A Father's Resolve

1663-1728

Editors comments:
Cotton Mather belonged to a Boston Puritan family. His father was Increase Mather, president of Harvard College and the foremost New England minister of his day. When Cotton entered Harvard at twelve, he could already read Greek, Latin, and Hebrew and had mastered most of the Greek New Testament. But because of a bad stammer he felt unsuited for the ministry and instead studied medicine. However, by 1680 he had overcome the stammer and began a ministry of preaching. Unfortunately, Cotton Mather became very involved in the Salem witch trials of 1692. However, later in his life, he changed many of these views. He wrote over 400 books, many of which had to do with the raising of children and education. Taken from The Puritans: A Sourcebook of Their Writings (edited by Perry Miller and Thomas H. Johnson), the following is quoting Cotton Mather’s writing entitled “Some Special Points Relating to the Raising of My Children.”

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Face the Battle Singing!

Jehoshaphat was in sore distress. What to do!? The Ammonites, the Moabites, and the people of Mount Seir had ganged together against the children of Israel. 2 Chronicles 20:3 reads: “And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord …” They took this confrontation seriously. Jehoshaphat went into the house of the Lord, before the new court, to plead with God for His help. Had not God said that if evil should come upon them and they came into the sanctuary and called on Him for help that He would help them?

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The Radical Chinese House Churches (part II)

For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Isaiah 57:15

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16b

These verses beautifully describe some of the secrets of this vibrant church. I chose to place the same picture at the beginning of this continued article, because it says it all. It is the broken-hearted prayers of humble believers that bring the presence of God into their midst. I pray that God will lead us into this same kind of desperate praying, so that His bride in America can be like His bride in China.

We have received many encouraging words about the first half of this article. Thank you for your input. We love to hear from the hearts of our readers. It is good for us American Christians to be challenged by believers from the other side of the world. Let us return to the interview.

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