Solemnitie, pass their Votes, that they count such Things to bee offensive Evils, and renouncing all Dependence on their own Strength, to avoid such Evils, they humbly ask the Help of the Divine Grace, to assist them, in watching against the said Evils, both in themselves and in one another. And that the Communicants, do often reflect upon those their Acknowledgments and Protestations, as perpetual Monitors, unto them, to prevent the Miscarriages, wherewith too many Professors are too easily overtaken."

Accordingly, letters, reporting this Advice, were now sent, thro' a considerable Part of the Land. But so monstrous was the Sleepiness upon our Churches, (and Pastors,) that few of them, did any thing, in pursuance of this Advice.

However, I resolved, that their Lethargy, should bee no Excuse for mine. Wherefore having prepared my Church, by a solemn and public FAST, (when I twice preached on Rom. 13. 11.), I drew up an Instrument, of Acknowledgments and Protestations, wherein, renewing our Covenant, wee declared against sixteen common Evils, which were Transgressions of it."

That I might make this Instrument the more easy, unto the dullest Capacitie among them, I did, after a Speech, at the Lord's Table, weave it, all into my Prayer before the Lord.

So, on, 10 d. 2 m. [April.] Having first preached unto them, on Jer. 44. 10. They solemnly voted it. And then,

1 "And that knowing the time, that it is high time to awake out of sleep." * See Mather to Richards, February 13, 1692, in 4 Collections, VIII. 390. *“10 d. 2 m [April] This day, our Church unanimously signify'd their Acceptance of an Instrument, which I laid before them, as containing the Acknowledgments and Protestations of their souls, and a Recognition of their Obligations, by their Covenant, laid upon them, for the revival of practical Godliness among us.

"And the day after, I sent a little Book to the Press; at the End whereof, I publish a copy of that Instrument, to bee putt into the hands of every Communicant in the Church." Cotton Mather's MS. Records of the Second Church, II.

The "Acknowledgments" occupy pp. 66-71. They glance at current disturbances as follows: "And being also awakened, by the most heavy Judgements

printing it, with my two Fast-Sermons, (which I called, A MIDNIGHT CRY) I found a way, to convey the little Book, into the Hand of every one of our Communicants.1

And now in my Prayers; with my Church, the Lord moved mee to utter my Perswasion and Assurance that some great Mercy was near to this Flock of His.

29 d. 2 m. 1692. This Day I spent in secret Humiliations and Supplications before the Lord; upon the many Occasions, which His Providence had given for them: but the many continuing Iniquities and Calamities of the Countrey, were the cheef Things, that brought mee on my Knees.

When I was crying to God this Day, that Hee would fill mee with His Holy Spirit, and make mee a Man of an excellent Spirit, and help mee to glorify Him, in bringing forth of much Fruit, I had my Heart melted with a glorious Assurance, that it would bee so.

I sett myself to recount the abasing Circumstances of the Land; and my Soul mourned over them. I wrestled with my God, that Hee would awaken these Churches, to

of Heaven, under which this country has been Weltring and Wasting for many later years, to suspect lest in the Hearts and Lives of US in particular, there may be found some of those ACCURSED THINGS, which have brought upon the Land, such a Long Variety of Sore Calamity:" etc. Sensualities in eating, drinking and recreation, and extravagancies in apparel, profanation of the Sabbath, dishonesty and other sins are mentioned. He seems to have sent the paper in its first form to John Richards. 4 Collections, VIII. 390.

1"That the whole World has been generally Asleep for some Thousands of Years, and that particular Professors of Religion in this Age of the World are ordinarily Asleep all their Dayes, I should therein but utter, A Truth, as horrible, as notorious. As for You, my Dear Charge, the Office which I sustain towards you, is that of a WATCHMAN; and in the discharge of that Office, I have here put into your hands, another perpetual INSTRUMENT for your AWAKENING, lest when our Lord comes, He find you Sleeping! I have not Published it with so much presumption as to propound therein the Direction of any other Churches. But I have ordered a Small Impression, that I may fulfil my promise of providing for every one of you, a Copy of this your Monitor; so that perhaps I may say of this Book, as the Philosopher did of his, 'Tis Published, but scarce made Publick.” Prefatory letter to the Church in the North-part of Boston. He describes his action in a letter to John Richards, December 14, 1692, in 4 Collections, VIII. 397.

do some remarkable Thing in returning to Him; I also beg'd of Him, that Hee would accept of Service at my hands, and make a singular Use of mee, in the Awakening of my people; I pray'd Him therefore particularly to smile upon my little Book, entitled, A Midnight Cry, which is just now coming out of the Press.

This Day, I likewise obtained of God, that Hee would make use of mee, as of a John, to bee an Herald of the Lord's Kingdome now approching. and the Voice crying in the Wilderness, for Preparation thereunto. And I also implored the Assistance of God, unto my undertaking to write a Book (now in my Thoughts) accommodated unto the Designs of Religion, among the Husbandmen in this Countrey.

But my Prayers did especially insist upon the horrible Enchantments, and Possessions, broke forth upon Salem Village; things of a most prodigious Aspect.1 A good Issue to those things, and my own Direction and Protection thereabout, I did especially petition for.

2

My Health, has been lamentably broken for diverse Years, partly by my excessive Toyle, in the public and private Exercises of my Calling, but cheefly, I fear, by my Sins against the God of my Health; whence tis, that I have been put many Times to preach, when I had been fitter to have been in my Bed, and, when that by Sickness I have been almost utterly disabled for all preparatory Study, yett I have delivered long and hard Sermons,) with great Assistances to great Congregations, and come easier out of the Pulpit, than I went into it.

But, now Illness and Vapour, with an aguish Indis

1 Sewall, Diary, I. 358. Upham, Salem Witchcraft.

* In apologizing for his unfruitfulness, Mather wrote in the introduction to his Companion for Communicants: "My Readers must remember that these Things are but my Blossoms, which I do the more vigorously put forth, because whether I consider the Doubtful State of my Health, now twice in less than a Twelve Month attack'd with very Fiery Feavers," etc.

position, growes upon mee, at such a rate, that indeed, I live in exceeding Misery: and I can see nothing but a speedy Death approaching.

Blessed bee God, that I can dy!

But the Time for Favour was now come; the sett Time was come!

I am now to receive the Answers of so many Prayers as had been employ'd for my absent Parent; and for the Deliverance and Settlement, of my poor Countrey, for which hee had been employ'd, in so long an Agencie.1

Wee have not our former Charter, but wee have a better in the Room of it. One which much better suits our Circumstances. And instead, of my being made a Sacrifice to wicked Rulers, all the Councellours of the Province, are of my own Father's Nomination; and my Father-in-Law, with several related unto mee, and several Brethren of my own church, are among them. The Governour of the Province is not my Enemy, but one whom I baptised, namely Sir William Phips, and one of my own Flock, and one of my dearest Friends.

2

On 14 d. 3 m. [May.] Satureday-Evening. My Father arrived, unto mee, with all of these Mercies.3

My only Brother then also arrived well improved in his education.4

Oh! what shall, I render to the Lord, for all His Benefits!

1"Three Years are now passed, since our Merciful God, by a wonderful Turn, rescued this People from the Hands of those, who declared us, A People fit only to be Rooted off the Face of the Earth, and who might have been in Forwardness enough to accomplish, That Rooting Business." A Midnight Cry (1692), 63.

2 Admitted and baptized March 23, 1690. It should be remembered that until the recall of the charter only a church-member could be a freeman. Elizabeth and Sarah Mather were admitted upon the same day. Mather gives an account of the Phips's incidents in his Life of Phips, Magnalia, Bk. 11. 46, and shows how he came to be selected Governor under the new charter.

3 "Sir William arrives in the Nonsuch Frigat: Candles are lighted before He gets into Townhouse. Eight Companies wait on Him to his house, and then on Mr. [Increase] Mather to his. Made no volleys because 'twas Satterday night." Sewall, Diary, 1. 360.

4 This sentence was written in the margin.

On this occasion, tho' I was then ill, and had but a few minutes of Time also, for my Study, I did on the Lord'sDay Morning, preach very largely with a very sensible Assistance of Heaven, upon Math. 14. 15, Our Lords passing over the Water.

Thus have I seen, the wonderful Effects of Prayer and Faith; and now, I will call upon the Lord, as long as I Live.

A Great and General Assembly was now called; and it was a Time, on that account, whereof it might bee said of the Inhabitants of this Province as of the Romans, on another Occasion. They had never seen a greater Day. By the Providence of God, it then fell unto me, to preach unto this Assembly; which I did, on 2. Chron. 12. 12, bearing as full a Testimony, as I was able, unto all those things, wherein I say the Interests of my Countrey.1 Among other things, I ran the Hazard of much Reproch by testifying in that Sermon, against the Persecution of erroneous and conscientious Dissenters, by the civil Magistrate. I feared, that the Zeal of my Countrey had formerly had in it more Fire than should have been; especially, when the mad Quakers were sent unto the Gallowes, that should have been kept rather in a Bedlam. I did therefore on this great Occasion bear my Testimony; hoping, that if the General Assembly now thank'd mee for it, their doing so, would bee accepted both by God and Man. I think, I am the only Minister Living in the Land, that have testifyed against the Suppression of Haresy, by Persecution. And I hope, the Lord will own mee with a more singular Success, in the Suppression of Hæresy by Endeavours more spiritual and evangelical.3

2

1 The Court appointed a day of solemn Thanksgiving for the safe arrival of Phips and Increase Mather. Magnalia, Book II.

2"Let not the Tares of Will-Worship, of Arminianism and of Serpentine Quakerism, be nourished in our Churches." A Midnight Cry (1692), 61.

'From "Among other things" etc., to this point was written in the margin, and presumably an afterthought.