A Pastors Legacy to His Beloved People, Sermon 5
SERMON V. To Young People.
TO you, I have spoken less, than to others.
You may many years remember what I now say, and charge it to your children after you.
First, Know, Time is a thing of value, next God; and upon the improvement of this, depends Eternity.
Here is a Touch-stone of Wisdome; Is Time well improved? Thou art wise: If not? foolish. Ephes. 5.15, 16. It's the wise, and not fools that redeem the time.
If thou slightest Time, thou forsakest God, Heaven, Soul, Vertue, all felicity.
Carry this in thy heart, Time is my Jewel.
God hath betrusted thee with a day, on which everlasting life depends; thy business is, not in the Even-tide of Life, to prepare thee a blessed state through Life.
Were I to beg one blessing for thee, it should be this, the inhabitation of the Spirit of Grace, creating an improvement of thy time.
Time was of old, pictured with three heads, a Dogs, a Lyons, and a Wolfs; a Dogs, signifying time to come, flattering; a Lyons, time present, Acting; a Wolfs, time past, Biting.
Remember, as Time, so thou usest thy life and lot, if that run out in folly, this runs out in misery; if that runs out in Vertue, this in Glory.
Time, is the Pipe of Life.
When thou comest to value Time, thou beginnest to be a man; while not, thou art dead, while thou livest.
Idleness is Hells treasury, all misery proceeds out of the womb thereof.
Young people, let me at my departure, present you with a …oken, viz. Times valuation. According to thy vain ease now, prepare for intollerable torture hereafter.
Every minute of Time, has the command of regions of blessedness; if that be lost, so will they.
2. Word. Secondly, Believe that now which old Age will surely tell thee, viz. The vanity of this world, and sin.
Oh! that we would turn the prospective of our lives, and see things now in Youth, as Age, the other end, will shew them.
Temptation works by false apprehensions, and the more fumes of a corrupt nature, the falser is the apprehension: Therefore is Youth a time of greater temptation then Age, because their Natures fumes are rampant.
Young man or woman, wouldest thou be miserable or blessed? If the later, believe the Antient, more then the Young; those that have tryed more, then those that have not.
Oh that the counsel could be taken, Eccles. 11.10 Childhood and Youth, are vanity; Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, not bring it to thy heart, as Youth usually does.
How sadly Vanity and Sin is incompast with sighs; sighs beforehand, longing to enjoy; sighs afterwards, repenting that we have enjoyed.
Young man or woman as sure as the Lord liveth, that which is your god now, will ere long be thy devil: Thou art now furious on uncleannes, idle Company, gay Apparel, jovial Meetings, vain Talk, idle Journeys, and carest not though thou sellest God, Heaven, and Soul, for them: All this will be carryed out with groans, and woes, as it's fetcht in with longings, and fury.
Can nothing make thee understand poyson, but a tast; a Sword, but a stab; sin, but sorrow.
Ah, now believe what once thou wilt: Take heed of practising what's exprest, Prov. 5.12, 13, 14. Now while there is liberty, let in joy, and life; let in good counsel.
Thirdly, Wise youth may easily prove angelical in Age, and will triumph in the glory of its opportunity.
Oh the riches of young people! Bona si sua norint.
Oh the wretched lives and estates, of most men in the world, which might in youth, have easily been prevented!
Oh! the Excellencies, Glories, and Felicities lost, which in youth might easily have been obtained.
Men are Bruits in Youth, Monsters in middle Age, and Devils in old Age; whereas they might be men in Youth, vertuous in Age, and divine in old Age.
Oh! the Learning, Vertue, Accomplishments, true, and noble worth, might be attained, if time were from the first, early improved: But habits of vice are early rivetted, in the corruption of Nature, and so made incorrigible.
It's true, wise Youth, has seldom long life, because such are too excellent for this state of things; the world's not worthy of them: But the most spotless of all the Scripture Saints were the young ones. Such as Samuel, Timothy, John; to confute that damnable proverb, a young Saint, and an old Divel.
It were something easie to be like Alexander, for conquest; Scalliger, for learning; Socrates for manners; David for piety, if a man begin betimes.
Let vertue set out if possible, as early as corruption, and not vice have the start of many years, as usually it has; what thou intendest to do, do now in youth; old Age is a palsie hand.
Now take present ease, with baseness, and torment attending; or lively labour, with honour and joy following.
Fourthly, Be sure the favour of God, is the highest wisdom in the world; and without it, all is stark madness.
Take this now in youth, for the ruling maxim of all thy dayes.
Can there be any rest for a weak and single Rebel, before a mighty King, in the midst of a mighty Army?
Either God is not, cares not, or cannot, thou must think, who contradicts him.
To shew that he is, look on the frame of the world; that he cares, look on the Bible; that he can, look on all ages past: Who ever rebel'd against him, and prospered?
If thou art an Atheist, I leave thee to the judgement of the great day; If thou believest a God, he must be a rewarder of good and evil, else he is to no purpose, Heb. 11.6. Psal. 58. the three last verses, Prov. 1.7. The fear of the Lord is the chief knowledge, but fools despise it: so also, Prov. 9.10. Psal. 111.10.
He shall rest that lies on the points of Swords and Spears, more then he can rest, that regards not God, Isa. 57. last v. There is no peace to the wicked, saith my God.
Young man or woman, that chosest impiety, let me tell thee, thou takest sorrow into thy loyns; Chose piety, if ever thou repentest it, let the curse of impious men be my portion.
Remember, I tell thee, there's no wisdom without the fear of God, Jer. 8.9. They have rejected the fear of the Lord, and what wisdom is in them.
Take God's course, for that's sure the wisest.
Fifthly, Let the vigour of thy youth, scorn temptations of vice, prosecute the designs of vertue.
It's a misery of this world, that most fruitions are wrong enjoy'd, and abilities wrong employed.
The powers, and vigour of youth, …re high tallents for good, but corruption has quite depraved them, and turn'd them to be instruments of furious evil.
Learn well to exercise thy youthful heat, and thou art happy for ever; 'Twill be but woe and folly; if spent in the lust of Creatures.
Oh know! all bruitish temptations are but a Syrens voice, that tempts thee into Gulfs and Rocks; They say, Come die, and perish; Come, be vile and base.
Say, oh young man or woman! when thou findest such inclinations, Now the cords of death, and of hell, are upon me.
Say so when thou art tempted to Idleness, ill Company, Wantonness, foolish Talking, spending thy Estate and Time.
Oh! live in a Calling, or thou leavest thy soul perpetually within the sphear of evil; Have something to do besides sin, else thou wilt do nothing but sin.
Prosecute Learning or Excellency, in some way or other of honour, or advantage to thy private, or the publick.
Vigour of youth is a sword; cut thy way to Heaven with it, else will it let out thy heart into Hell.
Sixthly. As thou lovest thy life, exercise thy self unto Godliness.
Be not only vigorous on earth, but unto Heaven; One, indeed keeps much from acting vice; the other changes the nature, and brings Glory.
Oh! lift up thy noble thoughts, so high as God and Heaven; let nothing else take thy raised spirits.
Let Reading, Prayer, and Meditation, have every day a solemn part, and take up all spare hours; Let the court of Heaven be thy constant company, walk frequently, in the Air of Life, be where thy God comes.
Prayest thou not? Then thou sayest, God, I have nothing to do with thee: Readest thou not? Thou sayest, Soul be gone into eternal darkness: Meditatest thou not? Thou sayest, Eternity, I scorn thee: Scornest thou Sermons? Thou scornest the chariots of Eternal Life.
Oh! have some cords upon thy heart for Heaven, as well as Satan has many cords on it fo… Hell.
Mould thy soul for life, not death; Holiness is the mould of happiness.
Seventhly. Lastly, Take heed thou now sowest not many sorrows, and curses, to reap in the whole day of thy life.
Sharp sorrows here, usually follow sins of youth, (whether pardoned, or not) like after-pains.
Pardon…d, as, Job 13.26. Thou writest bitter things against me, and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth.
Unpardoned, Job 20.11. His bones are full of the sins of his youth, which shall lie down with him in the dust.
Thus many in youth, lay up sad treasures of Death, and Wrath, by Rebellion, Uncleanness, Blaspem, Violence.
Remember, thy old Age will find this bitter, which thou now drinkest down as sweet.