A70554:57
Early piety, exemplified in the life and death of Mr. Nathanael Mather, who ...…
Early piety, exemplified in the life and death of Mr. Nathanael Mather, who ... changed earth for heaven, Oct. 17. 1688 whereto are added some discourses on the true nature, the great reward, and the best season of such a walk with God as he left a pattern of.
London: printed by J. Astwood for John Dunton, 1689
THE LIFE and DEATH OF Mr. NATHANAEL MATHER. › Part 2: II. His PIETY.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
O that God would help me to seek Him while I am Young! O that he would give unto me His Grace! However, I will lay my self down at his Feet. If he Save me, I shall be happy for ever; if he Damn me, I must Justify him. O thou Son of God, have mercy on me! I know not what to say, but I will take thee at thy Word: Thou sayest, Come unto me; my Soul answers, Lord, at thy Command I will come.
O that God would help me to seek Him while I am Young! O that he would give unto me His Grace! However, I will lay my self down at his Feet. If he Save me, I shall be happy for ever; if he Damn me, I must Justifie him. O thou Son of God, have mercy on me! I know not what to say, but I will take thee at thy Word: Thou sayst, Come unto me; my Soul answers, Lord, at thy Command I will come.
He thus continued following hard after God, enjoying and answering many strivings of his Holy Spirit until he was about Fourteen Years Old.
He thus continued following hard after God, enjoying and answering many striveings of his Holy Spirit until he was about Fourteen Years Old.
In this time he did not a little acquaint ⟨p. 12⟩himself with profitable Godliness, being frequent and fervent in his Prayers to God upon all occasions, and careful not only to hear Sermons, but also to consider after them what Improvement he should make of what he heard. Not only his Prayers, but his Praises too now took notice of even the smallest Affairs before him. I know not whether you can see any thing Childish, I am sure I see something serious, in a passage or two that I shall fetch out of his Diary, written when he was about Thirteen years old: On March 13. he wrote, This day I received of my Father, that famous Work, The Biblia Polyglotta, for which I desire to praise the Name of God: Again on June 29 he wrote, This day my Brother gave me Schindler's Lexicon, a Book for which I had not only longed much, but also prayed unto God: Blessed be the Lords Name for it. The Thoughts of Death also now found a Lodging in his Heart, and he Rebuked himself because he had been so much without them. Tho' at this Age for the most part, Persons think of any thing, every thing more than of their dying day. And his writings discovered him to be peculiarly affected with that Ancient History (or Apologue) of him who after a dissolute and ungodly Youth, going to repent in Age,