N00569:167
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.
The Wars that have Lately Distressed our Land, have been singularly Destructive to our Young men; but among the Young men Lost in these Wars, there were some, who were like Josiah. They Died in Peace, tho' they Died by the Sword, inasmuch as they had made their Peace with God before they Dy'd. Some of These had strange Fore-bodings upon their Minds, that they should not Survive the Expeditions which they were then upon; and according to those Fore-bodings, tho' they Returned Alive, yet a mortal ⟨p. 96⟩Sickness presently carried them off. But before their Going out, they Wrote some Affectionate Addresses, unto the Young People of their Acquaintance, of which Writings, there are some fallen into my Hands. From only Two of these, I shall now Transcribe only a few Passages, which I hope will be considered, not only by the Young People of those Towns, whereto these belonged, but also, by the rest of our Generation.
THe Wars that have Lately Distressed our Land, have been singularly Destructive to our Young men; but among the Young men Lost in these Wars, there were some, who were like Josiah. They Dy'd in Peace, tho' they Dy'd by the Sword, inasmuch as they had made their Peace with God before they Dy'd. Some of These had strange Fore-bodings upon their Minds, that they should not Survive the Expeditions which they were then upon; and according to those Fore-bodings, tho' they Returned Alive, yet a mortal ⟨p. 96⟩Sickness presently carried them off. But before their Going out, they Wrote some Affectionate Addresses, unto the Young People of their Acquaintance, of which Writings, there are some fallen into my Hands. From only Two of these, I shall now Transcribe only a few Passages, which I hope will be considered, not only by the Young People of those Towns, whereto these belonged, but also, by the rest of our Generation.
The first of these hopeful Young men, belonged unto the Town of Weymouth; and his Name was Nash. He Left behind him, in the Hands of his Young Friends, a Large Paper, of Admonitions, wherein One might perceive what Impressions had been made upon his Young Soul, by the Ministry of that Able, Faithful, Painful, and Excellent Person, who is at this Time, the Burning and Shining Light, in that Plantation. Out of that Paper, I have Transcribed the following passages.