The Vanity of Childhood and Youth, Sermon · Directions
Directions to such as are Converted in Youth.
1. Be watchful over your selves, because some Vanity remains in the best, while here. Satan would more gladly overcome you than others; and he knows there's matter for temptation to work on in thee. Youthful years are subject to youthful Lusts: Young Timothy himself was warned of them by wise Paul, 2 Tim. 2. 22. Therefore don't venture on Occasions of Vanity; don't venture into temptations to sin: Nothing but perfect Grace perfectly heals the Sin of your Constitution. Young ones, you don't think you are perfect! you are not thoroughly clean, therefore walk carefully, walk watchfully; take care of Voluptuousness, for there is some unruliness in thy Appetite still. Take care of wanton Dalliance, for there is some Disposition to Uncleanness, 1 Tim. 5. 2. Still take care of evil Company; Youth may be ensnared, tho they are good: Avoid all frothy Society, for Youth is apt to be perswaded to loss of Time and Levity: Therefore walk with watchfulness in whatever you are doing: You are not in Heaven, tho in a State of Grace; you are not perfect, tho upright; therefore keep a jealous Eye while your green years continue.
2. Keep humble and modest as to your Opinions; for Truth admits the Disquisitions of Age and a long Study. Young People think every Notion they have gotten is infallible, and every plausible Reason is with them unanswerable. But let me tell you, you will change your judgments it may be before you dye: And too much confidence in Youth leads a Man to Scepticism in Age; Be not wise in your own conceits, Prov. 3. 7. You are subject to error, in deep things your knowledge can be but superficial; if you live long you will blush at your present confidence: And therefore don't presently take up Notions; determine not hastily difficult points, make no noise about singular Opinions, and do not rashly censure men that are wise and aged, whose deep thoughts are preferrable to a voluble Tongue, or luxuriant Fancy.
3. Design and furnish your selves for great service for God in the World. I would earnestly bespeak a mercy for the next Age; resolve an eminency in Holiness: I would have every young Convert here, resolve to be one of the highest Saints: Resolve to do much for God's Name and Gospel; and if you have hopeful Abilities, resolve to be great Blessings to your Countrey: Side with the best Cause, and best Men. You may live to have greater Opportunities to serve God than we have had: you may do so, and I hope you will do so. The Lord furnish our Youth with Abilities transcendant to ours, as their work is like to be above ours. O my Friends, I would have you therefore prepare your selves; get your Heads well enlightened, get your Hearts well enflam'd with Love to God and Men. Labour to be industrious in your Calling, that you may have Estates to do good withal; for Idleness and waste make Persons too poor to do great Service; whence they live as Shrubs though planted young. Study good Catechisms, as a guard against Errors. Lay up rules of Prudence for your Conversation, but beware of crastiness and little base designs. Observe your Constitution, that sickliness may not prevent your Use. Get such an Elocution as may advantage what you speak, &c.
4. Admit the helps, and put your selves under all the instituted Engagements of Christs Members. Admit the helps,—Sirs, we have good Books, carefully peruse them. Read the Scriptures: Ay, and labour to be well furnisht, and skilld in them from your Youth, 2 Tim. 3. 15. Set your selves to hear Sermons; especially put your selves under the Labours and Conduct of the best Ministers. Contrive every one of you to sit under that Ministry; that truly understands, and plainly and powerfully urges the great things of the Gospel, viz. The Mysteries, Promises, and Laws of our Redeemer. I tell you why I say this; Young ones are apt to like the Preacher that has Fancy rather then Weight; strong Affections rather than Judgment; that has vain Gingles rather than solid Truth; and that is earnest for small matters above essentials: Oh take it from me to Day, all Hearers savour of their Pastor: Give me therefore a Pastor that's likest to ripen for a Heavenly Life, and not to amuse me with little fine-spun Notions, where light carries not it's Evidence. Preferr moderate Pastors above others; Men who are more intent on the great things of the Gospel, than lesser matters: Men who allow for different Conceptions in others, knowing themselves are imperfect: Men who insist on no terms of, or bars to Communion, but what Christ hath made. If God do not deliver the growing Age from a Contentious, Dividing, Uncharitable Temper, I shall say the next fiery struggles will hazard the Life of Religion, and sacrifice Love (the very Heart of Religion) to every trifle, and disputable Notions which hath sorely wounded us. Value Moderate Men, wise Men are always such. Your furious dividing Bigott is unacquainted with himself, incapable of taking up the body of Divine Truths, as they stand in their order and place. Hence one thing fills his mind, and that commonly the least, and all his Zeal is laid out in that, while he confounds Truth and Error. Few Men have heads clear enough to distinguish Truth; Truth and Error lye oft so near, that the Man that has not the clearest judgment, and the conduct of the Spirit, will easily fail; much more such whose parts are low, and whose uncharitable Temper exclude the assistances of the Spirit.
Further, I call you Young ones to attend to the Lords Supper. You are dedicated to God by Baptism, in the right of your Parents; that was not thy act, but theirs for thee; that was not in thy own right, but in thy Parents right. The first solemnizing of thy own Profession is at the Lords Table, or in order to it; therefore I call you to make Conscience of that. Young People, I say make conscience of it. I tremble to think how we differ from the Church in former Ages; that People now should be so backward to attend the Lords Supper.
Obj. But some may object, Pray how old must we be that come to the Table of the Lord.
Answ. I answer, He is old enough that can give evidence of his consent to be the Lords, and when he can act the Graces that belong to a Sacrament, and improve the matter contained therein, whenever they can do this, age is no obstacle. I would not scruple one of fourteen no more than I would one of fifty, where there's a credible Profession of Grace, and a competent knowledge of the great Essentials of Religion, and a Conversation suited to it: Therefore, my Friends, make Conscience of this great Duty; for I am afraid our young Professors remain giddy, for want of this and of Pastoral Conduct. I fear you want strength for want of this, and comfort for want of this; and Satan has great advantage against our young Professors, because they are not more established and steady than they be. Therefore if thon hast given up thy self to be the Lords; and if God has enlighten'd thy Mind to understand the great things of the Covenant, thou hast a claim, and thou oughtest to make it; sure thou art old enough to consent to be Christs, when thou art fit to give thy self in Marriage.
5. Dispose of your selves to the greatest Safety, and most Usefulness. You that are Servants, chuse no Family where God is not worship'd, for a curse and a snare is there; besides the want of those daily helps which you stand in need of. You that are changing your dwellings, go to no place where the Gospel is not, live not in a Countrey where Christ is a Stranger as to his Institutions. You young ones that are about Marrying! be sure that Grace be the first thing that you provide for, 1 Cor. 7. 39. for God kuows how much easier it is to stifle good beginnings, than to conquer riveted custom; and it's much easier to be overcome by a bad Wife, than a bad Wife to be converted by a good Husband. Know this my Friends, he that does not wisely contrive for his Soul as a Man in Danger, will rue it sooner or later. God is not bound to help us when we run out of his way.
6. Reckon upon a world of Troubles, and Snares, and be still preparing for them. Oh young People, be every day arming your selves, for you may be every day attacqued; don't promise too serene a State on this side Heaven, In the world you shall have trouble, John 16. 33. Thy Work is a Warfare, and holds for Life; temptations will assault, disappointments and scandals will try; the best Men may be a stumbling-block: Be fit for every thing, and resolved to hold on thy way; it's hard work, but Christ hath undertaken to assist thee, and Heaven is worth thy labour. Oh don't think and act as if you were to have your resting place here, where Satan hath so much power, and Sin so great an interest.
7. Still grow in Grace, and usefulness with age. Though thou art good for thy time, thou art not so good as thou mayst be, nor oughtest to be, much less so good as you should resolve to be: Oh let not age's dulness be reproached by the vigour of your espousals, Jer. 2. 2. Take care that time adds to thy Light, to thy Love, to thy strength and Fruit. Move Heaven-ward as days are prolonged.
8. Familiarize the Word as your Instructor and Monitor. Which way should a Young Man cleanse his way, but by taking heed to the Word? Psal. 119. 9. Let the Word be the Man of thy Councel; take the Scripture for thy Rule, and resolve to live by it. Oh Servants, look what God makes your Duty in Scripture, will that allow you to be idle, insolent, or wastefull? Col. 3. 22. Children, see what God makes your Duty to your Parents, Eph. 6. 1. and to your other Relations; may you be rebellious, unkind, &c? the Word is the true measure and light: Alas! the oldest of us are sure to stumble without the Word; what then can young ones do? Therefore study the Scriptures more, search them, and labour in every thing to manage your selves by them. Sirs, I would have no one here ignorant of a rule proper to most of the Exigences of his Life, and let that be still before thy eyes. I will give you Young People one Advice, that may do you good all your dayes, and that's this: I would have you all consider what Temptations you are like to meet with, and what are the Duties you are like to be call'd to; alwayes have an apt Scripture lodg'd in thy Mind, suitable to each of these; and resolve to do nothing, nor to purpose nothing before thou hast first consulted that Scripture in thy Mind; this would be a stated way of avoiding much sin. Young people! you that are in Christ, labour to live to these Rules. I shall now conclude: I have been plainly telling all of you, Childhood and Youth is Vanity. You all come such into the World, &c. are you altered, or are you not? do you still grow more vain, or more serious? should God come this day, and divide this Assembly, and set the Vain on the right hand, and the Serious on the left; O Child, O Young Man, on which side wouldst thou be found?
O put it to your selves; what answer canst thou return? wilt thou go away and resolve to be as Vain as ever, after all that has been said? If that be thy resolve, would to God thou hadst not been here; this Sermon will be a Thorn in thy side for ever: But if from what has been said, you go away resolving through Grace to be faithful in the practice of all these Directions, given you for the Cure of your Vanity: If so, then thou wilt have cause for ever to bless God for the 25th. of December, 1690.
FINIS.