N00213:203
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.
3. Remember those things which if duly thought on, may cause you to Remember your Creator in the days of your Youth. e.g. Think sadly of the preciousness of Time, that so you may pass the time of your sojourning here in fear. You Young men, are exceeding apt to misspend precious hours, nay days in sin and ⟨p. 113⟩vanity, but it is because you do not consider how precious time is. Are not some that were once your companions in sin, dead, and (as there is cause to fear) dropped down into Hell? They would give Worlds (were it in their power) to enjoy that precious time, that is lost & can never be regained. Shortly your time to remember your Creator in, will be past and gone forever. Remember also the worth of your own souls, what shall a man give in Exchange for his Soul? If he should gain the whole world,&loose his own Soul, what is he profited? young men & children, do you think of this! As young as you are, you have immortal Souls that must be either saved or damned, that when once you are dead, your Souls must go to be either in Heaven or Hell to all Eternity. And remember Death, which may b• on you, ere you be aware of it. Thou knowest not but that this night thy Soul may be taken from thee. It hath been truly said, [h]An old man hath death before his face, but in young man hath death behind his back, that may overtake him before he thinks of any such thing. Children may dye as well as others, Rev.2.23. I will […] Children with Death. I remember I have somewhere read, of a serious godly child, that would not speak vain words like other Children, but was careful to improve his time well, and being asked the Reason of his seriousness, O (•aith he) I remember that I must dye. When some replied to him, you are young▪ and may live many a fair day, what should you think of Death for? nay (said he) I was in the burying place,& there I saw a grave, that was shorter then I am. So Children, look into the burying place, and there you will see graves that are shorter then you are; there you will see that those that have been as young as you are, and younger too, have dyed and been put into their graves, and therefore it may be so with you.