N00318:125
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.
Consider. 3. The present Generation in New-England is lamentably degenerate. As sometimes Moses spake to the Children of Israel, Numb. 32.14. Behold ye are risen up in your Fathers stead an increase of sinful men. So may we say, the first Generation of Christians in New-Eng- is in a manner gone off the Stage, and there is another and more sinful generation risen up in their stead. We have in former years enjoyed a Sun-shine of prosperity, and that has bin attended (as useth to be) with great Apostasy. It is an apt Similitude which some use, that as the heat of the Sun in Summer breeds a multitude of Insects; so does the warmth of Prosperity a multitude of Apostates. Men are ⟨p. 88⟩loth to hear on this ear, but if we should deny it, the Lord does testify against us that it is so, Joel. 1.2. Hear this ye old men, and give ear all ye Inhabitants of the Land, hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your Fathers saith the Lord. Were there (says the prophet) such judgments formerly as now there are? you may therefore conclude that you are departed from God, and by your sins have provoked him so to Punish you. Thus may it be spoken with reference to our State and Case, and the dispensations of God towards us, you old men that are here before the Lord this day, what say you to this Question, did you know such Judgments upon New-England formerly, as of late we have seen? was it so in the days of our Parents? were there such general and killing Diseases? Such a long continuing war? so many hundreds cut off by the Sword? yea, so many•hundred Families brought to ruin? Candlesticks removed out of their places, and Plantations made desolate! In former times we heard of little besides Settlement of Plantations, and gathering of Churches, but of late years, instead of that, Ruins have been multiplied, yea, mischief upon mischief. God has been spending his Arrows▪ & heaping mischief upon this Generation. This Generation is not like the first. How many ignorant ones! how many scandalous ones! There is great Rudeness amongst young ones in this Land; ⟨p. 89⟩and in that respect Degeneracy from the GOOD MANNERS of the Christian world. And such sins as formerly were not known in New-England are now become common, such as Swearing; sinful Gaming, &c. yea, the present generation as to the Body of it, is an unconverted generation.