N00213:147
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.
4. Labour (I likewise pray you in the Name of the Lord) to the utmost of your power, that the work of Reformation may be promoted in this Generation. I shall not need to insist here, because this Argument was abundantly and worthily enlarged on [g]by him that spake in the Name of the Lord on this occasion three years ago. Since that, the holy dispensations of God towards this People have been very dreadful, so that the Lord calls for Reformation, now more then ever. If things should pass away thus, and the Generation that is to come should not see, that some notable thing was done with respect to a Reformation of provoking evils, it would be sad indeed; and the more sad, in that there have been Essays this way, and since the late (and to this day not fully ended) War, a Committee appointed by the general Court to enquire into the causes of the high displeasure of God, which hath been manifested, and such and such evils, concluded to be matters of provocation, and Laws enacted for the suppression of them,& shall it all come to just nothing at last? shall we dare to dally with the Almighty in things of this nature? The Lord may respite us for a while, but except there be a Reformation of provoking evils, we have no Reason to expect otherwise, but that a worse thing will come unto us, & that he will punish us yet seven times for our sins. And how is there like to be that Reformation which the Lord requireth, except you that are Leaders over this people, do you utmost to promote ⟨p. 80⟩it? where do you read of any great and general Reformation brought to pass, except the civil Magistrate did forward it? It is true, that many times God doth make use of his Messengers and Ministers to set the Wheel a going, but then Magistrates have fallen in with them. The Prophets Haggai and Zechariah set the work of Reformation upon the Wheel, but Zerubbabel and She•ltiel (godly Magistrates) carried on the work to Effect, Ezra.5.1,2. Luther began the Reformation in Germany, yet if some of the Princes there, had not engaged with him, 2the work had never been carried on with such success. Calvin (and other eminent Ministers of God) exhorted the People at Geneva, unto Reformation, but if the Senators of that place had not hearkened to the voice of God in those Exhortations, the People would have remained unreformed still.