N00896:71
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.
Exhor. 2. To those especially who sustain any Public Relation. There are many, I suppose more than an hundred such in this Assembly. Oh! Let every one seek the Wealth of their People. Be able to say with the Apostle, I have not sought my own Profit, but the profit of many. Consider the Excellency of a Public Spirit, and how desirable a thing it is to do good. It is a God-like Spirit. For God is the universal good: He does good to all Psal 145.9. Therefore the more good any man does in the World, the more does he resemble the blessed God. It is a Christ-like Spirit. For Christ is the light of the World. All Nations fare the better for him. All the Angels in Heaven, and all the m•n on earth have not done such Service for God and men, as Christ has. Let us show our sel•es Christians by endeavouring to be (in our measure) like our Lord and Master.
Exhor. 2. To those especially who sustain any Publick Relation. There are many, I suppose more than an hundred such in this Assembly. Oh! Let every one seek the Wealth of their People. Be able to say with the Apostle, I have not sought my own Profit, but the profit of many. Consider the Excellency of a Publick Spirit, and how desirable a thing it is to do good. It is a God-like Spirit. For God is the universal good: He does good to all Psal 145.9. Therefore the more good any man does in the World, the more does he resemble the blessed God. It is a Christ-like Spirit. For Christ is the light of the World. All Nations fare the better for him. All the Angels in Heaven, and all the m•n on earth have not done such Service for God and men, as Christ has. Let us shew our sel•es Christians by endeavouring to be (in our measure) like our Lord and Master.
I• i• be said, but wherein may we promote the welfare of our People? The Answer, is, we may promote their welfare by endeavouring that th•se Evils may b Reformed which otherwise will pull down th Judgments of Haven on our Land Have not the Heavens of late been weeping over our heads, and threatening us wih a Terrible Famin? We have cause to thik hat one reason of it, is, because Excess in Drinking is become the Crying Sin of