Tela praevisa. A short essay, on troubles to be look'd for. A wise expectation of, and preparation for, troublesome changes, recommended unto the strangers and pilgrims in this present evil world / by Cotton Mather D.D. and F.R.S. ; [One line from Matthew]

Tela praevisa. A short essay, on troubles to be look'd for. A wise expectation of, and preparation for, troublesome changes, recommended unto the strangers and pilgrims in this present evil world / by Cotton Mather D.D. and F.R.S. ; [One line from Matthew]

Table of contents

Title page

An ESSAY on Troubles to be Look'd for.

COROLLARIES.

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TELA PRAEVISA.

A Short ESSAY, ON Troubles to be Look'd for. A WISE Expectation of, AND PREPARATION for, Troublesome Changes, Recommended unto the Strangers and Pilgrims in this Present Evil World.

By COTTON MATHER D. D. and F. R. S.

Matth. XXIV. 44.

Therefore be ye also Ready.

BOSTON in New-England: Printed by B. Green, for Thomas Hancock, and Sold at his Shop in Ann-Street, near the Draw-Bridge. 1724.

An ESSAY on Troubles to be Look'd for.

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BOSTON, Octob. 4. 1724.

JOB III. 25.

The Thing which I greatly Feared, is come upon me.

THIS present Evil World, is full of Troubles; has in it a World of Evil. Every Day will bring a Sufficient Evil with it. All Sublunary Things are full of Changes. A Great part of our Duty, and Prudence in this World, is to be always ready for the Changes which may come upon us: There are Unknown Changes of Adversity to come upon us. 'Tis of mighty consequence, that none of those Changes find us wholly unprovided for them: That our Changes may not so surprize us, as to find our Spirits altogether unable to Encounter them; That when our Changes arrive, our surprised Souls may not say, I never thought of such a Thing as this! I am wholly unable to grapple with it!

[Page] OF this Piety, the Holy Job was a Notable and Glorious Example. There was of Old a Tradition in the Church of GOD; we find it in Origens Commentaries, that it was found, In Antiquorum dictis, that Moses presented the Book of Job, to the Israelites in their Aegyptian Captivity; that they might read it in their Families, and encourage their Hearts in GOD under their Distresses. We are yet more sure, that in the Primitive Days of Christianity they Publickly read the Book of Job, on sorrowful occasions, and privately carried it also to one another on all such occasions. I do well at this Day, to take a Text from it. Job is afraid, That Piety would signify little to bring him out of Trouble; inasmuch as it had not prevented his coming into Trouble. The Piety of Job, while he was yet in his Prosperity, is thus described unto us. He was not Secure; He did not fall into a Sleep of Security; He did not fall asleep with a vain Dream, that no Changes of Adversity would ever overtake him. He now saw Miserable Changes: But the Changes did not come altogether Unlook'd for. The Thing which I greatly feared; This pious Fear of Job, was not such an Anxious & such a Tormenting Fear, as to take away his Easy, Pleasant, Thankful Enjoyment of his Comforts. To live always in such a Disquieting Fear of losing what we enjoy, as to lose all comfortable Enjoyment of it, while we have it: this were no vertue in any Man; it were a sore Judgment of GOD upon a Man. But the Fear of Job, was a Fear of Caution; a Fear that put him upon Sacrificing to GOD every Day; a Fear that [Page]caus'd him to entertain the Changes that came upon him, with a Ready Resignation, and upon them to say, Blessed be the Name of the LORD! He could not foresee the particular Changes that happened unto him: It was enough, That in the midst of his Prosperity he often thought, I do not know what may happen: And he did Fear the worst that could happen.

THE Lesson of Piety to be now recommended unto us, is this; ‘WE have Reason to Live in a continual Expectation of Troublesome Changes; and make such a Religious Preparation for them, that we may be able suitably to bear all the Troubles of our Changes.’

IT will be our Wisdom, to be always Ready for sorrowful Changes: to be in such a Readiness for them, as may abate the Sorrows of the Changes. We may be at present in Prosperity; or at least we may have many Comfortable Possessions about us. Well, but we should have a Fear, that some Changes may be near unto us, a Devout Fear, that things will not continue long just as they are; an Holy [...] which may produce in us a Temper, that shall entertain what befalls us, with all due composedness of Mind, & Resignation. We should be so Apprehensive of all sorts of Changes, that whatever befalls us, we may be able, with some Quietness of Soul to say; ‘'Tis no other than the Thing which I fear'd, that is come upon me; I am not surprised at it; It is no worse than what I have long been looking for.’

OUR Duty & Interest is disposed into Two Articles; [Page]An Expectation of Changes, and a Preparation for Changes. But these, as our Duty & Interest themselves, are sweetly Incorporated. They are very near to each other; They always go together; They are one and the same: Tho' they may be distinctly considered.

I. WE have Reason to Live in a continual Expectation of Troublesome Changes; To Fear Changes, as things that are very likely to come upon us.

WE will Enquire; First, What Reason have we to Live Expecting of Troublesome Changes? The First Answer shall be; Where do we Live? Indeed, if we were got safe to Heaven, we were then got beyond all Troublesome Changes. Of them that are got out of this World, into a better, we read, Rev. XIV. 13. They Rest from their Labours. Even so, They Rest from then Changes. When Death, which is our great Change, has come upon a Child of God, he shall find it his Last Change; that is to say, the last that will have any Trouble in it. It is true, There is a Change to be Expected after Death; The Resurrection of the Dead, will be a wondrous & an Happy Change upon them. It is of that Change, that we read; Job 14.14. I will wait until my Change come. But the Saint shall never see any Troublesome Change after Death. In the mean time, while we Live in this World, we are in a World full of Changes. Nothing in this World is Constant, but the Inconstancy of the World. In the Natural World, there are continual Changes. We read; Psal. LXXIV. 16, 17. Day & Night, Summer & Winter. And the Political World, has as many Changes. The Vicissitudes in the World are admirable. All things are in Motion. Things cannot [Page]continue long in one Posture. The condition of Things in this World, is compared unto that of Wheels. In the Visions of the Prophet Ezekiel, we have Wheels assigned unto all the Four Empires of the World; and all the Four Quarters of it. All Things are upon Wheels; Nations find it so; And Persons find it so. It is the Fate, both of Crowns and of Spades. The Victorious King of Aegypt had his Chariot drawn by Four Captive Princes. One of them kept looking very Attentively on the Wheels of the Chariot, and when the King Sesostrys, ask'd him, What he saw there; Sir, said he, I see, that what is now uppermost soon becomes undermost! I see, 'tis a Rolling sort of a World that we live in! Indeed, who sees it not? It is not until the World to come, that we shall Receive the Kingdom that cannot be moved. While we are in such a World, we are mad, if we don't Expect Changes every Moment! Where is there any one Person free from this Common Lot of the World! The Experience of all the Men in the World, cries aloud unto us: ‘Behold, Changes! Changes upon all the World!’ In this universal Experience, we may see Reason enough to Expect Changes upon us. Man, Why shouldest thou Expect an Exemption from the Common Lot of the World!

BUT then, Secondly. Our Sin, makes us Deserve Troublesome Changes; it makes us worthy of all sorts of Troubles. Man was at first created a Changeable Creature: It was fit he should be so. This was the occasion of his first Falling into Sin. Since our Fall into Sin, we are now obnoxious to [Page]all kinds of Troublesome Changes. Our Changes are part of the Death, which is the Wages of Sin. It it because we have Sinned, that we make that Complaint, Job X. 17. Witnesses against me, — Indignation upon me, — Changes against me. Our Changes are oftentimes Witnesses of the Divine Indignation against us, for our Follies We do Change our Gl [...]. We Forsake the Unchangeable GOD. We pursue a Satisfaction in Objects, which are so liable to Changes, that they cannot Satisfy. We must Expect that we shall be Punished with Changes. Changes with Troubles, how proper a Punishment are they for us! We are attended with no Comforts, but we are too Unthankful for them, we are too Unfruitful with them, we grievously Forfeit them. We may justly Expect Changes every day, to take away those Comforts, which we don't improve to the Glory of GOD, as we ought to do.

Thirdly. TO Expect Changes, is the way to Prevent Changes, that they shall not come, or to Sweeten Changes, when they come. It is often so, That the Expectation of Changes, proves our Deliverance from them. Tho' the World usually proves worse than we hope, yet it usually proves also Better than we fear. 'Tis true, Job could say, The Thing which I greatly feared, is come upon me. But then, he speaks of the case, as a Rare case; he wonders at it, that it should be so. 'Tis most frequently otherwise; The Changes which we most Expect, are those that we most frequently Escape. It may be, our Fear puts us on those Methods of Safety, that save us from our Feared Changes. [Page]If we were upon the Stroke of Prognostication, would we most probably Prognosticate, what Changes a Man shall have befalling of him? I know not a more probable Rule of Conjecture than this; What is the Mans greatest Point of Security? The Thing that a Man does least of all Fear, 'tis greatly to be Feared, that this is the Thing that is to come upon him. We read, Psal. XXX. 6, 7. I said, I shall never be moved, — Thou hiddest thy Face, and I was troubled. What is the Thing that a Man has least apprehension to see Moved? It is very likely, That is the very Thing, which he shall see moved & changed, and be Troubled. Or, if Expectation will not keep off our Changes, but the Thing which we greatly fear must come upon us, yet it will moderate and mollify our Troubles, in our Changes. Tela Praevisa minus feriunt. By being Fore-warn'd of our Changes, we are Fore-arm'd for them. Our Spirits being afore-hand a little Familiariz'd unto our Changes, will be when they come, the less Affrighted at them. We less complain of those things, which we know, are to be look'd for. The Wound is the less, when the Dart was Look'd for. The Expectation of Changes will fortify us, with Patience to bear them the more easily & handsomely. The Messenger of Death put the famous Martyr into no Disturbance, for, said, he, This is no other than what I have been this long while Daily Looking for!

WE will Enquire, Secondly; What are the Troublesome Changes, which we must Live in a daily Expectation of! The Answer to this must be very General. Of all in General; Because no [Page]body can tell what in Particular. The Servant of GOD could say; Act. XX. 22, 23. — Even so may we say, ‘I know not what shall befal me, but it is very sure Afflictive Changes do abide me.’ The Contingencies of this World cannot be Numbred. And what is there in this World, that is not subject unto them? We read; Eccl. IX. 11. Chance happens to all. Let us be so Extensive in our Expectations, as that whatever our changes may be, we may be able to say, I was a little Aware of this. And yet we will a little particularize.

WHATEVER our Estates may be, do not presume, That it is impossible for us, to be stript of these Estates. A Job, a Rich, and a Great Man, may soon be Poor to a Proverb. Tho' we may swim in Riches, yet we must live in this Expectation; These Riches may soon take themselves wings, and flee away. We are guilty of Trusting in Uncertain Riches, if we lay aside all such Expectation. Of all Riches on this side Heaven; we are advised unto what they are obnoxious; Matt. VI. 19. Moth and Rust, and Thieves. Suppose, that the Fair House may be laid in Ashes, or a Stranger may become the Owner. Suppose, that the most boarded Cash, may become Running Cash, and Run quite away from the Owner. When we are sending any Interest abroad, suppose it may come short home; and the Sum Total of the Gains of the Voyage, may be that; Hag. 1.9. Ye Look'd for much, and, lo, it came to little. Suppose all that we have to be liable unto Innumerable Casualties. All the Elements may prey upon us; and Enemies may have a commission to sieze upon what we have. [Page]We shall not be the first, if we must come to say, I was full, I am Empty; the Almighty has Afflicted me.

AGAIN; Whatever our Honours may be, Let us not imagine, our Mountain to be so string, that we never can be Degraded, never Disgraced; we read, Psal. XLIX. 12. Man in Honour abideth not. Let them that stand on High Places, remember they stand on Slippery Places. How many Monarchs have been dethron'd in our Time! And Mighty Men without Number have been broken in pieces; and others been set in their head. If the cry be, Hosanna, to day, Expect, It may be, Crucify, to Morrow!

ARE we in Health? Let us live in Expectation of Sickness. No constitution so strong, as to be Sickness-proof. No Tabernacle of Clay, so strong, but that it may be shaken.

WE have our Desireable Relatives Don't think, 'Tis impossible for them to Dy. I hope, the Relatives are not such, that you hope for their Death. Pe they what they will, GOD forbid, you should indulge that Hope. Yet such a Fear of their Death, you should have, that if it arrive before your own, you may truly say. The thing which I greatly feared is come unto me. Consorts, Expect a Parting-Time. Children, your Parents will be gone; you Father and your Mother will forsake you. Parents, your Children may be soon taken from you: The Flowers may be cropt in their Minority. If the Dearest Friend in the World should be taken from you, Let there not be cause for you to say, I never thought of this! I always though, this Friend had been an Immortal one.

[Page] THERE is one Change more to be Expected. And tho' I mention it the Last, yet I would pray my Hearers to Expect it the First of any. Death, Death, is the Change I mean. Oh! let us Live in a continual Expectation of Death. It is an awful Admonition, Prov. XXVII. 1. Thou knowest not what a Day may bring forth. When we go to sleep in the Evening, it should often be with such an Apprehension; It may be, this Night my Soul will be required. When we get up and go out in a Morning, it should often be with such an Apprehension; It may be, my Sun will set before Sun-set When we part with a Friend, it should often be with such an Apprehension, 'Tis possible, this may be the last Time of my Speaking to him. And when we hear a Sermon, why should it not be with such a Meditation? For ought I can tell, This may be the Last Sermon I shall hear throughout Eternal Ages.

BUT thus we are to manage the First Part of our Work. This is to be our Expectation; That we have nothing here, but what may soon be cut off. We proceed unto the Second Part of the Work. And certainly, Every one will readily grant it.

II 'TIS Reasonable for us to make a Religious Preparation for Troublesome Changes! To Fear Changes only with a Design to get into a fit posture for them. See, Psal. LV. 19. We will Explain this Frame of Christianity.

1. OUR Fear of Changes, must not be a Torturing Fear, that shall Kill or Spoil our Blessings. We read of a Miserable Thing; Eccl. VI. 2. A Man has not power to taste his own Enjoyments. Very [Page]dreadful is the Wrath & Curse of GOD, upon the Children of Men, when they are given up to such a Fear, as deprives them of all Relish in the Blessings, which He bestows upon them. When the Fear of Losing our Blessings, takes away our Sense of the Blessings, the Lord then fulfils that fearful Threatning upon us; I will curse your Blessings. Our Fear of our Changes, it should not hinder our Joy in our Blessings; What can there be better for a Man, than that he should eat & drink, and make his Soul enjoy good in his labour? It would be a froward & foolish Ingratitude unto GOD, for us to threw away our Blessings, before GOD shall please to take them away. To Live in Bondage, thro' Fear, of what is coming upon us.

2 BUT yet, by our Fear of Changes, we should come to sit more loose from all our Comforts. We are thus advised; 1 Cor VII. 29, 30. The Time is short: — Be as tho' not —. Even so; since we may Expect Changes, let this Expectation produce in us, a due Mortification. We should grow very Mortifi'd & Indifferent unto all our Comforts in this World; because we may fear Changes a coming on our Comforts. We should Hold nothing too fast. Why, we know not how soon every thing may by some Deadly Changes be snatched and fetch'd away from us. Write upon all our Enjoyments, Uncertain Things! Vanishing Things! Departing Things! And let this Lower the price of them. Of those Enjoyments for which we have most of Tenderness, let us Remember, They will not stay with us! When any thing is getting too far into our Affections, Let us cool our Immoderate [Page]and Inordinate Affections, with this consideration; ‘I do not know, what Changes may come, and how soon these Enjoyments may be taken away.’ Oh! let your Moderation in every thing, be known unto all Men; A Change is at hand.

3. SINCE we may Fear Troublesome Changes, Let this Fear awaken us to get into such a condition, that we shall Suffer no real Damage by any of our Changes. Oh! happy condition, in the midst of all Troublesome Changes! Oh! Beneficial Changes, the Fear whereof shall drive us into such a condition. Let us heartily consent unto the Covenant of GOD, and of Grace, in all the proposals of it. Let us Accept of our Lord JESUS CHRIST as our Saviour, and Leader, and Ruler, and of GOD in Him, as our Portion. Let us with Souls Renouncing all the ways of Sin, and Repairing to the CHRIST of GOD, cry out, Lord, I am Thine, Save me! Then we need Fear no Changes. For, whatever Changes now come upon us, we need not be afraid of any Damage from them. The Voice of the Good GOD unto us, now is that; Jer. XXV. 6. I will do you no Hurt. All the Changes that now pass over us, will be Serviceable to us; They will only bring us nearer to GOD, only make us Fitter for Heaven. That Promise will be fulfill'd unto us; Rom. VIII. 28. All things shall work together for Good. And whatever be taken from us in any of our Changes, yet now we have Lest unto us, what will make up the want of all that is taken from us; what is infinitely better than all that is taken from us. GOD is ours, CHRIST is ours, Heaven is ours. Oh! [Page] Changes! Do your worst, we are Happy, we are Happy, you cannot Rob us of our Happiness.

WE Expect Changes, we know not what Changes; Let us commit all our concerns into the Hands of a Faithful GOD, that He may order all our Changes in very Faithfulness. It was acknowledged, Psal. XXXI. 15. My Times are in Thy Hands. The Times of all our Changes, and all the Changes that are to pass over us in our Times, are in the Hands of GOD. Let us leave all in those Glorious Hands. The Psalmist could say, Psal. LVI. 3. At whatsoever Time I am afraid, I will put my Trust in Thee. Are we Afraid of Changes? Let us cheerfully Trust GOD with all our concerns; and put our Trust in Him, that He will permit no Changes but what shall be Good for us, to befall us in any of our concerns. Humbly put over all into the Hands of a Glorious CHRIST, who is the Governour of the World, who disposes all the Affairs of Providence with His Almighty Hands; and say to Him; ‘O my GOD; Great is thy Compassion; Great is thy Faithfulness; I put over all my Interests into thy precious Hands; There I cast them; There I leave them: Oh! Let thy marvellous Compassion, thy infinite Faithfulness, order all the Changes that are to come upon me!’

CHANGES are coming on; Let us be mightily satisfied in the Conduct of GOD, the Wisdom, and Goodness of that Conduct, which manages all our Changes. We greatly Fear many Changes. We may be greatly assured, that not the least of those Changes can befall us, without the will of GOD. We read, Matth. X. 29, 30. Not a [Page]Sparrow falls without the will of our Father; — The very Hatrs of our Heads are numbred. All our Changes are under the conduct of GOD. And anon when the Great change of Mortality comes upon a Man; Lord, Thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away. But Oh! Let us be deeply affected with the Wisdom & Goodness of this Conduct.

Think; ‘Changes are coming upon me; but they are such as the All-wise GOD sees Fit for me. It is fit, It is fit, that I should leave all to His Determination. Lord, Thy Understanding is infinite!’

Think again; ‘Changes are coming upon me; but they will be no other than GOD has meant unto Good. The Good GOD knows that it is my desire to Seek Him, and Serve Him: He is my Father, and will not let any thing befal me, that shall do me any real Harm in my Serving of Him.’

WE are to meet with Changes, and look for Changes; But let us own the Favour of GOD in it, that He keeps us Ignorant of what hanges we are to meet withal. It is an Useful Ignorance: an Holesome Ignorance; If we should certainly Know aforehand, what particular Changes are appointed for us; how uneasy should we be! Our Troublesome Changes, would give us as much Trouble before they come, as when they come. Every Trouble would be a Thousand. It was most Excellent Advice; Matth. VI. 34 Take no Thought for to Morrow.—Sufficient for the Day is the Evil thereof. Thus, Be not sollicitous to know, what hanges may befall you to Morrow. The Changes will [Page]bring Troubles enough with them, when they come to Morrow. Sufficient for the Day are the Troubles thereof. Wherefore, Oh! Do not Sin against that Favour of GOD, which we Enjoy in this our Ignorance. Do not Sin against it by seeking after a Forbidden Knowledge. Do not Sin against it by a Criminal Curiosity, Enquiring after a Knowledge that is not convenient for us. Here, 'tis no Fault, to be willing to be Ignorant; It were a crime to be otherwise. Let us mind, what is Revealed unto us; It is Revealed unto us, that we ought to prepare for Changes. But, the Changes themselves are Secret Things; The Secret Things let us cheerfully leave unto the LORD.

LEAVE nothing undone, that should be done before our Fear'd Changes come upon us; nothing that we shall too late wish to have done, when we are overtaken with our Changes.

THIS matter ought to be a little Illustrated.

WHEN Changes and Losses are come on our Estates; We shall then wish; ‘Oh! That while my Talents were yet in my hands; I had more improv'd them for the Honour & Service of GOD, and honoured the LORD, and Succoured His People, with my Substance!’ Then, Sirs, Do this before the Changes come upon you.

WHEN our Friends are by Changes taken from us, we shall then wish; ‘Oh! That I had made more Use of, Oh! That I had done more Good to, my Friends, while I yet had them with me!’ Then, Sirs, Converse with your Friends, as profitably as you can, before you are by Mortal Change bereaved of them.

[Page] WHEN we come to Dy, and are under the Arrest of our Grand Change, then it will not only be our Advantage to have our Temporal Affairs all settled, and therefore, Let that be done Seasonably, be done Importance, that our Spiritual and Eternal Affairs be then found well-settled. Oh! Therefore Immediately Turn to GOD, Immediately Close with CHRIST, Immediately lay hold on Eternal Life. Let not That work be to do, when the Grand Change is just siezing upon you. Oh! That you were wise; that you understood this; that you would Consider your latter End!

COROLLARIES.

1. THERE are Some Things, which are greatly Feared by many who certainly will never see the Things come upon them: And they should not be Afraid of such Things; Fear not, but Rejoyce in the Hope of what a Gracious GOD will do for them. There are the Devout Ones, who say of some Things, This is the Thing that I have greatly seared. But, O let the Fear of GOD in you, assure you, That these things will never come upon you. I beseech you, let not the Rod of the wicked be found in the Lot of the Righteous, and let not the Brand of the Wicked be in any Degree found in you who are the Righteous, which no Evil shall happen to; That is to have it said of you, There they were in great Fear, where no Fear was.

More particularly,

First; By some Souls Returning to GOD, and [Page]Repairing to their SAVIOUR, this is a Thing that is Greatly Feared; My SAVIOUR will not Receive such a Sinner. But be not Afraid, O Soul, flying to thy SAVIOUR. This is a thing that will never come upon thee. The First Sinners were Afraid, assoon as they began to Reflect on what they had done. Ever since it has been so; Guilt will fill Sinners with Fear. They that see their Sins to have been Many, and Heinous, and Long persisted in, are often Afraid, That they cannot find a Favourable Reception with their SAVIOUR. But as the Angel said unto the Shepherds, Luk. II. 10. Fear not, for unto you there is born a SAVIOUR: So may it be said unto all Sinners, even unto the chief of Sinners; Fear not, but come to your SAVIOUR, and you shall be welcome to Him. O comer to thy SAVIOUR; Dost thou Fear, that if thou come to thy SAVIOUR, and Ask of Him, and Lean on Him, to make thee Righteous & Holy, and bring thee home to GOD, He will reject thy Prayer, and make thee Ashamed of thy Hope? There is no Fear of it; This is a Thing that will never come upon thee; A LORD who is Good unto the Soul that seeks Him, never dealt so, with any that in Earnest sought unto Him. Hast thou not the word of thy SAVIOUR for it, Joh. VI. 37. Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast cut? And canst thou be Afraid, that He will not be True to His Word? It is a most Heart-melting Thought, with which thou mayst be comforted. When our SAVIOUR underwent all the Sorrow of the Things that were done unto Him, in the Day wherein He was [...][Page]from the fierce Anger of GOD, What was it that His Blessed Soul then Travailed for? No little part of the Joy set before Him, was this fruit of His Horrid Sufferings; That He should see the Children of Men come unto Him for His Mercies. Ah, Distressed Sinner: When thy SAVIOUR sees thee come unto Him for His Mercies, He sees what His Blessed Soul Travailed for, and what He Joyfully Esteemed a Recompence of His Bitter Sufferings. And canst thou be Afraid, That He, will not Receive thee, in thy coming to Him? Oh! Fear it not. A Rejection from thy SAVIOUR, is a Thing that cannot come upon thee. No; Be thy Sins, of never such a Scarlet and Crimson Aspect, it cannot come upon thee.

Secondly. BY some Souls, desirous & studious always to Live by the Faith of the Son of GOD, it is a Thing that is Greatly Feared, I shall meet with such Things as will be too Hard for me. But, be not Afraid, O Soul Trusting in thy SAVIOUR. This is a Thing that will never come upon thee. A Good Man has before now said, Job IX. 28. I am afraid of all my sorrows. The Children of GOD, and they who walk Humbly with their GOD, are sometimes Afraid, that they shall never get well thorough what they may be call'd unto. But, Fear not; yea, O Anxious Mind, Thy SAVIOUR says to thee, Fear thou not, for I am with thee; Be not dismay'd, for I am thy GOD; I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee. One gives way to this; I am Afraid, I shall not hold out unto the End, in a course of Obedience to GOD. My Corruptions will be too strong for me. I shall not be [Page]able always to Resist the Tempter. Another gives way to this; I am Afraid, I shall not be able to bear the painful Things that may be ordered for me. I shall sink, I shall sink, under my Loads. There are yet more that gives way to this; I am Afraid, I shall not be able to look Death in the Face with any Courage; I am Afraid, my Dying Agonies will be Intolerable. But, Oh! Be not Afraid with any Amazement concerning such Things as these. Keep hold on thy SAVIOUR; Go up out of the Wilderness Leaning on Him, as the Beloved of thy Soul. Then, Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer. For none of these things will be found among them. 'Tis enough, that, Heb. XIII. 5. He bath said, I will never leave thee, nor for sake thee.

Thirdly; BY some Souls that have the Evident Tokens of Salvation upon them, it is a Thing that is Greatly Feared, I shall Miscarry after all, and my Portion will be that of the Hypocrites. But, be not Afraid, O Soul always doing & showing the Things that accompany Salvation; This is a Thing that will never come upon thee. Our SAVIOUR said unto some, Luk. XII. 32. Fear not, little Flock; It is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. This is what He speaks unto the Souls that follow hard after Him. Search into thy self, O Soul, with the Candle of the Lord See; Hast thou Begun to Live unto GOD, and aim at the Serving & Pleasing of GOD, above all things, and behave thy self as under the Eye of GOD, and feel the Will of GOD ever giving Law to Thine? Then, Be not Afraid. Here is that Life of GOD begun, than never can Dy. Hast thou the Good [Page]Work produced in thee, which disposes thee above all things to Love GOD, and Prize CHRIST, and Hate Sin, and Live Godlily, and Soberly, and Righteously, and bear Patiently and Fruitfully Every thing appointed for thee; and Suppress all Evil frames towards thy Neighbour? Then, Be not Afraid. Thou art a Temple of GOD, and such a Workmanship of His, as the Everlasting Fire could never be intended for. O Soul, Set on a CHRIST, and Full of a CHRIST; Be not Afraid. Thou art in His Hands; Nothing will be able to pull thee out. Thou shalt certainly be with Him, and Behold His Glory.

II. THERE are some Things which are the worst of Evils; and the Uncertainty of Escaping them, renders things Greatly to be Feared: Such a Fear of these things, as may prevent them, is to be commended unto us. To Fear those Things is the way to Escape them. And with regard unto such Things, it is the Direction of Heaven to us, 1 Pet. I. 17. Pass the Time of your Sojourning here in Fear. Nay, If the Fear be such as to set Prayer to GOD into a proper Exercise; This will infallibly prevent them. And so it may be said; Prov. XXVIII. 14. Happy is the Man that feareth always.

First. LET all of us, even the very Best of us, Look upon this, as a Thing that is greatly to be Feared; That we may be drawn into Sin against the Glorious GOD, by the Snare laid for us in the Earth. It is enjoyn'd upon us; Phil II. 17. Work out your own Salvation with Fear & Trembling. Sin [Page]is a Fearful Evil; a Fearful Evil! Nothing to be so Feared. We have these Ensnaring Things continually about us, which threaten to draw us into Sin. Our Hearts are Treacherous, and from their Inclinations we are Easily Ensnared. Oh! Let us Fear, and Watch, and Pray mightily, that we be not Led into Temptation. This Fear will be our Preservative.

Secondly. LET all that have not their Vocation and Election yet made sure to them, look upon this as a Thing that is Greatly to be feared; That they Dy in their Sins, and fall into those Hands, which, it is a fearful Thing to fall into. O you, that have never yet made thorough work of Turning to GOD, Is it not a dreadful Thing, — How greatly to be feared, such a Thing; — To Perish & Languish under the Wrath of an Infinite GOD! Let the Sinners in Zion be Afraid, when they think, and Oh! that they would oftner, and more seriously and affectuously Think on, the Devouring Fire, and Everlasting Burnings which they are Expos'd unto. Fear, Fear, O Souls in Darkness, lest you come short of Entring into the Rest, which is Promised in the Gospel. Be afraid, lest by Delays you so provoke the Holy Spirit of GOD, that He depart from you.— Be afraid, lest you be overtaken [...] a Damnation that slumbers not. It is a dismal [...]ord, Prov. X. 24. The fear of the wicked shall come upon him. The Wicked hath a secret fear many times, that it will go Ill with him. His Conscience causes him like Faelix, to tremble in the [...]oughts of a Judgment to come. O wretched Man, [Page]Does not thy Conscience tell thee what will be the Consequence of thy Evil ways? Oh! make Haste unto thy SAVIOUR, — that thou mayst not say That which I feared, but was not enough afraid of is come unto me!

FINIS.

Information about this book

Title statement

Tela praevisa. A short essay, on troubles to be look'd for. A wise expectation of, and preparation for, troublesome changes, recommended unto the strangers and pilgrims in this present evil world / by Cotton Mather D.D. and F.R.S. ; [One line from Matthew]

Mather, Cotton, 1663-1728.

Publication

Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

Place of publication

Ann Arbor, MI :

Date

2011-05.

ID [DLPS]

N02152

ID [TCP]

N02152

ID [STC]

Evans 2560

ID [NOTIS]

APX2804

ID [IMAGE-SET]

2560

ID [EVANS-CITATION]

99019553

Availability

This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal. The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.

Series

Early American Imprints, 1639-1800 ; no. 2560.

Notes

(Evans-TCP ; no. N02152)

Transcribed from: (Readex Archive of Americana ; Early American Imprints, series I ; image set 2560)

Images scanned from Readex microprint and microform: (Early American imprints. First series ; no. 2560)

Source

— Tela praevisa. A short essay, on troubles to be look'd for. A wise expectation of, and preparation for, troublesome changes, recommended unto the strangers and pilgrims in this present evil world / by Cotton Mather D.D. and F.R.S. ; [One line from Matthew], Mather, Cotton, 1663-1728..

Extent

[2], 22 p. ; (8vo)

Printed by B. Green, for Thomas Hancock, and sold at his shop in Ann Street, near the draw-bridge.,. Boston in New-England: :: 1724..

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