Agreeable Admonitions for Old & Young. OR, AGED PIETY Honoured, AND, EARLY PIETY Quickened. In a Brief DISCOURSE, Delivered, April 25. 1703.
Boston, Printed by T. Green, Sold by Benjamin Eliot, 1703.
Agreeable Admonitions FOR OLD and YOUNG.
IT is a memorable passage in Eusebtus, One of the Ancients; ‘The Greatest Philosophers among the Gentiles, tho they talk'd much about the Immortality of the Soul, and the Felicity of the Future State, yet by their Lives they made it appear, that they did not Believe their own Talk, they really look'd on it as a Trifling Report; But, Sayes he, among us Christians, the very Boyes & Girles, being assisted by the Power of our Blessed Saviour, make it apparent, not only [Page 4] by their Words, but also by their Lives, that they have a powerful Belief of their having Immortal Souls, and of their coming to Eternal Blessedness in the World to come.’ Thus we find, even the children in the Primitive Churches, commended by one of the Renowned Fathers. May the Lord so Bless thy Children in the midst of thee, O NEW ENGLAND, that boy may deserve such a Commendation!
It is a most agreeable, and a most profitable Thing, for the Ministers of the Gospel, whose Love to the Lord Jesus Christ obliges them to Feed His Lambs, to take every Occasion, for the pressing of Early Piety. Methinks I see a fair Occasion for it, in the Text, which from The Gospel of the Ephesians, now falls into our Hands. Our Apostle mentioning the Great Things done by the Grace of God, for His Chosen People, he proceeds, more particularly, to mention the Subjects, upon whom the Triumphs of Grace are multiplied. These are first, the Elect of God among the Jews; and then, the Elect among the Gentiles. The Former are designed in the words now before us; And, Behold a singular Priviledge of the Jewish Converts. It is proposed as a singular Priviledge [Page 5] and Advantage to be, The First, who Hoped in Christ Or to Go before others in Christianity. For this then be the Doctrine, that we shall insist upon.
It is a Glorious Priviledge and advantage to Go before others in Early Christianity.
Singular is the Comfort of those Believers, who get the start of others, in Early Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us receive this Truth with the Love of it, in the Ensuing Propositions.
I. They who are Older than others in Christianity, are in some regards to be preferr'd before other Christians. They that First have Believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, should in some regards be first Esteemed among the People of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a Seniority in Christianity, as well as in other Points, which is to be accounted Sacred among all Christians. It is required, Rom. 13. 7. Render to all their Dues, Honour to whom Honour. Now there is a special Honour due to Elder Christians, on the score of their being so. The Fifth Commandment requires us, to treat All men, with Respects agreeable [Page 6] to the Place and Worth, which God has given them. It is Enjoined, 1 Pet. 2. 17. Honour all men. And we must especially Honour Old Men; And we must Honour Old Saints yet more especially. All Superiority is to be Dutifully acknowledged. Superiority in Age, calls for very particular Acknowledgments. It is an Edict of Heaven, Lev. 19. 32. Thou Shalt rise up before the Hoary Head, and Honour the Face of the Old Man, and Fear thy God. Now the Age of mens Christianity, may justly call for a peculiar Consideration, in the esteem of all other Christians. An Hoary Head found in the may of Righteousness; and most of all, if it had entred that way, long before its growing Hoary; tis a most Honourable sight. We may see some, that Knew God, and Serv'd Christ, and Forsook Sin, and Walk'd Religiously, long before us; Yea, perhaps they were New-born before we were Born at all. How much, with what Reverence, with what Affection, ought we to prefer those Old Christians above our selves? The Apostle Paul, could not speak of such as were Converted before him, without some Confession, that they were to be Preferred before him; Sayes he, Rom. 16. 8. They are of Note,—they were in Christ [Page 7] before me. Aged Christians must be Honoured with special Civilities. It becomes Younger Christians to look on Aged Christians, as their Fathers; and speak of them, and speak to them, with a Filial Veneration. When we see Elder Christians, we may suppose, ‘These are they that have done more for God, and Christ; that have more mortified the Sin that easily besets us all; that have more Experience in the Right wayes of the Lord; that are more Able to encounter Temptations; that are better Souldiers in the Wars of the Lord: that are more acquainted with Heaven, and more prepared for Heaven; than we that came long after them into the Vineyard of the LORD.’ No small Regards are due on such Accounts.
II. They in whom the Christianity of any Society, hath its Beginning, have a Preheminence in some sort, above the rest of the Christians in the Society. The First Believers, of any [...], are Believers upon whom God hath put a Dignity above the rest. When Christianity comes into any Family, or Town, or Land, there are some who First embrace it, before others. Now the First Christians of any Society, are most eminently above others, [Page 8] favoured of the Lord. We read, 1 Cor. 16. 15. I beseech you, Brethren (ye know she House of Stephanas [which seems to have been the Gaoler, Act 16. 27.] that it is the First-fruits of [...],) that ye submit your selves unto such. The First-fruits are in some sort, the Best-fruits. In the First-fruit, there is a special Excellency; And that which makes them especially Excellent, is the Encouragement which they give of more Fruits to follow. The First Converts of any Family, or People, or Nation, have a special Remark of the Divine Favour upon them. The First-born have a claim to an Excellency above the rest. Hence that passage, in the Blessing of Reuben Gen. 49. 3. My First born, the Excellency of Dignity. To be the First-born of God in any Society, is to have yet a more Extraordinary Excellency of Dignity. God, in the Effectual Calling of them that are First called unto Him, in any Society, proclames His Distinguishing [...] unto these in His Eternal [...]. And the Lord often makes a Distinguishing Use of the first Called, for the Awakening, the Assistence, the Direction of these that are afterwards to be made partakers of Effectual Calling? In such First our Lord Jesus Christ, (as [Page 9] the Apostle speaks, 1 Tim. 1. 16.) shows forth, what may be for an example to them that should hereafter Believe on Him, to Ever lasting Life. In the Primitive Churches, they that were First Called, were by the Apostles often Constituted the Pastors, of the Flocks that followed them; And our Lord Jesus Christ more often makes them the Pattern of them that are to follow. It may be partly for this cause, that the History of the Bible singles out these and those Elders obtaining a Good Report for our Entertainment and Instruction: It singles out these and those, when there is nothing said of many Thousands that may have been equal to them, for the Grace of God. Why so? Because usually these were the First that shone with any Eminency in that Grace; and being the First, God will have them to shine brighter in His History, than any of the rest. Yea, more than so; By those that are First Converted in any Family, or People or Nation, God, as it were, takes Hold of the Kindred, & gives Assurance, for the Conversion of more in His Time. The Jews who First Received the Lord Jesus Christ, Encourage us to expect a [...] Harvest of Jews, when the whole Jewish People and Nation shall Turn unto [Page 10] the Lord. It is thus argued, Rom. 11. 16. If the First-fruit be Holy, the Lump is also Holy. And perhaps, there is no People or Nation, that has had any Quantity of Christians in it, but notwithstanding any horrible Apostasy and Calamity, & Confusion intervening, yet God will have a Reserve of more Christians, to be Gathered unto Him, from that People and Nation, in the Latter Dayes, when People shall gather together, and Kingdoms to serve the Lord.
III. They that Betimes come to Christianity, by an Early Repentance, in the First Years of their Lives, have glorious Advantages, above those who Delay Repentance.
There is a being First in Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, by a more Early Christianity, than what is common in the Christian world. It is, alas, too common, for persons to Delay the Action of giving themselves up unto the Lord Jesus Christ by Faith, until some considerable Number of Years have rolled over them. They let their Youth much of it, roll away, before they become serious Christians. But there are some, who are more Early in their Christianity; They make more Haste in Believing on the [Page 11] Lord Jesus Christ. They are First even before others, in making sure of their Salvation. They do not spend their Youth, no, nor it may be, all their Child-hood, in Vanity. They do betimes Consecrate themselves unto the service of the Lord. Now, of these, tis to be asserted, That Early Repentance, gives a very glorious Advantage to them that have it.
But, What Advantage have they that are First, or more Early in Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, above those that make it more Late, or do more lag and flag in that important matter? Why, Much every way.
First, Early Piety and Repentance, is more Acceptable than Delay'd Repentance. The more Early we are in our Obedience to God, the more Conformable and Agreeable we are to the Commandment of God; For the Commandment of God enjoyns Early Obedience, yea, it enjoyns Present Obedience. The motto upon the Command is, To Day. We read 2 Joh. 4. I rejoyced greatly, that I found of thy Children walking in the Truth, as we have received a Commandment from the Father. Truly, is the Commandment of the Father, even unto you that are Children, that you should Walk according to the Directions [Page 12] of His Holy Truth. And if it be Acceptable unto Good men, who will thereat Rejoyce greatly, to see you doing so, how much more Acceptable will it be, to the GOD of all Goodness? The Commandment of God is, Let the Wicked for sake his way, and let him turn unto the Lord. The Commandment of God is, Work out your own Salvation. And, This His Commandment, That we Believe on the Name of His Son Jesus Christ. Young People as well as Old, are concerned in the Commandment. And it is very particularly directed unto Young People, when it is said, Eccl. 12 1. Remember now thy Creator in the Dayes of thy Youth. Now, the more Conformable we are in our Obedience, to the Commandment of God, the more Acceptable is our Obedience. If it could be said, Act. 17. 30. God now commands all men every where to Repent, then tis plain, He now commands Young men to Repent, yea, and Now to Repent. It is therefore highly pleasing to the most High God, that Young Men should not put off Repentance. The Debt of Obedience, that we owe unto God, the sooner we pay it, the more pleasing will be the payment. God hath no where said. Let Young people To [...] turn unto me. No, but He sayes, Turn [Page 13] ye NOW every one from his evil way. It is Acceptable unto Him, then to see them do so! The God of Heaven has indeed most expresly declared His most gracious and grateful Acceptance of Early Piety. What a Charming word is That; Prov. [...]. 17. I love them that love me, They that seek me Early shall find me. Our Lord Jesus Christ had one Disciple, whom He peculiarly own'd, as His Beloved Disciple; And this was, it seems, the Youngest of all His Disciples. Oh! The Transcendent Love, which the Lord Jesus Christ has for the more Early Seekers of Him! And, Behold, what manner of Love, the Father bestows on them, who betimes acknowledge Him as their Father! All Returning Sinners are welcome to the Lord; but He makes none so welcome, as those that are most Early in the Return. There is no melody more delightful in the Ears of Heaven, than the Prayers of Young People, Beseeching and Besieging of Heaven. The sooner we list our selves under the Banner of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Kinder will be the Notice He will take of us, the Richer the Reward He will give to us. We say, [...], dat qui cito dat, A Grant made with Dispatch, is a Double Grant. This we [Page 14] may say, Early Piety is Double Piety. They are the Young Samuels, and the Young Timothies, that are the Favourites of the Lord. How can it be so Acceptable unto God, for the Children of men, to offer their Flower unto the Devil, and their Bran unto their Maker and their Saviour? No; tis more, far more Acceptable, to shake off the Yoke of the Devil, and cease to be Children of Belial, even while we are yet Children, and be as Early as we can, in putting our selves under the Yoke of our Heavenly Lord. The Earlier we begin to be for God, the more will He do for us; Yea, the more in that very thing He does for us. There is no such Token under Heaven, of one very dear to Heaven, as Early Piety; Or, for one betimes to have much of Heaven in him.
Secondly; Early Piety and Repentance, is more Honourable than Delay'd Repentance. Is not a Child of God, more Honourable than a Child of Satan? A Servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, more Honourable than a Vassal of the Devil? An Heir of an Heavenly Crown, more Honourable, than an Heir of Death, and a Fire-brand of Hell? We may say, Psa, 149. 9. This Honour have all the Saints. [Page 15] Well, but the sooner we come to this Honour, the more Honourable are we. By Early Piety we do betimes come to the best Honour in the world. Is it not an Honour to be the Excellent in the Earth, and, more Excellent than ones Neighbour? Tis affirmed, Psal. 16. 3. The Saints are the Excellent in the Earth; and Prov. 12. 26. The Just is more Excellent than his Neighbour. Then Early Piety is a very Honourable Thing; for it will render us, more excellent, even than the excellent. We Excel even the Excellent themselves, when we become Saints, and become Just, sooner than the rest of the Saints and of the Just. Certainly, 'tis more Honourable to be Conversing with God, in the Noble exercises of Piety, than to be Debasing and Debauching our selves, in the Beastly wayes of Wickedness. If an Angel be more Honourable than a Beast, it must be so! Sinful Man, Thou art a Beast, until Repentance do recover thee. It is Honourable to be Reasonable. Folly is a Dishonour. Tis a Shame, to play the Fool. Religion is the most Reasonable thing that ever was. The sooner we become Religious, the sooner we come to our Witts, and come to act as Reasonable men. We are truly advised, Psal. 111. 10. [Page 16] The Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom, a Good Understanding have all they who do those things that are in it. Is it not more Honourable to do the part of a Wise man, and act with the Highest Reason, that it can be, to do nothing but Play the Fool? Sinner, so long as thou deferrest thy Repentance; thou art so long a Fool; Yea, Madness is thine Heart. Young People sometimes make it an Objection against Early Piety; They shall be Despised, and perhaps Derided for it. But, Behold, Ye Despisers, and Wonder at your own unspeakable Infatuation; Reason is Despised by Folly; Wisdom is Derided by Madness, when you Mock at Early Piety. Be advised of This, and then, Mock on, if you Resolve to Perish.
Thirdly; Early Piety and Repentance, is more comfortable than Delay'd Repentance. What are the wayes of Piety, but wayes of Pleasancy: We read, Prov. 3. 17. Her wayes are wayes of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. Well then, the sooner thou comest into those wayes, the more of Pleasure and of Comfort, will thy Life be sweetned withal. The more Early thou art in thy Piety, [...] sooner shalt thou See thy Name written [Page 17] in Heaven, to which no Delight on Earth is comparable; the sooner shalt thou Hear the very Great and Precious Promise of God Ravishing of thee with their continual Melody; the sooner shalt thou Taste that the Lord is Gracious in the Entertainments of a Fellow-ship with Him; and the sooner shalt thou Feel the Divine Consolations of the Holy Spirit, which are not Small, reviving of thee. By Dela [...]ing of Repentance, men put themselves under grievous and woful Disadvantages. Tis therefore a more Advantagious and Comfortable thing to Repent Betimes; Yea, My Child, As soon as ever thou canst.
There are especially Two very astonishing Mischiefs of a Delay'd Repentance; and it is a most comfortable Thing, to be by Early Repentance rescued from those Mischiefs.
First; A Delay'd Repentance will be a Difficult Repentance. We read, Jer. 13. 23. Can the Moor change his Skin, or the Leopard his Spotts? Then may ye also do Good, that are accustomed to do Evil. A Delay to Repeat of Evil-doing, produces Customs to do Evil. How hard is it, forto be brought off an Evil Custome? [Page 18] When our Corrupt Nature, is become a Second Nature, how uneasy is the Conquest over it. The most Early Piety, is the most Easy Piety. The less Inveterate the Maladies of our Souls are, the more easily performed is the Cure of them. Early Piety prevents the Inveteracy of our Maladies. Tis true, All things are alike Easy to that Omnipotent Arm which Heals all our Diseases; but the Patient must undergo the more Trouble, to be Healed, the longer he has been under his Diseases. The Old Man within us, will be subdued with the less of Trouble and Anguish unto us, if we set upon subduing of it, before we grow Old our selves. The Devil will be Dispossessed, with the less of Tearing Agony, where he has less Prescription to [...] for his Possession. The Weeds of Hell in our Hearts, the sooner they are Plucked up, the less Rooted they are, and so the more easily plucked up. Soul, Thou art but Hardening, and Confirming thy self in Sin while thou dost not Repent of thy Sin. Happy the Soul that gets rid of an hard Heart, wile tis most Easy to get rid of it. The Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, for the most part works more Easily upon the Hearts; that are by an Early [Page 19] Repentance brought home unto Him; so Easily, that indeed often it is not Sensibly. He as it were steals His Grace into their Hearts; They don't know the Time, of their being first United to the Lord Jesus Christ; It is done by so Soft, so Sweet so Gradual Methods! They find, they are in the Lord Jesus Christ, but they don't know, how they First came to be so!
Secondly; A Delay'd Repentance will be a Dubious Repentance. It is an awful Hint; Prov. 27. 1. Boast not thy self of To morrow, for thou knowest not what a Day may bring forth. Early Piety puts it of Doubt, that our Souls are safe, and we may thereupon Rejoyce in the Hope of the Glory of God. But while we put off the care of our Immortal Souls, we run the dread fullest, and the desperatest Hazards, that can be run [...] by Mortal men; even the Hazards of losing our Souls forever. We promise our selves, that Hereafter we shall make our Peace with God; but God hath given us no promise of any Hereafter. Let any man show me any one word in all the Bible, where God hath engaged unto any man, A space to Repent; and I will venture to say, Procrastinate. But in the mean [Page 20] Time, what an horrible Venture dost thou run, O Fool-hardy Creature? Early Repentance, is the only way, to live our of Extreme and Hourly Danger, to be cast into Eternal Perdition. There are many who Dy in Youth: It was of Old said, The Young Men are Dead. And as an Early Death, so a Sudden Death is the portion of not a few: It may be said of them, b [...] a Moment they go down to the Grave. Nothing but Early Piety can give us any Security, of our ever getting into Good Terms with Heaven. If we do it not Betimes, it is very uncertain whether we shall ever do it at all. Tis uncertain, O Young People, whether you shall out-live the Dayes of Youth. Or, if you do, it is uncertain, whether you shall not have out lived the Dayes of Grace, and whether God, who [...] will and to do, of His own Good pleasure, will Please then to Work in you that Grace, which you have [...] Refused. Oh! The Blindness of those Young People, who do not see the Comforts of Early Piety!
But let us proceed unto the
APPLICATION.
I. May Aged Christians Challenge a special Honour from other Christians? Let all Aged Christians be careful to deserve the Honour that they Challenge. May you that are the First Christian be First-rate Christians. Fathers, You must go before Others in Exemplary Christianity, if you would be set Above other Christians. An Old Christian is a very Venerable Thing. The Heraldry of Christianity, would look upon that, as a special mark of Honour in a Scutcheon; Act. 21. 16. An Old Disciple. But by gross failings, he may too much make himself a Contemptible Thing. You that have been longer in the school of the Lord JESUS CHRIST than others have been, Oh! YOU should be more Holy, more Devout, more Watchful, more Fruitful, and more Heavenly, than others are. 'Twill be your Disgrace, and what can be said for your Excuse? If you that came the First into the School of Christianity, should yet continue in the Lowest Form of the School. A Vain a Trifling, a Foolish Carriage in an Old Christian, tis, How [Page 22] disagreeable? Even when you come to be Twice Children as we say, yet it is pity that you should be of a Childish Behaviour.
I am to Entreat Old Men at Fathers. Wherefore, My Fathers, and all you that were in the Lord Jesus Christ before me; I Entreat you, To Examine your selves, what Progress you have made in Christianity: Examine, whether you have now any more clear Knowledge of Him that is from the Beginning, than you had at the Beginning: Examine, whether you are any Readier for Death, than you were when your Death was further off? I Entreat you, to procure unto your selves; that Praise, Thy Last works are more than the First; and grow more full of Christ, and Heaven, than you were at the First. You have one Foot in the Grave,: I beseech you, Sirs, where should the other be? And I Entreat you, to take the Apostolical Admonition, Tit. 2. 2. That the Aged Men be Sober, Grave, Temperate, Sound in Faith, in Charity, in Patience. I Entreat you, Do not Exemplify an Observation of [...] That while the Spirit of God, working in Young Ones, many times does give out early Discoveries of His Grace, [Page 23] there are Elder persons, who only carry their Gray Hairs as a badge of their Ingratitude unto God.
II. Are the First Christians in a Society to be reckon'd in the First Rank of Christians? Let this animate some in very Ungodly Families to become Godly Christians. It may be, some of you, My Hearers, belong to Families that have not one Regenerate Christian in them. Will You then be the First? Oh, what a Consolation would you find it in the issue, if you might be they, that shall First bring the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, into the Families whereto you belong? It is probable, that when that Heavenly Leaven is once gotten in, it will spread further, and sieze upon more; but you will be the MorningStars among those Children of Light. We read of Abraham; Rom. 4. 16. He is the Father of us all. Why because he was in some respects one of the First, that led the way in leaving all at the Call of God, in the Faith of His. Messiah. Thus, all that God will Effectually Call unto Himself out of thy Family, will [...] thee, their Father, if thou art the [Page 24] First of the Family, that answers His Heavenly Call.
III. Is it an Advantage for us, to Repent in our most Early Years? Those of us have sad cause to Mourn, that have Delay'd Repentance until our Later Years. My Neighbours; If the Love of God, had inflamed your Hearts never so soon, yet you would have cause to Confess and Complain with old Austin, Lord, it was too Late, when l first began to love thee! How much more may you now complain of your selves, That you made it so very Late, before your doing any thing to purpose, about the Great Errand which you came into the world upon! It was mentioned by one that was New-born, as a matter of Humiliation, 1 Cor. 15. 8. I was one Born out of due Time. Here the Abortives are they that come Tob late! Oh, Let your Humiliation appear, in your shaking off all further Delayes, and your doing Immediately the Good Things that God requires of you. Immediately abandon all the Paths of the Destroyer; Immediately submit unto the Regenerating Influences of the Holy Spirit, that are offered you; Immediately become [Page 25] seriously Religious. Though it be Late, Blessed be God, it is not yet altogether Too Late. It may be, the Devil, who once told you, Tis too soon, does now tell you, Tis too late. Though you did once Presume, do not now Despair. Indeed, it will shortly, very shortly be Too Late. This I say, The Time is but short, ere you will hear the Oath of Heaven, That Time will be no more. But Yet it is not so; As Yet, even, After [...] long a Time, God saith, To Day if you will hear His Voice. 'Twas a Remarkable Occurrence, whereof we read, Joh. 5. 6. Jesus knew that he had now been a long Time Ill, and saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? Even so, Though you have been a long Time very miserably out of Order, yet the Lord Jesus Christ is willing to be your Healer, and your Saviour. Oh! But since you have let your Disorders go on such a long Time without seeking to Him, let it be Enough, [Alas, it is Too much!] And say now, Lord, I am at last willing to be made whole, and I am astonished, that after such a long Time, thou art willing to make me so!
IV. Is Early Repentance the most Acceptable, Honourable, Comfortable Repentance? [Page 26] Be perswaded, Be overcome unto it, O you that are yet capable of that [...]. Dear part of our Flock Will you be among the First, that Return unto their Allegiance and Obedience unto the Eternal King of Heaven? That which is with all possible Fervency to be pressed upon you, is; That you may be the Davids, able to say, Lord, Thou art me Trust from my Youth! That you may be the Obadiahs, able to say, I fear the Lord from my Youth! That you may be the Josiah; who while yet Young, do seek the Lord; and the Timothies, even from Childhood, by the Holy Scripture made wise unto Salvation. Briefly, an Early Application to Piety & Repentance is demanded of you; And it is demanded, that you Betimes make the wise Choice, that Solomon wisely made in his Youth: Oh, Choose the Wisdome of Religion, and leave the Folly of Wickedness. Young People, may there be a Lovely Emulation among you, who shall be First, in appearing to own the Lord JESUS CHRIST, and His Holy Truths and Wayes! It was an Expostulation Repeated upon the Elders of Judah, 2 Sam. 19. 11, 12. Why are ye the last, for [...] bring back the King? Let me thus Expostulate [Page 27] with you, O Young People; Will you be the Last, that will submit unto the Eternal King? Oh Be not so! Be not so! Lest you Perish among the First, whom the Wrath of that Eternal King shall fall upon. Methinks, you should be displeased at your selves, if you be not the First, in the Congregation, that shall submit unto the Heavenly Scepter of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Surely, It cannot be too Soon for an [...] of you, as Young as you are, to become Serious Christians, and with a Renewal of your Baptismal Covenant, give your selves up unto the Lord, saying, O my God, Thou shalt be my Father, my Saviour, my Leader! What? Can it be too soon for you to be Deliverd from the Anger of God, and the Danger of Hell, and the Oppressions, of the Devil? Can it be Too soon for you to be Absolved from the Guilt of all your Sins, and be Cloathed with the spotless Righteousness of Jesus Christ, and be Filled with the gracious Influences of the Holy Spirit? Or, Can it be Too soon for you, to be made Hens of Life, and meet for the Inheritance of the Saints in Light? Inconsiderate Youth! How canst thou dare, how canst thou bear, to say so? Be [Page 28] astonished at this Advice! The King of Heaven is wooing of thy Young Soul, to become United, and Married, unto Himself: He propounds, Wilt thou be mine, and shall I make thee Happy? Oh, It cannot be Too soon for thee to Consent unto the proposals of that Glorious Lord; or, to Reply, Lord, Make me Thine, and I am Happy!
Or, Can it be Too soon for thee to Prize the Lord Jesus Christ? He is alwayes Precious. Can it be Too soon for thee to Love God? God is always Lovely. Can it be too soon for thee to Hate Sin? Sin is always Hateful. Can it be Too soon for thee to look after the welfare of thy own Soul? Thy Soul is alwayes in Peril, alwayes upon the Brink of an horrible Perdition.
If none of all these Thoughts are Lively Enough, or if none of them will Enliven thy Early Religion, Think, Think on thy own Mortality. It is not too Soon for you to Dy: Oh, why should it be too Soon for you to begin a New Life, and Preparation for Death. If you Dy before this be done, it had been Good for you, that you had never been Born. If this be seasonably done, the sooner you Dy, the sooner you enter into Joy. How many Young People have already Dy'd before you? Some of them have [Page 29] been able from their Death-beds to say, or to write unto their Friends, That they had been so seasonably brought unto Repentance and Conversion; they now found themselves prepared for Death, and were able to Dy willingly, and chearfully. Oh! Happy Youths! Oh! Happiness to be admired and envied! But O Young People, how woful, how dreadful must your Condition be, if a Dying Hour should quickly surprize any of you, in your Unregeneracy? And, O ye Unregenerates, Who of you can be sure, that you shall not before the next week be out, fall under such a dismal surprize? Then, to have your Eyes with a Dim Cloud, and your Hands with a Damp Sweat, upon them, your Breath failing, your Throat ratling, your Friends in a bitter Agony weeping about you; and now to feel your Immortal Souls irresistibly drag'd away, before God the Judge of all, to receive an Eternal Judgment from Him. What, Oh! What! Will you then think of all that Lewdness and Madness, that you have used in Wicked Company, and all the courses of Wickedness, wherein you have departed from God, and forgotten the Admonitions & [...] that have been laid upon you to serve Him. What will you think of your [Page 30] walking in your Ungodly wayes, O Vain Youths, when God shall for these things bring you into Judgment? Oh! These things will be found Bitterness at the latter End! They that have so Profanely and Foolishly scoffed at Religion, will then wish, Oh that I bad more practised the Religion which I derided! And they that have Railed at the Faithful Ministers of God will find that they want the Prayers and the Counsels of those Ministers.
Consider this, O all you Young People that Forget God, last ye be torn to pieces by the Deadly strokes of His Indignation, and there be none to deliver you!
But, that I may not be as one who beats the A [...], I must pitch upon two or three points of Early Christianity, unto which my dear Young People, must suffer an Exhortation. And, behold, I find them, even very Comprehensive ones, provided in the very Verse that has affored our Text unto us.
That me should be to the Praise of His Glory who first Hoped in Christ.
Accordingly;
First; An Early Hope in the Lord Jesus Christ; Oh, My Young People, Endeavour [Page 31] it, Endeavour it. There is a Great Salvation set before you; a noble, a worthy Object for your Hope. And let the Lord Jesus Christ, that Saviour who is a Great One, be the bottom of your Hope to come at it. Might such an Hope as this be raised in the Souls of my Young People, even the Hope of coming to Life by the Lord Jesus Christ, what an Enlivening, what a Purifying, what a Comfortable effect would it have upon them! Oh! That you would by Faith repair to the Lord Jesus Christ, with Satisfaction, that He is both Able and Willing to bring you, to all the Blessedness contained in the Promises of God; and then by Hope, Entertain an Heart-satisfying Expectation of that Blessedness. Rejoyce, O my Young People, Rejoyce in the Hope of the Glory of God; but place all your Hope on the Lord Jesus Christ; among whose Charming Titles this is one; [1. Tim, 1. 1.] JESUS CHRIST, our Hope. While you are without Christ, I tell you as Paul told his Ephesians, you have no Hope. All your Hope of Good, must be built on the Lord Jesus Christ; You are Foolish Builders on the Sand, if it be not so. But coming to the Lord Jesus Christ, Hope then, Oh! Hope in Him, for all [Page 32] manner of Good. We read, Col 1. 27. of, Christian us the Hope of Glory. There is no mercy of God, but the Lord Jesus Christ must be in you, the Hope of that mercy; and without the Lord Jesus Christ, you can have no Hope, that He who made you will have mercy on you.
May you be revived first, with an Hope, that you May come unto the Lord Jesus Christ. By no means Despair of it! This I am sure of; The Gracious Lord Jesus Christ Inviteth you; to Come to Him, and Hope in Him. The Invitation is Indefinite, unto; whosoever will. And we have it in our Commission to assure the Young People, who are willing to come under the Yoke of the Lord Jesus Christ in their Youth, They may Hope for the Salvation of God. O Sinner, Dost thou Question, whether the Lord Jesus Christ will receive thee, if thou come unto Him? Oh! There is no Question of it. It is a most [...] word of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the worst Sinner among us all may lay hold on that word; Joh. 6. 17. [...] that comith unto me, I will in [...]. Let the Light of so much Hope as this, break in thro' some Crevis, into thy Returning Soul; If I do [Page 33] Return, & I may hope that it may be, Sovereign Grace will help me to Return, unto God in my Lord Jesus Christ, He that came to seek and save, that which is lost, will take pity on me.
But then, if you do come unto the Lord Jesus Christ, let your Hope then proceed unto a Confidence, That He will do for you most wonderful Things, and Save you unto the uttermost. Oh! Hope in the Lord Redeemer, for with Him, there is Mercy and Plenteous Redemption! Shall I a little state your Hope for you?
Let the God-head of the Lord Jesus Christ, be the main Basis of your Hope. And now, Let Heaven hear our Young People, Saying, and hoping.
‘Since my Lord Jesus Christ is God, the Merit of His Obedience is Infinite. I may Hope, that the Obedience of my Lord Jesus Christ, will be a sufficient Righteousness for me therein to appear before God, because it is the Righteousness of God: And since His Blood, is the Blood of the Son of God, I Hope to be Cleansed from all Sin by that Blood. Since my Lord Jesus Christ is God, His Power is Infinite, Uncontroulable, Irresistable. Oh! I know He can do every [Page 34] thing. I Hope that He will Enlighten me, because He is the Only Wise God. I Hope, that He will Sarctify me, because He is the Holy, Holy, Holy Lord of Hosts. I hope that He will bestow Everlasting Life upon me, & prevent all that would obstruct it, because He is the Everlasting Jab, the God that Lives for ever and ever.’
But then, Let not the Man-hood of the Lord Jesus Christ, assumed into a Personal Union with His God-head, be Excluded from a share in the Basis of your hope. Tis the Anchor of your Souls. May your Hope thus argue upon it.
‘I hope that He who humbles Himself to behold the things in Heaven, will have regard unto me, a poor Worm upon Earth; because the Son of God is become the Son of Man. I hope that I shall one day be Lodged in Heaven with God; because there is a Man who lies in the Bosome of God forever. I hope I shall come to Endless Glory in the End; because there is a Man, who sets on the Throne of Glory, and will have His Kindred, for to be at last, with Him, where He is, to Behold His Glory.’
[Page 35] Pass on then, O Young People, to fix your hope, on the Offices, which the Lord Jesus Christ Executes on the behalf of His Chosen People. 'T will be Melody in the Ears of Heaven, to hear you saying, and singing, and hoping;
‘I hope, that my Sins are forever Expiated; because I have such a [...], as my Lord Jesus Christ. Because I have such a Prophet, as my Lord Jesus Christ, I hope, that I shall not be turned aside by a Deceived heart; but be kept from every false way, and be led in the way Everlasting. Because I have such a King as my Lord Jesus Christ, I hope, that being delivered from the hands of my Enemies, I shall serve the Lord in holiness and righteousness; and that the Good Work begun in me, shall be finished unto the Day of the Lord.’
And, finally, Let the Conditions thro' which the Lord Jesus Christ has passed for us, furnish my Young People, with ravishing matter for their hope.
Shall we hear your Hope uttering these Triumphant Songs!
‘My Lord Jesus Christ has been my Surety, to God; I hope He has paid all my Debts to the Justice of God. My [Page 36] Lord Jesus Christ has undergone Pain for me; I hope for Pleasures at the Right and of God for ever more. My Lord Jesus Christ has undergone Shame for me; I hope for a Crown that fadeth not away. My Lord Jesus Christ was Condemned at the Bar of Mortal Man; I hope to be Acquitted at the Bar of the Immortal God. My Lord Jesus Christ, was Buffeted by Devils; I hope to be Rescued from the devouring Jaws of Devils. My Lord Jesus Christ Encountred with Death it self; I hope, that my Death will be my Gain. My Lord Jesus Christ Rose from His Grave; I hope for a joyful Resurrection from the Grave. My Lord Jesus Christ, went up to Heaven; I hope, I shall get up to Heaven after my Lord. My Lord Jesus Christ Ever lives to make Intercession for me; I hope, to be Saved by Him, and brought unto Everlasting Life.’
O Young People; God will take pleasure in you, if you thus Fear Him, and Hope in His Mercy.
Secondly; An Early Dedication to the Praise of the Infinite Glory of God; Oh, My Young People, Resolve upon it. I have read, Rev. 14. 6. of, An Angel having [Page 37] the Everlasting Gospel to Preach, and saying with a loud Voice, Fear God, and give Glory to Him. Tis that Angelical Demand, with which I now come unto you, O Darling part of my Flock; Let the Glorious God, and the Glory of God, from this Time, have Eternal Praises from you.
Let there be a little set before you, some Idoea, of the Noblest, and the Sweetest Point, that ever you were treated upon; A Point, which were indeed a Boundless Ocean, if it were, as it might be prosecuted!
The Great GOD, is a most Glorious God. He is, The God of Glory; the King of Glory. God the Father, is the Father of Glory. God the Son, is the Lord of Glory. God the Spirit, is the Spirit of Glory. His Excellencies are infinite. It is His Glory, to be JEHOVAH, of Himself, and for Himself alone; Eternally and Necessarily Self-existent, Independent, All-sufficient, Unchangeable; the First Cause and the Last End of all things. He is Glorious in Holiness, in Faithfulness, in Power, in Wisdome, in Goodness. There can be no Addition [Page 38] to His Glory; Who can Add unto that which is Infinite? God was in Himself as Glorious, before He made the world, as after His making of it. And if the world were filled with Blasphemies against God, He would not yet be less Glorious than He is.
But the Glorious God is infinitely satisfied, in the Manifestations, the Operations, and the Exhibitions of His Glory. The First Being is admirably, Energetick. God from all Eternity, Beholding of Himself, there was Begotten an Image of Himself. This is the Son of God, the Brightness of His Glory, the Express Image of His Person. Infinite is the Satisfaction of God, from all Eternity, in beholding of His Glory, as it is Expressed in His Only Begotten Son; whose Triumph it is, I was set up from Everlasting, I was brought forth before the Mountains were settled; Then was I daily His Delight! And why did God, so satisfied from all ETERNITY, proceed unto the Works of Creation, and Providence, even unto all the Works of Time? This is, that He may take the satisfaction of Beholding His own Glory, [Page 39] as it is Expressed in all His Works. If the Works of God had no other Spectator, but the God who has wrought them all; This, This were enough; This were infinitely more, than for all the Works to take Notice of themselves, or of one another.
Nevertheless, 'Tis a particular Satisfaction, unto the Glorious God, that Rational Beings do particularly observe the Manifestations of His Glory. There are Intellectual Beings, formed by the Great God, that formeth All Things. There is a World of Spirits; Angels and Men, Things that have Reasonable Spirits in them, are made by that God, who is the Father of Spirits. That Spiritual World is a Million of Times more Considerable, than the Corporeal World. These Intellectual Beings are capable of Observing and Regarding and Admiring the Glory of God. God sayes, I formed them for my self, to shew forth my Praise. Thus Good is our God!
Now God will have us to Glorify Him, in Declaring the Praises of His Glory, falling under our Observation. And in these two wayes, are we to Declare the [Page 40] Praise of the Glorious God. First, We must our selves Acknowledge the Glory of God; and be sensible of those Glorious Things in God, that shall draw us, to Fear Him, and Love Him, and Seek Him, and Serve Him; and make His Will the only Rule of our Life, and count His Good Will to be better than Life. And then, We must Invite and Engage Others, to joyn with us, in those Acknowledgments of God; So that from what we are, or have, or do, Honourable Thoughts of God shall be Raised in the minds of Others, and Others shall devote themselves unto the Lord.
This tis, To Glorify God. This is all the Revenue, that God Expects, of all that He does for us. Yea, Tis that for which He brings us to all the Glory of Heaven at the Last! And all those whom He brings to Heaven, He does first inspire with a Disposition, to make Choice of this above all things, That they may be thus unto the Praise of His Glory.
Well then, My Young People; When will you become thus Disposed. Oh! [Page 41] When shall [...] be? All Heaven is writing to Hear this Language from you. [And, O my God! My God! That it might be NOW obtained from them!] Utter it, O Sollicited Souls. Utter it before the Lord, from the very bottom of your Souls.
‘ O Glorious God, I am not able to bear the Thoughts of Living, or of Being, upon any lower Design than This; That the Glorious God may have the Praises of His Glory from me. What is my Errand into the world, but that I may Glorify the God, who made me, and all the world! I was not Born only to Eat, and Drink, and Play, & Sleep, and by some Labour, to purchase Conveniencies for all of these No; Nothing will please me, O my God, but This; That thy Glory may have Praises from me; and that I may Glorify God, and my Lord Jesus Christ, in Conforming to the Rules and Hopes of His Holy Religion Lord, I would not only Speak any Praises, but I would also Live thy Praises. To bear Testimonies unto thy Glory, shall be the very Business of my Life. I will make it my main Business, to Testify any Believe, I have [Page 42] That God is a Good Portion; and, That nothing is too hard for the Lord; And, That the Lord is of purer Eyes than to look upon Iniquity; And, That the Lord is Good unto the Soul that seeks Him; And, That my Lord Jesus Christ is Precious, and Lovely, and Worthy of all my Services. I will abhor all Sin, because 'tis not for the Praise of the Glorious God. I Consecrate, all my Powers, all my Members, all my Interest: unto thee, O my God! Oh! That thou mayest have Glory from them all. Oh! Spirit of Grace, Now do thou take Possession of me, Fill me, Act me, Use me, and Fetch out of me, the Praises of the Glory of my God throughout Eternal Ages.’
Are my Young People come to this Language? Blessed Youths! They have upon them the infallible Marks of their growing meet for the Ever lasting Blessedness of that World, where the Glorious God shall be All in All unto them. Children; I shall shortly meet you there,—