The history of the town of Dorchester, Massachusetts, By a committee of the Dorchester antiquarian and historical society ...

190 HISTORY OF DORCHESTER.
unto the congregation, " of a sad accident that was
fallen out at Hartford, viz. of a young man named
Abraham Warner, about the age of twenty years,
who being left of God, and prevailed with by Satan,
drowned himself in the water, leaving behind him,
in his brother's pocket, a writing to his father,
wherein he does advise his father to look to the ways
and walkings of his brother. Mr. Mather, upon
this occasion, gave an exhortation, 1st, unto the
children, to take heed of refusing instruction from
their parents, and not to please themselves with this,
that they were the children of godly parents, as it
seems this young man was. And 2d, also unto parents to look to the ways and walkings of their
children and families, alledging the example of
Eli," &c.
There was another day of fasting and humiliation
on the 10th of June. Mr. Peletiah Glover preached in the morning, from Zechariah i. 3; Mr. Mather in the afternoon, from Ezekiel xxi. 27.
About this time the elders put the church in mind
"of their slackness in coming to the contribution,
and discharging their rates to the deacons."
The 9th of December was another day of humiliation in the church of Dorchester, at the motion of
Mr. Mather, on account of the troubles in England.
Mr. Mather preached in the morning, from Tim. i.
1 and 2; Mr. Eliot, of Roxbury, in the afternoon,
from Job iii. 25.
These occasions of humiliation and fasting -
sometimes general and sometimes local-are mentioned to show the feeling and tendency of the