N00594:335
Johannes in eremo. Memoirs, relating to the lives, of the ever-memorable, Mr. John Cotton,…
Johannes in eremo. Memoirs, relating to the lives, of the ever-memorable, Mr. John Cotton, who dyed, 23.d. 10.m. 1652. Mr. John Norton, who dyed, 5.d. 2.m. 1663. Mr. John Wilson, who dyed, 7.d. 6.m. 1667. Mr. John Davenport, who dyed, 15.d. 1.m. 1670. Reverend and renowned ministers of the Gospel, all, in the more immediate service of one church, in Boston; and Mr. Thomas Hooker, who dyed, 7.d. 5.m. 1647. Pastor of the church at Hartford; New-England. / Written, by Cotton Mather. ; [Three lines of Latin quotation]
Boston : Printed for and sold by Michael Perry, at his shop, under the west end of the Town-House., 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.
On June 6. 1662. At New haven, there was a most Unparalleled Wretch, one Potter by Name, about Sixty years of Age, Executed for Damnable Bestialities; although this Wretch, had been for now Twenty years, a Member of ⟨p. 19⟩the Church in that Place, and kept up among the holy People of God there, a Reputation, for Serious Christianity. It seems that the Unclean Devil, which had the possession of this Monster, had carried all his Lusts with so much Fury into this One Channel of Wickedness, that there was no Notice taken of his being Wicked in any other. Hence 'twas, that he was Devout in Worship, Gifted in Prayer, Forward in Edifying Discourse among the Religious, and Zealous in Reproving the Sins of the other People; Every one counted him, A Saint: And he Enjoyed such a Peace in his own mind, that in several Fits of Sickness, wherein he seemed Nigh unto Death, he seemed Willing to Die; Yea, Death (he said) Smiled on him. Nevertheless, this Diabolical Creature, had Lived in most infandous Buggeries for no less than Fifty years together; and now at the Gallows, there were killed before his Eyes, a Cow, Two Heifers, Three Sheep, and Two Sows, with all of which he had Committed his Brutalities. His Wife had seen him Confounding himself with a Bitch, Ten years before; and he then Excused his Filthiness, as well as he could, unto her, but Conjured her to keep it Secret: but he afterwards Hanged that Fitch himself, and then Returned unto his former Villainies, until […] last, his Son, saw him hideously converting with a Sow. By these ⟨p. 20⟩means, the burning Jealousy of the Lord Jesus Christ, at Length made the Churches to know, that He had all this while seen the Covered Filthiness of this Hellish Hypocrite, and Exposed him also to the Just Judgment of Death, from the Civil Court of Judicature. Very Remarkable had been the Warnings, which this HellHound, had Received from Heaven, to Repent of his Impieties. Many years before this, he had a Daughter, who Dreamt a Dream, which caused her, in her Sleep, to cry out most ••• terly; and her Father, then with much ado obtaining of her, to tell her Dream, She told him, she Dreamt, that she was among a great Multitude of People, to see an Execution, and it proved her own Father that was to be hanged, at whose Turning over, she thus cried out. This happened, before the Time, that any of his Cursed Practices were known unto her!