Conditions Governing Use

The pages are very brittle. Assistance may be may be needed to handle the materials. There is damage from deterioration because of the iron gall ink used.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use.

Custodial History

Both sermons belonged to William G. Mather. The first has an inscription that reads: "from W.B.S. 2nd July 1831". The second is inscrbed in the post binding: "gift to WGM, Christmas 1920". They both have personal bookplates of William G. Mather.

Preferred Citation

MSS 16388 Cotton Mather Ephesians sermons, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library,University of Virginia.

Biographical Note

Cotton Mather was a socially and politically influential New England Puritan minister, prolific author, and pamphleteer. Mather attended Harvard (A.B. 1678, M.A. 1681) and served as minister at the Second Church in Boston from 1685 until his death.

Cotton's advice was sought during the Salem witch trials. During his lifetime Mather wrote more than 450 books. He left a scientific legacy due to his hybridization experiments and his promotion of inoculation for disease prevention.

Works Cited: http://snaccooperative.org/view/2968005 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_Mather

Scope and Contents

This collection is comprised of two handwritten sermons by Cotton Mather.

The first is on Ephesians 1.11. It is eight pages and includes added marginalia. This sermon cites other books of the Bible, such as Malachi, Revelations, Acts, Matthew, Hebrews, and Exodus.

The second is on Ephesians 1.12, is also eight pages, and includes added marginalia. This sermon makes references to other books in the Bible, such as Job, Jeremiah, Corinthians, Malachi, Hebrews, and Acts.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Sermons
• religious leaders

General

Part of the Tracy W. McGregor Library of American History.

General

McGregor Endowment Fund, Associates Endowment Fund, and Robert and Virginia Tunstall Trust Fund.