N00213:168
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.
His Dehortation is in the two last verses of the former Chapter. And it is 1. Ironically propounded, v. •9. Rejoice o• young man in thy Youth, &c. It is such another form of speech as that of the Prophet unto Ahab, 1 King.22.15. Go and prosper. [a]He saw that Ahab was set upon his design, & therefore by way of Irony bids him go, and see what would come of it. Thus Solomon here, I see Young man (•aith he) that thou art resolved to follow the pleasures and vanities, whatever the event shall be, Do so, and see what will come of it. Wherefore he addeth, Walk in the ways of thy heart, and in the sight of thine eyes. This is expressly forbidden elsewhere in the Scripture [b]A clear evidence that the wise man here speaketh by way of holy derision, & thence it is •urther added, Know thou that for these things God will bring thee to judgement. q. d. Though its possible thou mayest escape judgement from men, parents, Magistrates, &c. yet not from the Lord. 2. This Dehortation is plainly expressed in the Verse immediately preceding this Text. Remove sorrow from thy heart. The Hebrew word translated sorrow, […]: • ▪ d. Beware of inordinate passions which ⟨p. 96⟩young men are usually subject unto: And put away evil from thy flesh, h.e. avoid sinful pleasures. Passions and sinful pleasures are evils which young men are most in danger of being carried away by; therefore he doth in special caution them against iniquities of that nature: withal adding this Reason, for childhood and youth are vanity. h.e. its soon gone, Thy time (young man!) to enjoy sinful and foolish pleasures will soon be past and gone, it abideth not▪ therefore set not thy heart upon such things.
His Dehortation is in the two last verses of the former Chapter. And it is 1. Ironically propounded, v. 9. Rejoyce o young man in thy Youth, &c. It is such another form of speech as that of the Prophet unto Ahab,