N00213:132
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.
Consider, 4. There is sad cause to fear what will at last come on this Generation. There is a consumption on Religion all the world over, as one well observeth [p]the burials of Christians are frequent and their birth is rare. And as for what concerns ourselves more peculiarly, we may fear that there will be greater Apostasy, because they that should have prevented it are gone. Many times the removal of a few eminent Servants of God in the Common-wealth, or in the Churches, maketh way for great Apostasy quickly to ensue was it not so with the Children of Israel? when they had a good Judge over them, they would serve the Lord all the days of that Judge, but it came to pass when the Judge was dead, they returned and corrupted themselves more then their ⟨p. 66⟩Fathers, Judg. 2. 18, 19. In Nehemiahs time while he was Governor for twelve years together, things went well, and God blessed the Land wonderfully, but when he was removed, in one years time those sins of oppression, sensuality, Sabbath breaking, were become prevailing common evils, Neh. 13. 6. Alas! our Nehemiahs are gone, (I speak it not to reflect upon those that survive, but to awaken from the consideration of our solemn bereavements) our Pauls are likewise departed from amongst us, in which respect we may fear corruption in Religion will follow, Acts 20, 29. Deut. 31. 27. Judg. 8. 33. Have we not seen it in some places, how that within a year after the death of such an eminent Servant of Christ, Apostasy to this day irrecoverable hath prevailed? Furthermore, the heads of the second Generation, that were most likely to have done good, the Lord hath snatched them away, and (like Enoch) translated them to Heaven, in the midst of their days; others that are most likely to prevent backsliding, and to be Instruments of reforming a corrupted Generation, are not likely to continue long in this evil world, yea, and of late even since the present war, that we are bleeding under, began, the Lord hath taken away many young ones, either by Sword or sickness, who were the hopes of the Generation. In many Plantations, they that have dyed of late, were the most hopeful and desirable young men in the places where they lived, an Ominous sign that there is some terrible thing, which God will do, ere this Generation be passed away.