The Beauty Vigor and Strength of Youth, Part 2
Application.
Is there good Reason why we should Remember our Creator in the dayes of our Youth? Then let my Message to you (O Young Men) this day be accepted. The Reasonableness of my Message I have shewed in several Respects. Did I press you to things that might tend to your hurt, it were something; but I am onelyonly intreating you this day to be kind unto your Souls, and make your peace with God: While the dayes come not, nor the years draw nigh, when ye shall say, I have no pleasure in them.
The Result of all therefore is; Young men, Remember your Creator, by whom it is that you live, move, and have your Being. Forget him not, lest he forget you, but seek him Early, and ye shall find him. Motives hereunto I think very convenient. As,
First, If Honour will sway you,Motive 1. know that it is the Honourablest thing in the world to Remember your Creator in the dayes of your Youth. Is it commendable for a Child to obey his Earthly Father, how much more commendable is it then for us to Obey our Heavenly Father? Shun (O Young Men) the Worlds Ambition, and make this your Ambition (with good Iosiah) to set out betimes; with spiritual Isaac, to give your selves to Meditation while ye are young; with heavenly Iacob, to prize and seek the Blessing, while others in the use of their vain Sports lose it; with King Solomon, to know the God of your Fathers; with righteous Obadiah, to fear the Lord from your Youth; and with Ingenious Timothy▪ to know the Scriptures from a Child. And what a Cloud of young Worthies are here? and are they not Honoured, Renowned and made Famous, and that for their soon beginning? The like will be with you, Young men. Remember your Creator in the dayes of your Youth, and he will Honour you. But alas, how few are the number of these young Branches!
How few are there of the Sons of Wisdom, that being enticed by Men, consent not! But how Honourable is it (I say) for young Men, like Samuel, to minister and serve before the Lord while he was but a Child! and how comely was the Carriage of those Children that sang Hosanna's unto Christ! Contemplate often (Young men) these Looking-glasses; imitate and copy out these patterns and Presidents; Besides, King Edward the Sixth, that Phoenix of his time; that truely Noble Prince Henry, and the young Lord Harrington; with many others, who blossomed as the Almond-tree, betimes.
Secondly,Motive 2. The longer you neglect, the more difficult will the setting upon your Duty be. Much Sloath and Procrastination will at last take away the very Heart and Desire of seeking God; but now, Youth improved, will make the Performance of the Duty more facile. Opportunity improv'd, (sayes one) facilitates every Action and Employment, making a work come off sweetly, smoothly and with facility. It is as the laying of the Knife upon the Joynt, when we would divide the Bone. It is Wind and Tide to the Oars of Industry.
Thirdly,Motive 3. The more Wrath you will treasure up unto your selves, by having more sins to answer for. The sooner we begin, the less we shall have to answer for; but the longer we deferre, the more we shall have to answer for.
Fourthly,Motive 4. Young Men shall come to Iudgement as well as those of riper years: You think that you have a Priviledge by your Age; Youth must have its course, (say some;) they must sow their wild Oats. But now the Counsel of the Spirit is otherwise. In the Morning sow thy Seed, and in the Evening withhold not thy hand, for thou knowest not whether shall prosper. And David doth tie up your untamed Age to the horns of the Altar, saying, That even You must cleanse your wayes, by taking heed thereto according to Gods Word. Think not (I say) because you are Young, you shall be excused: For the dead, small and great shall stand before the Lord, and you that now take your pleasures, know, that for all that, ye shall come to Judgement, and your Pleasures shall have an End. Methinks that Scripture in the 11 of Eccles. v. 9. should cool the Courage of such Young men who go on in their Career to Hell in the midst of their Pleasures. Rejoyce, O young Man, in thy youth, and let thy Heart cheer thee in the dayes of thy youth, and walk in the wayes of thy heart, and in the sight of thine eyes; but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into Iudgement.
Fifthly, You will not Repent▪ that you have call'd God to mind so soon. But thou shalt esteem Gods Grace the more for it; rejoyce in the sense of it, and in Comfort conclude thy Life whensoever God shall call thee hence.
I would fain lay down some Cautions and Exhortations unto the Young Men of this Age, which if observed by them, I am confident would help them much in remembring of their great Creator. But should I doe this, it would make this little Book swell too much, which for the Poor's sake I would prevent; and yet a little too I will venture.
First more generally, have a care Young Men of laying a stress on Parentage, Birth, Education, Civility, and your Natural Endowments: They are all but painted shews of Righteousness, and crack'd Titles to Heaven. Faith comes not by Birth, Generation, or Education; and he who is Gifted, is not alwayes Believing.
But (Secondly) more particularly, I would caution you from these Vices, which tend much to the Corruption of Youth:
First, I would caution you from Love of the World. If any man love the World, the love of the Father is not in him, 1 Joh. 2. 15. O let not the World lye so neer your Hearts, as it did to the Young Man's in the Gospel. You can never Love your Creator so as to die for him, if the World get root in your Heart. Have a care (I beseech you) of preferring the Gifts of God before God himself. All Creatures that the Lord made, he made for Man, and Man for himself: But this is a fearfull Contempt of God and disestimation of his Majesty, when the Creature is better lov'd than God; as Evah for the love of an Apple lost the love of the Lord; and Esau for a Mess of Pottage sold his Birthright; and the Gadarens counted their Swine more precious than the Son of God, Christ Iesus. He that loveth these bodily, worldly, and perishing Riches, cannot love the spiritual, heavenly and eternal Riches. Love not this World,Noli (anima) diligere ea quae sunt in mundo, peribit Mundus, & omnia quae sunt in eo exurentur. Ger. Meditat. because the Devil is the God of it; love not this World, because it cools thy Affections to God and the things of God. Love not this World, because it is the Bird-lime of spiritualAmor rerum terrenarum viscus est spiritualium poenarum. Aug. Punishments; Love not this World, because the Love of the World is Enmity towards God. The Riches in this World are call'd Thick Clay, Hab. 2. 6. which will sooner break the Back, than lighten the Heart. O that I could but disswade Young men from this peccatum peccatorum, sin of Earthly-mindedness. Consider, O young Men, what Solomon sayes of this World, who knew as much as ever any did as to the sweetness of sensual pleasures. Three Advantages Solomon had above others to know the Vanity of the Creature. (1) In regard of his Wisdome, 1 Kings 4. 29, 30. (2) Riches, 1 King. 10. 23. (3) In that he gave himself to make trial and Experience of the Creature: Yet, Vanity of Vanities (saith the Preacher) Vanity of Vanities, all is Vanity.
Five times Vanity. 1. Vanity, not vain onelyonly, but Vanity it self in the Abstract. 2. Excessive Vanity; Vanity of Vanities, Hebraism, superlative, by doubling he signifies most vain, imperfect, uncertain, transitory, void of Content▪ full of Grief. 3. An heap of Vanities; Vanity of Vanities; an Hebraism, and imports most great Vanity. 4. An universal Proposition; all is Vanity. Fugiamus hinc ubi nihil est, ubi inane est omne quod magnificum putatur. Let us flye from this World, wherein is nothing but Vanity. Nihil siquidem a somni Vanitate differt rerum praesentium figura, sive illae tristes sint, sive prosperae: The most excellent Shews of this Life are but Dreams, which may affect for a time, but do vanish so soon as the man awaketh. And this is the first Caution, Love not the World. The Love of the World is an Obstacle that must be removed, where Love to Christ and to thy Soul (Young man) is to be shewn.
Secondly, I would caution you from Evil Company. I know very well, that we are mighty apt to follow a Multitude to do Evil; I know that Youth, above all, is apt to keep Company, especially had Company. And how many have been brought to Ruine thereby?Wirness Thomas Savage that penitent Sinner. Have not many at the Gallowes laid their sins at the Door of bad Company, forewarning all to shun the same, and take Example by them. Every man is as his Company: The Heathen could say, Noscitur ex comite qui non cognoscitur ex se; He is known by his Company, that cannot be known by himself. A Mans Company is as it were a Commentary on his Life. A Company or Multitude (and I pray Young Men do you especially take notice of it) is not the Rule you should walk by, as for doing Evil, so for doing Good. He that doth Good because a Multitude doth it,Non saciendum, quia Multifaciunt. sed quia Bonum ut Bon…m faciunt, aut bene satis mihi sunt pauci, satis unus, satis nullus: August. will also do Evil because a Multitude doth it. We must not (saith Austin) do a good thing because Many do it,Si potenti…res faciunt, non faciunt, sed gaudeo quia faciunt. but because it is Good: If others doe that which is Good (saith he) I will rejoyce because they doe it, but I will not do it because they do it, &c. Keep good Company we must, it is profitable, but we must not make their doing Good as the Grounds of our doing Good. Shun Evil Company; Is it not an hard thing for a Bird to flie away that is taken in the Lime-twigs? Why Evil Company are the Devils Lime-twigs; And what is the Reason that many a man doth continue in Sin, who is convinced of the Evil of it, but because he is held fast in the Bands of his wicked Company?
Thirdly, I would caution you from Pride. This is a Vice which is incident to all more or less, but especially to young men. Converted young men, beware of Pride, for it is that which will rankor all your Graces; know that you are vile in Progress, Egress and Ingress. Unconverted young Men, do you also beware of Pride, for it tends to your hurt, as well as it doth to the other; for that self-conceitedness of yours is that which helps to barre your Hearts against Christ. Young Men, be cloathed with Humility; let every one of us look with one eye upon Grace, to keep the Heart cheerfull; and with the other eye upon Sin, to keep it humble.
Fourthly, I would have young men to beware of Lust, it being their Complexion, Constitution, and beloved Sin; the sin that attends their Age, and therefore so much the more diligence and pains must be taken in the Mortification thereof; and I know not any thing that is so proper hereunto as being moderate in Diet, keeping the Body down by frequent Fastings in private between God and thy own Soul upon that Occasion. Flee Youthfull Lusts, 2 Tim. 2. 22.
Fifthly and lastly, Beware of Hypocrisie. Perhaps the Devil may flatter you, with telling you, That if ye can get the Shape, Figure, and Form of Godliness, it is no matter for any thing else, thou mayst (saith he) go for a Christian eminent enough among men. Ah, but tell the Tempter, It is onelyonly Piety that hath the Promise of the Life to come, and though thou mayst goe for a Christian amongst Men, and seem well enough in their sight; yet know, in Gods sight thou shalt be discern'd; God will one day pull off thy paint, discover thee, and shew thee to the world in thy proper Colours. The very Interiour Intents of thy Soul he knows, thy heart he can read without a Commentary, and those things that are secret, which thou keepest under Lock and Key, he knows; and though thou mayest deceive Man, yet thou canst not deceive God. Deus nee f…llere, nec falli potest.
I should now give some Exhortation, but I cannot, because of being prevented as to that which I spoke before. Remember your Creator in the dayes of your youth: And as Helps hereunto take these, and enlarge upon them your selves.
1. View often the Creation of the World; what Man in the World can forget God, that has himself and the whole Creation to contemplate at any time?
2. Call to mind his signal Favours vouchsafed unto you, in such a Time, at such a Place, among such Company. Can the Begger soon forget that hand which he constantly receives his Alms from?
3. Study the Holy Scriptures. Who can soon forget a holy God, that may read of him every day in the Holy Scriptures?
4. Attend upon the Ministry of the Word. You in London may hear from God every day, and surely cannot soon forget him.
5. Keep good company, and then you cannot easily forget God, because you converse with his Friends; and 'twill be marvel if they do not talk of him sometimes unto you.
I shall conclude with the words of the Text.
Remember now your Creator in the dayes of your youth; that you may be as so many Vessels of Gold for the Prayse and Service of your Maker. Amen.
Oecolampadius de Scriptis suis.
foreign.
foreign.
Si bene quid scripsi, Christo gratate datori:
Si male quid scripsi, noveris esse meum.
FINIS.
End of the text · Thomas Powell, The Beauty Vigor and Strength of Youth (1676)