N00213:133
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, 5. How sad it would be if succeeding Generations should forsake the Lord. It is evident, from the considerations mentioned, that it may be so, but it would be dismal if indeed it should be so. New England would then become of all Lands the most dark and miserable. How […] doth the Prophet ⟨p. 67⟩speak of Bethaven, now what was that Bethaven? even the same that was in former times Bethel, i. e. the house of God, Hos. 4. 15. with 1 King. 12. 29. Am. 5. 5. If such places where the house of God hath been erected do once degenerate, they are like to become Bethavens, places of greatest vanity and iniquity in the world. Hence is that, Hos. 9. 15. all their wickedness is in Gilgal. Gilgal was once famous upon Religious accounts. There was the Covenant renewed by Circumcision, there was the first Passover kept by the Children of Israel, after their coming into the promised Land, there did God appear to Joshua, there was to be seen a famous Monument of the Lords doing wonders for his people, there was the Tabernacle for some time, but in after Generations an Idolatrous Temple was built there, so as that it was a fountain of much wickedness. All their wickedness was in Gilgal. It seemeth the Altar of witness was near that place, which through mens corruptions might easily be abused unto much Superstition in after Ages. The Devil seeketh to corrupt those places especially, which once were famous for Religion. As Polanus observeth that Wittenberg in Germany was the Town where the Reformation in Luther's time began,1 and therefore the Devil did seek to corrupt that place especially, and caused it to become the Seat of grievous Heresies. What Land under Heaven, hath been more noted for profession and Religion, then New-England? If Apostasy prevail amongst such a People, it is like to be a sad Apostasy indeed. We see it already; Hence there are such sad complaints of young men that have been bred and born in New England, when they go abroad into other Lands that none are so debauched and profane as some of them. If the Lord should be provoked to pluck up the Hedge of civil government, what a fearful flood ⟨p. 68⟩