N00619:58
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.
The only Thing, that I design here to Recommend, from the mention of these Intricate & Mysterious Matters is, A most Self-jealous and Self-loathing, Humility of Soul, in our Enquiries, after those Things, that are to be acknowledged as Provoking Evils, ere peace will be Restored unto our Land▪ This is very sure, that this Land has often had its Days of Temptation; and when the People of God come with Second Thoughts to Reflect upon those days, they often see cause to cry out, Peccavimus omnes: we have one and all been out of the way. On the whole, The Temper which I would propound is This; Let us not be without some Suspicion, that our God may be Angry with us, for some Evil or other, which is not yet universally Acknowledged: But yet let us manage that Suspicion so Humbly, so Modestly, so Seriously, that we may not thereby add a New Evil unto the old score. 'Tis very certain, That when a Secret Cause of a Divine Controversy, is Enquired after, there is nothing more usual, than for ⟨p. 50⟩men to Enquire not wisely concerning that matter. An Assembly of Lutherans coming together to Enquire, after the Cause of the Judgments which God had brought upon their Churches, most unhappily determined, That their not paying Respect enough unto Images, in their Churches, was one cause of the Lords Controversy with them. Unhappy Enquirers; Instead of your Dream that you had not Sinned enough against the Second Commandment, you should have thought whether you had not Sinned too much against the Fourth. But we hear not a word, concerning their universal profanations of the Lords-Day to this Day. That which I therefore say, is This; In a just Apprehension of our own Darkness, and Weakness, Let us make that Prayer to our Lord, Lord, show us wherefore thou contendest with us. Let us then have our Debates, with one another hereupon; but let us come to those Debates, always with a Disposition to judge our selves rather than any one else, and a Resolution to take any shame to our selves, that Scripture and Reason, shall cast upon us. Wherefore,
The only Thing, that I design here to Recommend, from the mention of these Intricate & Mysterious Matters is, A most Self-jealous and Self-loathing, Humility of Soul, in our Enquiries, after those Things, that are to be acknowledged as Provoking Evils, e're peace will be Restored unto our Land▪ This is very sure, that this Land has often had its Dayes of Temptation; and when the People of God come with Second Thoughts to Reflect upon those dayes, they often see cause to cry out, Peccavimus omnes: we have one and all been out of the way. On the whole, The Temper which I would propound is This; Let us not be without some Suspicion, that our God may be Angry with us, for some Evil or other, which is not yet universally Acknowledged: But yet let us manage that Suspicion so Humbly, so Modestly, so Seriously, that we may not thereby add a New Evil unto the old score. 'Tis very certain, That when a Secret Cause of a Divine Controversy, is Enquired after, there is nothing more usual, than for