the reasons wherefore, young people should become religious. Whereto are added, the extracts of several papers, written by several persons, who are dying in their youth, left behind them those admonitions for the young survivors; with brief memoirs relating to the exemplary lives of some such, that have gone from hence to their everlasting rest. / By Cotton Mather. ; [Two lines of Scripture text]Early religion. Urged in a sermon. the duties, wherein, and the reasons wherefore, young people should become religious. Whereto are added, the extracts of several papers, written by several persons, who are dying in their youth, left behind them those admonitions for the young survivers; with brief memoirs relating to the exemplary lives of some such, that have gone from hence to their everlasting rest. / By Cotton Mather. ; [Two lines of Scripture text]
Boston: printed by B.H. i.e for Michael Perry, 1694
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 do [he Writes] much admire, how Persons, that know that they are Enemies to Religion, and that if they should be called out of the World within a little while, they should be excluded from the Fruition of Eternal Happiness in Heaven, can have any quietness in their Hearts, while they are yet unresolved, To live unto God! But when look upon my self, and see how Unconcerned I am in my Actings about these matters, which do call for the greatest Seriousness, it makes me the less to Wonder at it, yet it excites ⟨p. 78⟩in me a very great Shame, that the Matters being of so great Concernment, I should so Trifle about them. And who would imagine, That a person, who believes, there is an Eternal Felicity offered unto him, for him, for him to set his Heart upon instead of a Temporal One, which a man is not sure to hold for an Hour; should so little value the Former, as to stand Questioning Whether he should set his Affections on Things above? Or, Whether he should make the Things of this World the utmost of his hopes and his Desires? For my part, I cannot but greatly wonder to see my own Sluggishness in this particular! When I Consider, Whether of the Two, I should choose, if they were offered me, An Eternity in the Pleasures, Profits and Honours of this World, or, to speak specially to my self, That I might always continue in the Condition I am now in: Or, on the other side, An Eternity in the, Enjoyment of God in Christ, after my Living here a few years, at the utmost, Fourscore Years, and it may be not a Fourth part of so many years: And when I see how Loth I am to Choose this Latter, although I cannot expect, now the Affairs of the World are so Ordered as they are, to continue here on Earth for ever. But it is the most Reasonable Thing in the World, that I should make such a Choice, as is now ⟨p. 79⟩Offered unto me; and there is nothing in This world, for which there may be brought a Reason, but either the same Reason or some one of as much weight, may be given to stir up unto this choice.
I do [he Writes] much admire, how Persons, that know that they are Enemies to Religion, and that if they should be called out of the World within a little while, they should be excluded from the Fruition of Eternal Happiness in Heaven, can have any quietness in their Hearts, while they are yet unresolved, To live unto God! But when look upon my self, and see how Unconcerned I am in my Actings about these matters, which do call for the greatest Seriousness, it makes me the less to Wonder at it, yet it excites