The Wonderful Works of God Commemorated, Postscript – Poem
A Postscript. Endeavouring the Satisfaction of them that are Inquisitive after the late Stupendous Extasies and Prophesies in France.
THe Words of God are True, in the Notice which they have given us, That the Works of God are Great; and certainly no Age did ever afford Instances of Greater than those which are Now the matters of Discourse and Wonder throughout the World.
Among the Marvellous Things which at this Day strike the minds of Men with a just Astonishment, there are not many more considerable, than those of the late Extasies in France. Concerning which we have undoubted Information;
That about the beginning of the Year 1688: a young Shepardess in the Province of Dauphine, fell into unaccountable Trances, wherein tho' the standers by, pull'd her, struck her, cut her and burnt her, yet it was impossible to awaken her. In this condition, her custome was to utter many Divine things; and though she could neither write nor read, nor could speak any Language but that of her Countrey, which has nothing of pure French in it, yet she now Pray'd and Preach'd at a most prodigious rate, and Sang Psalms after the manner of the French Protestant Congregations: and when Auditors that could thereby be edified, were present, she expressed herself, not only in French of a Dialect most Exact and Correct, but also having occasion to speak Latin, in the Refutation of the Romish Superstitions, she did it with a distinctness that fill'd all the Hearers with Admiration- And though when she came out of her sleep, she remembred not what had befallen her; yet she had her wits thereby made more Sparkling and Refined.
Those new French Apostles, the Dragoons, quickly did their utmost, for the suppression of this Rare Thing; but behold the event! It was not long before other persons fell into the like Trances, with Symptoms not unlike to those which had attended her; and the Number encreased unto several Hundreds of these Prophets, if I may call them so? whereof even the Kings own Guards afforded One. And at length some that were Awake were carried forth unto Rapturous Exercises with an Eloquence and Energy equal to that of those that were Asleep.
They are People of all Ages and Sexes; but the greatest part of them are Boyes and Girles, from six or seven to five and twenty years of age; and persons very old; all of them the meaner sort of People: but of Families Exemplary for their good living; the whole affair being indeed so prodigious, that the most obstinate Saddu…cees in the Kingdom confess it, A natural Distemper directed by Providence to procure the Repentance of a sinful World.
The Ministry of these Extraordinary People, does chiefly consist of two things.
One part of it is, the Admonition of those unhappy persons that have provoked God by many notorious Miscarriages, but especially by Apostasie under the late Persecution. They deride the Follies of the Mass, with a surprizing ingenuity; and in a vast Assembly of perhaps two thousand People come together to hear these Preachers, if there be any that have abjured the Protestant Religion, they will call them before them, and address them in such powerful Terms, as usually make not not only the whole Congregation shed floods of Tears, but the Apostates themselves to become Penitents: and there comes not one away, who does not positively declare, That he had rather be torn to pieces with wild Horses than ever go to Mass again. No man is able to resist their Words! And they make the Penitents now and then confess other particular sins, which they convince them of, though the Transgressors had imagined these Faults impossible to be discovered. A whole Council assembled could not manage any matter with more Authority than They do the Conviction of those, who have gone to Mass, that they may shun the Severities of the French Dragoons.
It may not be unprofitable to recite a few of the Sentences, which fell from the mouths of these Extaticks.
Have a care (said one of them) that you come not hither out of Curiosity. Better it were for the Wicked that hot Coals of Fire should pass through their mouths, than that they should mock at the Word of God; they had better swallow a Serpent with all its Poison.
If the Wicked (said one of them) had the same power over God, that they have over you, they would do the same to Him that they do to you: but God will pronounce the Sentence of Malediction on them, and will say, Go into Eternal Fire.
Brethren, (said another of them) Pray hard; and then though we should meet an Army of Enemies at the Door, God will place a million of Angels for your Guard.
Brethren, (said another of them) We have alwayes apprehended more the Threats of Men than those of God, else what happened to us, would not have happened.
One of them said, Your Riches have ruined you, and your Prayers must Relieve you.
One of them said, I am afraid the first Persecution will make you return to Mass again; but O suffer your selves rather to be first cut in p…e…es. Alas! Iesus Christ has poured out all his Blood for us, and we can't endure the prick of a pin for Him.
To the Apostates, they generally so conclude their Warnings; You have sinned against the Father, you have sinned against the Son, take heed of sinning against the Holy Ghost, for God will then pardon you no more.
And when the Children are told, They shall be Hang'd, they are not at all afraid, but answer, That is but a little harm for a greater, good.
But the other part of their Ministry is, The Prediction of Things quickly to come to pass. They do indeed foretell many Things of a more private concern; they foretell a thousand Things that must happen to themselves and their Friends: and the issue confirms the Prophesie. One of them being thrown into a Dungeon, said, The man who sent her thither should within eight Dayes fetch her out, and i… strangely was accomplished.
But the Things of a more publick Concern, are chiefly those which they foretel. The Gentlemen, who give us the History, tell us, that they judge it not yet convenient to publish a large part of the Authentick and sufficient Collections which they have made of these Prophecies. However, they have given us a Taste. In general, The Subjects of this Enthusiasm all agree in foretelling, A Speedy Deliverance to the Church of God: and they declare, The Late Revolutions in England, to be the Beginning of that Deliverance.
Tho' all France was fill'd with a Rumour, That the Late K. Iames had Defeated the (…hen) Prince of Orange, both by Land and Sea, these then said, The Authors of these Reports commit a great sin, for the Prince of Orange has Chas'd, and shall Chase the King out of England; and that is the Beginning of the Deliverance of the Church.
They foretold a fresh Assault of Persecution in France, and it had a very dreadful fulfilment; for after it Ensued a Terrible Storm of Outrage upon the Relicks of Prot…stantism in the Desolate Kingdom: in one Article of which, there was a Massacre, of about four hundred people; but they foretold within how many Days the Persecution should b… over; and they give hopes of a Protestant King, very quickly to be seen in France. They proclaim, The Divel is going to be shut up in the midst of Hell! They say, The Accomplishment of the Prophetical Months and Dayes is at Hand; but it must be accompanied with very Terrible Wars and Plagues.
The whole is a Thing very unaccountable: and when I consider the Fate of the famous German Prophets, which made such a Noise in the World: or, when I consider, that while the Iews were under their Infatuations about their false Messiah, Sabatai Saevi, some Hundreds of people fell into Extasies (as 'tis Reported) wherein they Prophesied, the speedy Deliverance of the Jews by that Impostor, and Little Children that could not stammer a word, yet repeated and pronounced the Name of this Deceiver, with Happy Omens of Him; but consider on the other side, That not to Regard the Works of the Lord, is a Destroying evil; I dare not make any Reflections on it. I dare not say, what Authority, or what Original is to be assigned unto these Inspirations; but this I know, the Comfort and Counsil of the Church is without such things now sufficiently provided for; and our Lord Jesus having foretold the State of the Church until He come again, hath so concluded His Predictions, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add Plagues unto Him. Nevertheless, This also I shall, take for granted, That the Great God intends hereby to Awaken us unto a Consideration of what is before us; That is a proper use of Miracles; and when we are once Awakened, there is provided for our Entertainment A more Sure Word of Prophecy: which O that our God may help us to Give Heed unto Amen.
The Way to Prosperity.
A SERMON Preached to the HONOVRABLE CONVENTION Of the GOVERNOVR, Council, and Representatives of the Massachuset-Colony in New-England; on May 23. 1689.
By COTTON MATHER.
Jer. 23.28.
He that hath My Word, Let him speak speak My Word faithfully.
BOSTON. Printed by R. Pierce. for Ioseph Brunning, Obadiah Gill, and Iames Woode. MDCXC.
A Prophesy in the Divine Herbert's Church-Militant.
REligion stands on Tip-toe in our Land, Ready to pass to the American Strand. When height of Malice and prodigious Lusts, Impudent Sinning, Witchcrafts and Distrusts, (The marks of future Bane) shall fill our cup Unto the Brim, and make our measure up;
— Then shall Religion to America flee; They have their Times of Gospel, even as we.
—Yet as the Church shall thither westward fly, So Sin shall Trace and Dog her instantly.