Words of Advice to Young Men, Sermon 2 · Section 7
SECT. VII.
2. THE Second thing is to caution you against some particular sins of Youth, which the wicked one would draw you unto.
Now there are these 20 sins of Youth, which I shall caution you against.
1. Uncleanness.
2. Drunkenness.
3. Gluttony.
4. Gaming.
5. Quarrelling.
6. Swearing.
7. Lying.
8. Unfaithfulness.
9. Disobedience.
10. Idleness.
11. Sabbath-breaking.
12. A Frothy spirit.
13. Scoffing.
14. Pride.
15. Censoriousness.
16. Procrastination of Repentance.
17. Carnal Security.
18. Carnal Confidence.
19. Rashness.
20. Unsteadfastness.
1. Young men, take heed of uncleanness. The wicked one will be busie to tempt you, and your hearts in these years will be most ready to encline you; youthfull lusts are now apt to stir within you, especially in such a City as this, where there are so many objects to entice your eye and heart; but for your Life, take heed that you be not drawn to this sin. Flee fornication and adultery; other sins are without the body, but he that committeth fornication, sinneth against his own body, 1 Cor. 6. 18. Not to speak any thing of mens weakening and consuming their bodies by their frequency in this sin: he that committeth fornication des…leth his body, it is a filthy nasty sin… hereby the body is more defiled in the eyes of God, than if the body were drenched in a Jakes: it is just with God that such as venture upon this sin should, as many do, get the soul disease hereby, and that their members should …ot and putrifie whilest they are alive. He that committeth fornication or adultery, sinneth against his own soul, he defileth his soul, he woundeth his soul, and he destroyeth his soul; his heart, which should be God Temple, is hereby defiled, and he loaths such an habitation; his Conscience which whilest whole, is a continual Feast, is hereby wounded; his spirit, which whil…st chaste and clean is safe, is hereby exposed unto inevitable ruine and destruction: Therefore it is a foolish sottish thing to commit this sins see Prov. 6. 32, 33. Whoso committeth adultery with a woman, lacketh understanding, he that doth it destroyeth his own soul; a wound and dishonour shall he get, and his reproach shall not be wiped away. Such as commit this sin blot their Name, as well as defile their Spirit; wound their Reputation, as well as wound their Conscience; but chiefly, they lack understanding, because hereby they d…stroy their own Soul. Young men; look into two or three Scriptures, which methinks should be sufficient to deterr you from this sin, where you may perceive, whatever sweetness and pleasure this sin may promise and yield, that bitterness and destruction is at the end, and in the conclusion. See Prov. 5. 3, 4, 5. The lips of a strange woman drop as an hony-comb, and her mouth is smoother than Oyl: But her end is bitter as worntwood, sharp as a two-edged sword; her feet go down to death, her steps take hold on hell. See also Prov. 7. from vers. 6. to the end of the chapter; where Solomon speaketh of the young man void of understanding, whom he took notice of out of his window, meeting with an Harlot, who enticed him, and perswaded him to accompany her to the bed of lust; and he telleth you that he went after her, as an Oxe to the slaughter, and a sool to the correction of the stocks; as a bird to the snare, till an arrow struck thorow his liver, not perceiving the danger he was in of his life. Therefore he calleth upon young men to hearken, and take warning, and to turn away their feet from her paths; and that because her house goeth down to Hell: and chap. 2. 19. he telleth you, that none that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of Life. This sin doth so stupifie men, that it is ten thousand to one but you go to Hell without ever thinking of returning, if you commit it: for he that commiteth-fornication or adultery, sinneth against God, and he severely threatneth all such, Heb. 13. 4. Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled, but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. And it is a fearfull thing to fall into the bands of the living God, Heb. 10. 31. Hereafter you will be repayed with ten thousand times more pain and heartsgrief in Hell, than ever you found delight in this sin.
Young men, take heed of Uncleanness; as you ever hope for salvation, and to escape future wrath, refrain this sin, take heed of actual adultery; avoid occasions, come not neer the places where Harlots live; shun the company of such as are light and wanton; entice not any, by speech, or look, or behaviour, neither be enticed your selves; take heed of going to Stage-playes, where a dart may strike your heart, where you may have incentives to the sin by the immodest actions of actors, or the immodest garb of spectators. Comé not neer the flame, lest a fire be enkindled in your bosomes before you are aware; be not found in the Devils School, lest he catch you in his snare, and binde you, and lead you captive. If the wicked one assault you in your place, and you be tempted by any that converse with you, flee the place, as Joseph when his Mistress enticed him, say, How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? And young Virgins, yield not to this sin, if you be inticed; encourage not any by your carriage to make an attempt; rush out of the hands of the temptation with speed and indignation; proclaim the shame of any that shall twice move you; keep your selves chaste and pure, it is your ornament, it is your glory.
Young men, take heed of actual uncleanness with others, and take heed of self-pollutions, which are Murder and Adultery before God; do not dishonour your own bodies by your selves. Take heed of speculative uncleanness, do not look upon a woman to lust after her. Make a Covenant with your eyes, that you may not think upon a Maid; suppress the first rising of lust in your minde; get this evil concupis…ence mortified by vertue drawn from Christs death, and the operation of the Spirit; beat down your flesh with labour and abstinence, if you finde your selves very prone to this sin; and if no other course will do to quench the burning, God hath appointed a remedy by Marrying: But diligently and faithfully use all other means first, if other considerations do not move you to that Relation.
This Treatise would swell into too great a bulk, should I speak thus largely concerning every sin; therefore I shall be more brief in the rest.
2. Young men, take heed of Drunkenness. You are strong in body, be not strong to drink unto excess. This sin will distemper your body, intoxicate your spirit, and destroy your soul; take heed of it; it is one of the fruits of the flesh, Gal. 5. 21. and such as commit it cannot have any Inheritance in the Kingdom of Heaven, 1 Cor. 6. 10. think of the bitter cup of Gods wrath hereafter, which you must drink of, if you exceed the measure in your sweet cups here. Take heed of frequenting those places, I mean Taverns and Alehouses, where the temptation doth chiefly lye; neither go into those places often, neither stay in those places longer than need doth require. Take heed of the company of drunkards, turn away from them, if they tempt you; shake them off if they hang upon you; choose sober persons for your associates and familiars, Take heed of the ungodly practice of drinking Healths, a heathenish custom, too much in use amongst some loose Christians; I might say, a hellish custom, which the Devil doth put men upon, that it might be a shooing-horn to drunkenness. You are halt perswaded to be drunk, when you are perswaded to drink a health, forbear it, it is an occasion of much sin.
3. Young men, take heed of Gluttony, especially in these leasure dayes, wherein so much time and cost is layed out in Feasts. This Gluttony is called by our Saviour, sursetting, which he warneth his Disciples against, Luk. 21. 34. Take heed to your selves; lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfetting and drunkenness, and that day overtake you at unawares: Here Gluttony and Drunkenness are coupled together, as being much of the same nature, the one is drinking to excess, the other is eating to excess; then our Saviour biddeth, take heed of overcharging their hearts; when the body is overcharged with meat, the heart is overcharged, the Soul is overcharged as well as the Body, and therefore unfit for the service either of God or Man. Then he commandeth them to take heed, lest at any time they overcharge themselves with such excesses; it is not lawfull at any time, neither on ordinary dayes, neither on extraordinary dayes, not on Feasting dayes; God alloweth his people to feast, but not to gluttonize; they may eat for necessity, and something for delight, but they must never eat unto excess, to distemper and discompose themselves for action. And lastly, he subjoyns an awakening Consideration, lest that day overtake them at unawares, lest the day of Judgement overtake them, if not of the generall Judgement, yet of their particular Judgement; lest Death should surprize them, and the wrath of God should surprize them at unawares, and they should be taken away in the act of this sin, as Psal. 78. 30, 31. Whilest the meat was in their mouths, the wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them.
4. Young men, take heed of Gaming. Some sports are lawfull, and innocent, and needfull at some times for the health of the body, but take heed your affections be not set upon any Sports, and than you spend not more time in them than is needfull. But there are other. Games that are useless and hurtfull, that are thieves of money and time, and unlawfull; such as Carding and Dicing, which being pure Lottery, and Lottery being a sacred thing should not be made use of in Games, (as I conceive) no more than Oaths in common discourse. Cards may well be termed the Devils Books, and Dice the Devils Game; look not into those books, though they have no sense in them, yet they will strangely bewitch you to spend hours and nights together in turning them over: Throw not away your time with the Dye, you can never recover what you lose, I mean your precious time; not to say any thing of the danger you will be in of spending all you have, as some who have been worth many thousand pounds at night, have not been worth a thousand pence by the morning. There is no exercise of the body in th…se Games, and I am sure there is a corrupting of the Minde, and a loss of the precious time; and what plea can you have for such Games? Have you no employment for your time? Is it not pity that so many golden hours should run waste? Be not enticed to this sin by Friends; be not perswaded to it by custome; if you will do as the most do, you must go where the most goe, and that is to Hell. Think, if you lay upon your death bed, whether this sin of Gaming would not trouble you; and whether those will not have more peace, that our of Conscience have forborn to touch a Card or Dye all their life-time.
5. Young men, take he…d of Quarrelling; forbear gaming, and you will be out of the occasion of many quarrels. Take heed of a contentious spirit: In your young blood and strength of body, you are apt to have that which the world falsly terms a high spirit, and may be ready to offer affronts and injuries to others, and be able to bear none; but let me tell you, that such a spirit is a low, base spirit, a mean ignoble spirit: The high spirit indeed is such a spirit, as is most like the Spirit of Christ, he who had the most noble soul that ever God created, and his Spirit was humble and meek, who did injury to none, but bore all injuries patiently; who when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatned not; when he was smitten, he did not return blow for blow. This was noble. Young ones, labour to be like unto Jesus Christ in meekness, and patient bearing injuries and reproaches: Strife and contention comes from beneath, and is termed James 3. devilish; but meekness and patience cometh down from above, and will truly ennoble you; a meek and quiet spirit, not on…y in women, but also in young men, is their ornament, and before God of great price, 1 P…t. 3. 4.
6. Young men, take heed of Swearing; It is the express command of our Saviour, Matth. 5. 34, 37. I say unto you, Swear not at all, &c. that is, in your ordinary discourse, but let your communication be yea, yea, nay, nay, for whatever is more than these cometh of evil. If you will be Christs Disciples, you must obey him. What advantage can you get by duplicate page duplicate page this sin? What honour is it to swear? What pleasure can you finde in it? be sure it will bring damage, it provoketh God to punish, he hath threatned to curse swearers. We read Zach. 5. 2, 3. of a flying Roll, the length twenty cubits, the breadth ten cubits, which is interpreted to be the curse that goeth over the face of the Earth, to cut off him that stealeth on one side, and him that sweareth on the other side. God threatneth to condemn swearers, Jam. 5. 12. Above all things swear not, lest ye fall into condemnation. Take heed of the horrid oaths of the roaring Blades in our times, and take heed of more petty oaths of faith and troth; take heed also of cursing, and taking Gods Name in vain, remembring that the Lord will not hold such guiltless.
7. Young men, take heed of Lying. See Eph. 4. 25. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth. You would not speak lyes, if the party you spoke them unto did know and could prove them to be lyes, the intent of lyes being to cover: God knoweth your lyes, you cannot cover any thing from him; and God being Truth, loveth truth, and hateth lyes, and hath threatned lyars to give them their portion in that lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, Rev. 21. 8. Take heed of accustoming your selves to this sin of lying whilst you are young, it will be hard ever leaving it. Whatever advantage you may think to get by a lye, I am sure your damage will be greater: Whatever credit you may think to get by a lye, your dishonour is greater: Whatever fault you cover by a lye, you do hereby the more aggravate it: Whatever kindness you may think to do another by a lye, you do your selves a thousand-fold more injury: Though you may account lyes but words, and words but wind, yet for such words you will be condemned, and such a wind as one saith, is sufficient to blow your souls into Hell.
8. Young men, take heed of Unfaithfulness. You that are Apprentices, or Servants, take he…d of unfaithfulness to your Masters, that you do not wrong and d…fraud them in the least, remembring that dreadful threatning, that God will be avenged upon all defrauders, 1 Thes. 4. 6. They may not know your fraud and deceit, but God is privy to it, and the vengeance will be fearful which one day he will recompence unto you for this sin. Read the duty of servants in this regard, Tit. 2. 10. where they are warned against purloining, and exhorted to shew all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. Be faithful to your Masters as to their estates, their money and goods; be careful as if they were your own; do not wrong them, or any else whilst young; remembring that you must make restitution, as ever you hope for salvation, if you be able to do it; and be faithful to them as to their counsels; do not blaze abroad their secrets; do not make known their infirmities; serve them with all uprightness and fidelity, as if you were to serve Christ himself for indeed he will count it so, and hath promised a reward to faithful servants, beyond what their Masters can give, Eph. 6. 8. Col. 3. 24.
9. Young men, take heed of Disobedience. Children obey your Parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to God, Col. 3. 20. For this is the first Commandment with promise, Ephes. 6. 2. Servants be obedient unto them which are Masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart as unto Christ; not with eye-service as men-pleasers, but as the servants of Christ doing the will of God from the heart, Ephes. 6. 5, 6. Here is a copy of your duty, take heed of the contrary sin, which the wicked one will be busie to tempt you unto. In disobeying Parents and Governours, you are disobedient unto God, and displease Christ your great Master; if they be strangers to Christ, you ought to obey them, except in those things which are unlawful. Young ones that are yet under Governm…nt, take heed of disobedience; as obedience will be rewarded by Christ, so disobedience will be punished by him at his second appearance: Be not disobedient to Governours, and behave not your selves irreverently towards the aged and gray-headed, for you ought to honour the silver-hair.
10. Young men, take heed of Idleness. Do not loiter away your time, especially the time of your youth: Time is very precious, the time of your youth is most precious, the choicest and chiesest; it is your seed-time, your gathering-time; you are now more active and fit for employment; you may happily spare a month better if you should live beyond fifty years, than an hour now; your whole time is short, the time of your youth will be slipt away quickly, manhood and old age will steal on you before you are aware; but you …ie whilst young: You can call no time yours … the present: O how precious is the present hour I think if the damned had but one hour given them, how they would esteem and improve it. I have heard of a Lady at her death, who had mis-spent the …ime of her life, groaned out in her air breath this sad speech with bitterness and earnestness, … thousand worlds for one quarter of an hour … Take heed of lavishing away your time in sin and va…y; let not an hour pass without doing something, fill up your whole time with duty; you may can, and drink, and sleep, but let not the concernments of your body, devour too much of your precious time; let them not have more of your time than is necessary, more than is duty. Redeem your time, double your diligence, remember how much of your time is irrecoverably gone; how much of your work is still to do; remember how neer you are to eternity when time shall be no more, therefore apply your hearts to wisdom, and whatever your hands finde to do, do it with all your might. Take heed of idleness in your particular callings; be diligent in your secular imployments; the diligent hand maketh rich; but the slothful person is brother to him that is a great waster: Take heed of idleness, of spiritual sloth in your general Callings: Take heed of wholly neglecting the duties of Gods Worship, either publick, or family, or closet; of neglecting to hear, or read, or pray; and take heed of negligence in these duties; there is a curse denounced against such as do the work of the Lord negligently, Jer. 48. 10. You must not be slothful, if you would be followers of them who through faith and patience have inherited the Promises, Heb. 6. 12.
11. Young men, take heed of Sabbath-breaking: Do not idle away this day as too many young men do, in the fields, in visits, in vain company, much less in Taverns, or Alehouses, in drinking, and greater wickedness than all the week besides. Value the Sabbath day, above all the daies of the week; spend it in the duties of Gods immediate Worship; you may get something in the shop en the week day, you may get more in Gods House and Ordinances on the Lords day, spiritual light, and life, and strength, and peace, and joy, Gods favour; Jewels of grace, evidences for Heaven, are worthy your seeking; do not lose such benefits as these by profaning the Sabbath-day, by suffering worldly business to entrench upon this sacred time, which God hath sanctified, and you ought to keep holy.
12. Young men, take heed of a frothy spirit. Some young ones are full of froth and vanity, very toyish and foolish, without any solidity or seriousness. It is time for you now to put away childish things; get the vanity of your minds emptied; let the frothiness and levity of your spirits be curbed by the fear of God, an awful apprehension of his omnipresence, and all-seeing eye; put your spirits under the Government of the Lord Jesus Christ.
13. Young men, take heed of Scoffing. If you have wit, let it not vent it self in scurrility, in jesting and jeering at others, which the Apostle eau…oneth against as inconvenient and unbecoming the Gospel, Ephes. 5. 4. Do not mock at others infirmities, but pity them; let nothing be the object of your scorn, except it be sin, neither should you scoff at others for their sins, but labour to reduce them by your friendly admonitions. Above all, take heed of fcoffing at any for their holiness and strict walking, which is an undoubted character of a prophane and carnal heart; and such persons as do so, are scorned by God, and most contemptible in his eyes.
14. Young men, take heed of Pride. Do not over-value and esteem your selves; do not conceit an excellency in your selves above others, but with lowliness of mind esteem others above your selves: If you have any gifts and attainments that may be useful, glorifie God with them in your sphere; be thankful for them; and withall, be so well acquainted with your imperfections and secret corruption of heart, that you may be humble. Be not proud of gifts of mind, much less of strength and beauty of body, and least of all, of hair, which is but an excrement, or of clothes, which are a badge of mans Apostacy. Remember that pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall: That God looketh upon the proud afar off, when he hath a respect to the lowly, Psal. 138. 6. That God resisteth the proud, when he giveth grace to the humble, 1 Pet. 5. 6.
15. Young men, take heed of Gensoriousness, of rash judging of others. Take the caution of our Saviour against this sin, Matth. 7. 1, 2, 3. Judge not that ye be not judged, for with what judgement ye judge ye shall be judged, and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brothers, eye, and considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? If you censure others, you will be censured again; be sure ye will be judged and condemned by God; you are apt to spy little faults, motes in others, be acquainted with the beam in your own eye, with your own greater faults, and you will not then be so forward to judge. Take one more Scripture, which cautioneth you against this sin, Jam. 4. 11, 12. Speak not evil one of another; he that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the Law, and judgeth the Law. He doth in effect say, that the Law which condemneth this sin, is not so fit a Law. But if thou judge the Law, thou art not a doer of the Law, but a Judge. There is one Law-giver, who is able to save and to destroy? Who art thou that judgest another?
16. Young men, take heed of Procrastinating, your Repentance. Do not put off this great work until to morrow; remember what hazards you run; how uncertain life is; how unlikely that ever you should repent, if you do not improve your youthful season for it. Set about the work presently, break off your sins by repentance presently, and make your peace with God without further delay, left you be cut off from the Land of the living before you are aware, and hereafter there will be no room for repentance.
17. Young men, take heed of …nal security. You have health, and strength, and peace, and prosperity it may be …, and never tasted the bitter cup of Affliction; and therefore may be apt to be secure, and secretly hope that this state will last, that your Mountain is so strong, that you shall never be moved, that you shall never come into Adversity. Alas! you are little acquainted with the World; Man is born to trouble as the sparks flye upwards; crosses, and cares, and losses, and sickness, and pain, and many miseries are the attendants of this Life; and you must look sooner or later, in one measure or other, to have your share: be not secure, but prepare, lest being unprovided, the miseries of this life be more irksome and unsupportable.
18. Young men, take heed of carnal Confidence. You may be apt now to put your trust in Arms of flesh, to repose much confidence in Friends or Means, and some external props; but you will finde them all like broken reeds, or a foot out of joynt; and where you have the greatest hope and trust, you are like to meet with the greatest disappointment: Cease then from Man, whose breath is in his nostrils; trust not in uncertain riches; stay not upon any Creature, but put your trust in the Lord, who is omnipotent and faithfull; in him you may be secure as to the greatest evil, and you may have confidence of all needfull supplies.
19. Young men, take heed of Rashness. Be not rash in your Promises, lest you repent, or be found unfaithfull: Be not rash in your Undertakings, in your engagement in any business; especially take heed of rashness in changing your condition. Remember that Proverb, That Youth rideth post to be married, and lodgeth in the Inne of Repentance. In all the weighty affairs of your life, Pray to God earnestly for his guidance; consult with wise and faithfull friends; and seriously deliberate things in your own mindes. Observe the rule of the Word, and let your design be the glory of God.
20. And lastly, young men, take heed of Unsteadfastness. Be not inconstant in your resolutions as to civil affairs and undertakings; but especially take heed of inconstancy and unstedfastness in the wayes of God. Take heed of a wavering, unsettled minde, of backslidings and revoltings from God, let not your Zeal degenerate into Lukewarmness, and your present Forwardness end in Apostacy. But watch, stand fast in the Faith, quit your selves like men, be strong, 1 Cor. 16. 13. and with full purpose of heart stick close unto the Lord, Aū. 11. 23.
Labour to keep your selves from these sins of Youth which the wicked one would draw you unto, that so you may be victorious, and if you overcome, you shall eat of the tree of Life which is in the Paradise of God, Rev. 2. 7. You shall not be hurt of the second death, v. 11. You shall eat of the hidden Manna, and have the white stone, wherein the new Name is written, which none-can read but they that receive it, v. 17. You shall have the Morning Star, v. 28. You shall be cloathed in White Raiment, and Christ will confess your Name before his Father, and before the Angels, ohap. 3. 5. You shall be Pillars in the Temple of God, and go no more out, and have the Name of God written upon you, v. 12. You shall sit with Christ on his throne, as he overcame, and is set down with his Father on his throne, v. 21.
My most dearly beloved young men, labour thus, that you may be such young men as are commended in the Text, to be strong, that the Word of God may abide in you, and to overcome the wicked one.