The sermon discusses a book edited by the speaker, which was originally written by Cotton Mather and Increase Mather in response to the loss of faith among the younger generation in Christian homes. The book contains sermons aimed at addressing this issue and helping parents and young people consider their own faith. Cotton Mather outlines four ways to have a perfect heart, including true conversion, sincerity, obedience, and a heart fixed on holiness. The speaker also gives admonitions to parents to pray fervently for their children and take action, and urges young people to be concerned about their own salvation.

The book that you have in your hand is a book that I edited recently. I brought it back into print because a friend of mine let me have a first edition of this book and I read it in its old version and I was very taken by it. This was probably ten years ago. I always intended to reprint it, to edit it and try to improve the language, shorten the sentences and stuff like that so it was a little easier to read. You'll find it's not absolutely perfectly easy to read.

It's not totally modernized. It's a book that was written in a particular historical context. But the reason that I wanted to bring it to print is because it was really designed for children raised in Christian homes. And what was happening at the time of its writing is that Cotton Mather and his father Increase Mather in 1721 began to be very disturbed about what was happening in the rising generation. The first generation of pilgrims came to America in 1620 and by a hundred years later there was apostasy, there was drift.

And that first generation's faith was being lost. And so at this point, Increase Mather, the father, is 84 years old. Cotton Mather is 58 years old, the son. They've been ministering together, increased Mather had been a pastor for 64 years in Boston. And so father and son gathered together pastors in Boston to preach to the families.

And they delivered sermons on Thursday afternoons. And it was a gathering just like this, with parents and children together. And they preached particularly with an eye to the young people in that crowd. And so what's in this book are sermons by different people. And so in the introduction I explain some of that, that these eight ministers in Boston came together to address these children and their parents and I felt you know there are so many children here they grow up in Christian homes and they've embraced so much of what their parents taught them But sometimes they don't know if it's theirs.

It's not theirs yet. It's their parents. It was a good thing that it was their parents. But there's a point where every young person has to say, do I trust in the Lord Jesus Christ with all my heart? Or is it just my father and mother?

And so these gatherings were designed to help parents and young people to consider this matter together while they were sitting side by side with some of the best preachers in Boston at that time in 1721. So that's what was happening here. Now, the preface is written by Increase Mather, and I just want to tell you a couple of things about the preface. You see this outline in front of you, and I'm just going to work through sections of this book and quote them. And so it's a little bit of an experiment.

So I'd like to stop at various points in the book and point them out, recite some particular quotations that I think might be helpful for us. But when you go to the preface which begins on page 15 it's written by increased matter and he defines what he means by piety in the second paragraph. Piety or the return of a soul to God in his Christ and a godly sober and righteous life led upon it is the whole duty and interest in wisdom of man. The earlier the piety the greater the wisdom and comfort and glory of them that come into it. And so he's speaking of what a glorious thing it is to dedicate your life to Jesus Christ early.

That's really the whole appeal for the book. Turn to Jesus Christ early, as early as you can, because there are many blessings for those who do such a thing. Psalm 63 says it very well, Oh God, you are my God, early will I seek you. My soul thirsts for you, my flesh longs for you in a dry and a thirsty land." This is what every young person needs, turn early. The earlier you turn, the more powerful before God in this world you become.

And the happier that you are as well, and the more comforted you are as well. And so that's his whole point here, is that turning to God early exposes you to the beauties of his holiness and the happinesses of his kingdom. And he's really making an appeal for happiness in this entire book of sermons here. And he testifies there at age 84 about what a good shepherd God has been to him. Imagine this 84 year old man speaking to the young people in the crowd and he quotes Polycarp in the very last paragraph.

He says, as Polycarp was going to die, Gave his testimony that he had served Christ more than 80 years and he always found him a good master So I would now also die Bearing my testimony for him who in my early youth mercifully seized me for himself, and in that and all my pilgrimage I have also found that glorious Lord a good master." Increase Mathers is just looking back after 84 years and he's saying, oh how the Lord has been good to me and what he's saying is if you turn to the Lord early you'll have more good years to look back on you know I the Lord had me turn to him in my early teens, and I've never turned away from him as far as I know. And I'm so thankful. I am so, he is such a good shepherd. And I'm so grateful that he captured me then. But here's the reality, I wish he captured me earlier, even earlier.

But that's what Increased Mather is trying to say here in the preface. So there's this loss of love and holiness and fruit, the original design of the colonies was being lost. And Mather says, when you see the younger generation falling away, does it mean that God will give you a cup of trembling? Does it mean that he'll judge you greatly? He's appealing to the younger generation to turn so that God will not give his people a cup of trembling.

Now I would like to suggest that our nation is drinking the cup of trembling, the cup of insanity right now. And when Curtis Bowers comes up here later I think he'll help us understand that even more clearly. So that's the preface. Now, let's move into the first sermon. And you'll see this outline that I've tried to develop.

I tried to break this first chapter, this first sermon, by Cotton Mather the son. So Increase Mather is 84, he writes the preface. Cotton Mather is 58 years old, and he preaches the first sermon on this Thursday afternoon. And so, you'll see the breakdown here that I've laid it out with. The first thing that he addresses is the blessing of a perfect heart.

He uses this word perfect heart, and it's really important that we understand what he means by that. He says this, early piety is the glorious blessedness. There is an unspeakable passion in the souls of parents to see their children happy. Now, he's talking about Christian parents who look at their children and they say, they look at their children, maybe across the room, maybe very thoughtful, and they say, I know you will never find happiness until you turn to Jesus. I know you won't.

This is the cry of a parent. Every parent has this cry. If you're a young person today in this room right now, just recognize this is how your parents feel. They long for your happiness. They don't want one single ounce of happiness to be deprived from you.

And they know that if you turn to the devil, he will steal and kill and destroy happiness in your life. And they know that you have this idea that somehow there's some happiness in sin and going your own way. They know it's not true. They tried it. It failed and they turned to Jesus Christ.

So in their hearts when they look at you, you need to know how your parents look at you. Do you understand how your parents look at you young people. They look at you and they say, oh, I pray that you would not be denied happiness in turning to the ways of this world. That's how your parents feel. And it's a very urgent and passionate feeling.

Now, let me give you this quotation. It's at the end of the first paragraph on page 21. Oh children, what will make you happy? I'm going to show you. Oh parents, how you may come to see them happy.

Oh set your hearts unto these things, for your life is in them. Give them a great attention. But oh gracious God, Make thou a good impression upon the hearers of them." So now you know, if you have Christian parents, what they think when they look at you. You understand that? This is how they think.

They want you to be happy. And they know where happiness is. What a blessing that is. And so if you turn the page, he says at the very top that a good father wants a happy son. And he says that a good father prays for the son.

He carries him to God. He commits him to God. He entreats God mercifully to take notice of him. This is another thing that your parents are doing. They are begging God to take notice of you, to have mercy on you.

That He would turn your heart. And it's all because you have a good father who wants you to be a happy son or a daughter. And so it's this blessing that parents are seeking. In the third of the last paragraph on page 22, the pious mind of a perfect heart will make blessed children, and parents ought fervently to pour out their prayer unto the God of grace to pour down such a blessing upon their children." And so this is the heart of a parent. So Cotton Mather is telling these children what's going on in their parents' hearts.

I think that's very interesting. And they're all sitting there together there in the room. And then he makes the point that only Jesus Christ had an absolutely perfect heart. But his heart can be your heart. And then after this sort of introductory part, he speaks of how to have a perfect heart.

And that's at the top of page 23. You see through conversion at the top of page 23, that heading, That begins a new section where Cotton Mather gives instructions about how to have a heart that is made happy by God. And so there are four ways that he itemizes here. And the first is, first of all, you must have a real conversion. You cannot have a perfect heart or a happy heart unless you have a true conversion Unless Jesus Christ has converted you from the world and he changes your heart.

He changes your life He gives you a new inclination You no longer want the vanities of the world as he says it and you see the bankruptcy of idolatry and the profane and the bankrupt and the unprofitable things of this world and you see that the kingdom of heaven is a superior kingdom. Jesus Christ offers you a superior life, and that's what happens to your heart when you're converted. You see that he is better than all the other offerings of the world. And then he gives various signs of conversion. You can see the heading there on page 23.

There will be a true conversion to piety, which will reach every faculty of the heart, meaning that true conversion affects everything in your heart. It changes your whole disposition. I remember when I was converted, everything was different to me. The sky was bluer. It was.

The grass was greener. Everything changed. I didn't see anything the same way again. And that's what he's talking about, that every faculty of the heart is renovated. And then he says, a young person brought home to God has his understanding enlightened, His fantasy regulated, his memory purified, his will rectified, his affections brought into order.

He gives up his whole heart to God. And he says, oh let my Savior take possession of every part of my heart. So that's the first step in having a happy and a perfect heart. And then the next is sincerity. You see that at the bottom of page 23 under the heading sincerity.

And he is speaking of a heart that has turned in sincerity. And as a result of the sincerity, there's a true hatred of what offends God to turn away from sin that offends him. And then the third mark of a changed life is obedience to God. You find that right in the middle of page 24. So there's a true conversion and then there is sincerity and then thirdly there is obedience.

And this desire to obey the commands of God, to see the beauty in the God's commands, not to hate them. And then finally, the heart fixed on holiness. That's at the bottom of page 24. He says, we must have you fixed in your holy resolutions with a humble dependence on your Savior. And he quotes Psalm 57 that really explains this heart that's fixed on holiness.

My heart is steadfast, oh God. My heart is steadfast. It's a heart fixed upon God. And so those are the four steps or the four elements of having a perfect heart, a true conversion, true sincerity, real obedience, and holy resolutions. Those are the things that that young people should have if their hearts have been changed.

And then he turns to parents and he actually urges the parents to pour their hearts out in fervent prayer. Godly parents will cry to God, oh that my offspring may live in thy sight. Often parents want to use lots of different means. It's right for parents to use discipline. It's right for parents to use instruction.

But often parents use prayer as a last resort. Their children are going through a hard time. And they think that they would rather just take action to deal with their children directly and personally, which is a good thing, which is right, but they neglect prayer. They are activists and pragmatists and they don't use the greatest weapon against the devil, and that is prayer. And it's something that we diminish.

And I think I would just use this opportunity to say, are you praying for your children? Are you concerned for your children? I've had many parents come to me and Deborah and say, you know, this child is exasperating us, falling into sin, and what should we do? And we find that they haven't really been laboring in prayer. They've used a lot of discipline, and they've used a lot of teaching but they haven't used a lot of prayer.

So Cotton Mather is urging that on page 25. Then he really begins to admonish parents in this next section, in this third section that spans from page 25 to page 32. And he first confronts parents concerning their motivations and what they really want. And he says it, I think, very plainly, parents, what is your main concern for your children? If your main concern is to get the rubies of this world for your children and leave a belly full of this world unto them, it looks very suspiciously as if you yourselves were people of this world whose portion is in this life.

So you can picture this scene there in Boston. The children are there and the parents are there. And now the preacher is confronting the parents. And it's saying, are you worldly parents? You brought your children here.

You say you're so concerned. But you really love the world. He's asking them, do you love the world? And the only thing you really want is some worldly benefit from this. And so he urges parents to examine themselves.

And he says, your own heart is not right in the sight of God if you are not thoroughly persuaded to desire that your children be enriched with a perfect heart, rather for them to be supplied with silver, with gold, or with any perishable riches. You are directed to Matthew 6.33. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you so he makes this confrontation to parents and he first addresses their worldliness then he really addresses their inward disposition. He urges them to grieve over their children. He's saying, are you grieving over your children?

And then he calls them to have compassion on their children. He says, oh, implore this compassion on them. Oh, implore this compassion of your Savior for your children a pious mind would relieve all their maladies would rescue them from all evil spirits and would make lovely and happy children of them. And so then after making these confrontations, then he gives several admonitions. And the first admonition is in the middle of page 26.

Do You see it there? And he admonishes parents to acknowledge that they passed sin onto their children, that they gave them the poison that would destroy them. They have a responsibility because in Adam, sin was passed on. And he says, first I pray, what is that heart which these poor children of yours are born with? And he says it was the serpent that entered our first parents and poisoned them and entered into them.

And so they're by nature children of wrath. And as a result, they're wicked. And he quotes Genesis 6-5, every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And so Cotton Mather urged his parents to recognize that they have a responsibility to deliver their children from their sinful nature by the way that they relate to them. That he calls it this a hereditary distemper through your loins is conveyed.

And he says you ought to do all that you can that the heart of your children be cured of the leprosy. Do all you can. And of course, what does that mean? It means that the word of God is on your lips when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. That you're constantly sowing the seeds of the word of God.

You're constantly casting the bread of the word of God out on the waters. And you're making your home a holy place, a place where the good things of God dwell, so that your children see the goodness of the Lord, that you're making a kingdom that's such a happy kingdom, such a loving kingdom, such a well-balanced and satisfying and sweet kingdom. This is what parents are supposed to do. And so Cotton Mather is saying, recognize you gave them the poison, now you have a responsibility. And you have to take action.

And the admonition in Deuteronomy 6 is all-encompassing. When you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, when you rise up. It's every part of life. That's the responsibility. And then the second admonition is for providing for children.

And he quotes 1 Timothy 5, 8, if anyone does not provide for his own and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. And he's urging parents to make sure that their children are well provided for. And he's not just talking about food and clothing he's talking about everything well provided for children you know the children in in the churches of Jesus Christ should be the very best provided for children in the world because they have parents who have heard this command of God to provide. And he speaks of the heart of the matter they turn to Jesus Christ. The third admonition is found at the top of page 28 that parents don't have rose-colored glasses on with their unconverted children.

That they see the truth that they are in slavery to the powers of darkness and that they should recognize how dangerous that is. He says, being anguished to see them set at liberty, can you see your children falling into the cruel fangs of lions or of tigers and not with agony call for some help unto them? And then he gives these two illustrations, you know, the fangs of lions and tigers and then a fire engulfing a house. They're asleep in a house and the fire is engulfing them. Those are the two illustrations He wants parents to have in their mind regarding the condition of their children And he's urging parents to consider that they would die in their sins because the seeds of eternal death are in our hearts And so he's urging them to take action He says oh if you would not have your children cast into the place of dragons, you must be in pain to get a perfect heart into them.

They are undone, undone until it is done for them. So he's really activating parents to take action. They'll sit back passively, but take action to provide for your children. And then the fourth admonition is at the top of page 29. Fourthly, Where is the perfect heart?

Where does it come from? Who gives it? Surely none but the God of all grace can give it. And he quotes Ephesians 2, 8. It's a gift of God.

You know, love is of God. And everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Every good thing comes from God. A man can receive nothing unless it's given him from heaven. He's saying that only God can save them.

And then the fifth admonition is in the middle of page 29. And he speaks about the necessity of prayer, that we would pour out prayers toward God. And so these admonitions to parents continue on all the way to page 32, But he reminds parents of God's mercy. And he says, our God is willing to bestow the grace of a perfect heart when he has asked for it. Ask and it will be given to you.

Seek and you shall find. He's really encouraging parents to recognize God's mercy. That he does answer the earnest prayers of his saints. So pray. And that remember God is a good father.

He desires to give good gifts. So call on him and don't forget his goodness. Now there's a prayer in here at the top of page 30 I want to read to you. Oh my Father I long I long for it that my children may be thy servants oh my Savior if thou will allow it the descent of thy Holy Spirit upon them will make them so. O my God, let thy good spirit lead them into the land of rectitude." It's a beautiful prayer of a parent.

And it's so critical that prayer is a central matter. You'll notice that in this book, multiple times, the preachers will call for prayer, urgent prayer for children. And he speaks of prayer with two components. First, it's persistent prayer. That's right in the middle of page 30.

He says, oh, plead with a compassionate God as a soul wrestling with Him and weeping in supplications. And say, Lord, I will not let thee go, except you bless the children and put thy fear into them. So that's that earnest prayer. Oh God, I will not let you go. You know, parents often get tired and busy and they miss this blessing for the benefit of their parents or for the benefit of their children.

And he says something I think very profound. He said, you must continue to labor in prayer. Why should you continue to labor in prayer? And here's a reason. And it's very interesting the way he speaks of it.

And I hope it helps us. He says, you should continue to labor in prayer because God might not grant your request soon so because he doesn't grant it soon then you need to continue that's that's his logic But he also makes it very clear that God is good to those who persist in prayer. He says, oh, that you keep sowing in tears. Wait for him. And then he says this, I love this statement, in the second paragraph in page 31.

There will be a month wherein God will find these wild children and make a new creature. There will be a month if God has mercy that they'll turn. And I've seen it happen many times. I've seen it many times in our church where you have a young person and they know they're not converted. They feel it in their heart.

It does pain them. They want to be saved, but they know they're not. But what I've seen in our church with many, many young people, and it gives me hope, there will be a month, there will be a month when they turn, and there'll be a baptism. Just like we had last Sunday. A month came, and a young man was saved.

He heard the preaching of the word he heard some he heard something that some preacher said and his heart turned like that and everybody could see it. I love this phrase there will be a month wherein God will find these wild children and make new creatures of them. You know if you haven't had your month yet cry out to God that this would be the month. It's the month of May, toward the end. Maybe the end of the month of May is your month.

Cry out to God that he would save you now to save you from the unhappinesses and the troubles. Your parents know that the devil wants to deprive you of every happiness. And they also know that the longer you wait, the less happiness you'll have. And then he says, Don't just pray. The second component is to take action.

Efforts must accompany your prayers. That's in the middle of page 31. Speak to them as well as for them. You must restrain them and use all the methods of prudence to keep them from the paths of the destroyer. So pray and take action, do both.

That's what he's saying. And don't just let them go off and be whoever they are, but fill them up with the knowledge of God. He says to command them and to read the word of God to them. He says charge them to shun dangerous company, to forsake the foolish and live and remember the bonds of God that were laid upon them at their baptism. So pour out your heart for them and pull them back from the fires of evil that rage around them.

And then he says to parents, parents you set the pattern, the pattern of goodness, a prayerful and watchful, fruitful walk with God. And then finally, in this last section, he speaks to children. He speaks of children, and then he speaks to parents, and then he speaks to the children themselves. And this last section is primarily directed toward young people, beginning in the middle of page 32. And the whole thrust of this section is this, children, you better be concerned about yourself.

You know your parents are concerned about yourself, you need to be concerned about yourself. And so that's the thrust of it. He says, oh children, you should be as concerned for yourselves as you see your parents are. You ought to fervently, you ought fervently to make your own prayer to the God of all grace for a perfect heart. He says, he quotes James, if anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask of God.

That's what you should do, cry out to God for wisdom. So he's urging young people to recognize that they have a responsibility to cry out to God. On page 34, under the first heading, children pray, he calls the younger generation to pray and how foolhardy it is that young people do not pray. And then he speaks to those who are in rebellion. There are three questions for those in rebellion.

He addresses these people with these words, oh young one, walking in the way of thine own heart. Walking in the way of thine own heart. Walking in the way of thine own heart. Now that's the beginning of all tragedy right there. So he's addressing young people and there are questions, there are three questions that young people should ask and the first is how much time do you have and the answer is You have no idea how much time you have.

You don't know. And so you should turn to the Lord. He says, is not our Golgotha full of graves that reach not under your conversation? How much time do you have? And the second question is, what will be your end?

And he quotes Hebrews chapter 1031. It's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Because God will destroy all hearts that are raised up against him, all hearts that reject him, all hearts that mock at him and delay. So don't delay. And then the third is, how great will be your torment?

He says, if you go on in your trespasses, what wounds will your aggravated impieties expose you to? And he speaks of the torments of hell. And he quotes Proverbs 1, 25, and 26. Because you disdained all my counsel, and would have none of my rebuke, I also will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when your terror comes.

And so he calls young people to consider hell and then to consider heaven and to consider the perfect rest that is promised and how God cures all of your sorrows in heaven, and he takes care of you there. And he gives you everlasting consolation and living water, and he'll satisfy you for all eternity. So he wants to terrify young people with hell and he wants to lure them with heaven. That's what God does. He does set a lure out for you.

Love, joy, peace, patience. He's trying to lure you. He's trying to draw you. He's trying to tell you that there's a better life. He's trying to woo you.

And so He says, he tells you that in heaven all your tears will be wiped away and you'll have everlasting joy on your heads. Because God is kind and he does lay the treasures in front of you to help you to see how good he is. And then finally he says to take action at the very end. And There's a final prayer at the end. But before we get to that final prayer, he says these words, Our Savior bids the man that had a withered hand stretch out your hand.

That's really a call for young people to turn, Lord, stretch out your hand. Instead of making sin, making an excuse, Lord, I cannot make every effort. And then he says, test whether you can pray for a perfect heart with cries that shall pierce the heavens, then test whether that withered hand of yours becomes so enlivened by him as to take hold on his covenant and lay hold on eternal life." The preacher is saying, test the Lord, open up your hand, stretch out your hand, and see if he would take your hand. And then He gives a prayer that every young person should pray as he's stretching out his hand Great God I am willing that thou should be my God Great God thou hast made me willing to be thy servant. Blessed Savior, thou hast conquered my soul, and I am willing that thou should make me righteous and make me holy.

Reconcile the great God unto me, and enable me to live unto him." It's a prayer of the heart of a young person that is willing, willing to come to the Lord. It's at the heart of a person who has stopped thinking that this world holds out any good for them. The world holds out no good for you. This is one thing I am convinced of after being alive several decades The world holds out nothing for you nothing Jesus Christ holds out Everlasting joy He's living water He's bread He's a fountain of life He's the source of every good thing. And that's why young people should turn early.

And so there it is, early piety. Why should you turn? He answers that question here. And so my prayer is that God would give us in our church, not only parents who pray, Because the effectual prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much Please be a prayerful parent cry out for your children. Don't think that your activity is everything Get on your knees And that we would have children we'd have young people who turn early They sense their hearts being warmed and they hold out their hand and they know that God has taken their hand hold out your hand Would you pray with me Lord we thank you for these urgent calls to help us to understand what the world is all about and what life is and what it can be.

The terrors of hell, the pleasures of heaven, the hand stretched out, the grace of God reaching out and taking the hand of a sinner to take them home. Oh Lord, I pray that you would give us much of that here in this church