Clergyman And Physician

Mather Family.

Cotton Mather was born at a time when Boston was the capital of American science. Cotton's father, Increase Mather, was a leader of the scientific community. A historian of note and leading Boston clergyman, Increase Mather adopted the new scientific ideas coming from Europe in the 1600s. Influenced by Francis Bacon and Robert Hooke, Increase Mather incorporated scientific ideas into his Sunday sermons. He tried to counter superstition with realistic explanations about comets and the nature of the universe. Newton's Comet of 1680 in particular inspired Increase Mather's interest in astronomy. Acting upon his scientific interests, Mather organized the Philosophical Club of Boston in 1683. One of the members was twenty-year-old Cotton Mather.

Christian Philosopher.

Cotton Mather's life and work illustrate two sides of early American science. As a Congregational clergyman and a firm believer in divine revelation and miracles, Mather accepted...