N01237:37
A discourse concerning the grace of courage, wherein the nature, beneficialness, and necessity of…
A discourse concerning the grace of courage, wherein the nature, beneficialness, and necessity of that virtue for all Christians, is described. Delivered in a sermon preached at Boston in New-England. June 5th. 1710. / By Increase Mather, D.D. ; [Two lines from I Corinthians]A discourse concerning the grace of courage, wherein the nature, beneficialness, and necessity of that vertue for all Christians, is described. Delivered in a sermon preached at Boston in New-England. June 5th. 1710. / By Increase Mather, D.D. ; [Two lines from I Corinthians]
Boston: printed by B. Green for Samuel Phillips, 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.
1. Faithful Rulers need much of this Grace. When Solomon was entering on his Government, his Father David said to him, Be they strong, and show thy self a man: 1 King. 2. 2. q. d. Now thou art to be the Ruler of a great People, thou wilt meet with strong Temptations, and hast need of a Manly Courage and Fortitude to Conquer them. Rulers are in a Difficult and Laborious Station. A famous Divine among the Reformers, was wont to say, That there are three Labours grievous to be endured: Regentis, Docentis, et Parturienti•. If a Ruler will do well, he must expect to hear ill: It will be impossible to please the Multitude in every thing. And if things do not go as they would have them, it is natural for them to blame their Rulers, be they never so Faithful and Laborious in the Station God has set them in. Was there ever a better Ruler than Moses? And yet how often did the Children of Israel Murmur against him; and lay the blame of all their Miseries at his Door? Which forced him to Cry to God against them: Exod. 17. 4. Moses Cried to the Lord, saying, What shall I do to this People? They be almost ready to Stone me. Moses was Heir apparent to the Crown of Egypt, but he refused that to serve his own People; which he did with great Fidelity, and they were ready to requite him with Stones; as the Jews did Christ for the Good Works He did among them. We have a most amazing instance ⟨p. 19⟩of this Murmuring Spirit against their Faithful Rulers, in Numb. 16.41. All the Congregation Murmured against Moses and Aaron, saying, You have Killed the People of the Lord. But the day before they spoke this, they had seen Miraculous Judgments of God Executed on Murmurers. Some of them were destroyed by Earthquakes; and went down alive into Hell,& others of them were consumed by Fire from Heaven: The very next day they fall to Murmuring again; and call those wicked Rebels whom God had made Examples of his Vengeance, The Lords People; and Charge their Rulers with being the Authors of their Death. Was not Samuel a good Governor? He never took a Bribe in his Life, of any man. An Ungrateful People could not but acknowledge that he had been a good Governor: No man could accuse him of any Male-Administration: For all that they Rejected him, and Longed for another, until God sent them a Tyrannical one, whom He gave in his Anger and took away in his Wrath. Was not David a good Commander?