N00800:83
The peril of the times displayed. Or The danger of mens taking up with…
The peril of the times displayed. Or The danger of mens taking up with a form of godliness, but denying the power of it. Being the substance of several sermons preached: / by Samuel Willard, teacher of a church in Boston. N.E. ; [One line from Augustine in Latin]
Boston: printed by B. Green, 1700
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.
6 The Rising Generation is hereby woefully exposed Children are either the hope o• •ear of pious Parents, and by observation of their frame and inclination, a sh•ewed conjecture may be made of what times are like to be when they are dead and gone; for this reason, the duty of Training up their Children in the fear of God, and in the way which they ought to go in, is so much urged and inculcated in the Scriptures, as a duty of very great importance. But if the power of Godliness be lost in the present Generation, and Religion among them is dwindled up to an empty formality, there is nothing ⟨p. 60⟩that doth more fearfully forebode the extirpation of it in those that follow. Children are apt to imitate their Parents, by a natural respect that they have for them; and most of all in that which is evil, because of the sinful corruption that dwelleth in them naturally. Certainly then, if Parents are formal, loose, heedless to themselves, their Children will most likely add to it, and become an increase of sinful men. Yea, and when it is thus, Parents will become negligent of the careful Education of their Children, and take little regard to acquaint them with the things of their peace, and so they will grow up to be an ignorant Generation, that know not the God of their Fathers: and not only for want of being well taught, will they take liberty to rebel against Parental Government; (and it is just, if they teach them not the fear of God, that they be le•t to deny that honour to their Parents, which is due to them by the command of God) but also by their examples, they encourage their Children: for they have no reason to wonder, if they take liberty to themselves, if their Children will do so too, ⟨p. 61⟩and justify themselves in it; thus did they entertain the Prophet with scorn, Jer. 44.17. we will certainly do, &c. as we have done, we and our fathers; hence that caution, Psal. 78.8. that they might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and a rebellious Generation.