Remarkable Providences

The Oxford Companion to American Literature | 1995 | 700+ words | Copyright

Remarkable Providences, essay by Increase Mather, published in 1684 under the title An Essay for the Recording of Illustrious Providences. It is based on a manuscript of 1658, containing accounts of extraordinary interpositions of Providence in human affairs, gathered by Puritan ministers in England and Ireland. The manuscript found its way to Boston, where it was discovered by Mather, who added further instances of providential events, collected by New England ministers. To this compilation he added his own observations, comments, and speculations, as well as similar information culled from other books. Although lacking any critical inspection of testimony, the work was intended to be scientific proof of the presence of supernatural forces in the world.

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James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Remarkable Providences." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Remarkable Providences." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-RemarkableProvidences.html

James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Remarkable Providences." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-RemarkableProvidences.html

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