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Nehemiah. A brief essay on divine consolations, how great they are; and how great…
Nehemiah. A brief essay on divine consolations, how great they are; and how great the regards to be paid unto them, : with an application thereof to some frequent cases; especially, the death of relatives. : Offered, at the lecture in Boston. 30 d. 9 m. 1710. / By Cotton Mather, D.D. ; [Two lines of quotations]
printed by Bartholomew Green, 1710
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.
Soul, whom the Worlds Fatigues do make to groan, Seek all thy Comfort in thy GOD alone.
You shall allow me to Propose one thing more, in Pursuance of the Design I am going upon. It was an Excellent Proposal made in the Church of God Eleven Hundred years ago; Facilius erit Consolatio, si inter Flagella quae Patimur, quae fecimus ad memoriam Delicta revocamus. Let us in all our Afflictions, be Mindful of our Miscarriages, be Mournful for our Iniquities; Humbly Adore the Justice of God in all our Afflictive Cases: We are by such Humiliations prepared for the Consolations of God. Now we may go on.
I will now make the Experiment, what the Consolations of God will Signify, in Two or three Cases, that are of a frequent Occurrence among us. The Ancient has taught me, Dolentem non Potest Consolari, qui non concordat Dolori.
First. There are Some who are grievously annoyed, fearfully disturbed, with the FIERY DARTS which the Wicked One Shoots ⟨p. 18⟩into their Minds. They cry out of the Injections, wherewith Satan troubles them; and affrights them: Suggestions full of Atheism, full of Blasphemy, full of Hellish Malignity, are injected by Satan into their Souls. The vexation is insupportable; it renders them even weary of their Lives. Hideous Thoughts are thrown into them, and such as make them afraid the dreadful Wrath of God must overtake them Immediately, Irremediably. A very Pitiable case! But can there be any Consolations of God for One so horribly Tempted of the Devil? Yes; And very Great Ones. There is that Consolation;