N00318:261
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, 4. What a blessed thing it will be if we prevail in Heaven for this Mercy. We cannot pray for a more desirable thing than this Blessing. *It will help all that is amiss among us. If the Lord pour his Spirit upon the Body of the present rising generation, so as to begin a work of Conversion in those that are as yet strangers to the Power of Godliness, and to carry on that work by renewed Conversions in the Hearts of his people, that will save us from those Judgements which otherwise there is no hope that we shall escape them. Ezek. 39.29. Neither will I hide my face any more from them: Why? for I have poured out my Spirit — saith the Lord God. And do we not, desire the Eternal as well as the Temporal Prosperity of our Children? If the Lord pour his Spirit upon them, it shall go well with them, and that for ever, Deut. 5.29. ⟨p. 190⟩You are thoughtful what will become of your Children after you are gone out of the world. If you can but pray grace into their souls, they shall do well enough. As that godly learned Claviger would sometimes express *If (saith he) I may see the fear of God in my Children, Satis mihi, satis filiis et filiabus prospexi, I have then Portion enough for my sons and for my daughters, they are then sure never to want any good thing as long as they shall live. If the Lord pour out his Spirit upon our Children then shall we have Joy in them indeed. No greater Joy than that 3. Joh. 3, 4. Prov. 23.24, 25. The Father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice, and he that begets a wise (i. e. godly) child shall have Joy of him; Thy Father and thy Mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice. We shall bless God to eternity, that ever we had such Children: for it will add to the Glory of parents at the great Day, when they shall behold not themselves alone, but their off-spring with them Partakers of eternal life and happiness, and withal see and know that their prayers have had an Influence towards the obtaining of all that mercy: We shall meet those prayers again with exceeding Joy in that day. And in the mean time our Children, if we can pray down the Spirit of the Lord upon them, will