A Call to Parents and Children, Sermon 2
THE Important Duty OF CHILDREN.
I Chron. XXVIII.9.
And thou, Solomon, my Son, know thou the God of thy Father, and serve Him, with a perfect Heart, and with a willing Mind; for the Lord searcheth all Hearts, and understandeth all the Imaginations of the Thoughts; if thou seek Him, He will be found of thee; but if thou forsake Him, He will cast thee off forever.
I Have, in Publick to Day, discoursed some Things upon these Words, before many of you that are here present, and have observed that they are the Words of King David, to Solomon, his Son; and in them, we have the Father's great Concern, that his Child may know and serve the Lord. From whence I have discoursed on this Doctrine,
1. Doc. That it should be the great Concern of Parents, that their Children may be such as shall know and serve the Lord.
But then, the Words are spoken unto Solomon, a Young Man, under Twenty Years of Age, and shew him what his great Concern should be, namely, to serve God, with a perfect Heart, and a willing Mind; and that because God knoweth the Heart, and will accept such as so serve Him, and reject them that do it not. From whence I have noted this as a Second Doctrine, viz.
2. Doc. That it should be the most important Concern of Young People, to know, and serve, the Lord, with a perfect Heart, and a willing Mind.
This Doctrine I reserved to be discoursed on, by the Help of God, this Evening, unto you my Young People; and in the handling of it, I shall endeavour to shew you,
I. What is to be understood by knowing God.
II Wherein consists the Service of God.
III. That God is to be served with a perfect Heart, and a willing Mind.
IV. And then I shall evidence this to be the most important Concern of Young People; where I shall consider the Arguments made use of in the Text. I begin with the first of these, viz.
I. What is to be understood by knowing God? Kknow thou the God of thy Father. Now, the Knowledge of God may well be understood to comprehend these Three Things in it.
1. That there is a God.
2. What this God is. And,
3. What this God requireth of us.
1. To know God, comprehends in it the Knowledge that there is a God. For if the Mind is not first informed, and does not give Credit to the Information, that verily there is a GOD, some supream, and infinitely powerful, and wise Agent, from whom all Things originate, there can be no Foundation for the Knowledge of Him, nor for any Service to Him. This therefore is the first Thing in the Knowledge of GOD, to have the Mind firmly impressed with the Belief of the Being of GOD. Hence we are told, Heb. XI.6. He that cometh unto God, must believe that he is. This is the first Thing that Young People should get their Minds well informed in the Belief of, that there is a GOD, a Supream Being, who is the first Cause, and the last End of all Things; That there is a GOD, who gave Being unto all this World; That this GOD made us, and formed us, and fashioned us, and furnished us with all our Powers, of Choice, and of Action. Therefore the Preacher says, Eccl. XII.1. Remember thy Creator, in the Days of thy Youth. So soon as you come to Years of Understanding, you should remember that there is a GOD, who is thy Creator, and the Creator of all Things in Heaven and in Earth. While your Minds are soft and tender you should receive the Impressions of the Being of the great GOD upon them, that the Belief hereof may have its due Influence upon you all your Life after. The Belief of a GOD, of all Perfections, the Maker, and Ruler, of all Worlds, and to whom you must be accountable, should be deeply rooted in your Minds; and serious Thoughts of this GOD should be often present with you. And indeed, you can look no where without seeing some plain Evidences and Proofs of the Being of a God. Young as you are, you are capable of seeing GOD in all Things; for as the Psalmist said, (Psal. XIX.1.) The Heavens declare the Glory of God; and the Firmament sheweth His handy Work. And so the Apostle (Rom. I.20.) says, The … Things of Him, from the Creation of the World, are clearly seen, being understood by the Things that are made; even His Eternal Power and Godhead. This is the first Thing to know that there is a GOD.
2. The Knowledge of God includes in it, the Knowledge of what this God is. Not that Youth are able fully to understand what sort of a Being the Lord is: For so the most ripened Years cannot attain unto the Knowledge of God; because there is no finding out of the Almighty unto Perfection. Yea, the very Angels of Heaven cannot so know God. For no finite Mind can comprehend that which is Infinite. But yet, so much of God may be known by us, as it hath pleased God to manifest of Himself unto us, as necessary to our serving of Him. And thus Young People should be concerned to know God. As now,
They should know that the Lord is a great God. That this God has all Power in His own Hands, and can do whatsoever He pleases. For what cannot He do that made a World out of nothing? You are to know, as Iob expresses it, Iob XLII.2. That God can do every thing, and that no Thought can be witholden from Him: and therefore to know that this God can punish severely those that dare to offend Him, and that He is able to protect, and reward, those that faithfully serve Him.
Again; you are to know, that this God is an infinitely good God; whose Goodness is seen in His giving Being to you, in His constant preserving of you, and bountifully supplying of all your Wants. Thou art Good, and doest Good; said the Psalmist, Psal. CXIX.68. Yea, God is good unto all, and His tender Mercies are over all His Works. Psal. CXLV.9. So soon as you arrive at the Use of Reason, you should well acquaint yourselves with the Goodness of God unto you, that you may be allured thereby unto all Fidelity in His Service. And need you to look far to see the Instances of His Goodness to you? Or can you forget the Author of your Lives, your constant Preserver, and Benefactor, from whom you receive your All?
Again; you are to know that this God is a very Holy God; that He has no Pleasure in Wickedness, neither shall Evil dwell with Him, but He perfectly hateth all Sin and Iniquity, and cannot by any Means approve of it. Hab. I.13. Thou art of purer Eyes than to behold Evil, and canst not look upon Iniquity. You should therefore early know, and bear it in Mind, not only, that God is Himself at an infinite Distance from all moral Evil, but, that He hates all Sin wheresoever He sees it; and because Sin is the abominable Thing which the Soul of the Lord hates, therefore He hateth all the Workers of Iniquity.
Again; you are to know that this God is every where present, and perfectly knows all Things, all Persons, and all their Actions. So says God, by His Prophet, Ier. XXIII.24. Can any hide himself, in secret Places, that I shall not see him? saith the Lord: do not I fill Heaven and Earth? saith the Lord. Young as you are, you are to know, and realize it, that God sees you wherever you are; that He knows all your Actions, Words, and Thoughts, and you cannot hide yourselves, nor what you do, or say, or think, from His View.
Finally; you are to know, that the Lord is a God of Truth, and that it is impossible unto God to Lie, Heb. VI.18. You are to know, that God is true in what He hath spoken, and all His Sayings are faithful, and worthy of all Acceptation, and God will be true to His Word, and accomplish the Thing that hath gone out of His Mouth, both in fulfiling His Threatening upon His Enemies, and His Promises unto His Friends. These, and the other adorable Perfections and Attributes of God, you are to have your Minds well informed in the Knowledge of. But I may not enlarge.
3. To know God includes in it, the Knowledge of what God requires of us: or, the Knowledge of the Mind and Will of God concerning us. This Knowledge of God is attainable Two Ways;
First, by the Light of Nature. Something of God, and of His Mind and Will concerning us, is to be seen by a due Exercise of our natural Reason and Conscience. But this is such a very dim and obscure Knowledge of God, and of His Mind and Will concerning us, which, after all our Pains, we can attain to by the Light of Nature, that our best, and safest, Knowledge of God, and His Mind, is,
Secondly, From His holy Word. For it hath pleased God to make a full, and clear, Revelation of Himself, and His Mind and Will unto the World, confirmed by many Signs and Wonders, and diverse Miracles, and Gifts of the Holy Ghost; and therein He hath shewed to us, that He is, and what He is, and what doth the Lord our God require of us, so far as is necessary to be known by us. Now, it concerns Young People to endeavour to know God as He hath revealed Himself unto them, to attend unto the Light of Nature, and to take heed unto the Word of God, as a more sure Word of Prophecy, a Light that shineth in a dark Place. Therefore Young Persons should learn betimes to read the Word of God; and, being capable of reading it, they should make Conscience of daily accustoming themselves to read some Portion thereof; and meditate on that holy Word; that they may be acquainted with the Mind and Will of God concerning them, and know what they are to believe, and what to practise, in the Service of God. For if they know not their Master's Will, how shall they be able to perform it? And especially, according to the Gospel Revelation, they should endeavour to know God in CHRIST; that is, to understand the great Doctrines of the Gospel relating to the Person, Natures, and Offices, and Benefits of Jesus Christ; to acquaint themselves with the wonderful Grace and Mercy of God in providing a Saviour, and sending His own Son into the World, to suffer and die for Sinners, that He might bring us unto God: that they may be led by the Knowledge hereof to the Faith of the Son of God, and to eternal Life thro' Him. This is to know God; and this is the Knowledge which it cannot be good that the Soul should be without.
II. The Second Thing I proposed to take Notice of under this Doctrine, is, to shew you, wherein consisteth the Service of God. Young People should be concerned not only to know God, but to serve Him; and that they may be enabled to serve Him, it is necessary for them to know what that Service is which is expected from them. Here then we may enquire, what is intended by, and included in, that Service which Young Persons, and which indeed, all Persons should yield unto God? And this includes in it, in the general, a Compliance with whatsoever the Lord our God requireth of us, a doing what God has commanded us, and a living up to the Rules which He hath prescribed to us in His holy Word: and so it includes in it our whole Duty. But to be a little more particular; it includes in it,
1. The Duties of Piety.
2. The Duties of Sobriety.
3. The Duties of Justice. And
4. The Duties of Charity.
1. The Service of God includes in it▪ all the Duties of Piety which are due unto God Himself. These are Duties which Young Persons are concerned betimes to engage in; it being one of the first Lessons they are to learn, to reverence God. Thus,
They are to believe in God, and in His Son Jesus Christ. For this is the great Command of the Gospel, and what God requires of every one that hears His Word, to believe in Him, and to believe in Christ. So said our Saviour, Ioh. XIV.1. Ye believe in God, believe also in me: and Ioh. VI.29. This is the Work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent. This is so necessary a Part of our Duty unto God, that without it no Man can serve God acceptably; for, without Faith it is impossible to please God. Heb. XI.6. The Faith of the Divine Being, and of His Son Jesus Christ, as the great Mediator, thro' whom alone we have access to God, and acceptance with Him, being the Fundamental Principle of the Christian Religion. You must therefore get a Principle of Faith in God, and Faith in Christ, as the Son of God, and Saviour of Sinners, into your Hearts, as the grand Spring of all your spiritual and acceptable Service, without which you can never find Favour with God: because, out of Christ, God is a consuming Fire unto guilty Sinners, but in Christ He is a God reconciling a guilty World unto Himself.
Repentance towards God, is another Duty of Piety which Young Persons should carefully attend upon, that they may serve God. That is they should turn from all Sin unto the living God. For all Sin is a carrying the Heart off from God unto the Creature, unto Self, unto the World, and unto the Devil; and Repentance is the Soul's renouncing these Usurpers, and refusing to be any longer in Subjection unto foreign Lords, and returning to its Duty unto its rightful Sovereign, and subjecting itself unto the living Iehovah. And inasmuch as you were all born Sinners, being conceived in Sin, and shapen in Iniquity; and have lived Sinners, having broken the holy Law of God many Times, within the few Years you have been in the World; therefore you had need to come unto Repentance: and this is what God in a peculiar Manner requires, now that the Gospel hath enlightned the World, and shewn you the Evil of Sin, and the dreadful Consequents of it, and a Saviour from it. Act. XVII.30. The Times of Ignorance God winked at, but now hath commanded all Men, every where, to repent. And because you owe your whole selves, and all your Time to the Service of God, and none to Sin; and there is Danger lest by Continuance in Sin you grow hardened therein; therefore you should now in your Youth forsake every evil Way, and endeavour after an universal Conformity unto the Will of God.
Again; Young Persons ought to pray to God. This is another Duty of Piety, which God requires of all Persons, and of Young ones, that they pray to Him; that they be sensible of their intire Dependance upon Him for every good Thing, both respecting their Bodies, and their Souls, for Time, and for Eternity; and that in a Sense thereof they come humbly before Him, and pour out their Heart's Desire unto Him, in all Things by Prayer and Supplication making known their Requests unto Him; that they beg it of God to preserve them from Dangers, to lead them in a right Way, to keep them from sinning, and bestow their daily Bread upon them, and give them His Grace, and unite them unto His Son, and finally bring them to Glory. Our Saviour, therefore, spake a Parable, to this Intent, That Men ought always to pray, and not to faint: Luke XVIII.1. and directs you, to enter into your Closet, and when you have shut the Door, to pray to your Father which seeth in secret. Mat. VI.6. And this will be a comfortable Token for Good upon you, that God has begun His Work in you, when it can be said of you, as of Saul, Act. IX.11. behold, he prayeth. But then remember, in your Prayers, that you are to give Thanks unto God for all the Instances of His Goodness, Bounty, and Mercy to you. And how lovely is the Spectacle, in the Eyes of God, to see Young Persons thus going alone, and earnestly presenting their Supplications and Acknowledgments to Him? This is a grateful Sacrifice with which God is well pleased.
And finally; 'Tis a Work of Piety, which Young Persons are concerned in, to do all they can for the Honour and Glory of God. The Apostle gives us this Rule, I. Cor. X.30. Whether ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the Glory of God. Young Persons should remember, that they, as well as all Things else, were made for this great End, to glorify God; and therefore they should endeavour the Advancement of this high and noble End all the Ways they are capable of. All your natural, civil, and religious Actions should be performed with a single Eye to the Glory of God. Be ready to do all you can for the building up of the Church of God; and become yourselves living Stones in that Temple of the Lord; and think not much to lay yourselves out, to spend, and be spent, in the Service of God; and to improve of your worldly Interest in such Works of Piety as may tend to the Glory of God. Thus are you to serve God in the Duties of Piety.
2. The Service of God includes in it all the Duties of Sobriety. And thus Young Persons are to serve God, by behaving themselves with Sobriety, in the Government and Regulation of their Appetites and Passions, in the Temperance, Chastity, and Purity of their Manners, and Behaviour.
Thus Young Persons should be sober in their Temperance, and restraining their inordinate Appetites and Desires after the World and the Things thereof. Exhort young Men to be sober-minded, said the Apostle, Tit. II.6. They are to be sober in their Meats and Drinks, and not allow themselves in Gluttony and Drunkenness, nor in too great Curiosity about the Quality of them, but be contented with what they have. They are to be temperate in their Apparel, and not craving after every new and slanting Fashion, hastening, if possible, to be one of the first in it, nor going to the Extent of it, which will be but an Indication of a vain Mind: but preserve a due Mediocrity, and use the World, (and the Things thereof,) so as not to abuse it, (nor them themselves with it,) because the Fashion of this World passeth away. I. Cor. VII.31.
Again; Young Persons should be sober in the Chastity and Purity of their Manners; behaving themselves with Modesty, and Shamefacedness, carrying themselves with all Circumspection and good Behaviour before their Superiours, rising up at the Face of the old Man, and giving that Honour and Reverence to their Parents, natural, spiritual, and civil, and ready Obedience and Submission to them, which the Word of God requires of them. They should be careful also to remember and observe the Apostle's Rule, II. Tim. II.22. Flee youthful Lusts. They should preserve themselves pure and chaste from all unclean Lusts, and learn to possess their Vessels in Sanctification and Honour, and be careful not to allow themselves in any lewd Talk, and evil Communication, in any impure or immodest Words, or Actions, and, as much as may be, drive impure Thoughts out of their Minds, and not suffer them to lodge within them.
Again; Young Persons should be sober in the regular Government of their Tongues. They should not suffer that unruly Member, the Tongue, to run at large, but lay their seasonable and prudent Restraints upon it, and keep it under the Bit. They should hate and abhor Lying, as a base and odious Vice, proceeding from a meanness of Soul, and which render them abominable and contemptible both in the Sight of God and Man. Eph. IV.15. wherefore, putting away lying, speak every Man the Truth with his Neighbour. They should always be careful to speak the Words of Truth and Soberness. And they should be careful to banish all impious and profane Language from their Mouths; that their Mouths may not be set against the Heavens, and belch out their Blasphemies against the God that made them. They should be careful never to allow themselves to take the Name of God in vain, by customary Oaths in Conversation, much less in their solemn Testimony to any Thing; because this will be to dishonour God, and not to serve Him; and God will not hold him guiltless that taketh His Name in vain. Exod. XX.7. They should also guard aginst all reproachful and injurious Talk, all Whispering and evil Speaking; and take Care that they do not raise, or spread false Reports of their Neighbours; nor should they suffer railing and reviling Language, and bad Names, or Cursing, to proceed out of their Mouths. And be not too talkative. "A young prating Fool is an uncomely Sight." Let your Words therefore be few, sober, seasoned with Grace, that they may minister that which is grateful to the Hearer.
Once more; Young Persons should be sober in the Government of their Passions, lest they betray them into many Mischiefs. Youth is naturally hot, and is very apt to be soon angry, and easily provoked, and suddenly kindle into a Flame. If therefore you would be the Servants of God, you must carefully watch over your Passions, and timely suppress them, when you first perceive them to begin to stir and rise. Don't allow yourselves to be soon angry, nor suffer your Anger to grow up into Rage and Fury; but if you have just cause to be angry, as possibly sometimes you may, yet remember the Apostle's Rule, Eph. IV.26. be angry, and sin not; which you cannot be, if your Anger be causeless, or exceed due Bounds, in the Measure, or Duration of it; and therefore the Apostle adds, let not the Sun go down upon your Wrath. Especially take heed never to harbour Malice and Revenge in your Hearts. Beware of doing Evil unto others, because you think they have done some ill Thing to you. Rom. XII.19. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give Place to Wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. Learn to do Good for Evil, and bless them that curse you, and pray for them that despitefully use and intreat you, that you may be the Children of the highest. In such Instances as these should Young Persons serve God in Sobriety.
3. The Service of God includes in it the Duties of Justice. For as God is a righteous God, just and right is He, so He requireth Justice and Righteousness of all His Servants, and will not allow of any designed Unrighteousness in them. Young Persons should therefore get early established in the Principles of Justice, that they may ever do that which is equal and right, and observe that Golden Rule of our Saviour's, Mat. VII.12. All Things whatsoever ye would that Men should do unto you, do you so unto them. Always think what you would look upon as just and right, and fitting that other Persons should do unto you, were they in your Circumstances, and do you be careful to do unto them accordingly.
Thus be strictly just, in your Care never to wrong any Man, by taking any Thing from him, without his Knowledge, or against his Will. Are you Children? Rob not your Parents. For if you take any Thing from them which they know not of, or are not willing you should have, you are guilty of stealing from them; and this is one of the highest Instances of Injustice. Are you Servants? Do not wrong your Masters, or Mistresses, by purloining and pilfering, or wasting of their Goods, or consuming their Time idly; this would be an Iniquity which you would have Cause sadly to repent of. Young People, it is true, are ready to think, that there is no great Harm in these Things; yet, know it, that God will look upon all such Things as Breaches of His holy Commandment, and will call to a sad Account, and severely punish therefor, if such Sins are not repented of. Exhort Servants, said the Apostle, Tit. II.9, 10. to be obedient unto their own Masters;— not purloining but shewing all good Fidelity. And is not the robbing of your Neighbour's Orchard, or Garden, a stealing from them, as well as the robbing of their Vessels, and Houses? Yes surely, God will esteem it so; and therefore such Young Persons as would serve the Lord, must be very careful to abstain from all such Acts of Injustice.
Again; Be strictly just, in your Diligence in your Business. The Apostle says, Col. III.22. Servants obey in all things your Masters according to the Flesh, not with Eye-Service, as pleasing Men, but in singleness of Heart, fearing God. Be not Eye-Servants, that will attend your Business no longer than while your Parents, or Masters, Eye is upon you; but be as diligent when they are absent, as when they are present: otherwise you are unfaithful, and rob them of so much of the Service which you might have done them. And so when you shall be employed by others, remember faithfully to attend the Business you are employed about; and do not idle away your Time, and spend and consume it, in vain Chat, and Diversions, when you should be at Work; because this would be to cheat and wrong them that employ you: but shew all good Fidelity, that you may adorn the Doctrine of God your Saviour in all Things.
Again; Be just in all your Dealing, and Commerce. Let no Man go beyond, or defraud his Brother, in any Matter; because the Lord is the avenger of all such. I. Thes. IV.6. Always deal fair, and square, and above-board. Never impose upon the Ignorance, and Credulity, of any one: Never make Use of double Weights, and Measures: Never circumvent, overreach, and trick your Neighbour: Never suffer your selves to make false Entries, and bring in wrong Accounts: for all such unjust Dealing is Robbery.
Finally; Let there be Justice in your Words, as well as in your Actions. See that your Words are true; and endeavour to make good all your Promises and Engagements. Remember to make no rash Promises. See to it that the Thing you promise be within your Power to perform, by the ordinary Providence of God, and then, when once your Word is engaged▪ be exceeding careful to fulfil what you have promised; that no Man may have just Cause to complain of you, that you are not a Man of your Word; that you are unfaithful, and not to be depended on.
All of this is included in the Service of God; because God very peremptorily requires this Justice, and Righteousness, and Truth, in all Men. And the careful Observation hereof will be a comfortable Sign to you, that you are indeed the Children and Servants of God. For says the Apostle, I. Ioh. II.29. If ye know that He is righteous, ye know that every one that doth Righteousness is born of Him.
4. The Service of God includes in it the Duties of Charity. For God is Love, and requires Love, and Charity of all His Servants. And therefore the Apostle tells us, that all our Faith is nothing without Charity, I. Cor. XIII.2. and in Col. III.14. above all these things put on Charity, which is the Bond of Perfectness, And our Saviour gave it as a sure Badge of His Disciples; Ioh. XIII.35. By this shall all Men know that ye are my Disciples, if ye have Love one unto another. So that those that would serve God must live in the Exercise of the Duties of Charity. And therefore those Young Persons who would make it their Concern to serve God, must be careful of this, as well as of all other Parts of their Duty.
Thus Young Persons should cultivate and improve their natural Disposition to Pity and Compassion, and not allow themselves in any thing that will tend to harden their Minds into Savageness and Cruelty: for this humane Affection of Pity and Compassion will be of great Use to them, to restrain them from Acts of Injustice, and Oppression, and very much dispose them to Kindness and Benignity. Therefore says the Apostle, I. Pet. III.8. have Compassion on one another, be pitiful, be courteous.
This Charity Young Persons should exercise in their inward Affection; in their hearty Love and Good Will unto all their Fellow-Creatures, in the general; but especially unto all good Men, the Houshold of Faith, and those of the same Family, and Society with them; that they may preserve the Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace, in the Family, in the Church, and in the State.
This Charity they should also be careful to express in their Actions; by a kind, courteous, affable Carriage, and Behaviour; being ready unto all good and kind Offices to all about them; and as they are able, to help the indigent and miserable, and to relieve the poor and distressed; and to assist one another in all difficult Affairs; and to advise and counsel one another for their good.
And especially should this Charity be exercised to the Souls of others; by counseling and admonishing one another in Love, by endeavours to strengthen and encourage one another in the steady persevering Practice of all Religion and Vertue, under all Discouragements, Temptations, and Trials.
Particularly is this Charity required and expected from you, of this Society, who are very much formed upon this Bottom, that you may assist each other, by your kind Watch, your faithful Advice, your wholsom Admonitions, and your earnest Prayers with and for each other; that you may endear yourselves to one another, and help one another forward in the Way to Zion, to your mutual Edification, and Comfort.
Thus, in these hints, I have shewed you what it is to serve God; and you see it is comprehensive of your whole Duty unto God, to yourselves, and to your Neighbour, and that in all the various Branches of your personal and relative Duty; for so the Grace of God, which hath appeared to us, bringing Salvation, teacheth us, that denying Ungodliness and worldly Lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and Godly, in this present World. Tit. II.12.
III. The Third Thing I proposed to consider is, that God is to be served with a perfect Heart, and a willing Mind. So says my Text, know thou the God of thy Father, and serve Him, with a perfect Heart, and a willing Mind. I will consider each of these distinctly, tho' but briefly.
1. You are to serve God with a perfect Heart. That is, with an Heart sincerely devoted unto the Service of God, an Heart free from all Guile and Hypocrisy. It does not mean, that you should serve God with an unerring, sinless, Perfection of Heart, according to the strict Demand of the Law; for so no Man can serve God. For there is not a just Man upon Earth that doth good, and sinneth not. Prov. VII.20. Tho' you are to press after the greatest Attainments in Grace and Holiness, and not be contented with any low Measures and Degrees attained unto.
But it means an Evangelical Perfection of Heart, that is, an Heart that is sincere, without any reigning and allowed Deceit and Guile. This is the Character of the truely good Man, Ioh. I.47. Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no Guile. And the Blessing belongs to such a Man, in whose Spirit there is no Guile. Psal. XXXII.2. This of a perfect Heart, or Sincerity, is the very "Life and Soul of all other Graces and Vertues," without which they are but vain Appearances, and empty Shadows, and have nothing solid, and substantial in them; and notwithstanding all the goodly Shew which any Man may make, if he be destitute of Sincerity, he is after all but a fair Hypocrite, whose outside indeed is gay and splendid, but within he is full of Rottenness and Stench. And therefore Young Persons should take special Care, that in all their Pretensions to the Service of God, they begin at the Heart, and see that they are sincere in what they do, lest they be found at last to have unhappily deluded themselves, and their Fellow-Creatures to their undoing. For Sincerity is the only Thing that will render you acceptable unto God, without which your Sacrifices will be an Abomination unto the Lord, as being heartless and corrupt: and if Men, (who are often and easily imposed upon,) should at length discover your Hypocrisy, you will but become loathsom unto them; for all Men abhor to be cheated by an Impostor. God demands it of you, Prov. XXIII.26. My Son, give me thy Heart. This is what God chiefly aimeth at, without this nothing will please Him; and for the sake of this He will be ready to overlook many Imperfections.
And what is there that, without Sincerity, can establish and confirm you in the Service of God, and make you Proof against the Temptations and Allurements you will meet withal, to turn you aside from the Paths of Vertue? If there is not Soundness and Integrity to preserve you, you will be more easily warped from your Duty, and be prevailed with for the sake of some worldly Gain and Advantage, or to gratify the Humour of some you may be in Friendship with, or have some Dependance on, to give over the Service of God, and turn aside from the holy Commandment. Therefore, above all Things, see to it that your Hearts are right with God, and sound in His Statutes; then shall you have no Cause to be ashamed, when, in Sincerity and Truth, you have respect unto all His Commandments.
2. You are to serve God with a willing Mind. That is, with a Mind freely engaging in the Service of God, so that it may be truely your own Choice. A willing Mind is here opposed unto outward Constraint, and what a Man may be compelled and forced to; as a perfect Heart is opposed to inward Hypocrisy and Guile. And it imports, as if David had said to Solomon *See Mr. Pool's Ann. on the Place., if you only serve God to please me, and think, when I am dead and gone, to give over this Service, this will be no real Benefit to you. God requires Voluntariness in His Servants. Psal. CX.3. Thy People shall be a willing People in the Day of thy Power.
Thus Young People are to serve God willingly, freely, out of Choice, because they choose to serve Him: knowing him to be the best of Masters, they are therefore to renounce all others, and determine with themselves to serve Him forever. Let not, then, the Service of God which you, my Children, engage in, be only to please Men. As you may not serve God only to be seen of Men, but in Sincerity; so neither are you to serve Him only because your Parents, or your Masters, or your Friends, would have you to do so, but it must be with a willing Mind. Your Parents, or Masters, or Friends, may first lead you into the Thought of serving God, and shew you how you are to serve Him, and charge you to serve Him; but after all, your Service must be the Result of your own Understanding and Choice, or it will not be a reasonable Service. You must serve God because you are convinced that you ought to serve Him, and resolve to serve Him: that is because God will have you to serve Him, and you are now willing to have your Will resolved into the Divine Will; and are willing to be, and do, what God would have you to be and do. So Ioshua puts it to the Choice of the People▪ to let them know what his own Choice was; Iosh. XXIV.15. Chuse you whom you will serve; but as for me, and my House, we will serve the Lord. He was determined with himself to serve God out of Choice, and he would have all the People to be free and willing in the serving of Him also. And so should you chuse to serve God, as an act of your Will and Choice, moved by an enlightened Understanding, and the regular working of your Affections; because God is most worthy of your Service, and because you love God, and are loth to offend Him. And when the Service of God becomes thus the Act of your Will and Choice, you will then be likely to abide by it, and hold on therein unto the End, and not suffer any thing to move you therefrom, but continue stedfast, and immovable, always abounding in the Work of the Lord, till you come to the End of your Faith, the Salvation of your Souls. This may suffice for the Third Head; I pass to the last Thing I proposed, viz.
IV. To evidence this to be the most important Concern of Young People, thus to know, and serve the Lord, with a perfect Heart, and with a willing Mind.
And here, as I said, I shall consider the Force of the Arguments made Use of in the Text. Particularly,
1. God searcheth all Hearts, and understandeth the Imagination of the Thoughts.
2. If you seek Him, He will be found of you.
3. If you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever. They are Arguments of great Weight, and one would think, should have a mighty Force upon the Mind, to determine it for the Service of God. I may not now draw them out at their Length, but only hint at Things.
1. God searcheth all Hearts, and understandeth all the Imaginations of the Thoughts, and therefore it concerns Young People to serve Him, with a perfect Heart, and with a willing Mind. The Omnipresence, and Omniscience of God is a very good Reason, why all His rational Creatures should serve Him faithfully; because He perfectly knows whether they serve Him or no, and He cannot be imposed upon with an external Show and Pretence. The Lord is a God of Knowledge, by Him Actions are weighed; His Understanding is infinite; and therefore He is perfectly well acquainted, not only, with all your Actions, but with the Thoughts and Intentions of your Hearts: and so He knows whom you serve, whether God, or the Devil; and how you serve, whether sincerely and willingly, or only in Pretence and by Constraint.
God knoweth all your Actions. Young People are very ready to imagine, that if they are out of the Presence of any Man, that then no Eye seeth them; and the Thought of their being in secret, and hidden from humane Sight, is, oftentimes, a very great Encouragement unto them to commit many Sins, which they would not have the Face to allow themselves in, if any Man were present. But remember, O Young Man, when you are tempted to Sin under the Pretence of Secrecy, that, tho' Men do not see you, yet, the holy and flaming Eyes of God are upon you, and God seeth in the Darkness of the Night, as well as in the lightsome Day. Psal. CXXXIX.11.
And remember that God searches the innermost Parts of your Heart, and knoweth every Imagination of your Thoughts; so that you cannot contrive, and purpose any secret Wickedness in your Heart, nor harbour an unclean, or revengeful Thought there, but God is acquainted with it. God says, Ier. XVII.10. I, the Lord, search the Heart, I try the Reins; even to give unto every Man according to the Fruit of his doings. And will you dare then to sin, in the Presence, and under the Eye, of the Heart-searching God? O, serve Him in Sincerity; because He sees and knows what you do; and you cannot deceive God, as you may a Man.
2. If you seek Him, He will be found of you, and therefore should you serve God with a perfect Heart, and with a willing Mind. If you thus seek God, by making Religion your great Concern, by endeavouring to know the Mind of God, and sincerely and heartily to practise according to His Will, then God will be found of you: that is, you shall obtain that Blessing from God, which He has promised to bestow upon His faithful Servants. For that is to find God; to find Favour with Him, and obtain the Blessing from Him, to find Him to be what He has said He is, and to find Him to be unto you what He has said He will be. And thus you will most certainly find Him, if you serve Him with a perfect Heart, and a willing Mind; and the sooner you begin thus to seek and serve the Lord, the sooner you will find Him; and by beginning early, you will have the longer Time to serve Him in, and so much the greater will your Rewards be. How strong a Reason and Motive should this be unto you, to serve God, with a perfect Heart, and a willing Mind, seeing that this is the Way to the Blessing? Then God will be found of you, as your God, your Friend, your Portion, and your All; and you may then safely depend upon Him for the Blessings of this World, that are needful for you. For Godliness has the Promise of the Life that now is. I. Tim. IV.8. Then God will bless your Labour and Employment; for the Meek will He guide in Judgment; the Meek will He teach his Way, and lead them in a plain Path. Then God will be your Shepherd, and comfortably provide for you; for there is no Want unto them that fear the Lord; they shall want nothing that would be good for them. Then God will be your Shade at your Right Hand, to preserve you in Times of Danger, and keep you from Evil, that it shall not grieve you; or, to sanctify all afflictive Evils unto you, and make you real Gainers by them. Then shall you find God the Fountain of Grace and Comfort unto you, who will make His Grace sufficient for you, and strengthen you in your Christian Course, that you may run therein and not be weary, and walk and not faint; who will succour you and support you under Temptations, deliver you out of them, and make your tried Faith; to be more precious than Gold; who will speak Peace to your Souls; afford you Rejoicing in the Testimony of your Consciences, the Witnessings of His Spirit, and fill you with all Joy in believing.
Then shall you find God in another and better World; find Him to be better unto you than your present Hopes, and most enlarged Desires. This God will be your God forever; your Guide unto Death, and thro' it, and the unchangeable Portion of your Souls. You shall then find Mercy with God, in the last and great Day; for He has prepared Rewards in Heaven for His Servants that serve Him; and when you leave this World, a World of Sin and Sorrow, He will fetch you away unto Himself, to the World of Purity and Joy, to live in His more immediate Presence, to serve Him in His heavenly Temple, and to be everlastingly Happy in His Favour. And Oh! How abundantly will this recompence you for all the Labour and Toil you have taken, all the Patience and Self-denial you have exercised, in your most constant and unwearied Endeavours to serve, and honour, and glorify, so great, and so good a God, as the Lord is. O, let the Thoughts hereof strengthen your Hearts and Hands, and mightily encourage you unto all Fidelity, and Perseverance, in His Service, now in your Youth, and to the latest old Age.
3. But if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever. If you will not serve God with a perfect Heart, and a willing Mind, but all your Religion is mere shew and Pretence, and your Hearts are estranged from God, while you draw nigh unto Him with your Mouths; or if after you have listed yourselves in His Service, and given up your Names to Him, you at length prove Deserters, and turn away from His holy Commandment; know assured, that God will cast you off; He will not own you for His Servants, nor bestow the least Reward upon you; but will throw you out of His Family, reject you, and cast you out of His Favour, and you shall have no Right to any Blessing from Him.
Nay; you shall have no Right to the Blessings of Earth. For no Man can have any Right to his daily Bread, but by Vertue of the Covenant of God, which they that forsake God have no Interest in; and therefore they can have no good Grounds to hope for any Success in their Business, for any daily Provision for them, or for Protection and Safety in Time of Danger.
However if you forsake God, and serve Sin, and walk in the Ways of your own Heart, and in the Sight of your own Eyes, serving diverse Lusts and Pleasures, be it known unto you, that God will cast you off forever. That is, He will everlastingly reject you, disown you, and say to you, as, Mat. VII.23. I profess unto you, I never knew you; depart from Me, ye that work Iniquity. And what is this? but the very Essence of Hell! the Consummation of the Misery of the damned! To be forced to depart from God, the only Fountain of all Good! This is the Perfection of Misery! Oh! therefore serve God now, with a perfect Heart, and a willing Mind, that God may not reject you forever, and render your Condition unhappy beyond Expression.
Thus I have endeavoured to handle this Text and Doctrine in the most practical Manner, fitting of it to your Capacity, and to your Condition, and have been all along exhorting of you unto the Duties pointed at in it.
Use. And now suffer me, my Children, to close all with an earnest Address unto you, that you would all of you look upon this, as it really is, your greatest, and most important Concern, to know and serve the God of your Fathers, with a perfect Heart, and with a willing Mind. You are making some outward Shew and Profession that you do so. For this End you are assembled together this Evening, and this is the great Design of your stated Meetings on the Evening of every Lord's-Day, that you may acquaint yourselves more and more with the Mind and Will of God, and that you may be directed and assisted in serving of Him, in Obedience to His Will. And we rejoice that you thus begin to be concerned for your Souls, and your own Salvation, that you are in any Measure willing to know, and desirous to perform your Duty to God and your own Souls; and truely I have no greater Joy, my Children, than to see you walking in the Truth. And Oh! may this be the happy Result of your Meetings. May you find, from your own Experience, that it is infinitely better for you thus to serve God, in the Duties of Prayer, Reading, Catechising, than to spend the Lord's-Day Evening in gading abroad, in Sport and Sin, and lose the Relish of the holy Things of the House, and Day of God; as is the unreasonable and vitious Practice of too many among us. Oh! may you find God, and be found of Him: may you find Him meeting with you, and assisting of you in your Devotions, and commanding a Blessing to rest upon you; may He fill you with Knowledge, and Understanding, and the fear of the Lord, and furnish you abundantly with that Wisdom which is from above, which is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of Mercy and good Fruits, without Partiality, without Hypocrisy; and make you lovely and pleasant Spectacles unto Men, and Angels: and when you have served God, and your Generation according to the Will of God, in this World, may you be received to the blessed abode of Light, and Life, and Joy, to dwell in the Presence of God, and of Christ, forever and ever.
And inasmuch as here is a great Assembly of Young People met together with you, at this Time, and Place *The great Concourse of Young People, as well as many Elder ones, obliged us, to move from the private House, to the publick Meeting House, that there might be room to receive them., I would most earnestly call upon you all to serve the Lord now, in the Days of your Youth.
And therefore,
Remember, that the Time of your Youth is the fittest Season to begin the great Work of God, and of your own Souls in. Is it not the most reasonable and fitting, that the great God, who made you, and on whom you depend for all, should have the very Prime and Best of your Days and Strength? But besides it is the most fit and proper Season for you to begin to serve God in; because it is the Time of your Choice, as it is called, Eccl. XII.1. and you are not yet fixed in the Ways of Sin, as you will be some Years hence, if you should go on in a sinful Course of Life; when it will be more hard and difficult for you to alter the corrupt Bent of the Mind. "Youth is the Age of Discipline; the properest Season to receive Instruction, and most apt to learn; a young Tree is easily bent, when 'tis very difficult to bend an old One. And it is most highly reasonable to do that which must be done one Time or other, when it is easiest to be done; when we may do it with the greatest Advantages, and are likely to meet with the least and weakest Opposition. Such is the Time of Youth, and therefore the fittest Season to enter upon the Service of God.
And remember, there is no Time so pleasing and acceptable as the Time of Youth is. Tho' God will reject none that truely turn to Him, and sincerely list themselves in His Service, in any Part of their Lives; they that have stood idle until the Eleventh Hour, if they will then hearken to the Call of God, and enter into his Vineyard, and faithfully labour in it, shall at Night receive their Penny: Yet, who are so grateful and pleasing, and endeared unto God, as those that begin to serve Him betimes? A Young David is beautiful in the Eyes of his God; a Young Iosiah seems to be the Care and Favourite of Heaven. God required the first Fruits, and the first Born, under the Law, to be devoted to Him, to sanctify, and procure a Blessing upon all the rest: and so the first of your Days should be consecrated unto the Service of God, that you may enjoy His Blessing in them all. Doubtless, the holy Angels of God behold, with Delight and Joy, your early Dedication to God; and it will be very pleasing unto all thinking Persons, to see Young People acting prudently, behaving with Discretion and Sobriety, and living religiously; but it will be much more pleasing unto God Himself. God will remember with Pleasure the Kindness of thy Youth, the Love of thine Espousals, when thou early wentest after Him. No Disciple so acceptable to our Blessed Lord, as Iohn, the youngest of the Disciples, who lay in the Bosom of Jesus, and whom he peculiarly loved.
And remember, That, for ought you can tell, the Time of your Youth may be the only Time that ever you shall have to serve God in. If you should foolishly think of deferring this great Work, of repenting of your Sins, and living a Life of Faith, and Holiness, until old Age overtake you, you don't know but God may cut you off betimes, while you are yet in your Youth, and send you down to Hell; and what then will become of you! Oh! my Children! you cannot begin to serve God too soon; you may defer too late; because you know not how soon Death and Judgment may overtake you; and if Death and Judgment should overtake you, before you have seriously given your selves up to God in Christ, and have sincerely engaged in the Service of God, by a fixed Resolution, and honest Endeavour, to mortify Sin, and lead a holy Life, it would have been better for you that you never had been born.
But if, in your Youth, you serve God with a perfect Heart, and a willing Mind, and bring your Heart and Soul under a Consecration to God, and make it your constant Endeavour to do the Things that are pleasing in His Sight, then let Death come when it will, the Day of your Death will be better unto you than the Day of your Birth; because the Day of your entering upon the Possession of Eternal Life. … Let the Thoughts hereof awaken you now to serve the Lord, while you are yet in your Youth, and have the properest, if not the only, Opportunity therefor.
And, in a Word, remember you have been baptised, and were brought under the most solemn Obligations, (the most of you,) in your very Infancy, to be the Servants of the most high God. You have been devoted to God, by your Parents, and you are false to God, and false to your Parents, and false to yourselves, if you serve Him not. Therefore, thou my Son, (my Children,) know thou the God of thy Father▪ and serve Him, with a perfect Heart, and with a willing Mind; for the Lord searcheth all Hearts, and understandeth all the Imaginations of the Thoughts; if thou seek Him, He will be found of thee; but if thou forsake Him, He will cast thee off forever.
FINIS.
End of the text · John Barnard, A Call to Parents and Children (1737)