N00569:78
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 Fine; Let the Objection against Religion be what it will, there is This one thing to extinguish it; and that is, that this is▪ as Our Lord Speaks in Luc. 10 42. The One thing Needful. As Paul said about the Preaching of Religion, So let me say, about the practice of it, Necessity is laid upon you, and woe unto you, if you do it not. We say, De Necessaris non est deliberandum; when a thing must be done, there is no room for Deliberation whether it shall be done. Come then, my Young people; I must allow you no Longer Time to Deliberate upon this Point, whether you shall entertain the Fear of God, or no; for you must, I again say, you must; and I am ashamed ⟨p. 46⟩that you should put me upon using the least Argument about it. Hear the Dilemma; '•is that, in, Ezek: 18.30.31. Turn, and so Iniquity shall not be your Ruin; make you a New Heart, and a New Spirit; for why will you Dy. Is this then, a matter of Disputation with you, whether you should Court your own Death and Ruin! Fearful Infatuation! Suppose a Law suit Commenced against thine Estate, wherein the Plaintiff will certainly be too hard for thee; Wouldest thou not, Agree quickly with thine Adversary! Young man, Thy Title to Heaven Li•s obnoxious; there must be something done Quickly for the settling of it. Suppose a Dangerous Wound made upon thy thy Body, wouldest thou let it alone, till an Irretrievable Gangrene should overspread it! Why, thy Soul, That has bloody Wounds, and Bruises, and Ulcers upon it; it is Non-sence to Dispute, Shall I seek a Cure of these wounds? it must be done immediately, suppose thy House were on Fire over thy Head, wouldest thou securely drowle and say, When I have taken the other Nap, I'll see to the putting of it out! Why, thy Soul is in a plight, which has the Fires, of the Divine Displeasure Enkindled thereupon tis Frenzy to Dispute whether they should be stopped or no; care must be taken immediately to prevent the proceeding of those •i•eful •lames. Methinks, The very Instinct of ⟨p. 47⟩Nature puts more sense into the very Brute Creatures, than there is in our Young People who dare continue in a state of Nature There are of them that will Shoot into their Burrows upon the First Sight of the Dog. Young man, the Bandogs of Hell are sensibly pursuing of thee; and wilt thou not immediately then ly into the Rock that is Higher than thee?