N00318:119
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 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 N. England.A call from heaven, to the present and succeeding generations or A discourse wherein 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 N. England.
Boston: printed by R.P. i.e for I. Brunning i.e, 1685
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
The first Church that ever was in the world, even that in Adam's Family continued in some measure pure, about the space of [k]an Hundred and thirty years, (h. e. until Seth was born) but then great Apostasy prevailed. When the Church was small in one Family it was more easy to keep it pure, by casting out the Apostates, but now ⟨p. 80⟩the world grew numerous, and a multitude of sinners caused impunity in sin, so as that they that were godly and conscientious were fain in the very beginning or first Ages and Generations of the world to separate themselves and become distinct Societies. Hence is that Gen. 4.26. then began men to call upon the Name of the Lord. It noteth a Separation of the Church from the profane world. After this a second Apostasy followed, that the Church and world were mixed together, even the sons of God and daughters of men, the Posterity of godly Seth & of wicked Cain, until such time as the flood came and cleared the world of them, Gen. 6.2▪ Then were the inhabitants of the earth in a most corrupt estate, wherefore the Psalmist (as it seems) alluding to that time, saith The Lord looked down from heaven, to see if there were any that did understand and seek God, every one of them is gone back, they are altogether become filthy. Psa. 53.2, 3. After Religion was revived in Noah•s Family, his posterity quickly forsook the Lord, Ham's Apostasy was (as some learned men observe) about forty years after the flood: The Church was reformed by his ejection, but within sixty or seventy years after that the Builders of Babel set upon their wicked attempt, which was desperate Rebellion against the Lord, although Noah himself was then alive, he could not by all his Authority restrain his Grand-children ⟨p. 81⟩and posterity, but they would needs become guilty of that Babel defection. After this within a few Generations the world was overr•n with Idolatry. When that iniquity first began is hard to say, but it is evident that in Jobs time (who is thought to live about three hundred and fifty years after the flood) the world was filled with Idolaters, yea, in Abraham's time there was such Apostasy as that Religion was almost gone out of the world, only in his Family there was a pure Church Established: Yet his posterity did quickly forsake the Lord.