N00592:91
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.
They that Fear God will find themselves moved by these things, to a most Exemplary Liberality, in Devoting a fit proportion of their Estates to Pious Uses. I do not now take upon me, to determine the Quota pars, or what Proportion of our Estates ought thus to be improved. Only, I will tell you, what our Father Jacob counted a due Propo•••••; we read in Gen. 28.20. He Vowed a Vow unto God, saying, of All ⟨p. 31⟩that thou shalt give me, I will surely give the Tenth unto thee. And if Abraham judged a Tenth due unto Melchizedek, why should we judge any less to be the Dues of his Antitype, our Blessed Saviour? I think a Tenth too Little for some men, at some Times; however, if they that are never so Poor, would make a Trial for so much, I am confident, they would never have any Temptation to Leave it off. Shall I tell you? I have known those, who in their Childhood, while they were not yet Owners of near Ten Shillings, have begun the Trial of it, and God hath so Smiled upon them ever since, that they never had any Temptation or Occasion to do otherwise. But that which is rather to be pressed is, That we mind the Call and Voice of Providence in this matter; and then let a Self-denying, and a Well-mortified Heart be our Director in it. Let us not be unmindful, That the Honour of our Profession much depends upon our Liberality for Pious Uses. It may shame us to see, that these who are under the Influence of none but a False Religion, can have it said of them, in Isa. 46.6. They Lavish Gold out of the Bag. And what? Shall we be p•••imonious, ⟨p. 32⟩that have Christianity to Raise our Inclinations unto all that is Ho•y, and Just and Good! I was indeed very glad, when I read in Dr. Willet, That since the Reformation, in one threescore years there was in only Three Cities of England, no less than a million of Money openly and visibly Expended in Pious Uses, besides what was done more secretly among them. So far has the Liberality of Popery been Exceeded by the Protestants. But we that pretend to be the best Mettled, and most Refined Protestants, ought certainly to Exceed all others, in the Sacrifices which God is well pleased with. To have done.