N00213:56
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. God is wont to remember and establish his covenant with some of the children of his Servants ⟨p. 19⟩however; if not to all, yet with some of them. It is commonly seen that as for wicked Parents though they have many Children they are all ungodly like their Parents; but it is seldom known that if a godly man hath many Children that they all prove wicked; first or last God converts some of them. If there be an Ishmael in Abraham's Family, there is also an Isaac; if there be an Esau in Isaac's Family, there is also a Jacob; if there be an Absalom in Davids Family, there is also a Solomon; nor ought we to doubt, but that Nathan and many more of Davids Children are now in Heaven, albeit three of them perished.
3. God is wont to remember and establish his covenant with some of the children of his Servants ⟨p. 19⟩however; if not to all, yet with some of them. It is commonly seen that as for wicked Parents though they have many Children they are all ungodly like their Parents; but it is seldome known that if a godly man hath many Children that they all prove wicked; first or last God converts some of them. If there be an Ishmael in Abrahams Family, there is also an Isaac; if there be an Esau in Isaac's Family, there is also a Jacob; if there be an Absolom in Davids Family, there is also a Solomon; nor ought we to doubt, but that Nathan and many more of Davids Children are now in Heaven, albeit three of them perished.
4. If the Lord cast off the immediate Seed, he remembers his Covenant to others that are more remote. Esau was hated, yet it is conceived by learned men that Job and his godly friends were of Isaacs posterity by Esau. [d]Samuel's son Joel was not like his Father, but his grand-child Heman was an excellent Prophet like his blessed grand-Father; yea, and many of Samuel's great grand-Children, were faithful Ministers in the house of God,