N00592:38
Durable riches. Two brief discourses, occasioned by the impoverishing blast of heaven, which the…
Durable riches. Two brief discourses, occasioned by the impoverishing blast of heaven, which the undertakings of men, both by sea and land, have met withal. : The one, handling, the true cause of loosing; the other, giving, the true way of thriving. / By Cotton Mather. ; [Four lines of quotations in Latin]
Boston: printed by John Allen for Vavasour Harris, 1695
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
IV. Let our Losses provoke us to make sure of those things which are beyond the reach of Losses; and let us get an Interest in such things as never can be Lost. Could we hear the voice of all our Losses, we should find our selves bespoken in such Emphatical Terms as those, in Luk. 10.41, 42. Thou art Careful and Troubled about many things, But One Thing is Needful; that Good Part, that shall not be taken away. Have we Lost Many Things? It is not worth while to be Careful and Troubled, about such Things any Longer. Let us now be more solicitous than ever, about The Good Part, which cannot be taken away. And what is that Good Part? In short, It is a Part in the New Covenant. Let us Look to it, that God be ours; For, He is from Everlasting to Everlasting. Let us Look ⟨p. 26⟩to it, that Christ be ours: For, He is Yesterday, to Day, and for ever the same. Look to it, that we have Grace in our Souls; for we may say of Divine Grace, as 'tis said of Divine Joy, Nothing shall be able to take it from you. Let us make sure, that Heaven be ours. What said the Apostle, in Heb. 10.34. Ye took Joyfully the Spoiling of your Goods, knowing within your selves, that you have in Heaven, a Better and an Enduring Substance. Thus, we may, Take Joyfully the Loss of our Goods, if we are sure of Heaven for our Portion: and if we have true Grace in us, there will be that within our selves, from whence we may Know that Heaven does belong unto us; we shall have an Inchoation of Heaven there. A Reverend and Renowned Minister, among the Ancients, having suddenly Lost all that he had in the World, presently Lifted up his Eyes to Heaven, and said, Lord, Why should I be Concerned about the Loss of Silver and Gold; Thou knowest my All was not here; my All is in Heaven, & blessed be God, I have not Lost Heaven yet! Bravely Spoken! Let us have our Claim to Heaven sure; and our Title to all the Promises good; Then whatever Loss comes, we may still with Triumphant ⟨p. 27⟩Souls rejoice, My All is yet safe, as long as my God, my Christ, my Heaven is yet Left. It would seem strange, if I should say, A man may grow Rich upon his Losses; but I do assert it, and I can Evince it. A man that is Owner of infinitely more than all that this World can afford unto him, is undoubtedly a Rich man.