Early Religion, Sermon

Early Religion · Sermon

p. 1A Funeral Sermon.

ECCLES. 12.1.

Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy Youth, while the evil days come not, nor the Years draw nigh, when thou ſhalt ſay, I have no pleaſure in them.

VVHEN we ſeriouſly conſider the miſerable and uncertain State of Men ſince the Fall of Adam, how many wide Breaches the Tranſgreſſion of our firſt Parents has made, both for ſpiritual and eternal Dangers to enter in upon us, and yet how ſecure and careleſs Men are of their Danger; it ought to affect our Hearts with a great Tenderneſs, and Pity: but it ought much more to affect us, if we conſider, that of all others Young Men are generally the moſt careleſs, though they are beſieged with more Enemies, and liable to more Dangers; yet for the moſt part they are employed in mean Affairs, that have no Relation to their Happineſs, and are forgetful of their God, p. 2and the deplorable Condition of their own Souls. Secure they are, though they have in their Bodies the Seeds of innumerable Diſtempers; one whereof, when it ſhall be conceived and brought forth, will deſtroy its own Parent: They remember not, that the Clock that is now wound up, and performs its regular, and daily Motions, and goes well, muſt have all its Wheels broken, or, when the Maker pleaſes, run down again. Happy were the Perſons that might put a ſtop to them in their mad Career, or awaken them to ſerious Apprehenſions of their real Intereſt, before the hour of Darkneſs, and the day of Death. It hath pleaſed God, in whoſe diſpoſal are the Lives of Men, by the taking away of one young Man lately from the World, in his freſh and tender Age, to give me this occaſion, (at the deſire of his Acquaintance) to ſpeak to others of the things that immediately concern their eternal State; and how they ſhould, by his Example, be taught in their early days, to repent of Sin, and to prepare for a better World. I hope the ſame God will make this a merciful Seaſon to us, that are yet among the Living; that we may by the memorial of the Deceaſed, be in a continual preparation for that time, when we ſhall hear his Call, and leave the World. And that we may be ſo, let us attend to the grave Counſel of this Preacher, the wiſeſt of Men; that after a long Experience of all that had but a ſhew of Pleaſure, or was accounted worthy to be loved by the Sons of Men, reap'd nothing but Vexation, and Bitterneſs, and a ſharp Remembrance; and therefore concluded, that it was moſt uſeful, and expedient, to guard the Mind againſt thoſe Follies, and betimes to remember God.

In the former Chapter, having explained what were p. 3the Comforts, and Happineſs of Life; Verſ. 7 that the Light was ſweet, and that it was a pleaſant thing for the Eyes to behold the Sun; i.e. to enjoy a proſperous, unafflicted State, and all that our Hearts can well deſire: Yet he tells us, that, though we live many Years, Verſ. 8 and rejoyce in them all; yet we ought to remember the Days of Darkneſs, for they will be many. After we have ſatisfied our Appetites with all that is delicious and grateful, we muſt retire into the next World, and dwell for a long time in the gloomy Chambers of the Grave. Then he upbraids the Follies and Neglects of Young Men, that are immers'd in ſenſual Delights, not thinking of the Day of Judgment, and that great Account that muſt be made hereafter at the Bar of God. And the Preacher concludes his Sermon of the Unſatisfactorineſs and Vanity of all ſenſual, tranſitory Things, with this ſerious Application, Remember thy Creator now in the days of thy Youth, &c.

In which Words, we may obſerve,

1. The Duty it ſelf, To remember God.

2. The time when it is to be practiſed, Now, in the days of Youth.

3. The reaſon of this neceſſary Work; The evil days will come, and the Years wherein we ſhall have no Pleaſure.

And theſe together afford us this plain Propoſition.

We ought in our early days, before the Approaches of old Age, to remember God.

In the explaining of which, I ſhall endeavour to ſhew you;

p. 4I. What is meant by the Remembrance of our Creator.

II. Why we are engaged to this.

III. What ſhould move us to do it in our early Days.

IV. What Rules we muſt obſerve, that we may attain this early Remembrance.

V. What will be the good Conſequences that will accompany the Practice of ſo great a Duty.

Firſt, IWhat it is to remember our Creator. It is in all our religious and civil Actions before others, and in ſecret, to have an awful, reverential Senſe of God upon our Souls; to acknowledg his rightful Dominion over us, and all our Actions; to contemplate with delight and wonder, the various efforts of his Goodneſs, and his innumerable Favours; to be mindful of his Auguſt Preſence, and to attempt nothing that is mean, or ſordid; as knowing we are under the ſight of his jealous Eye, His that ſees us in all our Retirements, and Solitude, that ponders our Steps, and has all our private Thoughts, our Words and Actions on Record; to love Him with a ſupream cordial Affection; to hope in his Promiſe; to chuſe him alone as our moſt laſting, valuable, chief Good: To imitate (as far as we can) the Loyal Angels, that ſurround his Throne in Poſtures full of Reverence and Submiſſion, that wait to know his Command, and when 'tis once revealed, delay not, but with a ſwift Motion, execute his Pleaſure: To obſerve his Laws; to celebrate his Praiſe; to, acquieſce in all his Dealings, and Procedures with us; to think of Him with the moſt elevated p. 5Apprehenſions; to mount as high as we can in our Contemplation of his glorious, adorable Excellencies; and then to deſcend and lie low in the humble Senſe of our ſhort, ſcanty, Thoughts; to make Him the conſtant, delightful Object of our Meditation. This is to remember God, and is the ſame with being truly Religious, the mark of all ſincere, holy Perſons; whereas, to forget him, is to be wicked, and to bear the ſtamp of Hell. Pſal. 9.17.

II. The ſecond thing in order, is to ſhew what Engagements we are under to remember our Creator.

Firſt, 1All the Faculties and Powers of our Souls are given us to this end and purpoſe. The great Creator of the World, has made all things for himſelf, Prov. 16.4.Prov 16:4and us much more, who as far exceed all inferiour Creatures, as Angels do Men, and the Sun the leſſer Lights. He has beautified our Natures, with ſo many Reſemblances of his own glorious Perfections, that we cannot look upon our Frame, but we muſt view the fair Draughts of a kind and skillful Hand; and when we ſee that they exceed all the beſt Eſſays of Art, conclude, they were drawn there by the Finger of the Lord, who is upon this account worthy to be remembred. Our Creator has endowed us with a ſprightly Vigor, and a Power of moving beyond all ſenſible exteriour Things, that we may paſs theſe by as too inglorious and mean for our Conſideration, and that when we ſee the World even in its beſt Cloaths and Furniture, in all its Pomp and Splendor unable fully to content our Thoughts, we may with a generous Diſdain, act like the Spectators of a better Place; and ſoar as on Eagles Wings from theſe low Regions of Unquietneſs p. 6and Fear, to the Seat of that one ſolid and eternal Good, who can alone ſatisfy the boundleſs Deſires of the Soul, and ought to be the firſt Object of our Choice. Have we a Spirit that is in its ſublime Nature, not only allied to Angels, but to God himſelf? and ſhall we forget our honourable Kindred, or fix our Minds on theſe Vanities below, when we have a Being that is all beautiful and lovely to think upon? Our thinking Powers, and our Affections ſtream'd from his everflowing Goodneſs; and therefore ſhould, like the Rivers that owe their Being to the Sea, make haſte to paſs through the Earth, and return again thither. Wherefore have we this Living immaterial Subſtance, this glorious Inhabitant in our earthly Tabernacles ſent from yonder World, but that it may be mindful of its illuſtrious Deſcent, of the Author of its Being, and ſtrive to ſhake off its Chains, and to return to that happy Land again? Wherefore are we aſſigned our abode here, but to be the humble Spectators of our Maker's Wiſdom, and to yield him Praiſe? and that while we ſee the World enriched with ſo many wonders of the divine Power and Goodneſs, we may contemplate, and adore the Creator of it? Our heaven-born Spirits are deſign'd for a nobler Work than to gaze upon the ſmall glimmering Appearances of Good and Pleaſure here below; and when we ſee all Sublunary things changing with a continual Viciſſitude, ebbing and flowing, and ſcarcely for one day the ſame; we ought to fix our whole Aim on him that is unchangeable, Heb. 12.9.Heb 12:9on him that is the Father of our Spirits, that when the diſeaſed, crazy World ſhall give up the Ghoſt, will inſpire them with Life and Health, 1 Cor. 7.31.1 Cor 7:31that will cloath them in new Robes when the Faſhion of theſe preſent things p. 7ſhall paſs away; and when this cheating fallacious Earth, Pſal. 102 26.Ps 102:26and the viſible Heavens themſelves ſhall wax old, and like a Veſture be changed. Shall we not remember our Creator, when we have innumerable Inſtances of his Munificence and Bounty? we are warm'd with his Beams, ſee with his Light, and ſhall we either ſhut our Eyes againſt him, or turn them to meaner Objects, when we have him always to look upon?

Beſides this, the very Frame of our earthly Dwelling, which is ſo well fitted for all the noble Uſes and Operations of the Soul, ſhould engage us to remember that wiſe Builder, that has in fair and legible Characters, ſet his own great Name upon it; ſo that he that runs may read there the wonderful Wiſdom, and the Power of God. This was the Employment of the Royal Prophet (of all others moſt devout) when he conſidered, that he was fearfully made, Pſal. 139 14.Ps 139:14he breaths out the Deſires of an Heart enflamed with ſincere, Love; O God, when I awake, Verſ. 18.I am ſtill with thee. As ſoon as ever Sleep left his Eyes, they were lifted up to Heaven, and his Breaſt was filled with new Meditations of the great Wiſdom, and the Power of God. The Soul of Man (as **Dr. More in his Antidote againſt Atheiſm. ch. xi. p. 61.one obſerves) is as it were a compendious Statue of the Deity; her Subſtance is a ſollid Effigies of God; And therefore as with Eaſe, we may conſider the Subſtance and Motions of the vaſt Heavens on a little Sphere: So we may with like Facility contemplate the Almighty in this little Medal of God, the Soul of Man.

Secondly, 2The Care that our Creator takes of us in this World, ſhould engage us to remember him. When he thought fit to tye the Marriage-knot between p. 8Martal and Immortal, the Body and the Soul, like an indulgent kind Father, he before-hand provided all Accommodations that might be for the mutual Comfort of the loving Couple: and is it not fit we ſhould remember ſo great a Benefactor, ſo kind a Friend? He is our Landlord, we his Tenants, that hold all that we have on his Grant: and ſhall we not acknowledg his Dominion and Soveraignty, and pay him with delight this ſmall and eaſy Tribute? His Love to us ſurpaſſes the Love of Men or Women. He lets us ſtill abide in theſe Houſes of Clay, though we run behind, and fail in the payment of that Homage he requires; He bears our Affronts with Patience, he tries us yet longer, whilſt we (ingrateful Cratures!) can find in our Hearts to put off our beſt Friend only with good Words, with fair Promiſes and vain Delays. He prolongs our Days, and gives us more time, when his Juſtice might ere this have ſeiz'd upon us for our Arrears, when we deſerved to be caſt into an eternal Priſon, and to be turn'd out of this World, and Heaven both at once. We are fed with his Bread, clothed with his Wool; all our Enjoyments, our Friends, our Health, our Peace, are his Gift; and ought we not to remember the Donor of ſo many Mercies? If the Rain and the Dew moiſten and refreſh the Ground, 'tis for our good; if the Birds of the Air, and the Beaſts of the Field are maintain'd by the conſtant Supplies of his Providence, 'tis for us: So that all the Creatures, the Fowls of Heaven, the Fiſhes of the Sea, the Sun, Moon, and Stars, that are the Lamps hung upon the Roof of our Dwelling, to make our Lives the more ſweet and comfortable; nay, the Day and the Night, and the ſeveral Seaſons of the Year utter their Voice, Pſal. 19.2.Ps 19:2and early p. 9and late call upon us to remember God. The Language of all our Mercies is this, that our Creator, and their Parent is worthy to be lov'd, and thought upon. And if ſome of the Eaſtern Nations paid their early Devotions to the Sun, **V…ſſius, de origine & progreſſu Idololatriae. lib. 2. cap. 2.becauſe of its Greatneſs and Splendor, and Uſefulneſs, in cheriſhing and ripening the Fruits of the Earth with its kindly Beams, becauſe of its refreſhing Heat, and Comfortable Light. How ſhould we conſecrate the Morning of our Age to God, who made that ſo bright, ſo uſeful, and ſo glorious a Creature as it is; and is much more by his favourable Influences to every one of us, than the Sun is to the World? He that has been long ſick will remember the Phyſician, by whoſe Skill, and good Advice he obtain'd a Cure. He that has by the help of his Friend: been freed from a long and tedious Captivity, will all his days, with a thankful Heart, remember that Friend. The Pilgrim will remember him that gives him Entertainment in his Travel; the Poor his Benefactor; And ſhall not we then remember our Creator? who when we were fallen among Thieves and Robbers among the ſavage Inhabitants of the miſerable Place, who had left us, as they thought, for dead, having ſtript us of our Innocence, ſent his own Son to heal our Wounds, and to cloath us with the Garments of Salvation? When we were by our own Folly like to languiſh all our Days in Bondage, and a dark, mournful State, he ſent the Angel of the Govenant to ſtrike off our Chains, and to yield us ſo much of heavenly Light, that we might both ſee who it was that ſet open the Priſon Door, and where the way lay that would conduct us to a better place. When we had ſold our ſelves, he bought us again at a great and dear p. 10Price, 1 Pet. 1.19.1 Pet 1:19The Blood of his own Son: When we were poor, he open'd the Treaſures of Heaven to make us rich, and to ſupply our Wants. How frequently then ought we to remember ſuch a God, that when we had turn'd our ſelves out of Happineſs, was willing to ſheath his flaming Sword, and to let us enter into the Joys of a better Paradiſe, than that which was the Seat of our firſt Parents? That ſent us the News of Pardon, when we were condemn'd by the Sentence of the Law, even when Satan was leading us away to Execution, and when we deſerved to dy?

III. The third General to be ſpoken of, is, to ſhew what neceſſity there is that we ſhould remember our Creator now in the days of our Youth. And this will be evident, when he have conſidered thoſe two things.

Firſt, 1We know not but before the days of old Age, Death may cut us off. There be many Young Men that are now paſt all help, and have ſet in Darkneſs, that might have been ſhining among the Stars above, had they not been over-perſwaded by the Devil, to neglect their God, through the hopes of a long and eaſie Life; that would never believe they were in danger, till it came like an Armed Man; never believe they ſhould leave the World, till they were ſeiz'd with the laſt Agonies and Pains of Death. We are now in Health, but do we know how ſoon a mortal incurable Diſtemper may ſeize upon us? We are now travelling on the Road, but do we know when we ſhall arrive at our long home, and conclude our Journey? Now we are in the number of the Living, but ere long we may increaſe the number of the Dead, and add ſome Unites more to the Weekly Bills. We ſhould p. 11remember our Creator now, for the next Moment is not our own; our Life is a Dream, or Viſion of the Night, Job 20.8Job 20:8that is poſſeſt with ſtrange Deluſions; that when we awake to a ſerious Thoughtfulneſs of what is our real Intereſt, paſs away, 1 Chron. 29.15.1 Chr 29:15and are not remembred with Delight any more. Our Days on Earth, are as a Shadow that will vaniſh, when the Sun is either gone down, or when 'tis wrapt in the Mantle of a thick Cloud. Though we are now at eaſe in theſe Cottages of Clay, yet we are here only by Permiſſion, and during the Pleaſure of our Lord: but when our Leaſe will expire, or the day of our Departure come, we know not. Heb. 9.27.Heb 9:27It is by the unalterable Decrees of God appointed for us all once to dy: but we that are forbidden to pry into the Arcana's of his ſecret Counſels, know not when that Statute, that was made becauſe of our Sin, ſhall be put in Execution, and take both our Lives and Goods away. Now we have pitch'd our Tents, but are not certain when the Orders will be iſſued out for us to remove into another place. Now the Body and the Soul, like two loving Friends, dwell in Peace together; but they muſt part, one into the Grave, and the other into a Country that is at a far diſtance, which we never ſaw. We are Citizens here only by the Grant of our Creator, and while we flatter our ſelves, as if the Priviledges and Immunities of this bodily State were long-liv'd, he may take away our Charter. We are Pilgrims wandring to and fro, but with his Paſs, and he alone knows how long it ſhall bear its Date. It is time for us all now to remember God; for in the midſt of all the Pleaſures and Delights of Life, we are near to the Sorrows of the Grave. Our Souls muſt go when he calls; and how ſhall we be p. 12able to look him in the Face, if we ſhould be cited to his Bar, while we remain in a careleſs, delatory Poſture? Let none then ſay, That on the Morrow, or in the next Week, or the next Year, I will remember God; for your Thoughts may periſh, and you may be dead before. While you linger, the Cloud that is but ſmall at preſent, may ſwell into a hugh bulk, and diſſolve in a mighty Storm; while you are idle, the Glaſs runs; and ere long the Clock that warns you to ariſe betimes, and mind your God, and your Souls, will ſtrike its laſt, and then the door will be ſhut. We ſhould ſpend our Youthful Days in a ſerious delightful Contemplation of the Deity, in a vigorous quick March to the Land of Glory; not knowing but in one minute, in one hour more, Death with his large train of Terrors may beat up our Quarters; and, vvhile vve ſuſpect no ill, carry us captive to the dark Priſon of the Grave. None of us have received a Protection to ſecure us from the Arreſt and Violence of a ſudden Death.

As the ten Virgins were called in their ſlumber, Mat. 25.5, 6.Matt 25:5Matt 25:6and at Midnight; ſo God has neither promiſed, nor is obliged to ſend us a Summons by a long tedious Sickneſs, or by ſharp Pains, before we make our Appearance at his Tribunal, where we ſhall by an irrevocable Sentence be adjudged to Bliſs, or Woe. If we then hope for a place in Glory, we muſt now remember God. The Work, if we expect Eternal Happineſs, muſt once be done, why ſhould it not then commence in our beſt time? ſuch is the time of Youth. If we delay to another ſeaſon, are we ſure that will come? or that we ſhall not be called out of the Vineyard, when we thought to have wrought out our Salvation with fear and trembling? 'Tis fit our Eyes ſhould now be fixt on our Creator; p. 13for we know not how ſoon theſe Windows will be ſhut in, and a thick Night of Darkneſs come upon us. When we think our Mountain ſetled on durable Foundations that will not be removed, an Earthquake may come and throw it, and us both, out of our place. We may be on the brink of Ruine when we think it is far off. So has many a Ship ſail'd with a proſperous and favourable Gale (the Mariners rejoycing) till it immediately ſplit upon a Rock, and was daſh'd in pieces. While we go fearleſs along, our earthen Veſſel may by ſome unexpected Accident fall and crack; then all our hopes of long Life will be as Water ſpilt upon the Ground, and not be fit for ſervice any more.

Secondly; 2We ought to remember our Creator now in the days of our Youth; for when the evil days, the days of old Age come, it will be difficult, if not impoſſible, to perform well ſo great a Work. By delaying, we twiſt much harder the Cords of our Iniquity, which now might be ſuapt aſunder with an eaſy labour. If we now ſurrender to the Devil, and once give him Poſſeſſion, he will ſcarce be forc'd out again with all our after Pains. Is it now ſo laborious an Enterprize to conquer Sin? and will it not be much more ſo, when it ſhall by our Neglect and Forgetfulneſs of God, obtain freſh Auxiliaries, and Supplies even from our own Garriſons, and fight againſt us with greater Violence? If one ſingle Sin put a ſerious Chriſtian, when he is young, and moſt fit to manage the ſpiritual Armour, to ſo much Pain and Trouble, to ſo many ſad Hour's Tears and Prayers; to how much greater Labor will they be expos'd, that ſhall have as many Sins to combate with, as the Hours, the Days, and the Weeks they have lived on Earth? If we find it difficult p. 14to wreſtle with theſe Enemies in their Infancy, how do we think to gain the Victory, when they are grown to a full Stature, and a more formidable Power? Have we not long enough already ſlighted the juſt and equitable Laws of God? or ſhall we in deſpite of all his Warnings, the Motions of his Holy Spirit, and the Checks of our own Conſciences ſtill be rebellious, and do the ſame? They that begin ſooneſt are but hardly ſaved; and do we think to accompliſh our Journey well, though we ſet out for Heaven but in the Evening of the Day? Do we think to be Candidates for Glory at laſt, if till the Night come we ſpend our Strength in the way that leads to Ruine? Is it not better to quench the Fire at the firſt, than to ſtay till it grow to a mighty Flame, and ſcorn all the Methods we can uſe to quench it? Is it not better to ſeek an Antidote againſt that Poyſon, which we have imbibed, becauſe it was pleaſant, and gilded over, than to ſtay till it ſeize our vital Parts, and our Caſe will admit of no Remedy? Is it prudent or ſafe, not to endeavour to act our part well till we are juſt going off the Stage? not to think of walking in the ways of God, till we are taking our laſt Step, and which will ſet us within the next World? Do we expect to take our Voiage well in Winter, when we have by our Careleſsneſs let the Summer Seaſon paſs away? Do we think when our Eyes are blind with Age, that we cannot find our way from home without a Guide, that we ſhall be able in the midſt of Darkneſs to find our way to Glory? Or that when our Hands will be ſeized with a trembling Palſy, that we can lay hold on Eternal Life? 1 Tim. 6.12.1 Tim 6:12What Benefit ſhall we have by the Manna that comes down from Heaven, if p. 15we cannot go out, and gather it, though it be ſcattered at the door of our Tent? Do we think to call upon God well, when we ſhall hardly have Strength enough left to tell our Friends that we are ill; Eccleſ. 12.2.Eccl 12:2or to fetch a Groan, when the Clouds return after the Rain, and when one Trouble is hardly gone till a worſe come? Can we draw Water out of the Wells of Salvation, when the Silver Cord will be looſed, Verſ. 6.and the Pitcher broken at the Fountain? Do we think we ſhall be pleaſing to God, when we ſhall be tedious to others, and weary of our ſelves, and have no pleaſure in the Years of our Life? Or, can we believe that when we have been all our days crippled with Sin, he will for our Cure work Miracles; or when we have ſcorned his Ambaſſadors in ordinary, that he will give Commiſſion to his Angels to treat with us, or to deſcend upon the Waters? Can we expect a plentiful Harveſt at laſt from that Ground, which we have ſuffered toly untill'd; and which like the Field of the Sluggard, will be all grown over with Thornes, Prov. 24 31.Prov 24:31becauſe we did not through the fear of ſome little Trouble, in the proper Seaſon, throw Seed upon it? Few arrive in old Age to be famous Artiſts or good Scholars, that did not begin to learn, and practiſe the Rules of Art long before; and do we think to be well skilled in the matters of Religion, and to learn our Duty towards God, when all our Strength is gone? When our Ears will be ſtopt from the Exerciſe of their proper Office; when our Eyes ſhall ſcarce ſee to read, and our Memories ſhall be weak and frail? How ſhall we receive Inſtruction, and remember God, when it may be we ſhall forget one day the Actions and Paſſages of the former? If we ſtouriſh not in his Courts now, we p. 16cannot hope to bring forth Fruit in old Age; Pfal. 92.14.or when the Froſt or ſharp Weather comes. Do we think we ſhall be a ſweet ſmelling Savour in the Noſtrils of God when we offer him the torn, Mal. 1.13.Mal 1:13the maimed, and the ſick, our feeble languiſhing Deſires, when we ſhould have devoted to his Service the firſt-born of our Thoughts? Will he accept the ſmall Remainders and Gleanings of the Vintage, when we have offered our firſt Fruits, our beſt and early days to the Fleſh, the Devil and the World? Would that Perſon meet with a pleaſing Entertainment, who after he had long fought in the Army of a Rebel, ſhould come at laſt to lay himſelf at the the Feet of his own Prince, when he is maimed and decrippit, and not any more fit for Service? or rather would he not meet with ſevere Frowns and Checks, and be ſent away with ſuch Language as this, Go Traitor, go, and receive thy Wages of thoſe for whom thou haſt brought upon thy ſelf my juſt Anger, and a large train of Miſeries. And will not the glorious God (who is more tender of his Honour than earthly Kings of theirs) caſt us off hereafter; if we ſhould think to find Favour in his Sight, after we have ſerv'd in the Wars of Satan, and done all we could againſt him, would he not ſay, Go now to you Sins, to your ancient Maſters, the Devil and the World, and ſee what help they will now give you, whom you choſe to ſerve rather than Me your proper Soveragn? Now indeed our Creator calls, but if we delay much longer, he may go away in wrath, and not return again. Now he waits to ſee if we will repent; but ere long his Hand will take hold of Vengeance, Deut. 32 41.Deut 32:41he will whet his glittering Sword, ariſe to vindicate his Honour, and not extend his Scepter p. 17any more: Let us think of our Creator now, leſt we mourn at laſt when our Fleſh and Bodies are conſumed, Prov. 5.11, 12, 13.Prov 5:11Prov 5:12Prov 5:13and ſay how we have hated Inſtruction, and our Heart deſpiſed Reproof, and have not obeyed the voice of our Teachers, nor inclin'd our Ear to them that inſtructed us? If we ſin away the days of our Youth, in old Age God will diſregard our Cries; nor will he at our Deſire make our Sun ſtand ſtill (as it did once in the Vale of Gibeon) till we have conquered all our ſpiritual Enemies. Let us now then remember our Creator whilſt we may do it with Comfort, and with Hope; and not ſtay till we be environ'd with Swarms of vexatious Thoughts and hideous Reflections, that will continually ſting our forſaken guilty Souls. If like Eſau, we hunt all the days of our Strength after Pleaſure, when we come home at Night, that is, arrive to old Age, we ſhall be deprived of all our Hopes, and meet with a miſerable Diſapointment; for thoſe that ſerved their God firſt, though they were yonger than we, will carry away the Bleſſing which is not to be recovered, Heb. 12.17.Heb 12:17for though we ſeek it as he did carefully with Tears; yet we may like him find no place of Repentance: then we ſhall be baptiz'd in our own Sorrows, and called by our proper Name, Fooliſh Children; our Sins, our Burdens are already great enough; let us not then cry for more Weight, unleſs we deſire to be preſs'd down to the lower Hell.

IV. The fourth General is, to ſhew what Rules are to be obſerved, that we may remember our Creator in the Days of our Youth; and they are theſe following.

Firſt; 1We muſt endeavour to purge our Souls from an over-great Affection to the Body, and to things that only p. 18gratify the Senſes. If we pore much on theſe earthly things, ſuch Vapors will ariſe thence as will eclipſe our Sight of God, and make the Candle of the Lord within us to burn with a faint and weak Light: As in the Grave there is no Knowledg, Eccleſ. 9.10. Iſa. 38.18.Eccl 9:10Isa 38:18no Wiſdom, neither do they celebrate and praiſe God; 'tis a Land of Forgetfulneſs where the Inhabitants have no Senſe, no Remembrance; ſo is the Caſe of thoſe young Men that are too much intent on worldly Pleaſures, they are buried alive, the Body (as the Platoniſt ſpeaks) is made the portable Sepulchre of the Soul, and 'tis no wonder if ſuch, like Perſons in their Graves, have no Remembrance, no lively Thoughts of God; their beſt and upper Chambers are taken up with ſo many various Pleaſures that they have no room left for this more honourable Gueſt. If we would remember our Creator in the Days of our Youth, we muſt be temperate, and chaſt and ſober, and reſtrain our Paſſions; and when our ancient Pleaſures come in a flattering Dreſs to court our Hearts again, we muſt ſcorn their Motions, and tell them that we now reſolve to contemplate God alone, that will afford us more noble, valuable Joys; for as to all worldly things, they are both ſeen and gone in a very little time, they are in continual Motion, and like a Veſſel at Sea, which the People on the Shore ſee a little while dancing on the Waves, and immediately after 'tis with a ſwift Courſe caried out of their Sight. It will be neceſſary to this Remembrance of our Creator, that we duly govern our Appetites, and improve our time in the purſuite of more generous and ſublime Pleaſures than of thoſe, that have a Relation only to the Body: far from this heavenly Temper are they that eat and drink to exceſs; and then, p. 19inſtead of remembring their Creator, curſe him in their Hearts, as Job feared his Children would do, when they feaſted in their Houſes every one his day; Job 1.5.Job 1:5and not only ſo, but having over-charged themſelves, they vomit up their Reproaches againſt the holy Religion of our Saviour, and his bleſſed Precepts: nor is it to to be wondred at, that they are alſo forgetful of their God, who it may be ſpend more time in reading of Plays, and Romantick Hiſtories, and the Adventures of feigned Heroes, than in reading of the Bible, that would teach them to remember God, and inſpire them with none but lawful Paſſions, ſuch as have reigned in the Breaſts of thoſe worthies, who have endured all imaginable Dangers, with a valour more than human, for the Love they bore to their Creator, and who well deſerve our Imitation. Nor are they leſs unmindful of God who are much addicted to ſinful Games and Sports, where the Devil often is the greateſt Gainer, and at which they for a Trifle, throw their Souls away; and ſuch alſo deſerve no better Character that ſpend more time at their Glaſs, than on their knees in Prayer. That are more concerned if a Wig or a Crevat ſit wrong, than for all the interior Blemiſhes and Diſorders of the Mind; that are more obſervant of the Rules of Civility, than of the Laws of God, though both theſe might conſit well enough together: Such alſo cannot be ſuppoſed to be mindful of their Creator, that uſe a greater Care to be affable and courteous in their Behaviour, than to be holy in their Lives; tho, when duly limited, an agreeable, chearful Converſation, and an upright Heart before God are things greatly neceſſary for the Comfort of Life, and the Honour of Religion. I delight not to inſiſt upon the p. 20Miſcarriages of Youth, God knows they are too many; nor will I enlarge upon the Crime of ſuch, that in their Health, conſult their Taylor more than their Divine; and while they ſtrive to cloath their leſs valuable part in a genteel ſplendid Habit, have their poor unregarded Souls full of Ulcers and Putrefaction, and void of Grace. This too great Affection to the Body, and the ſenſual Life darkens the Glory of the Mind, and the intemperate, luxurious Perſon to uſe the Compariſon of Maximus Tyrius upon this Subject, Diſſert. xxviii.Is troubled with a Vertigo in his Head, and like one that has drunk too much Wine, he is not far from Madneſs, but that now and then he recollects himſelf, and uſes a little Reaſon, but by and by that Light is quench'd, and he reels to and fro again, as one left in the Dark, and in a ſtrange Place. Thus he is loſt as to all wiſe and ſober Conſiderations; and 'tis no wonder if he who has forgot himſelf, forget his God, or that he, who is not Maſter of his own Thonghts, have not the ſenſe of his Creator there. When the Manhood is drowned, 'tis no wonder that we ſee not the Religion floating on the Water. With theſe ſenſual Delights are Young Men too often charmed aſleep: And then like Perſons in a Dream, they cannot govern their own Spirits, which will often be poſſeſt with the meaneſt, inconſiderable things. The Philoſophers (as one obſerves) To ſeparate the Mind from things ſenſual, Smith's Select Diſc. p. 11.deviſed Mathematical Contemplations, whereby the Souls of Men might ſhake off their Dependency on Senſe, and learn to go alone, without the Crutch of any ſenſible, or material thing to ſupport them, and ſo be a little inured, being once got above the Body, to converſe freely with Immaterial p. 21Natures. So ſhould we learn to ſeparate our Affections from what is preſent, and to let them frequently take their Flight to the Heaven above, the Throne of God; the ſight of which we loſe, when we bring upon our ſelves the Puniſhment of the Serpent, when we creep on this Earth, and lie groveling in the Duſt. What will all the Cares that Young Men take about this mortal, ruinous Habitation avail, when they muſt ere long exchange their fine Cloaths for a winding Sheet, and when they are nailed up in their Coffins, what better will they be for all their gorgeous Apparel, and their dainty Food? Or, will it be a good Plea in Judgment, if the Young Man ſhould ſay thus; Lord, I ſpent ſo much time abroad, ſo much in the Tavern, ſo much on my Recreations, and my worldly Buſineſs, that I had none left to remember thee, or to think of the true State of my own Soul? Or rather, will not the Soul of ſuch an one hereafter be amaz'd, when being cloathed with the Garments of Heavineſs, he ſhall be forc'd to cry out after this or the like manner? Oh that the many Days I ſpent in Vanity, I had laid out to prepare my Soul, for the Hour of my Change, and the Day of Judgment, then I had been in a ſafe and quiet Harbour; whereas now, I am begirt with Lighthing and Thunder, Storms and Tempeſts, and muſt never ſee the Sun ſhine again! Oh that the Diſcourſe I made ſo often about my worldly Pleaſures, about new Modes and Faſhions, I had made of God and Heaven, I ſhould not then have ſeen thoſe horrid Objects of Terror, nor have had my Ears peirc'd with theſe hideous Shrikes of my fellow Priſoners! I would not in the days of my Life on Earth remember p. 22God, but now I muſt remember him whether I will or not, and no more as a Friend, but as an Enemy, no more as a Father, but as an angry Judg.

Secondly; 2If we would remember our Creator in the days of our Youth, we muſt avoid the Company of ſuch, who, as we may judg by their Practiſe, have him not in all their Thoughts. You are not willing to venture your Bodies among thoſe that are infected with ſome dangerous Diſtemper, or in a contagious Air, and will you hazard the Welfare of your better part among thoſe, who are leprous all over, Rom. 3.13.Rom 3:13and whoſe Throat is an open Sepulchre; who if you be a Picture will deface it, if you be a Glaſs they will ſpoil it with their tainted Breath? Do you expect to have a ſerious Remembrance of your Creator, Pſal. 1.1.Ps 1:1if you converſe with ſuch as ſit in the Chair of Scorners, and deride Religion, tho their Scoffs againſt it are to be accounted as ridiculous as it would be in a blind Man that knows not the Comfort and Benefit of Light to rail againſt the Sun? would it not be diſingenious and baſe for a Man to quarrel at the Light by which he ſees, or at the Air in which he breaths, and ſhall we not account them unworthy of our Friendſhip, that ſpeak againſt God, that God that made them, Acts 17.28.Acts 17:28and in whom they live, and move, and have their Being? 'Tis in ſuch Company that Satan waits for our halting, and we ſhould be as careful to avoid it, as we would a place where we certainly knew there was a Mine ſprung and a Match lighted to fire the Train, and blow us up: 'Tis there the Devil lies in wait for Youth, and becauſe he knows, that Age is much affected with Credit and Reputation, he endeavours to cloath thoſe Sins in a genteel, Faſhionable Dreſs, which would be frightful did they appear in their own ugly p. 23Shape; and when this infernal Serpent has by his inſinuating Methods proſelited one Young Man, he inſtructs him in his helliſh Arts, and ſends him abroad as his Emiſſary to gain many more, to ſeek Advantage from ſuch Society is, as if we thought we could no where find a Cure but in a Lazaretto, no where Health, but in the Chambers of the Sick. How many poor Young Men have in ſuch Company loſt their Innocence, and have had their Souls diſeaſed and benumed not ſenſible of their ill State till a Dart ſtruck through their Liver, which none could pull out again? Prov. 7.23.Prov 7:23How many have by this means been nipt in the Bud, and ſpoiled that gave fair hopes to their poor Parents of their After-fruitfulneſs by their early Bloſſoms? they that were once ſerious, and well-diſpoſed, by aſſociating with careleſs, profane Livers, have loſt their former Tenderneſs, their fear of Sin, their ſenſe of God? How many ingenious Tempers have been depraved by this one great Stratagem, ſo that they have employed the Talents that were given them by God, to arm his Enemies, to raiſe War againſt him in his own Dominions, and with the Tools he put into their Hands they built the Kingdom of the Devil? and as it would be but a poor Commendation of a Man to ſay, He very ingeniouſly made himſelf away, or, He neatly cut his own Throat, ſo theſe deſerve no good Character, who are only witty to promote their own Miſery, thinking to be wiſer than God; they make their own Hell while they are alive, and poor Creatures are haſting to lie down in a Bed of eternal Sorrows, and (which aggravates the Terror of it) with Laughter, and a Joke. How many by the ill Example of their Companions, have caſt off the Reſpect they once paid to their great p. 24Maſter, Mat. 24.49.Matt 24:49and have learn'd to eat and drink with the Drunken, and to ſmite him and his Servants too, with their violent and bitter Tongues? They have been perſwaded to look upon their once dear and ſweet Religion, as a tedious, melancholy thing. And have parted with the Favour of God, the Hopes of Glory, and the real Pleaſures of another World for the poor Joys of this; they have become as much the ſworn Oppoſers of all that is good, as if they had been baptiz'd in the Name of the Devil, and not in the Name of Jeſus. How many ſober Parents have to the Grief of their Hearts, ſeen by this means, the Children of their Hopes, the Children of their Prayers, tainted with Vice and Wickedneſs? they have ſeen the Children they once inſtructed, led away with Error; and thoſe, to whom they taught the Language of Heaven, ſpeaking the Dialect of Hell, and running with ſuch Violence in the broad way, as if they were afraid they ſhould not come to their everlaſting Sufferings ſoon enough. Thus they forget their Creator, and make a Rod for their own Backs, which will hereafter, like the Rod of Moſes, Exod. 4.3.Exod 4:3be turn'd into a Serpent, and devour all their Hopes; and, what Comfort will they, that now ſcoff at all that is grave and ſerious, have hereafter, Jam. 3.6Jas 3:6when thoſe Tongues that are ſet on Fire of Hell, ſhall be curſing in thoſe Flames, and not be able to ject any more. With what pale Faces, and dejected Eyes, will they that are now jovial, and brisk together, look upon the diſmal Concluſion of their ill Choice, when the Scene will be changed, and inſtead of Mirth, Mat. 8.12.Matt 8:12there will be Lamentation, weeping, and gnaſhing of Teeth; their Eyes that now run after Vanity, will then be fixed in the ſolitary Contemplation p. 25of their great Loſs. And their Thoughts, that are now roving and diſorder'd, will then be their own Torture: with what hideous Cries will they then lament their early Follies, and upbraid one another? Had it not been for thee, cruel Creature (will one ſay to his miſerable Companion) I had not fallen into this helpleſs, irrecoverable State; had it not been for thee, I that am now pale with Hunger, and faint with Thirſt, might have drank of that River, Pſal. 46.4.Ps 46:4the Streams whereof make glad the City of God; and have been feaſting with Abraham, Iſaac, and Jacob, and all holy Souls, at the Supper of the Lamb. Had it not been for thee, inſtead of being confin'd to theſe Chains, and this doleful Priſon, I might have been walking in the Streets of the New Jeruſalem: but now the Gulf is fix'd, my Hopes are gone, and my Sun is ſet. And all that ſuch a diſtreſſed Creature ſhall receive from ſuch a miſerable Complaint, will only be, to hear the like ſad Language from his Neighbour, and ſo that deep and ugly Cave will ring with the noiſe of their Stripes, and the lamentable Cries wherewith they will for ever ſalute one another, ſaying, Wo unto us, for we have ſinned! Lam. 5.16.Lam 5:16wo unto us, for we have ſinn'd our ſelves into this burning Lake!

Thirdly; 3Another Rule to be obſerv'd by thoſe that would now remember their Creator in the days of their Youth, is to accuſtom themſelves to frequent Retirement, and Solitude. Moſt of that Irreligion and Contempt of God that is in the Minds of Young People, ariſes from the Neglect of the many convenient Seaſons, which they might improve to ſelf-examination. They will not give themſelves leave to think, or reflect upon their own Actions: for if they did but ſeparate ſome little p. 26Portions of their time, tho but one quarter of an hour in a day, ſeriouſly to think what it is to dy, and when that is over, to go to Judgment, and what pains are neceſſary to prepare their Souls for things ſo ſolemn, and ſo great; it were morally impoſſible they ſhould forget their Creator, and diſobey his Call. 'Tis not long, might the Young-man ſay, till this Body of mine that was made of Earth and Duſt, ſhall be reſolved into common Duſt again; 'tis not long till it will be clothed in its laſt Robes, and be inſenſible of what is grateful, or delicious; it will be worn out like a moth-eaten Garment, after all the ſweet Odours and Perfumes, after all the Coſt and Charge I have laid out upon it. Now then begin, O my Soul, to take thy leave of thy deareſt Companion that will ſhortly bid thee farewel, and warn thee by its irreparable Delays, to ſeek for thy ſelf a more laſting Habitation. Tho I have now (might he go on in his Meditation) the Company of my Relations, and my Friends, yet ere long they will ſtand weeping at my Bed's ſide, when they ſee me going from them by my ſelf into the ſilent melancholy Vale. Tho I now have my numerous Enjoyments, and my full Tables; yet when I have ſat a little longer, I muſt riſe, for Death will come and take me away. Such Reflections as theſe, would help Young Men very much in the Remembrance of their Creator now; and engage them not to put off ſuch uſeful Thoughts till their dying Day. But alas, the moſt, inſtead of this ſerious Employment, ſlight the Conſideration of God and their Souls from day to day; they run upon the ſcore, and ſo long ſpend their Subſtance, till like ill Tradeſmen they are unwilling to caſt up their Books, to make up their Accounts, and to look into their own Souls; p. 27they ſo long defer to ſpeak with their own Conſciences, till at laſt they have no Meſſage to them, but of Wo and Terror. So it muſt not be with us; we muſt retire from the multitude of Temptations that we meet with in the World, and reckon thoſe happy Seaſons wherein we may converſe with God. The Memory of a Perſon is diſturb'd with a great Noiſe; and ſo will our Thoughts be among the buſy Cares and Clamours of the World: Have we time to ſpend among our Acquaintance and our Friends, and have we none for God, that is our beſt Friend? Can we take delight in the Company of others, and yet take none in his, in whom all the Myriads of the bleſſed Angels, and the glorious Saints, and the whole Society of ſincere Worſhippers in the Church on Earth daily rejoyce? Mat. 6.31.Matt 6:31Can we be ſolicitous what to eat and drink, and what to put on; and not be as much careful about the more violent, and preſſing Neceſſities of our Souls? Or have we any Buſineſs that is more weighty than this, how we may pleaſe our Creator, grow in Grace, and avoid the Wrath to come? We ſhould when we awake, take the Wings of the Morning and fly up to Heaven, and every one of us ſay, This day will I remember God; and in the Evening, if we have been ſtedfaſt in our purpoſe, we muſt praiſe him for his Aſſiſtance, and do the ſame again. No Buſineſs can excuſe any for the neglect of ſo great a Duty. Even the Apprentice muſt remember that he has a great Maſter in Heaven to ſerve; and if the Affairs of his Trade require a more than ordinary Care, he may riſe a little ſooner in the Morning, and go to bed a little later, as knowing that no Service for others can diſpenſe with the Allegiance he has ſworn to God; and that he will never have cauſe to repent of the time he ſpends in ſerious fervent Prayer: and when the Young Man is in his Retirement, we may ſuppoſe him to addreſs himſelf to his Creator in this or the like manner.

O my merciful Creator, view from thy ſacred Throne a poor Sinner, that am covered with Shame and Bluſhing, when I think I have long, too long been forgetful of thee and of my true Self: be thou my Phyſician, for I am diſeaſed; be thou my Satisfaction for all the Time I have wandred to and fro in a ſtrange Land. I have been ſeeking Reſt, p. 28but have found none. Luke 15.19.Luke 15:19I am not worthy to be called thy Son any more; but let thy Bowels yearn over a poor Prodigal, that now ſees his Error, and is reſolv'd by thy Aſſiſtance, not to run away from his Duty, nor to ſin again. O God, my God, early will I ſeek thee, Pſal 63.1.Ps 63:1my Soul thirſteth for thee, my Fleſh longeth for thee in a dry and thirſty Land, where no Water is. 'Tis true, Lord, I had once ſet mine Eyes on that which was not; Prov. 23.5Prov 23:5but henceforth I will humbly make mention of thy Name, and contemplate thy Glories, and not gaze with Delight on this cheating, vain World again. Behold, according to my Baptiſmal Engagement and vow, I give up what is thy own to thee, I ſurrender all that I have, or am, all the Faculties and Powers of my Soul, to be thine for ever. And here I now promiſe, as in thy Preſence, and as I ever hope to hear a welcome Sentence in the day of Chriſt, that I will not any more be led away with ill Examples, nor conſpire with Sinners to rebel againſt Thee; be thou therefore, O my gracious Creator, the Directer of my Steps, the Guide of my Life, my Strength in Weakneſs, my Friend in Trouble; and inſpire me with Courage and Wiſdom to manage my ſelf well in the hour of my Combate, when by my old Enemies, the Fleſh, the Devil and the World, againſt whom I now declare a perpetual War, I ſhall be ſet upon.

Fourthly; 4Another Rule that is to be obſerv'd of thoſe that would remember their Creator now in the days of their Youth; is, to improve the ſec…d Paſſages of Providence either to the Church of God, or themſelves, to this end. We have all great reaſon to think of him, Pſ. 111.4.Ps 111:4and to celebrate his Praiſe, who as the Royal Prophet ſpeaks, has caus'd his wonderful Works to be remembred. And we of this Nation are more peculiarly engaged thankfully to commemorate the Miracles of his Mercy, which appeared in the great Deliverance that he gave to our Fore-Fathers as on this day; Norem. 5.tho we are young, we all ſhare in the bleſſed Eſſects of ſuch a wonderful Deliverance. The Papiſts indeed that long envied the Wellfare of our Sion, thought to have made England once more a Slave to the Prince of Darkneſs, and like to Rome; Even We have Reaſon to be thankful; for had their Train been fired, and the Blow given, there had been long ere this, nothing to be ſeen in our Hemiſphere, but p. 29ſwarms of Locuſts from the bottomleſs Pit, nothing but Flies and Serpents, and all the Plagues of Egypt. And is not the God of England, the God of our Fore-Fathers, and our God, worthy to be remembred? that has hitherto kept theſe Frogs from croaking in our Houſes and our Bed-Chambers? Far be it from us either to forget ſuch a God, or to mock him, as we ſhall, if we thank him for our Eſcape out of the Houſe of Bondage, and yet (as too many in our days) be willing to return again thither: If, like fooliſh Children, we cry for the Leeks and Garlick of others, when we have at home better Food. 'Tis fit we ſhould remember the God of this great Deliverance, that ſo we may never leave our own pure and holy Faith, for an Idolatrous, and a falſe Religion, the Religion of Rome, (that is indeed a ſcandal to the Name) and that inſtead of Meekneſs and Love, the true Lineaments of all the Followers of Jeſus, has by its cruel Deſigns no other than tho Features of the Devil, the Great Murderer from the beginning. J…hn 8.14And when the Plotters delighted in thoſe Works of Darkneſs, they acted as true Children of him their Father, who flies the Light. When they digg'd as deep as Hell, they were but in their own Element; for all they that are born from Heaven, carry upon them Forbearance, Peace, and Innocence, which is to reſemble indeed a patient holy God. I am the more willing to enlarge upon this, both becauſe of the Reſpect I bear to that Authority that enacted the Obſervation of this as a Day of general Thanks-giving over all the Nation; and becauſe young Men (to ſome of which the Providence of God has given me this occaſion chiefly to ſpeak) are more liable to be deceived with Error, and the Pretences of the Romiſh Church, than others are; but I hope, when we remember this Helliſh Plot, we ſhall have an everlaſting Abhorrence of that cruel Sect, that conceives and brings forth, and by its eſtabliſhed Doctrines, avows and legitimates ſuch monſtrous Villanies, to carry on or abet which, a ſober Heathen would be aſham'd: Let us ſtill remember the Author of this great Mercy, and then, tho we may be aſſaulted even while we are young, with their Batteries, we ſhall never be ſo fooliſh as to embrace their Opinions, and leave our own well-grounded Faith; which were to prefer Night before the day, Impriſonment before a Jubile, and the p. 30Clouds of Egypt before the pleaſant Light of our Goſhan. Then we ſhall not, when we are free-born, long for Slavery; nor when we are unaccuſtom'd to the Yoke, pray that it may be put upon our Necks. This Remembrance of the Mercy of our Creator will preſerve us, that we ſhall never be ſo undutiful as to leave our Jeruſalem which is from above, and free, the Mother of us all, to run to a Stranger, to their Hagar, which gendreth to Bondage; from the Proteſtant Religion to Popery, whoſe Children, like the Children of Negroes under the Service of our Merchants in Forreign Plantations, are in a State of Bondage as ſoon as they enter into the World. Thus ought the former Deliverances that have been granted to our Fore-Fathers, the Bleſſings of which are by them conveyed to us, to ſtir us up to remember God; as alſo thoſe that we have enjoyed in our Days, particularly that from the late Popiſh Plot, which has hitherto by his Mercy been prevented from bringing forth our Ruine and Deſolation; and it will never be able to do that, unleſs our Forgetfulneſs of God prove a Celier, and midwive it into the World. We have had a large Experience of his Goodneſs, which is continued in large meaſures to this very day, Pſal. 139.17.Ps 139:17ſo that we have reaſon to cry out with that holy Man: How precious are thy Thoughts unto us, O God, how great is the Sum of them? It is too great to be numbred: And ſhall we anſwer all his Care and Love with Oblivion, Contempt, and Scorn? Shall we forget him, when all our Mercies, and all the Creatures, would lead us to him, as the Star did the Wiſe Men to Chriſt? How many things may we daily obſerve, which with a little Conſideration would help us to remember God. Thus if I ſee one that is poor and diſeaſed, and begs about the Streets, and has no Friends to help him, I ought to remember God, and thank him, that it is not my ſad Caſe. When I ſee others on their Death-beds, I ought to remember him that while he ſmites the Tabernacle of another, ſpares mine. When I am well, I ſhould praiſe the Author of my Health, and when I am pained, bleſs him that my Pains are not the Tortures and Woes of Hell. When I ſee one that will be drunk and ſwear, I ſhould remember my Creator, and bleſs him for reſtraining me from the like Sins; and that when others are running to Deſtruction, he p. 31has ſhewed me the ſweet Path of Life. Thus every young Man whatever his Calling, State or Condition be, whether he be at home, or abroad, may by heavenly, ſerious Ejaculations ſtill remember God, and walk in his Fear all the day long. Prov. 23.17.Prov 23:17The Tradeſman may do it in his Shop, the Student in his Cloſet, and the diſeaſed on his ſick Bed; and when the Fire of ſuch Meditations ſhall burn in our Souls, it will ſcare away vain Thoughts, and diſcourage the roaring Lion, and the other Beaſts of the Forreſt, when they would fain ſet upon us.

Fifthly; Let us improve the Deaths of other young Men to this purpoſe, that we may remember our Creator, and prepare for our own. How many have we known that were of as healthful, and vigorous a Conſtitution as we are, that by a Surfeit, or an acute Feaver, have in a few days been ſnatcht away? How many that were travelling on the ſame Road with us a while agoe, are now at their long home, lying in the Grave; and ſhould not we by their early Departure, learn to dy? It would not be tedious to us in this Senſe, Eccleſ. 7.Eccl 7to live in Golgotha, or to dwell among the Tombs, when we have in them ſeen the end of all Men; we ſhould not any more love the World, nor its Enjoyments and Pleaſures, ſeeing they will vaniſh in the twinkling of an Eye, and after all the poor Satisfaction they have given us, fall into the dead Sea. Pſal. 39.5.Ps 39:5The Paſſing-bells of others loudly tell us, that, Man in his beſt Eſtate is altogether Vanity, and what they have undergone, will in a few days or hours more, be our own Lot. Tho they are gone before, we muſt tread in their Steps, and go the ſame way. When that hour is come, all our Friends and Acquaintance cannot hold us; for we that now hear, and move, and ſpeak, Iſa 38.11.Isa 38:11ſhall fly away into a vaſt Expanſe, and not behold Man with the Inhabitants of this World any more. As we have ſeen the pale Looks, and have heard the laſt Voice of others, ſo ſhall we our ſelves in the like manner be made Spectacles of Mortality to thoſe that remain after us. We and all our Companions muſt take a long Farewel of each other, and not meet again till the day of the general Reſurrection. And is it too ſoon to remember our Creator, when we have ſeen many as young as we are, breath their laſt? and we that now mourn for others, know not how ſoon our Friends may do the ſame for p. 32us, and celebrate our Funerals. Or, ſhall we be excuſable, if we do not ſecure our ſelves, and prepare to be gone, when we have ſeen the Houſes of our Neighbours fired, and have been often told, that our own will decay? Do we thus requite that God, that has given us a longer time, and ſpace wherein to repent? and when he has ſpared us beyond the Weakneſs of our Infant Age, ſhall we be Children in Ʋnderſtanding, ſhall we never come to Years of Diſcretion, and know what is for our Good? When God took away that Young Man, that is the occaſion of this Diſcourſe, he might at the ſame time, or before, have taken away you or me; and why do we ſurvive his Death, and the Deaths of many others, but that we may ſet our Houſe in order, and be well prepared for the time of our Change, that will ſoon be at hand? If we do not now repent, what ſhall we ſay to the patient God hereafter, that when the Arrows have been ſhot on the right and the left, has made them to paſs by us? Others are cut down and we are yet ſtanding in the Vineyard, but to what end, but that we may to his Praiſe bring forth much early Fruit? If we do not thus, what Plea ſhall we make at his Bar, and how ſhall we meet our Parents and our holy Friends in the day of Judgment? The Time is coming, when Riches and Honour, Health and Beauty, Credit and Reputation among Men, will be of no value, nor will Gold and Silver, the Idols of this, be currant in the next World. We ſhould not therefore be like thoſe young People that are only ſerious in the Houſe of Mourning, or when they ſee their Friends carried to the Grave, but in the next vain Company ſuffer the Impreſſions of their Mortality to wear off again. We muſt be always ſober in our Converſation, as not knowing when we our ſelves ſhall be gone; only this we may know, that as the Years we have already lived are ſoon paſt, ſo will thoſe that are to come with the ſame ſwift Motion paſs away. The longeſt Life here on Earth is but as a Moment, if compar'd with the future Eternity: 'Tis as a flaſh of Lightning to the whole Element of Fire, juſt ſeen, and then vaniſht. And can it after all this, be too ſoon to ſerve our Creator, with our beſt Affections to implore his Pardon, to call on his Name, when ere long there will be no more uſe of Prayer, no more the Tenders of Sal…ation, no more Time?

p. 33Sixthly. If we would Remember our Creator now, VIin the Days of our Youth: Let us think with our ſelves how dreadful our Caſe would be, ſhould we be ſurprized by Death before we had done this. If we cannot perform this Work now, when our earthly Houſe is in good Repair, how ſhall we do it, when the Foundations, and the Building both will be deſtroyed; and, it may be, ſtruck to the Ground on a ſudden, as with a Clap of Thunder? If we find our ſelves Indiſpoſed for our ordinary Buſineſs with an aking Head, or Tooth; do we think to mind our Salvation when every Part of our Bodies ſhall be rackt with the moſt violent, and painful Agonies; and when we ſhall have no Intervals of Eaſe, but be rudely treated by the Diſeaſes that come before to clear the way for the King of Terrors? Or ſhall we ſtay till the Blow be given, or the Seaſon paſt? It may be, we think there is no Danger, or that we ſhall have time enough hereafter; but our Diſeaſe is not the leſs for our Inſenſibility; and to conceit our ſelves Well, when in the Judgment of God, and his Word, we are much out of Order, is the worſt Symptom of our approaching Death. What better would it be for a ſick Man to fall into a Slumber, and to dream of Health, when he is given over as hopeleſs, and not for this World any longer? What better would he be to think his Candle will laſt for many Hours, when it is juſt falling into the Socket, and yeilds but a little dying Blaze, which he through Miſtake fancies a true laſting Flame? What better would a Priſoner be to dream, in the Night, of Freedom, and a Pardon, when he ſees the Officer entring in the Morning, to carry him away to Execution! p. 34And ſhall we be in a better State, if we put off our Creator with Delays, till Death enter into the Windows, and deprive us of our Light, and ſiezing on us, by a Warrant from God, hale us away to the Priſon of the Grave; and to the glorious awful Tribunal, whether we will or not? In what Mountains ſhall we ſeek a Refuge, if we make no Proviſion for our ſelves till the Floods come, and the weak Pillars, whereon we now lean, be waſh'd away? How many young Men are now awake, and that for ever, in the Flames of Hell, that never would open their Eyes till they came thither? That were taken away living, and in the Wrath of God, Pſ. 58.9.Ps 58:9before their Pots could feell the Thorns, before they had any real Senſe of their near Danger? And as the Caſe of that Perſon is very ſad, that when he has been newly rack'd, and while he is yet ſore and pained, is to be carried again to the Torture: So is theirs, that are twice to dye; whoſe Souls go trembling from the Body, to more intolerable Pains; that go from the firſt, to the ſecond; from a Temporal, to an Eternal Death. How many are now in the Regions of perpetual Storms, that thought, becauſe their Sun once ſhin'd, they ſhould always have good Weather, and a clear Day! For God's Sake then, and for our own, let us be Religious betimes, and not ſuffer our ſelves to be bound with Cords, in the Houſes of our Enemies; with more Sins; leſt we loſe our Strength, and God depart from us, when we think, like Sampſon in the Hands of the Philiſtins, Judg. 16.20.Judg 16:20to riſe and go abroad with the ſame Freedom that we did at other times. The Lamp of our Life may be drown'd with too much Moiſture, or when we think all is calm, be blown out with a ſudden p. 35Blaſt, or a ſtormy Wind, and leave us in the Dark; and when it has once expired, there will be no Supplies of Oyl to make it burn again. And then, like the blinded Youth of Sodom, Gen. 19.11Gen 19:11we ſhall reel to and fro, and not find a Door of Hope; till we feel the ſealding Drops of Vengeance, that will by degrees ſwell into a Flood, and carry us away to the great Lake of Fire. This will be the Conſequent of our vain Delays, and oh, how dreadful will it be, when inſtead of the Boſom of Abraham, we ſhall find our ſelves in the cold Arms of Deſpair; and inſtead of the Joys of Heaven, have in our guilty Souls, Mark. 9.44.Mark 9:44the Worm that never dyes? If Men break in the World, they may by the kind Aſſiſtance of their Friends, and Benefactors, be ſet up again: If they be Impriſoned, they may through the Mediation of the ſame be releas'd; but what ſhall become of thoſe, that have no Friends, that have nothing wherewith to pay their Debts, and muſt languiſh and pine away in a tedious Bondage, never to be eaſed of their Sorrows, never to be releaſed? And ſuch, and more dreadful, will be the State of thoſe young Men, that are ſurpriz'd in the moment of their Wickedneſs, and laid in the Chains of Hell unawares. Dare we then forget our Creator now, when whole Troops of ſo great Calamities, are upon the March againſt us, and we know not when their Leader, that rides upon the pale Horſe, Rev. 6.8.Rev 6:8will give the Word, and command them to fall upon us? If we now diſregard the Checks of our own Conſciences, they will hereafter challenge us to give them Satiſfaction, and be revenged on us, for all the Affronts that we have put upon them. Sleep on we may, but it will be very ſad, if we awake not before the Decree p. 36for our Execution be gone forth, and before the killing Sword is at our Breaſts. If we will take no Care, even when our Feet ſtand in ſlippery Places; Pſal. 73.18.Ps 73:18we may ſlide into the dark Pit, from which there will be no Redemption. We may be ſurprized with the loud Thunder, and the roaring Cannon, when we think there is no Danger: and when we flatter our ſelves with the vain Hopes of Peace, and Safety; ſudden Deſtruction may come upon us, 1. Theſ. v. 3.1 Thess 5:3as Travel upon a Woman with Child. To what ſhall I compare the Miſeries of that young Man, that is taken away in the midſt of all his Pleaſures, and before he hath well thought of Death? 'Tis as dreadful, as if you ſhould ſee a Perſon in the midſt of all his Mirth and Laughter, immediately fall down Dead, ſo that he cannot by all the Tears of his Friends, nor by all the Chafing, and Applications, that are made, be fetch'd to Life again. A Surprizal that carries with it as great Horror and Amazement, as does the ſudden falling of a cruel Enemy into the Tents of a luxurious wanton Army; that ſpares neither Young nor Old, that mingles their Blood with the Sacrifices they made to their luſtful Appetites, and gives them no time either to Arm, or to cry for Quarter. 'Tis as Dreadful, as if a Maſſacre ſhould happen among a company of little Children playing in the Street; that, while they ſuſpected nothing, are cut in a thouſand pieces, and carried away to the other World in a Sea of their own Blood. The ſudden untimely Death of careleſs young Men, is as dreadful as a general Inundation; that while Men are aſleep, breaks over all Bounds, and carries them, their Houſes, and their Goods, away together. Have we then no Pity for our ſelves, or do we reſolve not to p. 37prepare for our Tryal till the Aſſize come, and the Judge is ſeated on the Bench! Is it a ſmall, or a tolerable thing, to be ſnatch…d away in one Moment from Life and Hope, to have our Souls violently torn from our Bodies, and to be ſent from under the Dews of Heaven, and a chearful pleaſant Habitation; to be ſcorched with fla…ing Wrath, and to Live in a Land of Darkneſs, where is all that can afflict or grieve the ſeparated Spirit? If we were aſſured by certain Intelligence from the unſeen World, that this were the laſt Sermon we were to hear; this the laſt time that we ſhould have a Call to Remember God, and to Repent; and that before we Enjoy another of the Days of the Son of Man, we ſhould hear our final Doom, and be either in Heaven above, or Hell beneath. Oh, with what Cries ſhould we rend the Heavens, with what Earneſtneſs ſhould we pour out our Souls in Prayer, and as a Criminal that is condemned to dye, and is not ready for ſo great a Change, make uſe of all our Friends to begg of God that he would Reprieve us, and ſpare us a little longer! that we may acquaint our ſelves with him, and make our Peace before we go hence, and be no more: Pſal. 39.13.Ps 39:13With how many Tears ſhould we then bewail our early Follies, and not liſten to the Charms of ſenſual worldly Pleaſures, or the Temptations of the Devil! And why ſhould we not do the ſame now, ſeeing we know not but that may be our Caſe? Mat. 24.42.Matt 24:42We know neither the Hour, or the Day when our Lord will come: nor when Death, that is by his Commiſſion going its Circuit, and has already paſt its Sentence upon many others, will Arrive at our Place, and call us alſo to the Barr.

p. 38I might here have ſhew'd you how many and how great would be the Advantages of an early Remembrance of your Creator, how by this you would be a great comfort to your Miniſters and Par…ts, and a Bleſſing both to this Age and to the next. As alſo that hereby you would meet with proſperous Succeſs in your affairs, and, after many years Labour, ſweet Repoſe, and the Poſſeſſion of an inward, unſpeakable Peace in your way to Glory. And beſides that you might, in a great meaſure, prevent thoſe Calamities that have at a diſtance long threatned a ſecure careleſs People: but now are at our very Doors and likely to ſeize on your Native Country, which cries to you that are young to have pity upon her. I might here entreat you, as you would not ſee a Famine of the Word, nor your Teachers driven to more ſolitary Corners, nor after it has long ſtood upon the Threſhold, ſee the final departure of the Glory, that you would now remember your Creator, but I ſhall leave theſe to your more ſerious Conſideration.

And now I ſhall endeavour to move you to this great Duty, by ſetting before you the Example of that young man, whoſe death preſented me with the ſad occaſion of this Sermon; though he be dead, yet his Death ſpeaks this to us all, that we ſhould in health remember our Creator, and not defer ſo great a Work till we are juſt upon the Borders of the Grave. We may think we are yet many paces off, but when we have breathed a little longer, we ſhall be there, we ſhall go, and dwell with him, and with many others, that were gathered from ſuch Aſſemblies as this; to the greater Congregation of the dead, we ſhall go from the noiſe of populous p. 39Towns and Cities into that ſilent forlorn Deſert, and from Spirits that move in Bodies, to thoſe that are unclothed in that vaſt World, which we, the Pilgrims on Earth never ſaw, and when we have well performed the Duties of our preſent ſtate, we ſhall go from moving in this Lower Firmament, to move in that which is above all that we ſee, and which is the proper Region and Sphere of the Soul, the Seat and Habitation of the bleſs'd, of all thoſe that while they were on Earth remembred their Creator and believed in Chriſt.

I ſhall not draw the Picture of the Young Gentleman (of whom I am now to ſpeak) in any other Colours then thoſe which were reckoned to make up his true Complexion when he was alive, and which were taken from him by ſuch as had opportunity by Converſe and Acquaintance to obſerve the ſeveral parts of his Behaviour.

I. In his more early days, he was ſent to the Univerſity of Dublin in Ireland, that there he might obtain the uſeful knowledge of the Liberal Arts, which (when duely ſtudyed) are a great Ornament, and Glory to the mind, and render a man more capable of Noble Thoughts and Actions, and greatly conduce to the making his Life not only more comfortable to himſelf but more uſeful to others, but, (as is the deplorable condition of too many young men in ſuch publick places of Education where the Boar out of the Foreſt, the Devil waits to ſpoil the tender Vines that are newly planted there) he was by the perſwaſion of ill Aſſociates led away to ſome things not worthy of Commendation. And when God that deſigned Mercy for his Soul, not only checked him in his courſe by ſome croſs Providences, of which he ſtill retained p. 40the ſenſe, but put it into the heart of his Parent to ſend him over hither to be under the care of a Divine her faithful Friend; and among Perſons more ſtudious, what by the Inſtruction of his Tutor, and the benefit of good Examples, and the Bleſſing of God on both, he began to change for the better; and as many that are in a Conſumption while they are in a place full of hurtful vapours ſenſibly revive when they breath in a purer Air; ſo did he, as was evident by his Behaviour and Diſcourſe, wherein he would often confeſs his former Errors, and greatly bewail his former too great eaſineſs to be impos'd upon; he bleſſed God that he was diſſentangled from the ſnare of ill Company, reſolving never to be a ſlave in ſuch Bonds again.

II. He was of a liberal Charitable Diſpoſition, and, like his Creator, full of pity to the Poor, and the miſerable, and it was a remarkable Inſtance of this, that once ſeeing a poor manbegging at the door, who had been let out of Priſon but the day before, he gave him Money, and ordered him to come the next day for a freſh Suite of Cloaths, that he then wore himſelf, and which according to his promiſe were then beſtowed upon him; and after this walking abroad with one of his Acquaintance he took occaſion thence to raiſe a ſerious Diſcourſe of the Providence of God, that diſtributes his common Gifts in greater Abundance to one, then to another, ſaying that while he had a plentiful enjoyment of the World, he would do good to the Poor, not knowing how ſoon that might be his own caſe; he did not only as he had opportunity cloath the Naked and relieve the miſerable, but endeavoured to excite in others, the ſame willingneſs p. 41to give, ſhewing them, that this was the moſt excellent, and lovely Temper; he well knew that the beſt way to improve his Eſtate, was to put ſome conſiderable Portions of it into the hands of the Poor, being aſſured that God, who had engaged his Word, would ſee him paid again; he knew that to be charitable was to be Divine, and that the ſeed he threw upon the Low Valleys, would be watered with the kind influences of the upper Springs, and yield him a glorious Harveſt, which we have reaſon to believe he now reaps in the Heavens above. And oh, that all the young men that hear me this Evening would imitate ſo rare a Preſident! then they would not be under the Condemnation of thoſe that lay out all their Money on their fine Cloaths, or to gratifie their Appetites, that ſpend many pounds per Annum on their Vain Pleaſures, their Sports and Recreations, but it may be lay not by one ſhilling for the ſervice of the Poor all the Year long. Theſe careleſs Stewards will have a ſad Account to give when their Maſter comes again, and enquires to what uſe they have put the many Talents, they were entruſted with.

3. He was once much addicted to Gaming, but ſeeing the evil of it, quite left it off, knowing that all his Time well improved was little enough to prepare for Eternity, and that his Riches and his Time were given him to better purpoſe then to be ſo vainly thrown away.

4. He would often Lament his Undutifulneſs, which he thought was the more inexcuſable in one that had, ſo indulgent, ſo kind a Mother, as his was; and when the ſolitary Gentlewoman ſhall hear of his p. 42great Sorrow for this Sin in particular, no doubt but ſhe will bleſs God, that all her Tears and her Prayers which ſhe once made but with little hope were not loſt upon him, and that though he once was ſuch, he did not go a Rebel to the Grave. And though he be taken away from poſſeſſing a large and fair Eſtate here on Earth, yet ſhe may have good Reaſon to believe, that he is gone to poſſeſs what is more valuable and more ſure, an Inheritance with the Saints in Light, and though ſhe was not there to ſee the Tears wherewith he bewailed his Sins, nor to hear his Zealous Fervent prayers for Holineſs and pardon; Yet ſhe hath even for this, Cauſe to be thankful, for it may be it was a Mercy to her, not to ſee him in his Agonies and Pains, leſt the ſight of theſe might have too much oppreſſed her Spirits, and have made her Sorrows more ſharp, **At Dublin.and violent. And though ſhe was at a place far diſtant; yet it may be a Comfort to her to think that he was not without that help which is needful to ſick perſons, and that he wanted nothing that could be judged proper, either to his outward, or ſpiritual Neceſſities; it may be ſome mitigation to her Grief, to think that he breathed out his Soul among ſuch who had a tender ſenſe of his Condition, and aſſiſted him with their Prayers; ſhe may be comforted when ſhe has Cauſe to believe that this her Son is not loſt, and though ſhe had not the Opportunity to take a Solemn Leave of him when he was going hence, yet that ſhe ſhall ſee him again in the Latter day, and with more Joy and Satisfaction then ſhe ever ſaw him when he was in this Vale; and this will add to the pleaſure of their meeting then, that they will not part again, though he p. 43did not remain to bear up the Name of her Family, yet ſhe may hope that he now makes one in the Glorious Family and Houſe of our Lord, that ſhall not be turned into a Houſe of Mourning by the Sickneſs or Death of any that have ſo great a priviledge as to dwell there. She has Reaſon to lay aſide her Sorrows, when ſhe may from his ſerious holy Frame well conclude, that he that was once her Child is now in his abſence from her the Child of God, and ſhall not languiſh in pain, nor know any more what it is to die.

V. He once uſed to ſwear but had afterward a Lively Senſe of the horrid, damnable Nature of that Sin, and left it off. And though ſome of the Evils of his former Education, now and then returned upon him; yet when faulty, he was freely willing to admit of Convictions, and to be reproved, and to learn better things. At firſt ſome good Orders in the Houſe where he was ſeemed ſtrange to him, but he ſoon ſubmitted to them, and owned it as a Mercy that God brought him thither.

VI. In the Time of his Health, he was over-heard by ſome in the ſame Houſe to pray in his Cloſſet twice a day though he did it not with a Phariſaical Oſtentation, nor to be thought devout. And would we but be ſo kind to our own Souls as to imitate him in this, ſo much Heavenly Pleaſure and Comfort would attend our Devotions as would render it a moſt eaſie Task for us to remember God.

VII. When he was confined to that Sickneſs, which proved his laſt; from the beginning of it, he had upon his Mind, a due Senſe of Death; and often when he was in great Pain, he would deſire the p. 44Nurſe that attended on his Weakneſs, to read the Scripture to him; when he could not reach it with his own Hand, he deſired others to adminiſter to him, that Bread of Life. He was much in Prayer in the midſt of his reſtleſs Nights, and ſtrong Pains, reſolving as long as he could, to lift up thoſe Eyes to Heaven, which he believed would ſhortly be cloſed by Death; and to ſpend that Breath in Deſires after Grace, which was every Moment ready to be ſtop'd. Thus while his Body was detained on his Bed by various Pains, his Soul was ſwiftly moving towards its proper Center. And though by the Violence of his Diſeaſe, he was ſomewhat ſtupified for a little while before he died, yet while his Sences continued free in their Exerciſe, he did with the bitter Cryes of a Penitent, bewail his Sins, expreſſing a great Hatred of them, and a holy Indignation againſt himſelf. Sometimes when he was told of Comfort, he would mournfully ſay; You know not, what I feel: My Sins ly very heavy on me, my Sickneſs is not all, nor is the Anguiſh of my Body ſo great as the Anguiſh of my Soul. God gave him a very ſenſible tender Conſcience, which though it be grievous for a while, yet is a great Mercy, if compared with the great Judgment of an hard unmelting Heart, which many Sinners, both young and old are puniſh'd with, ſo that even when they are on the Rack, they do not confeſs their Sins, nor ſeek after God. He was greatly troubled: And thus a loving Phyſician ſearches to the bottom of the Sore, and puts his Patient, eſpecially when the Wounds are of a long Continuance, to more then ordinary Pain, that he may perform a great Cure. When a Cloud of Deſpair ſeem'd to obſcure p. 45his Comfort, being told of the Pity, and the Love of Chriſt to the greateſt Sinners, the Thoughts of his Saviour revived his dying Hopes, and made him willing to paſs through Darkneſs, to Light, through Pain, to Reſt; ſaying, I deſire the Blood of Chriſt to cure all my internal Maladies: And at another time, ſaid, he deſired him above all things. The Night before his laſt, he lay very Unquiet, expreſſing a great ſenſe of Trouble with many Sighs, and Groans; his Nurſe rightly gueſſing that theſe were the Signs of ſomething greatly afflictive to him, adviſed him to eaſe his Mind, which he immediately after did, to him under whoſe Care he was, with a ſerious Profeſſion of Sorrow for the Sins he then Confeſſed, and which he then found to be a great Burthen on his Conſcience, though they had been Committed long before. The day before, deſiring the Prayers of the ſame Perſon, and being ask'd what he would have begg'd of God for him? He anſwer'd, That God would ſhew his great Mercy on him, in pardoning his Sins, and healing his Soul, and removing his ſpiritual Maladies; owning with a due Sorrow his Sins of Omiſſion, and Commiſſion, and thoſe which he had committed againſt the holy Spirit, that would have reclaimed him from them. He called to mind ſeveral ſuitable places of Scripture, even beyond Expectation; and very pertinently applyed them to the Neceſſities of his own Caſe; which argued, that he was no Stranger to that Rule, which can more then all others, teach a young Man beſt how to cleanſe his Waies, and to Remember God: and at laſt ſaid, that he would be very willing to dye, if he might have a Senſe of the Mercies of Chriſt, and of Pardon. Which p. 46we have good ground to hope he did not come ſhort of.

Theſe were the Speeches, and this the Behaviour of this dying young Man: And leſt any may be troubled to think that after ſo many Prayers, and ſerious Endeavours as he uſed, he ſhould have ſo many Doubts and Fears, about his Title to Forgiveneſs, and a happy State, I will add this, viz. That it is greatly to be Conſidered, that Satan, whom the Scripture calls a Lyon; when the Evening of Time is come to any Soul, marches out of his Den, and is then more full of Rage and Violence then he was before: and as dying Bees, or Serpents, thruſt out their Stings with greater vehemence; ſo does he uſe the greater Force, when he knows his time is but ſhort. He troubles the Souls of good People with dark and mournful Apprehenſions of God, and their own Condition, when he ſees them juſt at the Door of Heaven; at which, when they once enter, his Spite is over, and he can do no more. Many Chriſtians he thus Aſſaults, that are of a long ſtanding in the Vineyard, and therefore it is not to be wondered if he thus toſt to and fro this young Man, who was but as a tender Plant.

He had indeed a laborious Conflict, and an hard Paſſage, but we may well hope, that it was but to him, as a dark Night before a clear Day; and that his Troubles here, were but as the ſharp Sauce, the better to prepare his Appetite for the ſweeter Taſt of Happineſs. Many a time the Sun that ſets in a Cloud does ariſe in Glory, and many a Ship at laſt arrives to a quiet Harbour, that met with Waves, and Storms, and high Winds all the way thither.

p. 47Let us alſo by this Example, be perſwaded to Remember our Creator, now in the Days of our Youth, while the evil Days come not: For we ſee 'tis he alone that can ſpeak Peace, and that to him alone we muſt go at laſt for Comfort, who can heal our wounded Spirits, and bear us up, when if we ſhould look to all our Friends, they can only bewail our ſad Caſe, but not remove our Sorrows If we do this, Mal. 3.16, 17.Mal 3:16Mal 3:17he will write our Names in his Book of Remembrance, and in that day when he makes up his Jewels, he will ſpare us, as a Man ſpareth his own Son that ſerveth him. Pſ. 33.26.Ps 33:26And when our Heart, and our Fleſh fails, he will be the Strength of our Heart, and our Portion for ever.

We may now ſee that all the Delights, and Pleaſures of the World are of no value, and but miſerable Comforters in the time of ſpiritual Diſtreſs, from the ſenſe of Sin and Guilt, they will yield us then no Solace, no peaceable Thoughts, no Refreſhment; but our God is worthy to be thought upon, who can by his Grace and Favour, uphold and Bleſs the departing Soul.

To you that were the Acquaintance of the Deceas'd, I ſhall only ſay this; now you have ſtronger Engagements upon you, to Remember your Creator then you had before: for he has by the death of your Companion, ſent you a near, and a loud Warning, to prepare for your own. He had but a little, if any Sickneſs at all, before that which proved his laſt. Flatter not then your ſelves with the too great Hopes of long Life, becauſe of your preſent Health and Strength: For though your earthly Tabernacles have not been undermin'd with many Infirmities, and Diſeaſes, yet you know not but the p. 48firſt Storm that comes may ſhatter them to pieces. You muſt prepare to follow him, that is gone but a few days before: He, with whom you liv'd, and with whom you had familiar and ſweet Friendſhip, has now taken his Lieve of you, and is gone into a far Country, never to return again. He whom you heard praying and diſcourſing but a little while ago, is now ſilent in the Duſt. He whom you ſaw once brisk, and lively, you muſt now ſee no more, till you and he meet at the Tribunal in the Clouds. You have ſeen him that was as ſtrong and as healthful, and a few days ſince as likely to Live as any of you, ſeized with a mortal Diſtemper, and after a few uneaſy Days, and reſtleſs Nights, carried out with a Train of Mourners, and after a little Solemnity, laid into the Grave. I hope therefore, that as often as you Remember your departed Friend (which I perſwade myſelf, will be very frequent) ſo often at the leaſt, you will with thankful Souls Remember your Creator, that has been pleaſed, when he cut off him, to ſhew you greater Favour, to prolong your time, and to give you the Opportunity of hearing this, and other Sermons; when inſtead of theſe, you might have heard the more doleful Sound, and Voice of Death. Your Companion has already heard his Sentence, and is now in his everlaſting State; and you muſt ere long hear yours too, therefore now Remember God; but I am fully conſident your ſerious Endeavours to do it, will render it needleſs for me, to give you a further Exhortation.

To us all, this Example may be of great Uſe, that we may betimes leave the purſuit of fooliſh tranſitory Pleaſures, and return home to our Duty, that ſo p. 49we may like obedient Children, when our Heaven… Father calls, without repining, die, and go to bed; when we have lived a little longer, we that are now together ſhall be ſeparated with the black Vail of Death, and from this World fly to the Regions of Immortality; and as this Aſſembly will ſoon be diſſolved ſo we that are here when we have ſpoken, and moved, and breathed a little longer, muſt go to our Long Homes, and ſleep in the Chambers of the Grave.

Let us therefore pray, that our paſſage hence to God, may be ſedate, and peaceful; and though we may not perhaps be ſuffered to ſee the Faces of one another again in ſuch Meetings as theſe, yet that we may all have an happy Meeting in the Aſſembly of the Firſt Born, and at the right hand of our Saviour, in the next World. If wee deſire this, as ſurely we all do; if we would have Conſciences, calm, and quiet, when we come to dye, if we would have a ſenſe of the Divine Favour, and Aſſiſtance when we are to perform our laſt Service, and to wreſtle with the Laſt Enemy, if we would have ſome draughts of thoſe Conſolations that flow from the perpetual Fountain of delight, and much of Heaven, while we are below; Let us Remember our Creator, who if we flouriſh in his Courts now, will in due Seaſon tranſplant us into the Celeſtial Paradiſe, and when we hope to go thither, 'tis no matter how ſoon we dye, it will be no real Evil, though it be in our youthful days. Can we too ſoon be with God, too ſoon at reſt from Labour, or ſhall be wronged if we ſleep in Jeſus, while others are awake in this World to ſee many ſad Objects that will pierce their hearts, to ſee, it may be, the greateſt Judgments p. 50fall upon their Native Country that ever yet fell upon a careleſs backſliding Generation? ſhall we have any Reaſon to complain, when we are ſafe Landed on the Coaſt of Heaven, that our paſſage thither was too quick, or ſhall we murmur that we were too ſoon wafted over, while others were left in Storms and Darkneſs and had a more tedious uncomfortable Voyage? No! we ſhall bleſs the Wiſdom of our Pilot that taught us how to ſteer ſo ſwift, and ſo near a Courſe, and ever adore his Goodneſs when we look back and ſee what Dangers, how many Shelves and Sands and Rocks were in the way, and yet how ſafely we eſcaped all theſe on which ſo many ſplit and were loſt, for ever. If we now Remember our Creator, when we leave this vexatious uncertain World, we ſhall go to the Boſome of our Lord, and to all thoſe bleſſed Young men whom he gathered into his Garner betimes, as knowing they were fully ripe for Glory. With theſe and with the Glorious Angels and with all Saints ſhall we joyn our Anthems, and together make up a Melodious Conſort to Sing the Songs of Sion. having remembred our Creator; we ſhall go to a City whoſe Inhabitants are all of one mind, and where they Sincerely love one another, to a Church which has no miſchievous Impoſitions, no cruel informing perſecuting Members, and which is free from Corruptions, and pure as well as great. We ſhall go to a place where there are no bitter Cenſures, no reproachful Ignominious Names, and Titles, where there is no miſunderſtanding among Friends, no falſe Brethren; no loſs of Goods, no fear of Evil. And when we are once free of the Society that is above p. 51none will diſpute our Title. When our Names are once enrolled among the honorable Companies of that Corporation, and among the Twelve chief Tribes of the Children of that Iſrael, we ſhall never loſe our Priviledge, nor have our Names blotted out: We ſhall always enjoy our juſt Rights and Liberties, and upon the continuance of our Charter, praiſe the Goodneſs of our Eternal King, and ever ſpeak the ſweet Language of the Place, Hallelujah; Salvation, and Glory, and Honour, and Power, unto the Lord our God.

FINIS.

End of the text · Timothy Rogers, Early Religion (1683)