N00896:43
The excellency of a public spirit discoursedThe excellency of a publick spirit discoursed
The excellency of a public spirit discoursed: in a sermon, preached in the audience of the General Assembly of the province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England, May 27. 1702. Being the day for election of counsellors in that province. / By Increase Mather. ; [Four lines of quotations]The excellency of a publick spirit discoursed: in a sermon, preached in the audience of the General Assembly of the province of the Masachusetts Bay in New England, May 27. 1702. Being the day for election of counsellors in that province. / By Increase Mather. ; [Four lines of quotations]
printed by B. Green for Nicholas Boone, 1702
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.
Thus did he prefer the •nterest of his people, especially considering that they were the people of God, above that of his own person or Family.
4 The man that is of a Public Spirit will hazard himself for the Public Interest He will not only deny himself, but i• called thereto, will encounter the greatest difficulties and dangers for the Public's sake: Yea, he will not refuse to hazard his life for it. Thus did Gideon: His Son did Justice for his injured Father in declaring it. Judg. 9 17. My Father adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian. The like to this is noted concerning the Governors of Israel in the time of the Judges, as we see, Judg 5 9. My heart is toward the Governors of Israel that offered themselves willingly among the people. It was tho' a ⟨p. 10⟩lawful, a very dangerous attempt which the people did engage in to make a Revolution, when they were in the hands of a powerful Tyrant. Th• Governors, that is to say, the Chief men amongst them did willingly hazard themselves with their meaner brethren for the common safety of them all. Thus also did the Tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali discover a public Spirit. Vers 18. They jeoparded their lives to the death in the high places of the Field. That they did to save their Country from ruin: Such a spirit there was in Aquila and Priscilla; The Apostle speaks thus concerning them, Rom 16.4 Who have for my life laid down their own necks unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the Churches of the Gentiles. They considered that the Welfare of many Churches was concerned in the preservation of Pauls life, and were therefore willing to h•z•rd their own lives to save his We have also an illustrious instance of this in Queen Esther; she had reason to think that the King had conceived some displeasure against her, considering that he had taken no notice of her for the space of thirty days past; sh knew what had befallen Vashti the former Queen upon an light displeasure of the King: She likewise knew that if she appeared at Court except the King should happen to hold out the golden Sceptre, she must y; so that she run a desperate hazard to save her people, but was willing to perish rather than they should