A Directory for Youth, Sermon · Remedies 6
Remedies againſt that Youthful Sin of Sabbath-breaking.
I Have ſhewed you how prone Youth is to this Sin, and thoſe that are afraid of pilfering from Man, and robbing their Maſters of their Goods, yet make no Conſcience of pilfering, and robbing God of his time. O what multitudes of Youth make this day to be the day of finding their carnal pleaſures, and recreating themſelves; wherefore to direct you how you may flee this Sin.
1. Conſider God hath ſanctified and bleſſed this day, not only as a day for his own Worſhip, but for his own Workmanſhip, in a new creating us in Chriſt Jeſus; it's a ſpecial day for diſpenſing of Grace and Pardon to undone, condemned Sinners, and ſhould we not then ſanctify it, and keep it holy? On this day, the golden Scepter of Grace and Mercy is held forth, and Proclamation is made of an Act of Oblivion to all rebellious Sinners that ſhall throw down their Weapons of Enmity, and come in, and ſubject themſelves to the Lord Jeſus, that their Sins and Iniquities (however aggravated) ſhall be pardoned, and be remembred no more for ever: and not only ſo, but a Marriage Feaſt is on this day inſtituted to be celebrated, a Feaſt of fat things, wherein the returning Prodigal is crowned with all the expreſſions of joy and honour. Bring forth the fatted Calf, the beſt Robe, the Ring, let Heaven rejoyce, and make merry, &c. O Youth! what are thy Eſau-like morſels abroad in the Field, but as the husks that Swine do eat, to the dainties of a Father's houſe? O the time is at hand, when the crumbs that fall from the Lord's Table, will be more deſirable than all the ſweet meats of Sin, and the Fleſh that thou meeteſt with in thy rambles on God's Holy day: Thou gaineſt a little fleſhly content and merriment, but loſeſt the bleſſedneſſes promiſed in Iſa. 56. 2. Bleſſed [Aſhre there is the plural number] is the man that doth this, that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it. The bleſſedneſs of gracious communion and fellowſhip with the Father, and with his Son Chriſt Jeſus, &c. And who can expreſs the heavenly comfort of that! O would you ever be drunk with Wine? or bewitched with the ſordid pleaſures of the Fleſh? If you had once drank of this high Country Wine, the Wine of Heaven's conſolations. Heark, Young Man, to thoſe that have tryed it, Pſal. 84. How amiable are thy Tabernacles, &c. And ſo the Pſalm runs on, One day in thy Courts is better than a thouſand elſewhere. I ſat down under his ſhadow with great delight, and his fruit was ſweet to my taſte, 2 Cant. 3. But I muſt not enlarge.
2. Meditate upon this, how woful a Sin-Sabbath-breaking is, and how woful a condition Sabbath-breakers are in. To profane the Sabbath, is a Sin of an high nature, it is a vile deſpiſing the Riches of God's goodneſs. Alas! You could not have a Sabbath, but from his aſtoniſhing mercy. Be ſure then, to profane a Sabbath, is a ſurpaſſing Provocation, beyond the Sin of the Devil, who never had the mercy of one day of the Son of Man's afforded him. Moreover it indicates, and ſheweth that you have no delight in God, in his Service, who have no delight in his day, and is thy want of Love to God a ſmall Sin? When it is (as one ſaith) the very heart of the old Man, the badge of Devils, and damned Spirits. And then conſider how woful the condition of Sabbath-breakers is, they carry about them the mark of Death and Hell (as 'twere) in their Foreheads, wherever they go; for it's paſt all doubt, that Sabbath-breakers are under the wrath of God, and in a ſtate of alienation to him, and will certainly periſh if they continue in that ſtate.
O Young Man, ſtrongly impreſs this on thy heart, and ſay, Is this a tolerable condition? Is it wiſdom to continue it an hour longer? O think with your ſelves, what if I had dyed in this Caſe? what had become of me? how exceedingly thou art beholden to the patience of God, that he hath not caſt thee into Hell? The Lord open your eyes, and imprint this Meditation upon your hearts, then you would admire the mercy of a Sabbath, and the proviſions of grace in the Ordinances, and you would loath and deteſt the Tempter, that would entice you to waſte a Moment of ſo bleſſed a Day. Wherefore to cloſe this, I ſhall recite the Teſtimony of a wiſe and learned Perſon *J. Hales.of this Nation, who was (as is noted of him) natus ad exemplar, born to be an Example to others; This Excellent Perſon writing to his Children, (of whom he travail'd in Birth, that Chriſt might be formed in them) he freely opens his mind in theſe following Words. I now write ſomething to you (ſays he) touching the Obſervation of the Lord's day; becauſe I find in the World much Looſeneſs and Apoſtacy from this Duty. People begin to be cold, and careleſs in it, allowing themſelves Sports and Recreations, and ſecular Imployments in it, without any neceſſity; which is an ill preſage, and a ſad Spectacle. He there makes this profeſſion and declaration to them. I have found (ſays he) by a ſtrict & diligent obſervation, that a due obſervation of the Duties of this Day, has ever had joyned to it a Bleſſing upon the …eſt of my time, and the Week that has been ſo begun, has been bleſſed and proſperous to me: And on the other ſide, when I have been negligent in and of the Duties of this Day, the reſt of the Week has been unſucceſful, and unhappy to my own ſecular Imployment: and this I do not write lightly, or inconſiderately, but upon long and ſound Experience.
Here I thought to have given you a quotation of many Inſtances, very remarkable of God's puniſhing the breakers of this Holy Day; but it would ſwell this Treatiſe too big for the Poor to purchaſe it: and there are indeed few Months that paſs, but you have ſad memorials hereof at …yburn of Malefactors, crying out of this Sin, as introductory to all others, and the ſource and ſpring of all their Miſeries.
The next Sin that Youth is addicted to, is Pride.