N00213:106
A call from heaven to the present and succeeding generations or A discourse wherein…A call from heaven to the present and succeeding generations or A discourse wherin…
A call from heaven to the present and succeeding generations or A discourse wherein is showed, I. That the children of godly parents are under special advantages and encouragements to seek the Lord. : II. The exceeding danger of apostasy, especially as to those that are the children and posterity of such as have been eminent for God in their generation. : III. That young men ought to remember God their creator. / By Increase Mather, teacher of a church in Boston in New-England. ; [Nine lines of quotations]A call from heaven to the present and succeeding generations or A discourse wherin is shewed, I. That the children of godly parents are under special advantages and encouragements to seek the Lord. : II. The exceeding danger of apostasie, especially as to those that are the children and posterity of such as have been eminent for God in their generation. : III. That young men ought to remember God their creator. / By Increase Mather, teacher of a church in Boston in New-England. ; [Nine lines of quotations]
Boston: printed by John Foster, 1679
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.
Answ. 1. It implieth a change as to divine Dispensations. In the Scripture, when the Lord threatened to cast off his people, that is intended, viz. that he ⟨p. 44⟩would make an alteration as to the tenor of his dispensations towards them: here it is set in opposition to finding God, If thou seek him, he will be found of thee, but if thou forsake him he will cast thee off: Now finding God doth imply the enjoyment of his favour, and therefore in Casting off is implied the deprivement of the Lords favourable presence. It is indeed most true, that the special favour of God is unchangeable, Rom. 5. 2. This Grace wherein we stand. He that hath once access into the special grace and favour of God stands and abideth therein for ever, […] respect of that there is no casting off for ever; In the Covenant of grace the Lord hath promised saying, I will not cast off the Seed of Israel for all that they have done, Jer. 31. 37. But then there is common favour, in respect of outward blessings, which are the effects of common love, & that may utterly cease, Hos. 9. 15. I will love them no more. I have loved them, (saith the Lord) h. e. bestowed outward mercies on them, but I will do so no more. They shall have no more such days of peace, no more such plenty, no more such means of grace as once they did enjoy. Thus of a friend the Lord may turn to be an Enemy, Isai. 63. 10. But they rebelled and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their Enemy, and he fought against them. Whilst a Covenant people, carry it so as not to break Covenant, the Lord blesseth them visibly, but if they degenerate then blessings are removed, and woeful Judgements come in their room, & that's implied in this casting off which the Text speaketh of, soil, that mercies shall be taken away, as it was said of Saul that when God cast him off he took away his mercy from him, 1 Chron, 17, 13. because he was deprived of that great outward blessing and dignity which once he did enjoy, And the sending of contrary miseries to ⟨p. 45⟩