A Directory for Youth, Sermon · Remedy 1
Remedy or Means againſt youthful Vanity, Raſhneſs, and Inconſiderateneſs.
The Firſt Remedy.
ENdeavor to get, and keep an awful impreſſion upon thy heart all day long, of God's Omnipreſence and Omniſcience: that you cannot flie from him, becauſe he is every where, and that you cannot hide or conceal any thing from him, becauſe all things are naked and open to his All-ſeeing Eye. At what time thou art ready to pour out thy heart in Vanity and Froth, catechize and chaſtiſe thy feathery and light ſpirit, after this manner: Doſt thou now remember thy Creator? Art thou aware of his holy Eye and Preſence? Canſt thou blear and blin… the pure piercing flaming Eye of Heaven▪ What, wilt thou dare to pilfer, ſteal, be undutiful, and lie, while the jealous ſin-revenging God ſtands by? Thus would but Young Men preſentiate the Majeſty, Preſcience, and Omniſcience of God to themſelves, in the midſt of their juvenile Extravagancies, how would it a we and fill their Souls with trembling? one Aſpect of this Eye of God, … able to make the whole Earth tremble, Pſal. 104. 32. He looketh on the Earth, and it trembleth. And Job ſpeaketh of ſome Sinner… the Murtherer, the Thief, the Adultere… that to be ſeen in their Sins, is to them the greateſt terror imaginable. Job 24. 17. … a man (ſaith he) ſee them, they are in th… terrors of the Shadow of Death. Now then young People, I appeal to you, what fear and holy ſeriouſneſs would this work i… you, did you always thus ſet the Lord before you, as David ſpeaketh in the 16. Pſal 8. and at your right hand, then would you? could you? durſt you be ſo vain, fickle, unſtable, toſſed up and down with every puff of windy pleaſures? Oh no, and here let me add this, viz. repreſent to thy Soul, what an Eye it is that ſeeth thee? It may be you may fancy, that God ſees as man ſees. Scripture ſpeaks of Sinners thinking that God is ſuch a one as themſelves, in 50. Pſal. 22. Alas man may ſee, and not ſee, as we ſay, i. e. wink, and connive at thy youthful Sins, and not be at all diſpleaſed with thee: But God's Eye is, (1.) an holy, pure, ſtrict, obſerving Eye; there is nothing can eſcape his knowledge, whereſoever you are, whatſoever you are doing, you are ſtill under his obſervation. Pſal. 11. 4. His Eyes behold, his Eye-lids try the Children of men. Hab. 1. 13. Thou art (ſaith the Prophet) of purer Eyes than to behold Evil, and canſt not look upon Iniquity. That is, canſt not with the leaſt approbation, nay, canſt not without great indignation look upon evil. O vain Youth, remember that an angry, holy Eye is upon thee, in all thy irreligious and vitious Courſes, in all thy furious and precipitate Evil Ways. And then (2.) conſider it is an infinite Eye, comprehending all things paſt, preſent, and to come at once, (uno intuitu.) Many things confound us, we can be intent upon nothing, but in a ſucceſſive way things done many years ago elapſe; and ſlip our remembrance; but it's not ſo with God, with whom a thouſand years are but as one day. See that 139. Pſal. v. Thou compaſſeſt my Path, ſaith David, and o… lying down, and art acquainted with my Way v. 7. Whither ſhall I go from thy Spirit? whither ſhall I flee from thy Preſence? If aſcend up to Heaven, thou art there: If make my Bed in Hell, behold thou art there▪ If I take the Wings of the Morning, and dwe… in the uttermoſt parts of the Sea, even th… ſhall thy Hand lead me, &c. Sure, you… men, this would call in your vain, an… ſtragling thoughts, and unite your carele… Spirits to the fear of God's holy name, di… you believe and remember God's infi… Preſence. There is a Story, of a pious man, have met with, who being deſirous to reclai… an unchaſte Woman, from her lewd a… vile Converſation, took this courſe wi… her, he came to her, pretending to ha… ſome wanton dalliances with her, provide it might be done with all privacy; ſhe the… upon led him from Room to Room, … he ſtill made many ſcruples, leſt at th… Window, or that Key-hole, this crevis, … that cranny, ſome or other might chance … peep in, and eſpy them together; at leng… ſhe brought him to the inwardeſt Room … the Houſe, where, ſaith ſhe, I am confide… that none can poſſibly pry in to diſcove… what we do. Whereupon he told her wi… weeping Eyes, No bolts not bars can kee… out God; no walls nor doors can binde… his piercing Eye; and what will it profit us to ſhun the Eye of man, when the Eye of God is ſtill upon us? Methinks this conſideration ſhould change thy youthful froth and fury into a ſerious gravity and ſobriety; that God's Eye upon thee is never ſhut: the moſt waking Eye among men is at times cloſed, but the Lord never ſlumbereth, nor ſleepeth, Pſal. 121. 4. It was excellent advice, that a Rabbi gave to one of his young Pupils, Three things, ſaith he, I would have thee remember all day long; an Eye that ſees thee, an Ear that hears thee, an Hand that reg… ſters all thy Actions. So would I commend this to you, young people, to cure that natural Levity, and Precipitancy, that your age is ſo incident unto. O remember, and often repeat it to your ſelf, that God is in all places, and not only without you, but in your very Breaſts and Boſom, viewing all your vain Thoughts and Imaginations, and all your vile Luſts and Inclinations: So that if you have a mind to be merry and jolly for the ſpace of an hour, or two, with that Mirth which the Wiſe Man calleth Madneſs; I beſeech you before you adventure upon it, firſt try if you can find out ſuch an hour wherein God's Eye is not on you, and then you have my conſent, to take that hour for that mirth: But ſure I am, no ſuch hour can be found out. And then (3.) conſider that this Eye of God, that is thus holy, pure, obſerving, and infinite, is alſo an Eye of jealouſie and juſtice. If a Husband have a jealous Eye over a Wife, or a Maſter over his Servant, what a curb and bridle is it, to reſtrain the one from filthineſs? and the other from falſeneſs? and if ſo, how much more ſhould the conſideration of his Eye, who hath ſtiled himſelf in the 20. Exod. 5. the Jealous God▪ abate, and tame the wild fierceneſs an… wantonneſs of Youth, eſpecially if yo… poſſeſs your Soul with the deep apprehenſions, that his Eye is an Eye of Juſtic… too, that is, to bring you to Judgment, fo… all your youthful Vanities and Follies. I… this ſenſe, the Prophet Jeremiah explainet… it, Jer. 32. 19. Thine Eyes are upon all th… Ways of the Sons of men, to give every o… according to his Ways, and according to th… Fruit of his d…ings. For God now obſerve you, in order to bring forth all into the la… Judgment; the ſerious thoughts of which made ſuch deep impreſſions on the Heart … Auguſtine, that in his 8th Sermon concerning the coming of Chriſt to Judgment, h… ſaith, Ecce in quo periculo inceſſanter conſide… &c. Behold in what danger I ſtand continually, though I do not continually thin… of it; and the more wretched I, that I ca… forget it: for God always ſeeth me, and a… my Sins: a ſtrict ſentence always awai… me; in this condition I am, when I wake▪ and when I ſleep; when I laugh, and when I am ſad; when I am proud, and paſſionate, ſic ſemper & ubi que thus I am always, and every where. O would but young people, when they are in their brisk and careleſs moods, with this holy man, repreſent it to themſelves, that they are thus in the preſence, and under the Eye of God, who hath appointed a day, wherein he will judge both qu…ck and dead, ſurely it would create a trembling in them. Wherefore in the cloſe of this Rule, let me preſent you with a collection of choice Scriptures, that may be as a continual guide for youth to direct their Paths in the good Old way, how they may be all the day long in the fear of the Lord, and alſo that may be as an Angel with a drawn Sword in their evil ways to reſtrain their ſteps therein. Job 13. 27. Thou lookeſt narrowly to all my Paths. thou ſetteſt a print upon the Heels of my Feet. Job 24. 21, 22. For his Eyes are upon the ways of man, and he ſeeth all his goings: there is no darkneſs nor ſhadow of death, where the workers of Iniquity may hide themſelves. Job 31. 41. Doth he not ſee my Ways? and count all my Steps? Pſal. 11. 14. The Lord's Throne is in the Heavens, his Eyes behold, his Eye lids try the Children of men, and the 139. Pſalm throughout. Prov. 5. 21. The ways of man are before the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings. Prov. 15. 3. The Eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the Evi… and the Good: And in the 11. v. Hell an… Deſtruction are before the Lord, how much more then the hearts of the Sons of men: Jer. 23. 24. Can any man hide himſelf … ſecret places, that I ſhall not ſee him, ſai… the Lord? Do not I fill Heaven and Eart… ſaith the Lord? Darkneſs hideth not fro… him, but the Night ſhineth as the Day. And in the 27. verſ. I have ſeen thine Adulteries, and thy Neighings, wo unto thee, wilt thou not … made clean? when ſhall it once be? Heb. 4. …. But all things are naked and open unto … Eyes of him with whom we have to do. Th… you ſee what abundance of Scriptures the… are of this kind, and there are multitude more, t…nding to the ſame purpoſe; ſure… it intimates to us, that we are not eaſi… perſwaded of this truth, that God is alwa… preſent with us, and beholding of us: ſu… ly the Lord would never urge this ma… ſo often upon the Children of men, … that he knoweth how prone we are to qu… ſtion it; O there is a world of Arheiſm a… unbelief in our Heart about it. Hence y… …ad Pſal 50. 22. Thou thoughteſt I was ſuch one as thy ſelf. Job 22. 13. How doth G… know? can he judge through the dark Clo…. ſo Pſal. 64. 7. They ſay the Lord ſhall not ſ… And Ezek. 9. 9. The Lord hath for ſaken … Earth, he ſeeth not: And they ſay to … Almighty, Depart from us, &c. O the ho… rible, helliſh Atheiſm, that reigns in the hearts of thouſands: Elſe whence is it that a Servant ſhall be afraid of his Maſter's eye, a Sinner of his Miniſter's, a Child of his Father's, and a man of his Child's eye and preſence, more than of the great Jehovah's? O how many declare their Sin as Sodom, neither are they aſhamed; I appeal to you, can you believe that theſe conſider that the moſt high God hath a piercing Eye to eſpy, and a powerful Hand to puniſh the workers of Iniquity? Would Achan have ſtole the Wedge of Gold? or Gehazi took the Reward? or Annanias and Saphira contrived, and told the …ye to the Apoſtle? had they ſeen the Eye of God that ſaw them. O young men, durſt you leave, and neglect your ſinful and miſerable Souls to periſh for ever at that rate you do, did you but live always as in the preſence of God, and as under his all ſeeing jealous Eye? Wherefore I beſeech you practiſe this Rule, if ever you would be delivered from a vain Spirit and Converſation. I have been the longer upon this, becauſe it will be of uſe through all the reſt, which I hope I may diſpatch with a quicker hand.