“The Duties of Parents to Children”
A good many of Mather’s essays are fire and brimstone sermons full of sound and fury and terror and hyperbole. As a writer of instructional Christian morality designed to appeal to guilt, he was also a master of the metaphorical image such as this example of sermonizing to parents to beware of allowing their children to run free as pagans:
“Man, thy Children are dying of an horrid poison, in their Bowels; and it was thou that poison'd them…They Children are thrown into a Devouring Fire; and it is from thee that the Fiery Vengeance of God has taken Hold of them.”
What is History?
Cotton Mather was one of the foremost chroniclers of history from the colonial period and as such can be suspected of having some insight into what he was talking about when he wrote what would go to become one of the metaphorical statements most often associated with him:
“History is the story of events, with praise or blame.”
Charity
Though long-winded on a great many subjects, his memorable metaphors on the subject of history and charity prove that when he so desired, Cotton Mather could compose on an epigrammatic level up there with the best of them. Though he certainly lacks Oscar Wilde’s wit, there is certainly no absence of ability. Witness his statement on the character of charity:
“It is kind, it is not easily provok'd, it thinks no evil, it believes all things, hopes all things.”
Poetic Metaphor
Mather has proven when he wants to be short and to the point, he is more than capable. On many other occasions, however, the whole point of the metaphor is not to be simple, but rather to be densely wrapped in religious imagery capable of reminding sinners to keep their wits about them at all times. For instance, when asking the not quite rhetorical question about what a person should do to be saved, he first rails against the apathy which makes it a question not asked often enough:
“The Spirit of Slumber which the Poison of the old Serpent has brought upon the children of Men is to be deplored exceedingly.”
God, the Devil and Man
Mather does not shy away from the necessary relationship existing between God and the Devil in order for the Devil to interfere with man. In fact, he puts the whole situation into a metaphorical image that makes a lot more sense than many much more long-winded explanations about the nature of the relationship between good and evil:
“God indeed has the Devil in a chain, but has horribly lengthened out the chain.”
