The Wicked Mans Portion, Title page – To the reader
The W… Portion
OR A SERMON (Preached at the Lecture in Boston in New England the 18th day of the 1 MonethMonth 1674. when two men were executed, who had murthered their Master.)
Wherein is shewed That excesse in wickedness doth bring untimely Death.
By INCREASE MATHER, Teacher of a Church of Christ.
Prov. 10. 27.
The fear of the Lord prolongeth dayes, but the years of the wicked shall be shortned.
Eph. 6. 2, 3.
Honour thy Father … thy Mother (which is the first Commandment with pr… that it may be well with thee, and thou mayst live long … Earth.
Paena ad paucos, metua ad omnes.
BOSTON, Printed by John Foster. 1675
TO THE READER.
THe ensuing Sermon was, (as is in the Title Page expressed) Preached u…on a very sad & solemn occasion. I did not kn…w that it would fall to my Lot to attend that service, a whole week before, and much other business was upon my hands at the same Time, necess…ry to be done; in which r…spect nothing but what is Plain and Common is to be expectted in this Discourse. Yea and if I had had never so much time for Preparation, it is my Principle, (and those few in the world that know any thing of me, will testify that my continued Practice is according to that Principle) that Plainess in delivering the Truths of God, is alwayes to be endeav…ured after; but more especially when such awfull occasions are presented, as caused the Preaching of this Sermon. Plain food is best in a Spiritual asCibus simplex Optimus. well as in a Nat…ral sense.
Little did … think of Printing this sermon when I Preached it; but that God who sometimes giveth favor to those who ar… not men of skill hath so ordered by his Providence a… that many have desired, that it might be thus expos…d to the view of the world; out of respect to whose Imp…rtunity, I have transcribed for them a Copy of what▪ was spoken, and that not onelyonly as to the things, but (sinc… that was desired) as nigh as I could remembe…, in the same words, which were delivered. If I may by this Publication be instrumental to prevent any from sinning against God; & if the Lord will bless these poor Meditations for t…e good of young ones amongst us (especially such as are of the Rising Generation in New-England, for whose sakes I am most willing, not onelyonly to Preach, and to writ…, but to dy, if I may but thereby Promote their Conversion and Salvation) I have then my whole desire.
The blessing of the God of Heaven, go along with his own Truth. which is the Prayer of
Boston, N. E. 15. of 2 MonethMonth, 1675 Thine in Christ, Increase Mather.