N00213:140
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.
2. I pray you in the Name of the Lord, to take care for the propagation of the Interest of the Gospel, that the good knowledge of the Lord may be amongst the people under your Government in your time; yea, and after that also. If ignorance overspread the Land Apostasy will do so too. Hence David here saith, know thou the Lord God of thy Father and serve him, but if thou forsake him, &c. intimating, that except succeeding Generations know the Lord, they will not serve him, but forsake him. Therefore it concerns the Magistrate, to take effectual care, that the Land be furnished with able and faithful Ministers; So we read of Jehoshaphat, that he caused Levites to be sent into all the Cities of Judah who taught the People, 2 Chron. 17. 8, 9. And this stands upon Record to his everlasting Renown. It is not every man that is fit to be employed as a pulick Teacher, Ezra saith (Chap. 8. 17, 18. that he sent unto such and such, that they would bring unto him Ministers for the house of God, and that by the good hand of God they ⟨p. 73⟩brought a man of understanding: He that is employed in holy things ought to be such an one. Therefore you should endeavour that the future generation may be furnished with a learned Ministry. The [y]Writers of ecclesiastical Story, inform us, how careful Christians in the primitive times were, for the settling of Schools of Learning, in all places where Churches had been planted, that so there might be able instruments raised up for the propagating of truth in succeeding Generations. And some have well and truly observed, that the interest of Religion and good literature, hath risen and fallen together. It was Julians policy to pull down Schools among Christians, that so he might destroy Religion, [z]concluding that the cause that should not have an able defendant would fall. Therefore let there be a pious and earnest solicitude about that matter. One of the famous Kings †in our nation caused a law to be established, that all Parents should bring up their children in Learning. I know there are good laws amongst us, respecting inferior Schools, though doubt as to execution there is great defect in that as well as in other matters. Let me also beseech you to endeavour that what concerns the College may be revived, and if it may be in the place where it hath formerly flourished, I have nothing to say against that but much for it rather;