N00196:46
Pray for the rising generation, or A sermon wherein godly parents are encouraged, to…
Pray for the rising generation, or A sermon wherein godly parents are encouraged, to pray and believe for their children, preached the third day of the fifth month, 1678. which day was set apart by the Second Church in Boston in New-England, humbly to seek unto God by fasting and prayer, for a spirit of converting grace, to be poured out upon the children and rising generation in New-England. / By Increase Mather, teacher of that church. ; [Seven lines of quotations]
printed by Samuel Green, 1678
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.
And in the Book of Psalms, we find gracious promises to the Children of such as fear God, Psal. 102.28. The Children of thy Servants shall continue, 1and their Seed shall be established before thee. And again Psal. 128 3. Thy Children shall be like Olive-plant• round about thy Table. The Expression may import that they shall be comforts and ornaments to their Parents, yea, that they shall be adorned with gifts and graces of the Spirit of God. And in special, there is a promise of this blessing with ⟨p. 17⟩respect to Children in the times of the Gospel: Joel 2.28. It shall come to pass afterwards, h. e. in the last days, or times of the Gospel, as the Apostle doth expound the words, I will pour my Spirit upon your Children. Now these days wherein we live, come under the last days, we therefore should plead that promise before the Lord, and say, These are the last days, Lord, and thou hast said, that in the last days thou wilt pour thy Spirit upon the Children of thy Servants. And indeed that fulfilling of the promise which our eyes have seen is ground of encouragement to pray and plead, and believe for more. Some of New England Children have been eminently blessed by the Lord; he hath poured his spirit upon them richly, Plants of Renown have sprung up here, that have been the glory of the Land where they have had their Education: yea, some, that whole Nations have fared the better for them: Rivers of Water have flowed out of their Souls, whereby thousands have been refreshed. And there is a blessed sprinkling in most Churches; though not that general pouring down of the Spirit that is to be desired, yet a sprinkling which we should take notice of, for the encouragement of Faith and Prayer. I shall only mention that which I have most reason to know; in this poor Congregation, within these few late years, there have been of Children born in New-England, near upon fourscore persons, that have come before the Church, and declared what God hath done for their souls, and in that way subscribed their names to the God of Israel; besides many that have come out of other Lands, and when they have been here, the Lord hath poured his Spirit upon them. I speak it that God may have the glory of his grace, and that Ministers may be encouraged to Preach, and the Lords People to pray for the conversion of souls.