Increase Mather

Increase Mather was a prominent New England Puritan minister, academic, and political figure in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The son of emigrant minister Richard Mather, he became a central leader in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, serving as pastor of Boston's North Church for over five decades. His influence extended across religious, educational, and political spheres, most notably during the Salem witch trials and his tenure as president of Harvard College. A prolific author, his works, such as Cases of Conscience Concerning Evil Spirits Personating Men, helped shape Puritan thought and colonial policy.

Early life and education

Increase Mather was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay Colony, to the influential minister Richard Mather and his wife Katherine Holt. He entered Harvard College at age twelve, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1656, and received his Master of Arts in 1658. Seeking further education during a period of political uncertainty in England, he traveled to Dublin, Ireland, where he earned another Master of Arts from Trinity College Dublin in 1658. He briefly preached in Devon and on the Isle of Guernsey before returning to Massachusetts in 1661, following the Restoration of Charles II.

Ministry and leadership

In 1664, Mather was ordained as the teacher of Boston's Second Church, later known as the Old North Church, where he served alongside pastor John Davenport. Following Davenport's death, Mather became the congregation's sole minister, a position he held with great authority for over fifty years. His leadership coincided with a period of significant challenge for the Puritan Congregational establishment, including the revocation of the Massachusetts Bay Charter in 1684 and the imposition of the Dominion of New England under Sir Edmund Andros. Mather was instrumental in negotiating the new Province of Massachusetts Bay charter in 1691, which restored some self-government and established religious toleration while weakening the old theocratic order.

Role in the Salem witch trials

During the height of the Salem witch trials in 1692, Mather initially supported the court's efforts, influenced by his son Cotton Mather's accounts of demonic possession. However, as accusations multiplied and the use of spectral evidence was questioned, he grew skeptical. In 1693, he published Cases of Conscience Concerning Evil Spirits Personating Men, which argued forcefully against relying on spectral evidence alone for convictions. This treatise, presented to Governor Sir William Phips and the council, was pivotal in curbing the trials. Mather's intervention helped shift opinion, leading Phips to dissolve the Court of Oyer and Terminer and ultimately pardon the remaining accused.

Presidency of Harvard College

Elected president of Harvard College in 1685, Mather also retained his Boston pastorate, governing the college from the city. His tenure was marked by efforts to uphold Puritan orthodoxy in the curriculum and to secure the institution's financial stability. He oversaw the construction of Harvard Hall and advocated for the college's first charter, granted by the Province of Massachusetts Bay in 1692. However, his absentee leadership and rigid theological stance led to friction with the Board of Overseers and the Fellows of Harvard College, culminating in his resignation in 1701. He was succeeded by Samuel Willard.

Literary and political works

A prolific writer, Mather authored over 150 works on theology, history, science, and current events. His major publications include The History of the War with the Indians (1676), an account of King Philip's War, and An Essay for the Recording of Illustrious Providences (1684), which documented supernatural occurrences. Politically, his A Narrative of the Miseries of New-England (1688) protested the rule of Sir Edmund Andros. His sermons, such as those in the The Day of Trouble is Near series, addressed the colony's political and spiritual crises, reinforcing his role as a leading Puritan intellectual and polemicist.

Later years and legacy

After resigning from Harvard, Mather continued his ministry at the North Church but faced increasing theological opposition from a new generation, including proponents of the Brattle Street Church and the more liberal Brattle Street Church. His later years were marked by a public and painful estrangement from his son Cotton Mather over church polity. Upon his death in Boston in 1723, he was interred at Copp's Hill Burying Ground. Increase Mather is remembered as a formidable figure who navigated the transition of Massachusetts from a strict Puritan commonwealth to a royal colony, leaving a complex legacy as a defender of orthodoxy, a cautious voice against the witch hunt excesses, and a pivotal early American intellectual. Category:1639 births Category:1723 deaths Category:American Puritan ministers Category:Harvard University presidents Category:People of colonial Massachusetts Category:American theologians Category:Writers from Boston