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Increase Mather

 
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Increase Mather
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(born June 21, 1639, Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay Colony — died Aug. 23, 1723, Boston) American Puritan leader. The son of a Puritan cleric, he was educated at Harvard College and at Trinity College, Dublin. He returned to New England and served as minister of Boston's North Church (1661 – 1723). He and his son Cotton Mather lobbied successfully for the removal of the hated governor of Massachusetts, Edmund Andros, and obtained a new charter for the colony in 1691. He served as president of Harvard College (1685 – 1701). His writings include Case of Conscience Concerning Evil Spirits Personating Men (1693), which helped end the Salem witch trials. See also Puritanism.

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Biography: Increase Mather
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Increase Mather (1639-1723), American colonial representative, president of Harvard College, and author, was the most prominent member of the second generation in Massachusetts colony.

Born in Dorchester, Mass., where his father was first minister, Increase Mather was educated at home and at Boston's free school. Taking his bachelor of arts degree from Harvard (1656), he studied and preached in England and Ireland. He received his master of arts in 1658 from Trinity College, Dublin. Returning to Boston, he married Maria Cotton, daughter of John Cotton, in 1662. They had 10 children; the eldest, Cotton, was his lifetime aid. In 1664 Increase became teacher of the Second Church, which he served until his death.

Increase Mather went to England in 1688 to negotiate restoration of the colonial charter, revoked by James II. Failing in this, he returned with a charter that nullified the colonists' right to elect their governors but preserved the power of the representative assembly elected by voters. Disappointed colonists felt that he had conceded too much.

Mather believed that New England was a nation in covenant with God, preparing to witness the day when Christ comes to judge the world and establish His kingdom. He preached that only a chaste and obedient people would enter the kingdom. This sense of New England's mission determined his stand on many questions. The voice of orthodoxy, Mather finally accepted the Halfway Covenant, a compromise admitting children of unconverted second-generation Puritans to a kind of partial membership in the Congregational Church. However, a proposal architected by Mather and others in England for the cooperation of Presbyterian and Congregational churches and the tightening of centralized control over individual congregations failed.

Although Mather took no part in the Salem witchcraft trials, he had chosen the governor, Sir William Phips, who was responsible for them. In Cases of Conscience concerning Evil Spirits (1693), Mather's opposition to some of the trial procedures led Phips to close the trials. Yet Increase and Cotton Mather were implicated by their researches into demonology and their association with Phips. The Mathers' enemies used the trials to discredit them.

The worst defeat, at least for Cotton, was Increase's removal from the Harvard College presidency in 1701. Gradually Increase Mather turned more of his energy to writing. He published 130 books. Direct and simple in style, his theological work is often, in its way, scientific. He pioneered in science, organizing a society for scientific discussions and successfully introducing smallpox inoculation into the colony.

Further Reading

Cotton Mather's Parentator (1724; rev. ed. 1970) is a life of his father. The definitive work on Increase Mather is Kenneth B. Murdock, Increase Mather: The Foremost American Puritan (1925). He is discussed in Robert Middlekauff, The Mathers: Three Generations of Puritan Intellectuals, 1596-1728 (1971). A thorough account of the New England background and the issues surrounding the Mathers is in Perry Miller, The New England Mind: From Colony to Province (1953).

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: Increase Mather
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Mather, Increase, 1639-1723, American Puritan clergyman, b. Dorchester, Mass.; son of Richard Mather. After graduation (1656) from Harvard, he studied at Trinity College, Dublin (M.A., 1658), and preached in England and Guernsey until the Restoration. After returning to Massachusetts (1661), he became (1664) pastor of North Church, Boston, and retained that position through his life. Cotton Mather, his son and colleague, cooperated with him in many of the affairs that occupied their busy lives. They were outstanding upholders of the old Puritan theocracy and of the established order in church and state. This conservatism led to trouble with the government during the Restoration period, and Increase Mather was a particularly bitter opponent of Edward Randolph and Sir Edmund Andros over the withdrawal of the Massachusetts charter and the conduct of the royal government. In 1688 he went to England to present the grievances of Massachusetts, and, after the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and the subsequent revolt in Massachusetts against Andros, he obtained a new charter that united Plymouth Colony with Massachusetts Bay Colony. Increase Mather looked with favor on the government of Sir William Phips. After 1692 his influence declined somewhat, but he remained powerful to the end. He was president of Harvard College (1685-1701), but he was inactive and spent little time in Cambridge. His writing reflected the concerns of his career. Cases of Conscience Concerning Evil Spirits (1693), appearing soon after the Salem witch furor, denounced "spectral evidence" in witch trials. He also wrote a biography of his father (1670); A History of the War with the Indians (1676), written just after King Philip's War; and Remarkable Providences (1684), based on an earlier work by other writers.

Bibliography

See biography by K. B. Murdock (1925, repr. 1966); study by R. Middlekauff (1971); bibliography by T. J. Holmes (1931).

Works: Works by Increase Mather
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(1639-1723)

1669"The Mystery of Israel's Salvation." Mather's first published work is a sermon that expresses his belief in the imminent arrival of the kingdom of Christ.
1670The Life and Death... of Richard Mather. Mather produces a biography of his illustrious father. It is characteristic of Puritan biographies, more hagiography than an accurate portrait based on verifiable facts.
1673"The Day of Trouble is Near" and "Wo to Drunkards." In the first of these sermons, Mather defends Puritan theology and calls on his congregants to observe their covenant with God with renewed piety. In "Wo to Drunkards," he decries drinking. Mather's later published sermons include "The Wicked Mans Portion" (1675), "Truth Tending to Promote the Power of Godliness" (1682), "A Testimony Against Several Profane and Superstitious Customs" (1687), and "The Folly of Sinning, Opened & Applyed" (1699). They criticize behaviors Mather considered wayward: playing games of dice and cards, keeping Christmas, and giving gifts at the New Year.
1675A Discourse Concerning the Subject of Baptisme and The First Principles of New-England.... Mather writes in support of the Half-Way Covenant, which extends church membership by allowing the baptism of children of the uncovenanted--those who have not made the public professions necessary for full church membership.
1676A Brief History of the War with the Indians. This is the earliest published historical account of King Philip's War, a conflict between Indians and colonists concerning ownership of land, which concluded in this year with the death of Metacomet (King Philip) and a colonist victory.
1677A Relation of the Troubles Which Have Hapned in New-England, By Reason of the Indians there.... Mather's second Indian history is a litany of Indian atrocities and betrayals, typifying the feelings of many colonists during the period.
1684"An Essay for the Recording of Illustrious Providences." One of Mather's most important works, the treatise better known as "Remarkable Providences" draws upon both scientific knowledge and faith to report on supernatural incidents in New England's history.
1688"A Narrative of the Miseries of New England." Mather's political essay speaks out against the threat to autonomous Puritan rule represented by the revocation of the Massachusetts Bay colony's charter. He would continue the subject in 1689 with "A Brief Relation of the State of New England, New-England Vindicated" and "The Present State of Affairs."
1692The Autobiography of Increase Mather. Written for his family, Mather relates how his faith has helped him through life's spiritual tribulations.
1693Cases of Conscience Concerning Evil Spirits. A study of the Salem witch trials in which Mather questions using spectral evidence to prove possession by Satan.
1702"Ichabod. Or... the Glory of the Lord, is Departing from New-England." The greatest of Mather's sermons, and one of the greatest Puritan jeremiads, indicts the backsliding of current Puritans, including the clergy: "Look unto the Pulpits, and see if there is such a Glory there, as once there was?... The Glory is Gone!"
1705"A Letter About The Present State Of Christianity, Among the Christianized Indians of New-England." A letter to London, explaining efforts to promote piety and religion among the Indians.
1721Several Reasons Proving that Inoculating... the Small Pox Is a Lawful Practice. Mather weighs in on the inoculation controversy, offering both scientific and religious justification for the practice.

Wikipedia: Increase Mather
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Increase Mather

Increase Mather in 1688, when he was in London. Portrait by John van der Spriett
Born June 21, 1639(1639-06-21)
Dorchester, Massachusetts
Died August 23, 1723 (aged 84)
Boston, Massachusetts
Occupation Minister and author
Spouse(s) Maria Cotton and Ann Cotton

Increase Mather (June 21, 1639 – August 23, 1723) was a major figure in the early history of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and Province of Massachusetts Bay (now the Commonwealth of Massachusetts). He was a Puritan minister who was involved with the government of the colony, the administration of Harvard College, and most notoriously, the Salem witch trials. He was the son of Richard Mather and father of Cotton Mather, both influential Puritan ministers.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Mather was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts[1] on June 21, 1639 to Rev. Richard Mather and Kathrine Holt Mather[2] following their participation in the Great Migration from England due to nonconformity with the Church of England.[3] He was the youngest of six[4] brothers: Samuel, Nathaniel, Eleazar, Joseph, and Timothy.[4]

Three of his brothers (Samuel, Nathaniel and Eleazar) also became ministers[5].

Education

In 1651 Mather was admitted to Harvard where he roomed with and studied under John Norton.[6][2] When he graduated (1656) with a B.A.[2], he began to train for the ministry and gave his first sermon on his eighteenth birthday[7]. He quickly left Massachusetts and went to Ireland, where he studied at Trinity College in Dublin for an M.A..[6] He graduated in 1659[1] and spent the next 3 years as a chaplain attached to a garrison in the Channel Islands[6].

During his time at Trinity College he was licensed as a Commonwealth Minister by Oliver Cromwell to the joint charge of St. Tida's Church at Ballyscullion and St. Swithan's Church in Magherafelt. On Cromwell's death in 1659 his joint charge at these South Londonderry churches was quickly severed by the new authorities.

Harvard was to later award him the first honorary degree in the New World, a S.T.D., in 1692[2].

The house built in 1677 by Increase Mather near the north corner of Hanover and North Bennet Streets, Boston, survived into the 20th century

Establishing himself in Massachusetts

In 1661, with the advent of the English Restoration and resurgence of Anglicanism, Increase returned to Massachusetts, where he married Maria Cotton.[6] She was his stepsister[6] by virtue of his father's marriage to Sarah Hankredge, the widow of John Cotton and mother of Maria.[7] She gave birth to Cotton Mather in February, 1663.[6]

He published in 1676 A Brief History of the Warr with the Indians in New-England, a contemporary account of King Philip's War.

He was ordained as minister of the North Church (the original Old North meetinghouse, not to be confused with the Anglican/Episcopal Old North Church), whose congregation included many of the upper class and governing class,[6] on May 27, 1664. He held this post until he died.[1] By virtue of his position he quickly became one of the most influential people in the colony, both religiously and politically.[6]

Harvard

In June 11, 1685 he became the Acting President of Harvard University (then Harvard College) and steadily advanced: A little over a year later on July 23, 1686 he was appointed the Rector. On June 27, 1692 he became the President of Harvard, a position which he held until September 6, 1701.[2]

He was rarely present on campus or in the town,[1] especially during his term of Rector as he was out of the Colony for all but two years of his term in that office.[2] Despite his absences he did make some changes: reimplementation of Greek and Hebrew instruction, replacement of classical Roman authors with Biblical and Christian authors in ethics classes, enactment of requirements that students attend classes regularly, live and eat on campus and that seniors not haze other students.[2]

Involvement in politics

While politics and Puritan religion were closely related during Increase's life time, his first direct involvement with politics occurred as a result of James II of England's manipulation of the New England governments. In 1686 James revoked the Charter of Massachusetts in the process of creating the unresponsible Dominion of New England.[1].

The Dominion was headed by Edmund Andros, who not only disliked puritanism and was haughty[2], but ruled as a near absolute dictator: Town meetings were outlawed, leaving the Dominion without consent of the governed, marriage was removed from the clergy, and the Old South Church was temporarily appropriated for Anglican services.[8] The 1687 Declaration of Indulgence, prohibiting discrimination against Catholics, also saw staunch opposition from the Puritan establishment.[6] When Mather successfully roused opposition to revocation of the charter, he was nearly framed for treason. He then traveled to London (eluding spies out to catch him) to petition the King.[7]

While engaged in petitioning he published pieces to build popular support for his positions, such as A Narrative of the Miseries of New-England, By Reason of an Arbitrary Government Erected there Under Sir Edmund Andros (1688) and A Brief Relation for the Confirmation of Charter Privileges (1691).[7]

He also attempted to restore the old charter[1] and obtain a royal charter for Harvard[2]; however, he abandoned that course and changed his petitions to a new charter not lacking any of the rights previously granted.[2] Following the Glorious Revolution and subsequent overthrow of Andros, a new charter was granted to the colony.[2] The 1692 charter was a major departure from its predecessor, granting sweeping home rule, establishing an elective legislature, enfranchising all freeholders (previously only men admitted to a congregation could vote), and uniting the Massachusetts Bay Colony and Plymouth Colony.[2] Following Andros' deposition and arrest[8], he had William Phips appointed as Royal Governor and they returned to Massachusetts, arriving on May 14 1692.[9]

Following his return, the administration of Harvard grew increasingly insistent that he reside nearer to the institution. Not wanting to leave his Second Church, he didn't, eventually resigning the Presidency.[2].

Involvement in the Salem witch trials

As an influential member of the community, Increase was involved in the notorious witch hysteria of Salem, Massachusetts. As the court of oyer and terminer was beginning to hear cases of suspected witchcraft, Increase published "The Return of Several Ministers Consulted," which urged moderation in the use and credence of "spectral evidence."[10] In June and July 1692 as the trials and executions began to increase, Mather made a number of sermons interpreted as a plea to cool the heated atmosphere.[10] In September he published Cases of Conscience Concerning Evil Spirits Personating Men, Witchcrafts, infallible Proofs of Guilt in such as are accused with that Crime (more commonly known as just "Cases of conscience concerning evil spirits"), which defended the judges and trials, but strongly denounced the spectral evidence used by them. It said, "It were better that Ten Suspected Witches should escape, than that one Innocent Person should be Condemned." (A slightly altered version of this phrase would later become known as Blackstone's formulation.) Afterwards, his reputation was not improved by his involvement and association with the trials, nor by his subsequent refusal to denounce them. His refusal to repudiate was likely because of his longtime friendship with the judges involved.[9] He was also defamed[9] by Robert Calef in his harshly critical More Wonders of the Invisible World[11] (referred to as More Wonders of the Spiritual World by the Encyclopedia Britannica Eleventh Edition[7]).

The Pavement song "Give It A Day" is about the Salem Witch Trials and both Increase and Cotton Mather's involvement in them.

Later life and death

The Mather tomb in Copp's Hill Cemetery

Following Maria's death in August 1714, he remarried.[6] On September 27, 1722 he fainted and was bedridden thereafter.[6] In August 1723 he suffered bladder failure[6] and died three weeks later on August 23, 1723 in Boston and was buried on Copp's Hill.[12]

Beliefs

Throughout his life Mather was a staunch Puritan, opposing anything openly contradictory to, mutually exclusive with, or potentially "distracting" from his religious beliefs. He supported suppression of intoxication, unnecessary effort on Sundays and ostentatious clothing. He was initially opposed to the Half-Way Covenant but later supported it.[7] He firmly believed in the direct appearance of God's disfavor in everyday life, e.g. the weather, political situations, attacks by "Indians", fires and floods, etc.[9][7]

He was strenuous in attempting to keep people to his idea of morality,[2] making strong use of jeremiads to try to prevent indifference and especially to try to get government officials to enforce public morality.[6]

During his tenure at Harvard he regularly stamped out any relaxation of Puritan strictness, such as latitudinarianism, which had flourished during his overseas absence.[2]

Following his acceptance of the Covenant, Solomon Stoddard and others attempted to further liberalize Puritanism by baptism of children who had nonmember parents[2] and admittance of all but the openly immoral to services.[7] To try and stop this, he had a synod called in an attempt to outlaw similar measures. A declaration was adopted, but never made binding.[7] Following this, reform-minded members were sent to the body and it took on a less conservative tone, bitterly disappointing Mather.[6]

Given name

The stated reason for his first name was "...the never-to-be-forgotten increase, of every sort, wherewith God favoured the country about the time of his nativity."[7]

Works

Among his more than 125 published works, the following are most notable (Note that his name, Latinized was "Crecentius Matherius"):

  • The Mystery of Israel's Salvation (1669)
  • The Life and Death of That Reverend Man of God, Mr. Richard Mather (1670)
  • Wo to Drunkards: Two sermons Testifying against the Sin of Drunkenness (1673)
  • The Day of Trouble Is Near (1674)
  • A Discourse concerning the Subject of Baptisme (1675)
  • The Wicked Mans Portion (1675)
  • A Brief History of the Warr With the Indians in New-England (1676) Online text
  • An Earnest Exhortation To the Inhabitants of New-England (1676) Online text
  • A Relation of the Troubles which Have Hapned in New-England by Reason of the Indians There from the Year 1614 to the Year 1675 (1677)
  • A Discourse concerning the Danger of Apostasy (1679)
  • The Divine Right of Infant-Baptisme Asserted and Proved from Scripture and Antiquity (1680)
  • A Confession of Faith Owned and Consented unto by the Elders and Messengers of the Churches Assembled at Boston (1680)
  • Heavens Alarm to the World (1681)
  • Diatriba de signo Filii Hominis, et de secundo Messiæadventu; ubi de modo futuræ judæorum conversionis; nec non de signis novissimi diei, disseritur (1682)
  • Kometographia, or, A Discourse concerning Comets (1683)
  • An Essay for the Recording of Illustrious Providences (1684)
  • An Arrow against Profane and Promiscuous Dancing Drawn out of the Quiver of Scriptures (1684)
  • The Mystery of Christ Opened and Applyed in Several Sermons concerning the Person, Office, and Glory of Jesus Christ (1686)
  • De successu evangelij apud Indos in Novâ-Angliâ epistola (1688)
  • A Narrative of the Miseries of New-England, by Reason of an Arbitrary Government Erected There under Sir Edmond Andross (1688)
  • Cases of Conscience Concerning Evil Spirits (1693) Online text
  • A Further Account of the Tryals of the New-England Witches (1693) Online text
  • Angelographia, or, A Discourse concerning the Nature and Power of the Holy Angels (1696)
  • The Order of the Gospel, Professed and Practised by the Churches of Christ in New-England (1700)
  • The Blessed Hope, and the Glorious Appearing of the Great God our Saviour, Jesus Christ (1701)
  • Ichabod: or, The Glory Departing (1702)
  • Soul-saving Gospel Truths (1703)
  • A Discourse concerning Earthquakes (1706)
  • A Dissertation concerning the Future Conversion of the Jewish Nation (1709)
  • Meditations on the Glory of the Heavenly World (1711)
  • A Disquisition concerning Ecclesiastical Councils (1716)

Works About

Search Wikimedia Commons Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Increase Mather
  • Michael G. Hall. The Last American Puritan: The Life of Increase Mather. Wesleyan, 1992.
  • Thomas James Holmes. Increase Mather: a Bibliography of his Works. Cleveland, 1931.
  • Mason I. Lowance. Increase Mather. New York, 1974.
  • Robert Middlekauf. The Mathers: Three Generations of Puritan Intellectuals, 1596-1728. New York, 1971.
  • Kenneth B. Murdock. Increase Mather: The Foremost American Puritan. Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1925.

Notes

See also: Ivy League Presidents

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Mather, Increase. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-05.". Bartleby.com. http://www.bartelby.net/65/ma/Mather-I.html. Retrieved 2006-10-12. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Mather, Increase, 1639-1723. Papers of Increase Mather: an inventory". Harvard University. http://oasis.harvard.edu:10080/oasis/deliver/~hua28004. Retrieved 2006-10-12. 
  3. ^ Dorchester Atheneum. "Dorchester Atheneum: Richard Mather". http://www.dorchesteratheneum.org/page.php?id=70. Retrieved 2006-10-12. 
  4. ^ a b The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans. VII. Boston: The Biographical Society. 1904.  — The relevant excerpt can be seen here: http://members.tripod.com/clipclop/LM/mather/richard.html (Warning: Ads)
  5. ^ "Richard Mather - LoveToKnow1911". Encyclopedia Britannica. http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Richard_Mather. Retrieved 2006-10-12. 
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Andrew Mitchell. "A Brief Biographical Sketch of the Reverend Increase Mather" (Microsoft Word (.DOC)). http://www.hillsdale.edu/Academics/downloads/andrewmitchellincreasebio_1.doc. Retrieved 2006-10-12. 
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Increase Mather - LoveToKnow1911". Encyclopedia Britannica. http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Increase_Mather. Retrieved 2006-10-12. 
  8. ^ a b "Interactive State House". Governors of Massachusetts. Commonwealth of Massachusetts. http://www.mass.gov/statehouse/massgovs/eandros.htm. Retrieved 2006-12-14. 
  9. ^ a b c d "Biography of Increase Mather". http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/ASA_INC.HTM. Retrieved 2006-10-12. 
  10. ^ a b Mathew Madden. "Salem Witch Trials: Increase Mather". http://www.iath.virginia.edu/salem/people/i_mather.html. Retrieved 2006-10-12. 
  11. ^ "MORE WONDERS of the INVISIBLE WORLD". University of Virginia. http://etext.virginia.edu/salem/witchcraft/speccol/calef/calef.html. Retrieved 2006-12-09. 
  12. ^ "MHS Increase Mather Papers, 1659-1721 Guide to the Microfilm Edition". The Massachusetts Historical Society. http://www.masshist.org/findingaids/doc.cfm?fa=fa0239. 

See also

Academic offices
Preceded by
John Rogers		 President of Harvard College
1685–1686, acting
1686–1692, Rector
1692–1701		 Succeeded by
Samuel Willard, acting
Religious titles
Preceded by
John Mayo		 Old North Church
1673–1723		 Succeeded by
Cotton Mather
v • d • e
Salem witch trials
Timeline · People · Cultural depictions
Magistrates
Town Physician
William Griggs
Clergy
Politicians & Public Figures
Accusers
Accused
John Alden · Edward Bishop · Edward Bishop III · Sarah Bishop · Mary Black · Mary Bradbury · Martha Carrier · Sarah Cloyce · Rebecca Eames · Mary English · Phillip English · Abigail Faulkner · Dorothy Good · William Hobbs · Mary Lacy · Sarah Morey · John Proctor · Sarah Osborne · Elizabeth Proctor · Sarah Proctor · William Proctor · Tituba Indian
Confessed and Accused Others
Tituba · Abigail Hobbs · Deliverance Hobbs · Margaret Jacobs · Mary Warren · Ann Foster · Mary Lacey Jr. · Mary Lacey Sr. · Sarah Churchwell
Executed
Died in Prison
Lydia Dustin · Ann Foster · Sarah Osborne · Roger Toothaker
Pressed to Death
Born in Prison
John Proctor, Jr.



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