N00569:160
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.
But in Time, being missed by our Play-mates, we were watched and discovered; and so being often interrupted, we found out New-places; but at last, we could come together, but once a Day; and that in the Evening. I found then, that God did many times assist me greatly, in my secret Duties; and it was sweet unto me, to Go to God: for many times, in my Evening-Prayers, I thought it hard to break off; I thought I could Pray all night, Without Ceasing. But after this, yielding to the Temptations of the Devil, I grew Dull, and Listless, and ⟨p. 88⟩could scarce shed a Tear in the Duty, or perform it, but as a Task or Stint; and still growing more and more Slothful, at last God visited me by Sickness, and brought me Low, and made me a little more careful for a Time: but I returned unto my former Sins again, and my Prayers were very Rare and Cold. God had withdrawn His Assisting and Exciting Spirit from me; and Satan came, and found me, not as our Saviour, in Joh. 14.30. without Matter for his Temptations to fasten on; but rather as in Mat. 12.44. Empty, Swept, and Garnished; tho' full of vain Thoughts; ready to Entertain him. My Goodness was as the Morning Cloud and the Early Dew, soon passing away; and as in Job 17.11. My Purposes were broken off, even the Thoughts of my Heart. I had had Good Intents, and Designs, made Vows to Serve God; but then I was, as in Rev. 2.4. Fallen from my First Love. I was sometimes indeed something Awakened by a Sermon, and would just at such an Instant, Seek God; but for the most part, the Word of God was with me, As the Seed Sown by the Highway-side. At last, my Father; being visited with Sickness, and thinking himself, not likely to live, he called his Family together, and told us; That he was not like to continue long among us; and therefore he was willing to ⟨p. 89⟩give us Counsel, How to walk, when he should be gone from us. He Exhorted us, to Peace with, and Love to one another; He told us, There were evil times a coming, from which he should be taken away, tho' we should Live to see them: He therefore advised us, to go unto God, and Plead our Covenant, citing that place in