Cotton Mather, a descendant of a prominent family of Puritan church leaders, was born in Boston. He entered Harvard at the age of 12. He devoted himself incessantly to study and prayer. At the age of 18 he received his M.A. degree from the hands of his father, who was president of the college. He preached his first sermon in his father's church in August 1680, and in October another from his grandfather John Cotton's pulpit. .
He devoted his life to praying, preaching, writing, and publishing and still followed his main purpose in life of doing good. Cotton Mather wrote and published more than 400 works throughout his lifetime. His books include Memorable Providences, Relating to Witchcraft and Possessions and The Wonders of the Invisible World, a report of the testimony at the Salem witchcraft trials.
Cotton Mather's style is usually characterized by his use of ornate, elegant language and his frequent use of allusions, which are short references to literary works or figures, places, or events from history, religion, or mythology. .
Cotton Mather believed that that his generation was falling away from the original vision and purpose of the Puritan immigrants to North America. And even though he was very interested in witchcraft as being evidence of the Devil's work, Mather did not take part in the trials. He also did not, however, speak out against them, even though he became skeptical of some of the evidence offered. In The Wonders of the Invisible World, Mather's style indicates both his belief in witches and his skeptical attitude as a historian.
