Divine Conduct, or The Mystery of Providence

(2.) But especially take notice, what a stream of spiritual blessings and mercies, •lows from this Providence to the Inner man. O it's no common mercy, to descend from pious Parents▪ Some of us do not only owe our natural life to them, as Instruments of our Beings, but our Spiritual and Eternal life also. It was no small mercy to Timothy, to be descended from such Progenitors, 2 T•m. 1. 5. nor to. Augustine, that he had such a Mother as Monica, who planted in his mind the ⟨p. 50⟩precepts of life with her Words, watered them with her Tears, and nourished them with her Example. We will a little more particularly inspect this mercy, and in so doing, we shall find manifold mercies contained in it.

(1.) What a Mercy was it to us, to have Parents that prayed for us before they had us, as well as in our Infancy, when we could not pray for our selves? Thus did Abraham, Gen. 15. 2. and Hannah, 1 Sam. 1. 10, 11. and some here likely are the fruits and returns of their Parents Prayers. This was that holy course they continued all their days for you, carrying all your concerns, especially your Eternal ones before the Lord with their own; and pouring out their souls to God so affectionately for you, when their eye-strings and heart-strings were breaking. Oh put a value upon such Mercies; for they are precious. It's a greater Mercy, to descend from praying Parents, than from the loins of Nobles. See Job's pious practice, Job 1. 5.

(1.) What a Mercy was it to us, to have Parents that prayed for us before they had us, as well as in our Infancy, when we could not pray for our selves? Thus did Abraham,