N00619:49
Things for a distressed people to think upon. Offered in the sermon to the…Things for a distress'd people to think upon. Offered in the sermon to the…
Things for a distressed people to think upon. Offered in the sermon to the General Assembly of the province, of the Massachusetts Bay, at the anniversary election. May, 27. 1696. Wherein, I. the condition of the future, as well as the former times, in which we are concerned, is considered. II. A narrative of the late wonderful deliverance, of the King, and the three kingdoms, & all the English dominions, is endeavoured. III. A relation, of no less than seven miracles, within this little while wrought by the Almighty Lord Jesus Christ, for the confirmation of our hopes, that some glorious works, for the welfare of his church, are quickly to be done, is annexed. / By Cotton Mather.Things for a distress'd people to think upon. Offered in the sermon to the General Assembly of the province, of the Massachusetts Bay, at the anniversary election. May, 27. 1696. Wherein, I. the condition of the future, as well as the former times, in which we are concerned, is considered. II. A narrative of the late wonderful deliverance, of the King, and the three kingdoms, & all the English dominions, is endeavoured. III. A relation, of no less than seven miracles, within this little while wrought by the Almighty Lord Jesus Christ, for the confirmation of our hopes, that some glorious works, for the welfare of his church, are quickly to be done, is annexed. / By Cotton Mather.
printed by B. Green for Duncan Campbel, 1696
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.
My Fathers, and Brethren; You that are the Samuels of this New-English Israel, you are concerned more than any men Living, to be among them that Call upon the Name of God; Call you upon the Lord, & He will Answer you. The First Ministers of the New-Testament, expressed a Resolution, well worthy to be followed, by all that shall come after them, in Acts 6.4. We will give our selves continually to Prayer, and the Ministry of the Word.
My Fathers, and Brethren; You that are the Samuels of this New-English Israel, you are concerned more than any men Living, to be among them that Call upon the Name of God; Call you upon the Lord, & He will Answer you. The First Ministers of the New-Testament, expressed a Resolution, well worthy to be follow'd, by all that shall come after them, in Acts 6.4. We will give our selves continually to Prayer, and the Ministry of the Word.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, gave unto His Disciples a Directory, for their Supplications: And in this Directory, methinks, I see the condition of His Ministers most particularly Accommodated. Our Prayer should be, as it were our Breath; and oh! how should we Live, if we were Breathing of Prayer, on all Occasions every day continually! The Success of our Ministry, in those three Things, The Sanctifying of Gods Name, and, The Coming of His Kingdom, and, The Doing of His Will, these are the first •nd main Things, for which we are to be concerned in our daily Supplications. But if we will be Faithful in our Ministry, we must run the hazard of loosing all the Comforts of this Life; 'twill be well, if even they that ⟨p. 39⟩are bound by Compact, as well as otherwise by Justice, to support us, do not Sacrilegiously cheat us of our Daily Bread. We must therefore Go to God as unto our Heavenly Father, for our Bread with our daily Supplications. But in our Ministry we shall commit many Errors, being Flesh and Blood, and having a Fountain of Sin in us, as well as other men. We must therefore cry for the Forgiveness of our Sins, with our Daily Supplications. And the many Injuries, which an Ungodly World will treat us withal, will furnish us with opportunities enough, to Insert in our Daily Supplications, that clause, Lord, we forgive them who Trespass against our selves! But our Ministry, will be attended with various Temptations from the Wicked One: Oh! how glad will the Devils be, if We, whose Business 'tis to thwart and cross his Designs, may be Trepanned by him into any thing that shall promote them! For this cause, our Daily Supplications must cry to Heaven, That we may not be Led into Temptation, but Saved from the Evil.