N00213:44
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.
And now Lord, thou art that God that hast promised this goodness to thy servant, now therefore let it please thee to bless the house (i. e. the family and Posterity▪) of thy Servant, that it may be before thee for ever; for thou blessest O Lord and it shall be blessed for ever. So it is a wonderful encouragement to the Children of holy men, to seek unto the Lord for grace and Salvation for themselves. The child of a godly man may come before the Lord, and say, Lord thou hast promised to bestow grace, and give eternal blessings unto those that are the children of such as fear thy name, my Father, my Mother thou knowest did fear thy name, why then may not that promise belong to me?
And now Lord, thou art that God that hast promised this goodness to thy servant, now therefore let it please thee to bless the house (i. e. the family and Posterity▪) of thy Servant, that it may be before thee for ever; for thou blessest O Lord and it shall be blessed for ever. So it is a wonderfull encouragement to the Children of holy men, to seek unto the Lord for grace and Salvation for themselves. The child of a godly man may come before the Lord, and say, Lord thou hast promised to bestow grace, and give eternal blessings unto those that are the children of such as fear thy name, my Father, my Mother thou knowest did fear thy name, why then may not that promise belong to me?
4. The children of godly parents are the subjects of much faithful prayer. David prayed earnestly for his Son Solomon, 1 Chron. 29. 19. & 22, 16. So did Isaac for his son Jacob. Gen. 28. 1, 3, 4. Now it is matter of great encouragement, that prayer is going: especially the prayers of godly parents will do much in order to obtaining mercy for their children. For they have a great natural affection toward their Children, which when it is sanctified, maketh them to be the more earnest with the Lord for them. If a Child were to ask prayers for his life, let him desire the prayers of his Father, if his Father be indeed one that hath an Interest in Heaven. It is said in the fifth Commandment, Honour thy Father, and thy Mother, that thy days may be long upon the Land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, Exod 20, 12, because as for dutiful Children, their Parents are engaged to pray much for them, and by that means do lengthen out their days. In the Hebrew it is, they shall prolong […] days, […] thy Father and thy Mother shall do so.