N00569:46
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
EARLY RELIGION URGED. › One Preliminary Lesson.EARLY RELIGION URGED. › One Praeliminary Lesson.
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.
One Preliminary Lesson.
One Praeliminary Lesson.
And that is this; 'Tis possible for YOUNG People, to be GOOD People. Even a Young man may cleanse his way, if he will will take heed, according to the Word of GOD; and there are some Young men, who do take heed accordingly. Indeed, Our whole Hundred & Nineteenth Psalm here, is the Language of a New Creature; and yet it is commonly conceived that a Young person was the Writer of it; even that very David, who elsewhere could say, as in Psal. 71.5. Thou art my Hope, O Lord God, Thou art my trust from my Youth. 'Tis to be confessed, and as much to be bewailed, that many, yea, that most, Young people, are strangers to real Godliness. The Greeks use the same Name for, A child, and A fool; truly, 'tis not only a rare thing to see a child, that is not morally a fo•l; but the sinful folly of the young usually stick• by them, and cleaves ⟨p. 19⟩to them, till they are Old in sin. As there was one possessed by a Devil, concerning whom in Mark 9.21 Jesus asked his father, how long is it ago, since this came unto him? and he said, of a child. So, there are multitudes of Young people possessed with a Vice; about whom, if it may be asked, How long is it ago since they were under the power of this? it must be answered, Of a child! Oh! how many Children are there, Led captive by Satan at his will! Nevertheless, there are some young people, that come under a more laudable Character; we may speak of them, Those better things which accompany Salvation. There is an execrable proverb A young Saint, and an old Devil; but Erasmus well says, That the Devil invented that Proverb, I am sure the Proverb, is none of Solomons, who says, in