But there is this Encumbrance on your Entertainment.

Our Honourable Friend Judge Sewal, was not at the Commencement. He has a kindness for his Little Names-sake, and is glad of any promising performance from him. He has also a Kindness for the Name of Stoughton, and is Glad when he sees it celebrated. Communicate unto him, the M.SS. But so that either he send it home to me by the middle of the Next week, or Else do you take that care

upon you:

You will continue your Loves and prayers, for the Lad, as well as for Your Brother and Serv't.

Co. MATHER.

FROM SAMUEL SEWALL.

A.A.S.

In Matherum morientem

Feria Sexta, Augusti 23, 1723.

Quantum per vitam potuit, CRESCENTIUS auxit Doctrinam: dono mortis ADULTUS erit.1

SAMUEL SEWALL.

REVEREND SIR, - If my barren vein would have yielded better, I should have more cheerfully have offered it for the Honour of my Excellent Friend. Sir, your obliged humble Servt.

Boston, pridie calendas Septembres, 1723.

SAMUEL SEWALL.

TO GURDON SALTONSTALL.

A.A.S.

October 21, 1723.

SYR, - Of all the Good Works that are done under the Sun, there appears none more worthy of a Christian or more Demonstrative of his being what he professes himself to be, or more pleasing to God, or more useful to men, than that of propagating pure and undefiled Christianity in the world. And your Honours Hearty Zeal to promote this First-born of Good Works, is but agreeable to your Faith, and among the bright Instances in which you adorn the Doctrines of God your Saviour; and the place wherein our God has in mercy to His people Stationed you.

1 Increase Mather, father of Cotton, died August 23, 1723, “just at Noon, after long and grievous Sickness." He was buried in the north burying place. Sewall, Diary, III. 326. The son has fittingly commemorated the father in his Parentator, published in 1724.

Tis not unknown unto your Honour and unto many valuable persons under your Government, that in the Town of Providence near unto you, there has appeared a Field white for the Harvest. Indeed, some of the first Motions in this Great Affair, were from some Excellent Persons in your Colony.

Our First Essays to Erect an Edifice for the public Worship of GOD, in that place, have mett with such Encumbrances, as appear not at all Marvellous, unto them who consider, that the Great Adversary of the Gospel is not Asleep. These Encumbrances are now in some Degree Surmounted, but the Expences of the Enterprize have been thereby very much augmented. This work of GOD therefore very much needs a further Assistence, from the Bountiful Charity of the Churches in your Colony; who have on many occasions Expressed their Bounty in Collections that have upon Good Intentions [been] called for; But perhaps have rarely done it upon any, of a more noble Importance than this, wherein the Kingdome of GOD, our Saviour, and the Salvation of Souls from Death, are so notably concerned. The Good people in this Providence have done worthily in this matter; and we make no doubt, that yours will not come at all behind them; so that we need add no more, but our humble Request, That for the preventing of Misapplications, it may be proposed, that what money shall be collected, may be Lodged in the Hands of Prudent and Faithful Trustees among yourselves; unto whom, if any Advice from the Ministers in this Town be thought necessary, it will be at all Times readily communicated.

Thus, commending your person and whole Administration, to the divine Conduct and Blessing, we subscribe, Your Honors Most hearty Servants.

TO REV. JEDIDIAH ANDREWS.

A.A.S.

SIR, — Tis a great Satisfaction unto me at all times to hear from a Brother, whom I always honour as being a Vir sui Nominis. Your unfainting Labour for the Name of your Lord, your service and

1“ 22 d. 8 m. [October.] At a Meeting of the Church, there were forty-nine Brethren present. It was proposed, that the Church might now come to the Choice of an Assistant and Successor in the Work of the Evangelical Ministry. The Choice was made, and the Majority (thirty-four) of the Votes declared it for Mr. Joshua Gee. John Clark, Thomas Hutchinson, Adam Winthrop, Esqrs., and Mr. Samuel Turel, with the Deacons, were appointed a Committee to report unto him this Act of the Church." Cotton Mather's MS. Records of the Second Church, III. Gee (1698-1748) remained with the church until his death.

your patience, I cannot think upon, without glorifying of Him in you. I must beg your pardon, that I forgett sometimes to send you the Little Things that are published among us.

I now address you with Two or Three of our Latest publications; the sight whereof may perhaps also gratify some of your worthy Neighbours.

I am so much a Stranger to Dr. Williams's Charitable but it seems Ambiguous will, (having Long since mislaid and forgott our Paragraph in it) that I know not how to express myself capable of assisting your Desires of coming at the Benefit of it, until I am somewhat more fully instructed; but if you can come at it, you may be sure I shall say, Much good may it do you!

I have Lately written, Memoirs of Remarkable Things in the Life and the Death of my deceased Parent; But, it being a Book of it may be Twenty Sheets, it will be diverse Months before our otherwise Employ'd presses can give it unto the public. In the mean time, I transmit unto you, a Coelestinus that will bring something of and from the Countrey which he is gone unto.

The Condition of my Foolish Countrey and a Relation of the Follies committed in it, would be a story not worth telling to you.

Lett us Long for the Land of Rectitude. In the way to it, and ye Hope of it, I am, Sir, Your affectionate Brother and Servt. Boston, N. E. Nov. 5, 1723.

SIR,

By several Conveyances, I have dispatch'd unto you those letters and Packetts, wherein I have after my poor Manner, express'd my grateful Resentments of the Many and Weighty Favours, which I and mine have received from you.

In one of them there are also, the Acknowledgments, which your Son Samuel (your First born) has made of your Goodness to him, and a Copy of his Commemoratory Oration at our Commencement; which, I hope, has reached you.

What I am now to do, is, to render my Brethrens Thanks, with my own, for what you have done about our Memorials; and acquiesce in what has been done by others.

The Truth is, if all the Remonstrances that we make about a Charity so abominably prostituted as that of the Society, will only 1 Printed by S. Kneeland for Nathaniel Belknap.

* Nephew of the benefactor of Harvard College.

produce a care of our Diocesan to send over better Missionaries we are best as we are. For the Missionaries they have hitherto sent, have generally been such Ignorant Wretches, and such Debauched and Finished Villians, that Like the Rattle snakes in our Countrey they carry with 'em what warns and arms our people against being poisoned with them.

In the meantime, I am sorry, that a Countrey in which you are daily multiplying your Benefits, affords to you such matter of Trouble, in the Mischiefs which your Charitable and Sympathizing Mind sees us by our Follies bringing on our selves. Our Governour was a person of an Excellent Spirit; and I always thought he studied the welfare of the Countrey more than any one person in it. Had we carried well to him, he would have made us an easy, and had we hearken'd well to him, we had been an Happy, people. His enemies, who began to be so, upon a Rage, which was raised in them from a Disappointment of certain projections to Enrich themselves, which they suffered from his Arrival in the Government instead of another whom they thought they had made their property, never were many; but being very subtil, as well as very spiteful, they gott the knack of perverting and misleading a Majority of poor, and weak (tho' sometimes honest) Countreymen in our House of Representatives; and so they produced Votes which any Governor must count Intolerable; and which are Like to overwhelm our whole people, who generally abhor what is done, in Ruines that will be Irretrievable. The Evil that I feared is come! How much a Man, who is no Great Seer, did foresee these things, and forewarn our People of them some years ago, I am willing you should see, by casting your Eye on a Sermon;1 for which Fidelity I have since been an object for the utmost Rage of the Satanic Party, and not only had their printed Libels continually darted at me, but had Attempts made upon my very Life. Nevertheless, after all that I have performed and suffered on the behalf of our Good Governour,2 I am told, that he dismisses me from the List of his Friends, because of a Misreport that was made unto him, of my being at a Loss how to mention his Voyage in our public prayers, immediately upon his very sudden withdraw from us. But alas, who can tell what is Good for Man? And if our Governour do obtain the Destruction of our Charter, how uneasy will he find himself in his Return unto us? The wretched Men that have provoked him, will still be in our Assemblies, and Continue to do so. At the same time, all his Friends, (and

1 Probably he refers to Mirabilia Dei, delivered November 5, 1719, and printed in the same year.

2 Shute.

none so much as they,) will be rendred miserable: a Good Countrey anon putt into the Hands of Rulers, disaffected unto all the best Interests of it; the Religion of the Countrey insulted, ruined, and by Degrees Extinguished.

But we grow Ripe for Confusions. A fearful Decay of Piety among us, ripens us for them. One Symptom and Effect of which Decay is, a Strange Inclination to Contention discovering itself upon all occasions among us. I'l mention to you an Instance, which you will wonder at!

A mighty Spirit came Lately upon abundance of our people, to Reform their singing which was degenerated in our Assemblies to an Irregularity, which made a Jar in the ears of the more curious and skilful singers. Our Ministers generally Encouraged the people, to accomplish themselves for a Regular singing, and a more beautiful Psalmody. Such Numbers of Good people, (and Especially young people,) became Regular Singers, that they could carry it in the Congregations. But, who would beleeve it? Tho' in the more polite City of Boston, this Design mett with a General Acceptance, in the Countrey, where they have more of the Rustick, some Numbers of Elder and Angry people, bore zelous Testimonies against these wicked Innovations, and this bringing in of Popery. Their zeal transported some of them so far (on the behalf of Mumpsimus) that they would not only use the most opprobrious Terms, and call the Singing of these Christians, a worshipping of the Devil, but also they would run out of the Meeting-house at the Beginning of the Exercise. The Paroxysms have risen to that Heighth, as to necessitate the Convening of several Ecclesiastical Councils, for the Composing of the Differences and Animosities, arisen on this occasion.1 And if such an Improbable occasion produce them, what is to be expected, when our Great Adversary getts a permission to start more hazardous Controversies? O! Tell it not in Gath!

The world is falling into that period whereof one Character is, The Nations were Angry. A Spirit of Anger is to possess the Nations, and boil up and break out, on all, and even on very small, on the very Least, occasions. In our Countrey people Take all occasions, and seem even to seek occasions for the Ebullition of their Anger against their Brethren. I wish, it were more otherwise in yours.

Having mention'd the period we are fallen into, I will only add, It is doubtless the period, wherein what the Holy Spirit of GOD 1 Mather wrote and printed (1723) A Pacificatory Letter on the singing of psalms in church.