23 d. VI m. On 1. Sam. XXV. 29. On a Soul, bound up in the Bundle of Life.

30 d. VI m. On Psal. CXIX. 147. Early Piety. One lively Essay more, for the Animating of it. (Awakened by the Death of my Son Increase. And now, in the first Place, addressed unto the Assembly of the New North [Church], unto which there is a great Resort of young People, from several Parts of the Town, and particularly from that which has formerly satt under my Ministry.)

6 d. VII m. [September.] On Psal. CXIX. 147. Giving to my own Flock the same (with some other) Things, that I gave the last Lord's-day unto another.

10 d. VII m. Thursday. The Lecture. On Psal. LVI. 3. Fear cured by Faith at the Time when we apprehend ourselves in the most fearful Circumstances.

13 d. VII m. On Matth. XXIII. 37. Our SAVIOUR willing to gather our Souls under His Wings; and People perishing because they are not willing that He should save them.

20 d. VII m. On Matth. XXIII. 37. Finishing what I began the last Lords-day.

27 d. VII m. On Rev. I. 12. A Church answering the Character of a golden Candlestick. (And I administred the Eucharist.) I d. VIII m. [October.] Thursday. (The Lecture.) On Prov. XI. Good Men great Blessings to the People, whom God bestows them on. (A funeral-Sermon for Governour Saltonstal.)

II.

4 d. VIII m. On Job. III. 25. A wise Expectation of and Præparation for, troublesome Changes, to befall us. (Occasioned by the Death of my Son Increase.)

II d. VIII m. On Eccl. XI. 8. Remembering the many Days of Darkness. (With a Relation of the marvellous Triumphs over Death, in a Child of this Neighbourhood.)

18 d. VIII m. On Isa. XLVIII. 10. Chosen in the Furnace of Affliction. (Occasion'd by the grievous Trials, wherewith some are exercised.)

25 d. VIII m. On Rev. I. 13. The special Presence of the glorious Lord, in midst of golden Churches.

1 d. IX m. [November.] On Jer. XXIII. 29. The Word of God an Hammer that breaks the Rock to Peeces. Employing some singular Strokes of the Hammer, on certain particular Occasions.

5 d. IX m. A Day of public Thanksgiving. On Col. I. 3. The Methods of Thanksgiving. Particularly of keeping a Day of Thanksgiving.

8 d. IX m. On Rev. XXII. 17. The Water of Life offered freely; and, how the Offer is to be received.

A third Time. (And I admin

15 d. IX m.

On Rev. XXII. 17. 22 d. IX m. On Rev. XXII. 17. istred the Eucharist.)

A second time.

3 d. XI m. [January, 1724-25.] After the longest Confinement by Illness, that I ever had in my Life, I this Day returned unto the Flock of God; whom I treat with a Sermon, on Phil. I. 21. CHRIST, the Life of the true Christian.

17 d. XI m.

On Phil. I, 21. (A second time.)

On Phil. I. 21. (A third Time.) And I administred the Eucharist.

21 d. XI m. The Lecture. On Joh. XII. 26. The Honours which God bestows on the Servants of our SAVIOUR. (A funeralSermon for my Nephew.1)

24 d. XI m. On Phil. I. 21. (A fourth time.) Finishing my Sermons upon it.2

To Confute a Vile Caluniny, which I am told, is cast upon me, That I directed or advised, or some Way Encouraged the unhappy Daniel Willards Creditors to arrest or trouble him, it might be Enough to say, that such will appear the Nonsense and Folly of the Calumny, to every one, who considers my circumstances relating to him that it must confute itself; None but an Idiot (or such as take me for one) can believe it. But I further declare That there is not the Least Syllable or Shadow of Truth in it. Nor has he any one Creditor in the world, that ever would offer or whisper, the Least Intimation of such a Thing. I have done that poor Man Good and not Hurt, all the Days of his Life; and as he knows I never yett spoke one Angry Word, so I have never done one Hurtful Thing to him since he was born. And until just now I remember not that I ever knew who so much as any two of his Creditors were; besides myself, who am, I suppose, by far the greatest Creditor he has, but have never to this Hour made any Demands on him, or done any thing for my own Security. I know not how well to express myself in stronger Terms. But such Abuses as these, are no more than what I am daily treated with. May Patience have its perfect work on all such occasions. Feb. 28, 1723/4

C. M.

1 Rev. Thomas Walter.

2 Here ends the Diary of Cotton Mather, so far as it has been preserved.

SIR, Your pious Desire, to have a Sermon preached on the Eleventh of December (Last) was what I had the fullest Resolution and Expectation to have answered, according to my first understanding of it; and accordingly I præpared a Sermon, for a Commemoration of your never-to-be-forgotten Affliction and Salvation.

My purpose was to have assembled a good number of pious Gentlemen, at either Dr. Boylstons, or my own Capacious Hall, and there to have spent an agreeable portion of Time, in proper Devotions, especially giving Thanks and making Prayers, on your behalf, accompanied with the sermon; which I proposed then to have printed with the story of your affair, as I did the like Ten years ago.

As for the price of a Sermon, I know none Established in this Countrey. Much less would I have Look'd for any pecuniary Acknowledgment of Mine; who have preached so many hundreds of sermons, without any Temporal Requitals. Only if something has been advanced for the Charge of the Impression I might have allow'd of That.

But when our worthy and Hearty Friend, Mr. Borland, arrived unto us, he told us, he thought my proposal, did not in all points quite answer yours. He thought, that you suppos'd the Bells might be rung, and a promiscuous congregation come together on this Occasion, in one of our public Churches; as it might be done in England. Upon this View, it was considered, That such a practice being altogether unusual in our City, it might meet with some Inconvenient Misconstructions. And the Religion of this Countrey also not Encouraging the Anniversary celebration of any Stated and Certain Days, any thing that Look'd that way openly done might be misinterpreted. So we agreed, the dropping of the matter at this time, and not proceeding until we receive your further Directions after the True State of the Case, as it is now represented, has been considered with you.

In the mean time, I bless the Glorious Lord-Redeemer, that He continues in you a grateful sense of His Favours; which doubtless you also Endeavour to Express with perseverance in all the Steps of a Godly, and sober, and Righteous Life; And may the final Issue of all be, a Rescue from the worst of Ship-wrecks, and a share in the plentious and Eternal Redemption, which will bring the People of GOD unto the full Enjoyment of Him. With such wishes, I am, Your hearty Friend and servt.

Mar. 31. 1724.

Sir,

SIR, - Tis, I confess, a weakness in me, to communicate unto you, the enclosed Papers; For, to be free with you, the Ministers of this Town appear to me, the most unbrotherly and unsocial Tribe of their Profession, that I beleeve, is in the whole World.

But I do it, because, I have some Apprehension, that I must within a few Days, or Weeks, take a Step, which much more than all New England will ring of, and I am willing to distinguish you from the rest, with giving you some Satisfaction aforehand about the Circumstances leading to it.

I have nothing under Heaven to ask of you, but your Prayers: and your prayers for nothing but this, that I may be strengthened with all might, according to the glorious Power of CHRIST, unto all Patience and Long-suffering with Joyfulness. And, if you think fitt, some Advice to my Son, if he find occasion to ask it.

I will send Ezer, and in the Evening, for the Return of these papers, and of Gog and Magog.

(Only that about, THE STATE OF RELIGION, which you may keep a few Days; and which you may (tho' I beleeve, you will not,) Shew to Judge Sewal, and Col. Fitch, but if you do, yett leave it not in their Hands.)

I wish you and yours, all the Blessings of Goodness; and a Condition very much the Reverse of what is ordered for, Sir, Your Brother and Servant

Apr. 1. 1724.

Co. MATHER.

TO LIEUT. GOVERNOR WILLIAM DUMMER. A.A.S. SYR, My Disobedience to the Command which your Goodness laid upon me, the last Thursday requires a Just Apology; and yett it will require the mention of such unmentionable Things, that even that may render another Apology necessary.

An Indisposition then upon me unfitted me for the payment of my Duty. But Concomitant with it, I laboured under several Discouragements.

I need not say, that I apprehended my well-known Circumstances of prosecution to restore what I took not away, rendred it a Disgrace unto such a Table, as well as unto any Pulpitt, for me to make my Appearance there. These perhaps are since a little altered.

But I must confess also, that I have thought myself directed by

the Government, (for the serving whereof I have exposed myself to sufferings much beyond any man in the Countrey,) to look upon it as a peece of proper Modesty, to be as little as possible in their presence, ever since they did above a year ago, with sufficient Expressions of Displeasure, silence my pen, and forbid the printing of any more about, the State of Religion. I was accordingly to the best of my Capacity, with a Better, Endeavouring to do comprehensive service for the Countrey and Religion, and surely if I had not been reckoned a person worthy of the greatest Contempt, I had been by some one or other of the Council spoken with, before the Countrey (who much Expected the Continuation of their Satisfaction) had been made sensible that the Government was offended at me, as publisher of dangerous Libels. Being thus treated as an offendor, I have I hope with all decent Patience commanded a Silence to my speech aequal to that which my Superiours commanded for my pen: but I have with a modest Recess, for now a twelve month, retired from the old Familiarities of the Table, as well as other Freedoms, which I had been once used unto: It appearing to me always rude for an Offendor to do otherwise.

The Suspicion of an Aversion in the Government more for me than for other Men, was very much strengthened, and confirmed; When the offence taken at me was for a Quotation of a passage, which was but a Complaint of a vile party in the Ch. of E. which complaint is made continually by an Army of the most famous Divines in the Established Church. And yett, in the same News-Letter, under the Title of, [published by Authority,] there is an Allowance for whole pages of the bitterest Invectives against that Potent and Swaying party of the Ch. of E. as Monsters of Impiety, and representing the Four Stuarts on the Throne, as prodigies of Weakness and Baseness and Perfidy; and the Late Queen, as the Favourite of HighChurch but Leaving the World, under the blackest Infamy. And all this from a paper well-known to be highly offensive unto the King and present Ministry.1

1

To be disheartened into a peaceable Withdraw as far as may be, from all public Exhibitions when I see myself under such (I would not presume to say undeserved) Marks of Dislike from those to whom I ought always to pay all due Deference, may be smiled at as Vapour; yett this Vapour will appear to be Reason unto one under the power 1 Probably refers to the letter signed "Cato," which, copied from an English source, occupied more than three pages of the Boston News-Letter, March 12, 1723-24.