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<DATE>2012-02-14</DATE>
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<NAME>Colm MacCrossan</NAME>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed.</ITEM>
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<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>COUNSEL FOR YOUTH; Delivered in two Sermons upon <HI>P&s;alm</HI> 119. <HI>ver&s;</HI> 9. Preached by <HI>H.V.</HI> Rector of <HI>Alhallows-Honie-lane.</HI></P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Eccle&s;. 12.1.</HI></BIBL> Remember now thy Creator in the daies of thy Youth, while the evil daies com not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou &s;halt &s;aie, I have no plea&s;ure in them.</Q>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed by <HI>William Du-gard,</HI> in the Year MDCL.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>To my loving <HI>Pari&s;hioners,</HI> and other Friends in <HI>London,</HI> or el&s;where.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Dear Friends!</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P><HI>_I</HI> Here pre&s;ent you with the Sum of two Sermons, not long &s;ince preached, and delivered by word of mouth to you of my own charge. If anie enquire what put mee upon this &s;ubject, the entrance of the&s;e Sermons will re&s;olv you in that particular. If anie ask, what moved mee to put it to the Pre&s;s, take my an&s;wer now: It's not anie by end, it's not anie high thought of anie thing that is my own in this di&s;cour&s;: But I con&s;ider,</P>
<P N="1"><HI>1.</HI> The Truths are Divine and Sound.</P>
<P N="2"><HI>2.</HI> The handling of them is &s;ea&s;onable in the&s;e daies, wherein there is &s;o much mi&s;carriage of youth, and (I would I had not need to &s;aie it) &s;o much neglect in them that have the over&s;ight of Youth. In the&s;e Sermons both are concern|ed; Youth at the fir&s;t hand, and others by nece&s;&s;arie con|&s;equence.</P>
<P N="3"><HI>3.</HI> I know that words have wings, and flie away, almo&s;t a&s;&s;oon as they are uttered; but it's true, <HI>Litera &s;cripta ma|net.</HI>
<PB REF="3"> If anie forget what was &s;poken, by repareing to the Book their memories will bee holpen.</P>
<P N="4"><HI>4.</HI> I have al&s;o manie Friends that heard not the&s;e Ser|mons preached, who&s;e &s;piritual good yet I de&s;ire al&s;o to fur|ther: and to tran&s;&s;cribe &s;o manie copies, it would bee tedious. I thought it therfore the more compendious waie (though more co&s;tlie) to put it to the Pre&s;s upon mine own charge, and &s;o to have the whole Impre&s;sion at my own di&s;po&s;e, by means whereof I may give copies abroad as I &s;hall &s;ee cau&s;.</P>
<P>And &s;o yee have the clear rea&s;on of what is don: it's in|tended out of love to you, and your good my aim in it.</P>
<P>Concerning the Sermons them&s;elvs I will not &s;aie anie thing; onely,</P>
<P N="1"><HI>1.</HI> If anie bee le&s;s acquainted with bu&s;ine&s;s of this naeture, I give them to under&s;tand, that what I &s;aie to Young Men, I mean it al&s;o to Young Women and Maidens, following therein the cu&s;tom of the Scripture, which ordinarily, (e&s;pe|cially in things which equally concern both) comprehend's both &s;exes under the Male, as I might &s;hew you in manie ex|amples, if it were needful.</P>
<P N="2"><HI>2.</HI> The&s;e Sermons contein matter &s;utable to old and young, I de&s;ire you, each of you to take your proper portions, and not (as it's too frequent in the world) everie man to get in&s;ight into other men's duties, while they neglect to know their own.</P>
<P>To conclude, if yee will accept, read, applie, and make u&s;e of what is here pre&s;ented to you, and the God of heaven &s;hal bee pleas'd to make it profitable by his ble&s;sing, I have my aim and end: And &s;o (committing you, your &s;ouls and bodies, and your waies to the protection and guidance of the Almightie and onely wi&s;e God) I re&s;t ever,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Your Servant for Je&s;us-&s;ake <HI>H.V.</HI></SIGNED>
<DATELINE><HI>From my Studie</HI> <DATE>Dec. <HI>20. 1649.</HI></DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="sermon">
<PB N="1" REF="3">
<HEAD>THE YOUNG-MAN'S COUNSELLOR.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>PSAL. 119.9.</HI></BIBL>
<P>Wherewithall &s;hall a young man clean&s; his waie? by taking heed thereto according to Thy Word.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_THe &s;ad report of the mi&s;carriage of many young men now of late, and &s;om of my own charge, who&s;e ca&s;e I much pitie, hath taken mee off from my wonted cour&s;, that, by making more particular addre&s;s to young men, I might prevent the mi&s;carriage of others. And if it &s;hal plea&s; God to give &s;uch &s;ucce&s;s to my endeavours, as that I may bee an in&s;trument for the reclame|ing or &s;afe-guarding of any, I &s;hall bee &s;o far from repenting of my attempt, that I &s;hall readily confe&s;s my &s;elf bound to the God of Heaven, for that Hee hath made my endeavours in any degree &s;ucce&s;sful in this kinde. If, on the other &s;ide, I &s;hall have occa&s;ion to complain with the Prophet, <HI>I have labored in vain, I have &s;pent my &s;trength for nought,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 49.4.</NOTE> <HI>and in vain</HI> (which God forbid) yet my comfort is this, that faithful
<PB N="2" REF="4"> endeavours &s;hall not want acceptance. I &s;hall not doubt to &s;aie with the &s;ame Prophet,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ibid.</NOTE> <HI>Yet my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God:</HI> I re&s;t upon that encourage|ment, which the Apo&s;tle gives, whereby hee a&s;&s;ure's us, that <HI>God will reward every man according to his own labor,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>1 Cor. 3.8.</HI> de I&s;id. ad Eugen. l. <HI>4.</HI> c. <HI>2.</HI></NOTE> <HI>Secund&ugrave;m opus, non &s;ecund&ugrave;m proventum; according to his labor, not according to the i&s;&s;ue of his labor,</HI> as S^t <HI>Bernard</HI> ob&s;erv's.</P>
<P>And, if any of you have pa&s;&s;ed this &s;lipperie age, and atteined to riper years, let it not bee grievous to you, that I now bend my &s;peech to young men, as if the bu&s;ine&s;s did not concern you: young men are al&s;o a part of my charge, and our ble&s;&s;ed Saviour give's command to S^t <HI>Peter,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 21.16.</NOTE> and in him, to us all, that are his &s;ervants in the mini&s;terie, not one|ly to <HI>Feed his &s;heep,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">ver. 15.</NOTE> but, <HI>his Lambs</HI> al&s;o. Yea, they are a part of my charge not to bee &s;leighted: for upon the wel-doing of them, that are in the flower of their youth, depend's the hope of future ages. And, while I &s;peak to them, yee al&s;o may hear &s;omwhat, which may, by the ble&s;&s;ing of God, prove to the advantage of your &s;ouls.</P>
<P>But, (to leav further prefaces, and to &s;et upon the Text, which (to this purpo&s;e) I have undertaken to handle) it &s;eem's the Prophet enter'd this meditation, while hee was yet a youth in King <HI>Saul</HI>'s Court, envied of many, and ex|po&s;ed to many temptations. Beeing therefore &s;en&s;ible of the temptations, vanitie, incircum&s;pection and un&s;taiedne&s;s of that age, and con&s;idering withal, that yet this was his prime, wherein God e&s;pecially require's to bee &s;erved, hee de&s;ire's a redre&s;&s;er of his life and manners. And therefore finding him&s;elf to bee puzzled thereabout, hee break's out of his continued meditation into this exclameing interrogative Apo&s;trophe, <HI>Wherewithall &s;hall a young man clean&s; his waie?</HI> whereto the an&s;wer is in&s;tantly annexed, <HI>By taking heed there|to according to Thy Word.</HI></P>
<P>Whether hee make's this demand to God, and receive's the an&s;wer from God; or whether hee communicate's with him&s;elf, as S^t <HI>Au&s;tin</HI> doth probably an&s;wer, <HI>Interrogat &s;e, re|&s;pondet &s;ibi, Hee ask's him&s;elf, and an&s;wer's him&s;elf,</HI> I hold it not much material; for both the demand, and the an&s;wer was in&s;pired into him by the Spirit of God.</P>
<PB N="3" REF="4">
<P>The kinde of &s;peech, yee &s;ee, is by waie of que&s;tion and an&s;wer, which is Rhetorical and vehement.</P>
<P>The matter enquired with &s;uch earne&s;tne&s;s, is the refor|mation of life and manners.</P>
<P>The <HI>Empha&s;is</HI> is in the word, <HI>young man.</HI></P>
<P>In the demand, wee have, 1. The act, <HI>redre&s;s,</HI> or <HI>clean&s;.</HI> 2. The Object, <HI>waie.</HI> 3. The per&s;on concerned, <HI>young man:</HI> concerning all which the que&s;tion is moved, <HI>Wherewithall &s;hall,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>The an&s;wer is plain and ea&s;ie, <HI>By taking heed thereto according to Thy Word.</HI></P>
<P>The whole ver&s; may bee re&s;olved into the&s;e propo&s;itions, or points of doctrine.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>Youth is, and young mens waies are naturally corrupt.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>The waies of godlie young men are no better then they &s;hould bee.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>They had need to bee reformed.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>Godlie men endeavour the reformation of their waies.</HI></P>
<P N="5">5. <HI>It's an hard thing for young men to reform their waies.</HI></P>
<P N="6">6. <HI>Yet it's a po&s;sible thing for them to do it.</HI></P>
<P N="7">7. <HI>Man know's not of him&s;elf, how to do it, but</HI></P>
<P N="8">8. <HI>God is readie to teach us, if wee con&s;ult with him.</HI></P>
<P N="9">9. <HI>The waie to clean&s; or reform our waies, is by taking heed there|to, according to God's Word.</HI></P>
<P>Of the&s;e I &s;hall &s;peak in order, beeing more brief in &s;om of them, while I in&s;i&s;t more largely upon others.</P>
<P>Propo&s;. 1. <HI>Youth is, and young mens waies are, naturally cor|rupt.</HI> It's plain in the Text; for what need were there el&s; for young mens waies to bee clean&s;ed? nothing need's clean|&s;ing, but that which is foul or corrupt; And this God him|&s;elf, who made us, and therefore know's us, doth atte&s;t, whiles hee &s;aie's of man,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 8.21.</NOTE> <HI>The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth.</HI> Hence it was, that <HI>Solon</HI>'s Laws did not admit a young man to Magi&s;tracie, though hee were otherwi&s;e of good abilities. The <HI>Romans</HI> admitted none to the Se|nate, till hee was five and twentie years old. The Canons of our Church admitted none to the order of <HI>Deacon,</HI> the fir&s;t degree of Mini&s;terie,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Numb. 8.24. Act. 7.23.</NOTE> till hee was three and twentie years of age. The law of God, concerning the <HI>Levites,</HI> admitted none to mini&s;ter, till hee was five and twentie years old. <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> was
<PB N="4" REF="5"> ful fourtie years old, when hee fir&s;t vi&s;ited his brethren. Chri&s;t him&s;elf was full thirtie years old,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 3.23.</NOTE> when Hee fir&s;t &s;et upon His publick Mini&s;terie: and the like is &s;aid of <HI>John</HI> the <HI>Bapti&s;t.</HI> All the&s;e laws and examples ca&s;t a kinde of im|putation upon youth: e&s;pecially if yee look into the rea&s;on,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Philip. 5.</NOTE> which <HI>Tullie</HI> give's of the <HI>Roman</HI> law, <HI>C&ugrave;m grandiorem aetatem ad Con&s;ulatum con&s;tituebant, temeritatem adole&s;centiae vere|bantur: The Romans requiring more ripene&s;s of years in them, that were to bee admitted to Magi&s;tracie, feared the ra&s;hne&s;s of youth.</HI> And wee hear,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 10.16.</NOTE> what the wi&s;e man &s;aie's, <HI>Wo to thee, O land, when thy King is a childe.</HI> And it is to bee ob&s;erved to this purpo&s;e,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chron. 10.8.13.16.</NOTE> what danger befell <HI>Rehoboam,</HI> by following the coun&s;el of the young men, no le&s;s then the revolt of the ten Tribes. To this purpo&s;e it is al&s;o, that <HI>Plutarch</HI> &s;aie's, that Youth hath more need of a Governour, then childhood. And therefore, when <HI>Nero</HI> told <HI>Seneca,</HI> that &s;uch an old do|ting fellow, as hee, &s;hould bee &s;et over children, the <HI>Philo|&s;opher</HI> an&s;wered wi&s;ely, <HI>Magis regenda e&s;t fervida adole&s;centia: Hot youth hath more need to bee governed.</HI> And therefore wi&s;|dom in the book of the Proverbs give's her coun&s;el &s;til to young men, ever &s;aying, <HI>My &s;on, my &s;on:</HI> And <HI>Salomon</HI> put's young men in minde of the la&s;t judgment, in that, &s;hewing them to bee vitious. <HI>Rejoice, O young man,</HI> &s;aie's hee, <HI>in thy youth,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 11.9.</NOTE> &amp;c. <HI>but know, that for the&s;e things God will bring thee to judgment.</HI></P>
<P>And, if I &s;hould make a catalogue of the corruptions of youth, haply, I &s;hould offend the younger &s;ort (though in what I &s;hall &s;aie, my aim is not to &s;hame or di&s;-hearten, but by &s;etting their danger before their eies, to warn and arm them again&s;t it) I am &s;ure, it would take up a great deal of time, to do it largely. Take it therefore briefly.</P>
<P N="1"><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 2.22.</NOTE>1. Hear the Apo&s;tle advi&s;ing his &s;cholar <HI>Timothie, Flie the lu&s;ts of youth:</HI> then youth hath its lu&s;ts; and, mee think's <HI>Plutarch,</HI> though a <HI>Pagan,</HI> make's a good comment upon that text, &s;aying, <HI>Juventus variis cupiditatibus obnoxia,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>Youth is prone to divers lu&s;ts, to anger, to de&s;ire of rule, to ambition, to intem|perance about meats, drinks, apparel, and bodilie plea&s;ures.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. The&s;e lu&s;ts rage and rule in youth, nor can they &s;o ea|&s;ily with&s;tand or curb them: and therefore the <HI>Tragoedian</HI>
<PB N="5" REF="5"> &s;aie's well. <HI>Juvenile vitium e&s;t, regere non po&s;&s;e impetum. It's a vice of young men, that they cannot curb the violence of lu&s;ts;</HI> but with an headlong pronene&s;s they run into &s;in, that waie, which lie's open before them, like a water-cour&s;.</P>
<P N="3">3. They are incon&s;ult, without knowledg and coun&s;el, they want that experience, which old age hath, and &s;o are quickly deceived, and (which is lamentable) <HI>pejora juvenes facil&egrave; praecepta audiunt; they are more prone to follow bad coun&s;el, then good.</HI> And this doth <HI>Solomon</HI> &s;hew,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 7.7, 13, 14, 21, 22, 23.</NOTE> in that young man &s;oon carried away with the enticing &s;peeches of the &s;trange woman, and following her, as an Ox to the &s;laughter, or as a fool to the correction of the &s;tocks, till a dart &s;trike thorough his liver, as a bird ha&s;teth to the &s;nare, not know|ing that it is for his life. And this wee &s;ee too u&s;ual in wo|ful experience, that many young men &s;top their ears again&s;t their parents and ma&s;ters, yea, and of the Mini&s;ters of God, advi&s;ing and admoni&s;hing them in love for their good, but their ears are open to the evil coun&s;els of tho&s;e, who by flattering words endeavour to draw them to de&s;tructive cour&s;es.</P>
<P N="4">4. When they know little or nothing, they are yet prone to bee high-conceited of them&s;elvs, &s;o that they think them|&s;elvs wi&s;er then the aged, and too good to bee taught and admoni&s;hed by any.</P>
<P N="5">5. Mark what <HI>Salomon</HI> &s;aie's;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 22.15.</NOTE> <HI>Fooli&s;hne&s;s is bound up in the heart of a childe:</HI> See, here is then an whole bundle of follie.</P>
<P N="6">6. Hear him again. <HI>Childhood and youth are vanitie:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 11.10.</NOTE> hee &s;aie's not, Vanitie is in them, but the age it &s;elf is vanitie, as compact and made up of vanitie.</P>
<P N="7">7. And, as one note's well, the word <HI>redre&s;s</HI> or <HI>clean&s;,</HI> here u&s;ed, is a metaphor, &s;ignifying the clearing of gla&s;s, which, though it bee clean, will yet &s;oon gather filth, even in the &s;un-beams, and of it &s;elf: which note's the great corruption of this age; e&s;pecially, if wee have regard to our nativitie, which is corrupt and unclean, as <HI>David</HI> confe&s;&s;e's,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 51.5.</NOTE> <HI>In &s;in I was born.</HI></P>
<P>To conclude, in a word, this age (youth, I mean) may well bee compared to a gnat, that, leaving the wine, delight's in the lees; to a maid, having the green &s;ickne&s;s, who de|lights
<PB N="6" REF="6"> in claie, and things of il juice, rather then in whol|&s;om food; to an unbroken colt for un&s;taiedne&s;s; to a lion for wrath; to a &s;hee-bear for crueltie; to an ape for imita|tion of every evil or new-fangled fa&s;hion; to a mad dog for indi&s;cretion; for wantonne&s;s to a goat; and to a &s;wine for filthine&s;s.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 1. The thought of this is profitable for young men, three waies:</P>
<P N="1">1. It may bring them into a di&s;like of this age: It's the thought of many, that this age is the happie&s;t, and the&s;e the be&s;t daies, that ever they &s;hall &s;ee; but, upon all the fore|going grounds it is evident, that wee may well judg it the mo&s;t mi&s;erable,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 12.1.</NOTE> becau&s; more &s;inful. It's true, that <HI>Solomon</HI> call's old age <HI>evil daies,</HI> but that is onely in regard of tho&s;e bodilie inconveniences, which attend old age; but the danger of youth is far greater, in regard of it's pronene&s;s to &s;in, which is of far more dangerous con&s;equence.</P>
<P N="2">2. It &s;hould make young men the more circum&s;pect and watchful over their waies. It's the wi&s;dom of a citie be|&s;ieged, to double their guards and make &s;tronger defen&s;es, where, on their own parts, they finde greate&s;t weakne&s;s, and greate&s;t oppo&s;ition from the be&s;iegers. Take knowledg of it, dear young men, and believ it, there is no age more &s;trongly a&s;&s;ailed by Satan and corruption, no age more weak to make re&s;i&s;tance, then is youth. Bee per&s;uaded therefore to look to your &s;elvs, and to &s;tand upon your watch-tower: See and ob&s;erv by what means others have been baned, and &s;en&s; your &s;elvs again&s;t the &s;ame.</P>
<P N="1"><NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 5.23.</NOTE>1. Con&s;ider what the Prophet &s;aie's, <HI>Death is com up into our windows, and hath entered into our palaces:</HI> the bodilie eies are the windows of the &s;oul, &s;in enter's thereby, and take's po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the &s;oul: how many have been ruined by the eie?<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 11.</NOTE> yea, how have wee all been undon by it? <HI>David</HI> looked and lu&s;ted, and committed adulterie, which was attended with murder, and that of a faithful <HI>&V;riah,</HI> whence followed a world of mi&s;chief.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jo&s;h. 7.21.</NOTE> Hear <HI>Achan</HI>'s confe&s;&s;ion, <HI>When I &s;aw, among the &s;poils, a goodlie Babyloni&s;h garment, and two hundred &s;hekels of &s;ilver, and a wedg of gold of fiftie &s;hekels weight, I coveted and took them:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">ver. 24.25.</NOTE> and as <HI>hee</HI> by this <HI>had troubled I&s;ra&euml;l,</HI>
<PB N="7" REF="6"> &s;o for it <HI>God troubled him;</HI> it was the ruine of him&s;elf and his familie. <HI>Eve</HI> &s;aw, and liked, and per&s;uaded her husband,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 3.6. Rom. 5.12.</NOTE> and they did eat, and hence followed ruine to all mankinde: Oh therefore bee advi&s;ed to watch over your eies, &s;uffer them not to bee roving about undue objects, or not unduly: gaze not upon the beautie of women, if yee de&s;ire to bee fen&s;ed again&s;t uncleanne&s;s: in this ca&s;e imitate holie <HI>Job,</HI> who <HI>made a Covenant with his eies,</HI> and thereupon inferred,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 31.1.</NOTE> <HI>why &s;hould I look upon a maid?</HI> if yee would bee fen&s;ed again&s;t drunkenne&s;s, follow <HI>Solomon</HI>'s advice: <HI>Look not upon the wine,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 23.31.</NOTE> <HI>when it is red, when it give's his color in the cup,</HI> &amp;c. yea, in all kindes, let it bee your care to praie with <HI>David,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119.37.</NOTE> <HI>Turn away my eies from beholding vanitie.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. Many have been ruined by the ear, while they have li&s;tened to de&s;tructive coun&s;els of wicked coun&s;ellors, to flat|tering words of lewd women:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 3.</NOTE> &s;o was <HI>Eve</HI> ruined by hearken|ing to the divel in the &s;erpent.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 7.</NOTE> So was that fore-mentioned young man undon, by giving ear to the wanton allurements of that &s;trange woman. Bee per&s;uaded therefore, I be&s;eech you, to watch over your ears, to keep them &s;hut again&s;t &s;uch wicked &s;olicitations: It's <HI>Solomon</HI>'s advice, <HI>My &s;on,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 1.10.</NOTE> <HI>if &s;inners entice thee, con&s;ent thou not.</HI> Let not the fair &s;peeches of any &s;educe you, nor their preten&s;es of friend&s;hip: were they never &s;o neer, or &s;eemed they never &s;o friendlie, reject them: rather reject their friend&s;hip, then accept of their coun&s;el. When, our Saviour having foretold his pa&s;&s;ion, <HI>Peter</HI> &s;aid to him, <HI>Bee it far from thee, Lord,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 16.21.22.23.</NOTE> what hear's hee from his Ma&s;ter? <HI>Get thee behinde mee, Satan,</HI> hee own's him not now, as his di&s;ciple, but take's knowledg of Satan making u&s;e of his tongue to di&s;hearten him from that great work, which hee was to perform, tending &s;o much to the glorie of his Father, and the Salvation of the world: So let it bee your care: Look from evil coun&s;ellers, as bearing the &s;emblance of friends, and con&s;ider them, as in&s;truments employed by Satan to draw you from the waie of obedience, to the waie of &s;in, and hearken not to them, becau&s; they &s;eem friends, but &s;top your ears again&s;t their wicked coun&s;els, becau&s; herein Satan by them &s;eek's the ruine of your pretious &s;ouls.</P>
<P N="3">3. Many have been undon by evil companie: and how can
<PB N="8" REF="7"> it well bee otherwi&s;e? One &s;cabbed &s;heep marre's an whole flock:<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 5.6. Prov. 7.</NOTE> <HI>A little leaven &s;owre's the whole lump: Who can touch pitch and not bee defiled?</HI> here yee &s;hall hear provocations to evil, encouragements in evil, di&s;couragements from good, reviling of goodne&s;s: and who know's not, what power &s;uch &s;peeches have to corrupt? here yee &s;hall &s;ee examples of evil, and yee know, how powerful examples are to draw us away: oh then bee choice of your com|panie; bee warie to what companions yee join your &s;elvs: &s;aie,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119.115.</NOTE> as <HI>David. Away from mee, yee wicked, I will keep the com|mandements of my God:</HI> It's <HI>Solomon's</HI> advice, as a fen&s; again&s;t drunkenne&s;s and riot,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 23.20.</NOTE> <HI>Bee not among wine-bibbers and riotous eaters of fle&s;h:</HI> would yee not prove profane &s;wearers? &s;hun the companie of &s;uch; and &s;o in all other kindes. And if yee would fear God and walk on in the waie of God's fear, imitate <HI>David,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119.63.</NOTE> who&s;e profe&s;sion it was, <HI>I am a companion of all them that fear Thee, and keep Thy testimonies.</HI> In the compa|nie of &s;uch thou &s;halt hear exhortations to good, and en|couragements in good, and examples of good; and the&s;e yee &s;hall finde &s;ingularly u&s;efull.</P>
<P N="3">3. By how much more corrupt youth is, by &s;o much more bee ince&s;&s;ant in prayer, and earne&s;t with God to watch over thee,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 127.1.</NOTE> and to fen&s; thee again&s;t the corruptions of youth: It's true, that the P&s;almi&s;t &s;aie's, <HI>Except the Lord watch the citie, the watchman waketh but in vain:</HI> It hold's true in the bu&s;ine&s;s in hand: That it is your dutie, to watch over your &s;elvs, yee have alreadie heard; but know that all your care will bee wholly fru&s;trate, and to no purpo&s;e, except the watch|man of I&s;ra&euml;l doth watch for you and with you: Oh then cea&s; not to follow God with your praiers for the ob|teining of this grace: whether the Ma&s;ters of the families, wherein yee live, bee careful to praie to God with you and for you, or no: do not yee forget morning and eve|ning to commend your &s;elvs to God by praier, that by the watchful eie of his gratious providence, yee may bee pre|&s;erved from tho&s;e mi&s;carriages, to which yee are prone of your &s;elvs, or may bee &s;olicited by Satan, and his in|&s;truments.</P>
<P N="2">2. The con&s;ideration of this corruption of youth is &s;in|gularly
<PB N="9" REF="7"> profitable to them that have out-lived that age, and that al&s;o three waies:</P>
<P N="1">1. To teach them to look back to their youth, and to take knowledg of the &s;ins of it, and the vices with which their youth hath been tainted: not to bee tickled with joie at the remembrance of them: It's thus with too many, as with men, who in their younger times have delighted in hunting, whom therefore yee &s;hall &s;ee, (beeing after|wards, through age, not able to follow the game, yet) to &s;it upon a &s;tyle, and to look after the dogs, and crie after them. So too many (though through age they cannot fol|low the vices, to which in their youth they were addicted, yet) glorie in and boa&s;t of the mad pranks of their youth: this &s;hew's plainly, that they have not &s;o much left their &s;ins, as their &s;ins have left them: Far bee it therefore from you, that it &s;hould bee &s;o with you; rather think of the &s;ins of your youth, to bee filled with grief and horror for the &s;ame, and to repent of them, and to follow God with that reque&s;t of <HI>David, Remember not the &s;ins of my youth.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 25.6.</NOTE></P>
<P N="2">2. To teach them to bee the more thankful to God, if they have been kept from tho&s;e vitious cour&s;es, which they have &s;een in others: Others have been drunkards, riotous per|&s;ons, neglecters of Gods Word and Ordinances, profaners of the Lord's Daie, untru&s;tie to their Ma&s;ters; hath it not been &s;o with you? &s;acrifice not to your own nets and yarns, take it not to your &s;elvs, as if yee were able of your &s;elvs to ab&s;tein from &s;uch vices; for it's no &s;uch matter: it's God that hath kept you from them: let him therefore have the prai&s; of it, and give thanks to his Name; for it's a great fa|vor; and the greater, by how much there are &s;o many, with whom God hath not dealt &s;o mercifully.</P>
<P>But bee thankful al&s;o for the means by which yee have been kept from &s;uch mi&s;demeanours: thank God for the &s;everitie of your parents, ma&s;ters, teachers; for the &s;everitie of the Laws, by which yee have been re&s;treined from them: thank God, if hee hath kept you in order by the fear of hel|torments: but e&s;pecially, if yee can finde, that God hath &s;ea&s;oned your younger years with his grace, and enabled you to ab&s;tein from &s;in out of an hatred of &s;in, loathing &s;in
<PB N="10" REF="8"> as it is &s;in, and a violation of God's righteous law, now give prai&s; to God e&s;pecially, as it is an incomparable favor.</P>
<P N="3">3. To teach them to bee the more circum&s;pect over tho&s;e young ones committed to their charge: Parents over their children, ma&s;ters over their &s;ervants, teachers over their &s;cholars, guardians over their pupils: bee not wanting in your care for them, remember their dangers in regard of that &s;lipperie age in which they are: and out of pitie watch over them; remember what it is, wherewith yee are put in tru&s;t, not more the bodies then the pretious &s;ouls of your children, &s;ervants, &s;cholars, pupils, even the &s;ouls, for which Chri&s;t did &s;hed his pretious bloud. Know yee, that are parents, that your children are God's Children, and yee are put in tru&s;t with them, as if &s;om &s;ubject &s;hould bee put in tru&s;t with a King's children: and think how yee will bee able to an&s;wer it, if they &s;hall mi&s;carrie through your fault, or by your means: and this is no le&s;s true in regard of any other inferiors, &s;ervants, &s;cholars, pupils. If it bee but that they are other mens children, that are put into your hands, think how oft the life of the parents hang's up|on the wel-doing of their children: and how can yee hold up your heads before them, if they &s;hall mi&s;carrie by your means? think, how il yee would take it, if yee &s;hall commit your children to the care of other men, and by their negligence they &s;hall mi&s;carrie, and bee ruined; and now yee know that rule of equitie, <HI>What yee would that men &s;hould do to you,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 7.12.</NOTE> <HI>do yee the &s;ame to them.</HI> Yea con&s;ider, that the welfare of the Common-wealth for the future depend's upon the well-ordering of the&s;e young ones for the pre&s;ent, what little thanks can yee ex&s;pect from your Countrie, if yee &s;hall neglect your charge? Finally, think what a &s;ad thing it will bee to behold the mi&s;carriage and undoing of comlie youths, of good hopes, of good abi|lities, well bred, well educated. In all names I be&s;eech you to look to your charge.</P>
<P>Bee not wanting in the u&s;e of any means for their good, and for the preventing of their mi&s;carriage: It's a true &s;aying, <HI>Qui non prohibet, quando pote&s;t, jubet: Hee, that forbid's not, when hee may, command's;</HI> and wee may ju&s;tly bee held
<PB N="11" REF="8"> to do that mi&s;chief, which wee may hinder, and do not: hee is guiltie of the death of a childe, that may hinder him from falling into the fire, if hee doth not: It's no le&s;s true in this particular: oh therefore let not your care bee wanting in this kinde: prie into their carriage, ob&s;erv their behaviour, and their companie which they haunt, bee not unnece&s;&s;arily ab&s;ent from them, let your eie, as much as may bee, bee continually upon them: many hopefull youths have been undon for want of this care: If yee &s;ee them given to any evil cour&s;es or evil companie, admoni&s;h them of the danger of them: If words will not prevail, adde &s;ea&s;onable and nece&s;&s;arie correction: Many are wrought upon with &s;everitie, with whom lenitie and gentlene&s;s pre|vail's not: yet let it bee don with moderation, not as ty|rants, but as fathers: through exce&s;&s;ive &s;everitie come's no &s;mal danger; alienation of hearts from their &s;uperiors, hardne&s;s of heart again&s;t means u&s;ed towards them for their good, yea, oft hereupon they grow de&s;perate.</P>
<P>At lea&s;t take heed of poi&s;oning them, and perverting them: an ill bu&s;ine&s;s this will prove; what is it other, then with your own hands to ca&s;t them into hell? This yee may bee in danger to do, either by putting them, by your commands or allurements, upon any evil projects, or by your lewd and wicked example. Take heed of both, as yee love the&s;e young ones thus committed to your charge, and as yee love your &s;elvs. Put them not upon any evil by your com|mands, or allurements: What they do upon your command or per&s;ua&s;ion, yee &s;hall ju&s;tly bee accounted to have done. <HI>Joab</HI> at the appointment of <HI>David</HI> place's <HI>&V;riah</HI> in a place of danger, in the war again&s;t Rabbath,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 11.15, 17.</NOTE> and cau&s;e's the re&s;t to retire, and this occa&s;ioned the death of <HI>&V;riah,</HI> and now not <HI>Joab</HI> &s;o much as <HI>David</HI> is charged herewith: God &s;aie's to <HI>David</HI> by the Prophet <HI>Nathan, Thou ha&s;t &s;lain &V;riah with the &s;word of the children of Ammon.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 12.9.</NOTE> Take heed of giving them evil example of drunkenne&s;s, &s;wearing, profaning of the Lord's daie, contemt of God's Mini&s;ters: how forcible examples of &s;uperiors are to draw inferiors to evil, wee cannot bee ignorant: though yee give them never &s;o good coun&s;el to the contrarie, they are yet more readie to regard
<PB N="12" REF="9"> what yee do, then what yee &s;aie, they believ their eies rather then their ears; they readily think, that, if you were in good earne&s;t in your coun&s;els, yee would not do the con|trarie: bee cautious therefore what examples yee give them: youth of it &s;elf is prone to evil, there is no need that yee &s;hould put them forward to it either by word or example.</P>
<P>Hitherto yee have heard of the corruption of youth, which is the fir&s;t point. But it may bee &s;aid, that that which is &s;poken of youth's corruption, is to bee under|&s;tood of tho&s;e young per&s;ons, that have not lived under the light of the Go&s;pel; but for us young men, wee hope, there is no &s;uch thing in us. But hear what follow's.</P>
<P>Propo&s;. 2. <HI>The waies even of godlie young men are no bet|ter then they &s;hould bee.</HI></P>
<P N="1">1. See the text in hand, in which (it's pa&s;t peradventure) <HI>David</HI> had an eie to him&s;elf, and &s;pake of his own youth, as needing redre&s;s or clean&s;ing, and then it follow's, that it was not right and &s;treight, as it &s;hould bee.</P>
<P N="2"><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 25.6.</NOTE>2. Mark that reque&s;t of <HI>David,</HI> which hee made to God, <HI>Remember not the &s;ins of my youth:</HI> then it follow's, that even in his youth hee had &s;ins, which needed forgivene&s;s.</P>
<P N="3">3. Con&s;ider that warning which S^t <HI>Paul</HI> gave to his &s;cholar <HI>Timothie,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 2.22.</NOTE> <HI>Flie the lu&s;ts of youth:</HI> but that admoni|tion had been in vain and to no purpo&s;e, if hee had been obnoxious to no &s;uch things: and yet &s;aie's S^t <HI>Bernard</HI> well of this <HI>Timothie, Give mee but one Timothie in the&s;e daies, and if hee will eat gold, hee &s;hall have it:</HI> So eminent an example hee was of mortification, that S^t <HI>Paul</HI> was fain to take him off from the &s;trictne&s;s of his cour&s;, giving him that advice,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 5.23.</NOTE> <HI>Drink no longer water, but take a little wine for thy &s;tomacks &s;ake, and thine often infirmities.</HI> If then &s;o holie a young man, as was <HI>Timothie,</HI> was obnoxious to lu&s;ts, what young man can bee free?</P>
<P>And this point is not to bee wondred at,</P>
<P N="1">1. Becau&s; even in God's deare&s;t children there remain's natural corruption, which in youth doth mo&s;t &s;hew it &s;elf, affection then beeing grounded and &s;trong, and rea&s;on raw.</P>
<PB N="13" REF="9">
<P N="2">2. Becau&s; the Divel is mo&s;t &s;tudious, and hath an e&s;pecial affection to entrap this age, as beeing that, in which God re|quire's e&s;pecially to bee &s;erved.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e.</HI> The con&s;ideration hereof &s;erv's briefly to &s;et a further edg upon the foregoing exhortations.</P>
<P N="1">1. Let tho&s;e that have young ones committed to their tru&s;t, bee thee more careful for them, and watchful over them; Let them not &s;aie, my children, my &s;ervants are pi|ous and godlie, they trulie fear God, and therefore I may bee the more a&s;&s;ured of them, that they will not mi&s;carrie them|&s;elvs. Yee may bee deceived in your judgment of them: Hy|pocri&s;ie is &s;pun of a fine thread,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 11. 2 Tim. 3.5.</NOTE> <HI>the divel can turn him&s;elf into an Angle of light:</HI> They that <HI>have a form of godline&s;s,</HI> may <HI>denie the power of it:</HI> What&s;oever therefore their &s;hew's and preten|&s;es are, yet intermit not your care for them, and watchful|ne&s;s over them: yea, though they bee trulie pious and godlie, yet they are &s;anctified but in part; in the be&s;t there are re|mainders of corruption, whence mi&s;carriages are prone to i&s;&s;ue. And the divel is bu&s;ie to a&s;&s;ail them with his temptati|ons, and now it's no wonder, if they bee &s;omtimes overborn by &s;uch an adver&s;arie. Though therefore they bee never &s;o pious and godlie, yet continue your care for them, and bee watchful over them: Though <HI>Timothie</HI> was &s;o eminently pi|ous, yet S^t. <HI>Paul</HI> forbear's not to admoni&s;h him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 2.22.</NOTE> to <HI>flie the lu&s;ts of Youth.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. Let young men, all young men, bee exhorted to bee watchful and circum&s;pect over them&s;elvs and their waies. Wax not &s;ecure upon this pre&s;umtion, that God hath wrought the work of grace in you in truth, as if therefore yee were &s;afe-guarded again&s;t all mi&s;demeanours; for</P>
<P N="1">1. Yee may bee deceived in the judgment of your &s;elvs: true grace hath its counterfeit: yee may think yee have true faith, when it's but the &s;tinking weed of pre&s;umtion, and &s;o for other graces: and it's a &s;hrewd &s;igne, that it is &s;o, if upon this ground yee &s;hall neglect your watch over your waies; and if it bee &s;o, know, that yee may, and cannot but fall away totally and finally, &s;o that town and countrie &s;hall ring of your apo&s;ta&s;ie, and yee may becom un&s;avorie &s;alt, fit for the dunghil: It was &s;o with King <HI>Joa&s;h</HI> of <HI>Judah,</HI> who
<PB N="14" REF="10"> for all his fair &s;hew's all the daies of <HI>Jehoiada,</HI> fell yet after|wards to idolatrie at the &s;olicitation of his Princes,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chro. 24.2.4.17.18.2. Act. 8 13.18.19.23.</NOTE> and murdered <HI>Zachariah</HI> the &s;on of <HI>Jehoiada.</HI> It was &s;o with <HI>Simon Magus,</HI> who beleived and was baptized, and yet afterwards, offered to buie the gifts of the Holie Gho&s;t, and was affirmed of St. <HI>Peter</HI> to bee in the gall of bitterne&s;s, and the bond of iniquitie.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 4.14.</NOTE> It was &s;o with <HI>Demas,</HI> whom St. <HI>Paul</HI> reckoned among the Saints, and yet afterwards the &s;ame Apo&s;tle com|plain's,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 4.10.</NOTE> that hee <HI>had for&s;aken them, and embraced this pre&s;ent world.</HI> And &s;o wee have &s;een it to bee with others, who&s;e Sun hath &s;et at noon, and their light ended in darkne&s;s; and &s;o it may bee with you for all your fair &s;hew's, and therefore bee not &s;ecure, but look to your &s;elvs.</P>
<P N="2">2. If yee finde the work of grace in your &s;elvs in truth, yet it's but in part, and there remain's corruption in you in part: in the be&s;t, there is fle&s;h and &s;pirit, old and new man, grace and corruption,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 25.21.23</NOTE> as <HI>Iacob</HI> and <HI>E&s;au</HI> in the womb of <HI>Rebeccah,</HI> &s;truggling each with other; bee not therefore &s;ecure, but maintein your watch. It's here ob&s;ervable, that to them, <HI>in whom God hath wrought to will and to do,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 2.12.13.</NOTE> <HI>even of his own good plea|&s;ure,</HI> the Apo&s;tle yet give's advice, <HI>to work out their &s;alvation with fear and trembling:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 11.29.</NOTE> and no wonder, for (bee it granted that, <HI>the gifts and calling of God are without repentance,</HI> &amp; con&s;equently that the work of grace beeing begun in truth, yee are &s;ecured again&s;t total and final apo&s;ta&s;ie; yet, (if yee look not the bet|ter to your &s;elvs) yee may fall fouly into &s;candalous &s;ins, and &s;o may lo&s;e grace in &s;om degrees, and deprive your &s;elvs for a time of the comforts of grace, and di&s;honor God, and &s;hame your holie profe&s;&s;ion, as manie have don; which is no &s;mall inconvenience: Oh therefore for the avoiding of it, watch over your &s;elvs, according to the foregoing directi|ons: And, finding anie mi&s;carriage, of which yee are guil|tie, lie not in it, but by renewed repentance amend your waies. But that follow's.</P>
<P>Propo&s;. 3. <HI>Young men mu&s;t clean&s; or redre&s;s their waies.</HI> It's clear in the Text; for it's here made the &s;ubject of <HI>David's</HI> que&s;tion, <HI>Wherewithal &s;hall a young man clean&s; his waie?</HI> And &s;o it is here nece&s;&s;arily taken for granted: And to this pur|po&s;e is <HI>Solomon's</HI> advice;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 12.1</NOTE> <HI>Remember now thy Cre&auml;tor in the daies of
<PB N="15" REF="10"> thy youth:</HI> And that of our ble&s;&s;ed Saviour,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mar. 10.</NOTE> <HI>Suffer little chil|dren to com unto mee:</HI> And the forementioned advice of S. <HI>Paul</HI> to his Scholar <HI>Timothie, flie the lu&s;ts of Youth.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 2.22.</NOTE></P>
<P><HI>Solomon,</HI> in that place of <HI>Eccle&s;ia&s;tes,</HI> u&s;eth a rea&s;on to per|&s;uade young men to this care. God is <HI>thy Cre&auml;tor,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 16.4.</NOTE> and there|fore thou art made for his glorie: for <HI>hee made all things for him&s;elf.</HI> But in a different manner, all other things immedi|ately for man, and mediately for him&s;elf, but hee made man for him&s;elf and his &s;ervice immediately: And now what thinke&s;t thou? that thou maie&s;t &s;erv thy &s;elf, and thy lu&s;ts, and the divel, and the world in the flowr of thy Youth, and with thy &s;trength, and put off the &s;ervice of God till old age, when thou art weak and way-ward, and ha&s;t enough to do to &s;truggle with the infirmities of age? Oh no! Hee will have thee to &s;erv him all the daies of thy life, from thy cradle to thy grave; all is due to him by the right of cre&auml;tion; and think how un&s;eemlie it is (as S. <HI>Ba&s;il</HI> u&s;es the compari&s;on to another purpo&s;e) <HI>excipere Regem reliquijs men&s;ae,</HI> to enter|tein a King with other men's leavings? how much more un|&s;eemlie is it to give the divel's leavings to God? To &s;erv the divel with the fir&s;t, and be&s;t of thy &s;trength, and to think of &s;erving the God that made thee, when thou art fit for nothing?</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> A young Saint, and an old Divel.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> Hee was no man, but a divel incarnate, that devi&s;ed that &s;aying. It's true, &s;om that have begun betimes, do not per&s;i&s;t and per&s;evere, but, <HI>begining in the Spirit,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 3.</NOTE> <HI>are perfected in the fle&s;h;</HI> the more is the pitie: But yet this &s;hould not di&s;heart|en us from earlie begining, but &s;hould make us more watch|ful over our &s;elvs, that wee may per&s;evere and hold it out, and grace our beginings with a comfortable and pious con|clu&s;ion.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> Manie a ragged colt make's a good hor&s;: And manie an unhappie youth make's a good man: How manie are there, that have &s;pent the time of their youth prophanely, &s;om Tumblers, &s;om Players, &s;om Po&euml;ts, &s;om &s;waggering Souldiers, who yet have at la&s;t proved hone&s;t men, and good Preachers?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> I grant that &s;om wicked young men have proved
<PB N="16" REF="11"> good in their age: It's true, God's mercie is not tied to times;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke. 23.</NOTE> hee can convert the theef at the gallowes, as hee did <HI>that theef on the cro&s;s.</HI> But &s;hall this animate us to &s;pend the flowr of our youth leudely in hope of God's mercie? This were too high and de&s;perate pre&s;umtion; and the argu|ment exceeding fooli&s;h: For it is a &s;ure rule, <HI>Apo&s;&s;e ad e&s;&s;e non valet argumentum:</HI> God can, therefore hee will, is a fond kinde of arguing. I would bee loath to hazzard my &s;alvati|on upon &s;o nice a point. This procra&s;tination of repentance and amendment, when wee are &s;tirred up thereto, is a &s;hrewd &s;igne, that wee are in a damnable condition, and hardly ever like to mend: Here it hold's true. <HI>Qui non e&s;t hodie, cras min&ugrave;s aptus erit. Hee that is indi&s;po&s;ed to the work of repentance to daie, will likely bee more indi&s;po&s;ed to morrow.</HI></P>
<P>And, whereas you allege &s;om Tumblers, &s;om Po&euml;ts, &s;om Players, &s;om &s;waggering Souldiers, have proved hone&s;t men and good Preachers; bee not too ha&s;tie, Preachers perhaps they have proved, but not manie good Preachers; and you mu&s;t com back with hone&s;t men too; for a Preacher and an hone&s;t man are not all one; but grant this al&s;o, one &s;wal|low make's not a &s;ummer; from one or two particulars to infer a general conclu&s;ion, is ab&s;ur'd, &s;ince &s;uch innumera|ble companies run the contrarie waie. But, if any, that have &s;pent their younger time wickedly and leudely, have proved true converts, and good Preachers, they wi&s;h that they had never lived &s;o wickedly: It had been much better for them|&s;elvs and for the Church.</P>
<P N="1">1. They, for the mo&s;t part, &s;mel &s;till of the liquor, with which they were fir&s;t &s;ea&s;oned: Examin your converts.</P>
<P N="2">2. They cannot reprove &s;in &s;o &s;trongly, and &s;o fervently, as others, who have not been &s;o wicked in former times: their own former wickednes, coming to their remembrance, &s;top's their mouths.</P>
<P N="3">3. Nor can they &s;o &s;everely puni&s;h the &s;ins of tho&s;e youths, that are too openly &s;een to offend in the &s;ame kindes, as they have don, rather they are friends to them.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e.</HI> Let this exhort young men to &s;et them&s;elvs to the reformation of their lives in the time of their youth, and de|fer it not to another time. I &s;aie to you, young men, in the
<PB N="17" REF="11"> words of the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t, To daie if yee will hear God's voice,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 95.78.</NOTE> <HI>harden not your hearts,</HI> I be&s;eech you to imitate <HI>David,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119.60.</NOTE> who &s;aid of him&s;elf, <HI>I made ha&s;te, and delaied not, to keep thy righteous judg|ments.</HI></P>
<P N="1">1. Con&s;ider, that the &s;ervice of youth is &s;pecially plea&s;ing to God. <HI>Aaron's</HI> rod was of an Almond tree,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 17.8.</NOTE> which is the fir&s;t that blo&s;&s;om's: God will have his to bee branches of trees of the fir&s;t blo&s;&s;oms: God will have the fir&s;t fruits, and the fir&s;t|born offered unto him.</P>
<P N="2">2. Con&s;ider examples, <HI>Timothie, David, Samuel, Jo&s;iah,</HI> en|tred God's &s;ervice young: But it's a lamentable thing to &s;ee, that, for the mo&s;t part, wee begin to blo&s;&s;om in Autumn, when the fruit &s;hould bee ripe; wee are fain to &s;end for the Mini|&s;ter, to teach us knowledg, faith, and repentance upon our death-beds, when wee are readie to go to another world. It's true, <HI>Nunquam &s;era e&s;t ad bonos mores via; &s;ound repentance is ne|ver late,</HI> but it's as true, that late repentance is &s;eldom true: bee yee therefore per&s;uaded to repent and amend your lives betimes.</P>
<P N="3">3. There is nothing more odious, then fruitle&s;s old age; and how is it likely, that the tree &s;hould bear in Autumn, that blo&s;&s;om's not in the Spring? That old age &s;hould bee other then fruitle&s;s, except repentance hath been wrought in youth? For youth is as the Spring; therefore bee careful to amend your lives and repent betimes.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> I will rejoice now, while I am young, I &s;hall live manie years.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> Amend now, while yee are young, el&s; yee will bee in danger to offer <HI>Cain's</HI> &s;acrifice, a &s;acrifice without accepta|tion; and haply, yee &s;hall not have time to repent after|wards; what if God &s;hall an&s;wer thee, as hee did that rich fool in the Go&s;pel, <HI>This night &s;hall thy &s;oul bee taken away?</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 12.20.</NOTE> It's a true &s;aying, <HI>Sperant &s;e juvenes diu victuros, &s;ed in&s;ipienter &s;pe|rant; Young men hope, that they &s;hall live long, but they are fools in &s;o hoping:</HI> Yee may live to old age, for &s;om do &s;o, but yee neither are, nor can bee &s;ure of it; for they are but few, that attein to it; look in your weeklie bills, and &s;ee how few die of age: Manie are taken away by death in the flowr of youth, and thou&s;ands do not live &s;o long.</P>
<PB N="18" REF="12">
<P N="4">4. Con&s;ider that when young men are di&s;&s;olute in their lives, it's a fearful argument of God's wrath readie to fall up|on a Nation: &s;o when the Lord by the Prophet would threa|ten the de&s;truction of <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 9.17.</NOTE> hee foretel's, <HI>that hee would not have joie in their young men.</HI></P>
<P>Therefore let parents, on this ground, bee exhorted to nurture their children, and Ma&s;ters their &s;ervants, in the fear of God. When they do ami&s;s endeavour their reforma|tion, by grave admonition, and by timelie and &s;ea&s;onable correction, word of admonition beeing &s;lighted. Hearken to the advice of <HI>Solomon,</HI> and bee led on by the argument, whereby hee enforceth it,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 22 6.</NOTE> <HI>Teach a childe the trade of his waie, and hee &s;hall not depart from it, when hee is old:</HI> And the verie Hea|then man could tell us as much.</P>
<P><HI>Quo &s;emel e&s;t imbuta recens, &s;ervabit odorem</HI></P>
<P><HI>Te&s;ta diu.</HI> &mdash;</P>
<P><HI>The ve&s;&s;el will keep that &s;avor long, wherewith it is &s;ea&s;oned at the fir&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>But I return to you, young men, for who&s;e &s;ake e&s;pecially I fir&s;t undertook this task. Manie of you are pa&s;&s;ed <HI>ex ephebis,</HI> yee are not now under government in compari&s;on; therefore take yee care of your &s;elvs, to amend your own lives, while yee are young, (the young man (&s;aie's the Text) mu&s;t clean&s; his own waie) for otherwi&s;e the labor of all others is like to bee fru&s;trate.</P>
<P N="1">1. Yee will afterwards finde the benefit of it, when yee com to man's e&s;tate,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lam. 3.27.</NOTE> or to old age. It's true in this &s;en&s;, that the Prophet &s;aie's. <HI>It's good for a man that he bear the yoak in his youth.</HI> If yee have born the Lord's yoak in your youth, cu&s;tom will make it the more ea&s;ie to bee born afterwards.</P>
<P N="2">2. For the pre&s;ent, yee &s;hall receiv this comfortable a&s;&s;u|rance by it, that yee are the children of God.</P>
<P>For &s;o it follow's.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 N="2" TYPE="sermon">
<PB N="19" REF="12">
<HEAD>THE SECOND SERMON.</HEAD>
<P>PRopo&s;. 4. <HI>The endeavour of the Reformation of waies is in all God's children, and in them onely.</HI> So it was in <HI>David</HI> here, who therefore inquire's of God,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119.5.</NOTE> concerning this matter for him&s;elf and you. And wee &s;ee his wi&s;h. <HI>Oh that my waies were directed to keep thy Statutes!</HI> Yea,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 25.4.5. P&s;al. 27.11. P&s;al. 143.10. Act. 24.16.</NOTE> how fervently doth hee de&s;ire the guidance and direction of God? <HI>Shew mee thy waie, O Lord, teach mee thy paths; lead mee in thy waie and teach mee. Teach mee thy waie O Lord, and lead mee in thy paths. Teach mee to do thy will.</HI> And &s;o in manie other places. And this was S^t <HI>Paul's</HI> endeavour. <HI>Herein do I exerci&s;e my &s;elf, to have alwaies a con&s;cience void of offen&s; toward's God and toward men.</HI> And &s;o is it with all others; there is no childe of God, but hee de&s;ire's, and endeavour's the reformation of his waie; and it cannot otherwi&s;e bee, that hee &s;hould bee in the &s;tate of grace; for the fir&s;t grace, which God work's in tho&s;e that are his, is to will and de&s;ire; &s;o that hee is not in the &s;tate of grace, that hath not this de&s;ire; this is to bee found in all the regene|rate, for it's made a mark of him, that is born again:<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Ioh. 5.18</NOTE> <HI>Hee that is born of God &s;inneth not:</HI> Not that anie man in this life at|tein's to an e&s;tate of impeccabilitie, to bee void of &s;in. It's the voice of <HI>Solomon</HI> in the old Te&s;tament, <HI>Who is hee,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chro. 6.36.</NOTE> <HI>that live's and &s;inneth not?</HI> And of S^t <HI>James</HI> in the new Te&s;tament,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 3.2.</NOTE> <HI>In manie things wee offend all. Wee, wee all,</HI> and <HI>in manie things:</HI> and of S^t <HI>Iohn, If wee &s;aie that wee have no &s;in, wee deceiv our &s;elvs,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Ioh. 1.8.</NOTE> <HI>and the truth is not in us.</HI> But the meaning is, that when God's children &s;in, they &s;in of infirmitie, not wilfully, but either as they are over-born by Satan's temptations;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 7.23.19.17.</NOTE> or by <HI>the law of the members rebelling again&s;t the law of their minde, &s;o that they do the evil, which they would not,</HI> and &s;o they <HI>do it not, but &s;in that dwell's in them,</HI> for they would do well, they de&s;ire and en|deavour it.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e.</HI> See here a main difference between a wicked and a godlie man; the wicked man &s;in's and make's it his pa&s;time to do wickedly, it's his exerci&s;e, his trade, hee doth <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 span">
<PB N="20" REF="13"> work iniquitie, hee is glad of the opportunitie, hee is di&s;contented at anie hinderance:<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 5.18. 1 King. 25.</NOTE> <HI>Hee doth draw iniquitie, as with cards of vanitie, and &s;in, as with cart-ropes,</HI> hee &s;o &s;in's, as if with <HI>Ahab,</HI> hee had <HI>&s;old him&s;elf to work wickedne&s;s:</HI> Satan is his Lord whom hee naturally &s;erv's: Of the wicked it's true that our Saviour &s;aie's of the <HI>Jews,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 8.44.</NOTE> <HI>Yee are of your father the di|vel, and his lu&s;ts yee will do.</HI> Thus is it with the wicked, but it's quite contrarie with the children of God; they <HI>&s;in</HI> indeed, but they are not workers of iniquitie:<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Ioh. 39.</NOTE> So &s;aie's the Apo&s;tle, <HI>hee that is born of God &s;in's not,</HI> <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 span">, <HI>hee work's not &s;in;</HI> though hee &s;in's, yet hee would not &s;in, hee delight's not in the opportunitie of &s;inning, hee is grieved when hee hath &s;in|ned, hee hate's it, and him&s;elf for it; finding that hee hath by &s;in offended God, hee de&s;ire's and endeavour's the reformati|on of his waie. It's true, wee are all of us &s;inners, but if wee would bee able truly to &s;aie with <HI>Job,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob. 10.7.</NOTE> <HI>Lord thou knowe&s;t that I am not wicked,</HI> let us bear this minde, in re&s;pect of &s;in, not to commit it with greedine&s;s, but rather to griev, when wee have &s;inned, and to de&s;ire and endeavour the reformation of our waies, let not our will and de&s;ire bee cold and idle, but earne&s;t and indu&s;trious: As the hungrie per&s;on ca&s;t's about how hee may get bread, and u&s;e's all po&s;&s;ible means to that end, &s;o let us (with <HI>David</HI> in the Text) ca&s;t about how, and wherewithall wee may clean&s; our waie, and not fail to u&s;e all po&s;&s;ible means to effect it.</P>
<P>Propo&s;. 5. <HI>It's an hard thing, and bu&s;ine&s;s of great difficultie, for young men to clean&s; their waie, to reform their lives.</HI></P>
<P>It's manife&s;t that <HI>David,</HI> in the Text in hand, &s;peak's of it, as &s;uch. And (if when a godlie man doth his be&s;t to reform his life, hee doth yet oft, and manie waies offend, as the A|po&s;tle &s;aie's,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 3.2.</NOTE> <HI>In manie things wee offend all: wee all,</HI> even the be&s;t of us, and that <HI>in manie things</HI>) it is then as cleer as the Sun, that it is a matter of great difficultie, for a young man to reform his waies. And it's further evident upon the&s;e grounds.</P>
<P N="1">1. Corruption of nature is &s;trong in young men, and evil affections &s;ettled in them, and <HI>fooli&s;hne&s;s bound up in their hearts.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 22.15.</NOTE></P>
<P N="2">2. Manie times cu&s;tom of &s;inning hinder's the young man
<PB N="21" REF="13"> from reforming his waies, &s;o the Prophet &s;aie's of it. <HI>Can the Aethiopian change his skin, and the Leopard his &s;pots?</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 13.23.</NOTE> <HI>Then may yee do good, that are accu&s;tomed to do evil.</HI> For it is a true &s;aying, <HI>Con&s;uetudo e&s;t altera natura, Cu&s;tom is another nature;</HI> and of na|ture it's no le&s;s true that the <HI>Po&euml;t</HI> &s;aies.</P>
<P><HI>Naturam expellas furc&acirc; lic&egrave;t, u&s;que recurret. Drive awaie nature with a pitch-fork, yet it will return.</HI> It mu&s;t then bee nece&s;&s;arily granted, that it's an hard thing for young men to reform their waies.</P>
<P N="3">3. Remember the four provocations to &s;in, which S^^t <HI>Am|bro&s;e</HI> ob&s;erv's in the Prodigal, which are oft in other young men.</P>
<P N="1">1. His portion, which enable's him to the committing of &s;in: which if hee hath in his po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, now hee is enabled to lewd living; if hee hath it but in hope, even this doth em|bolden him to wicked cour&s;es.</P>
<P N="2">2. His fathers indulgence, by means whereof that is with|held from him, by which hee &s;hould bee curbed, and kept in aw, namely &s;everitie of di&s;cipline.</P>
<P N="3">3. His companie, lewd young men, like him&s;elf, from whom hee &s;hall not hear anie thing, but evil coun&s;el, and en|couragement to, and in evil, and di&s;heartnings from the waie of obedience; nor &s;ee anie thing, but evil example, which hath a &s;trong power to corrupt.</P>
<P N="4">4. His youth, in which there is heedle&s;ne&s;s, and inexperi|ence: In all which re&s;pects, it cannot but bee a difficult matter, for young men to reform their waies.</P>
<P N="4">4. If wee compare child-hood and youth together, wee &s;hall finde, that childe-hood is far more ea&s;ily kept in order, and re&s;trained from &s;in: for</P>
<P N="1">1. The age it &s;elf is weak, and le&s;s acquainted with vice.</P>
<P N="2">2. It is fearful, and &s;tand's in aw.</P>
<P N="3">3. Commonly it is &s;pent under &s;om <HI>Ari&s;tarchus,</HI> &s;om &s;e|vere and rigid School-ma&s;ter.</P>
<P>But now, when young men have the reines ca&s;t upon their own necks, wee are far more prone to grow wor&s;, then bet|ter. And therefore <HI>David,</HI> con&s;idering the difficultie of the bu&s;ine&s;s, ca&s;t's about, which waie it may bee effected.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e.</HI> The thought of this is profitable, both for them,
<PB N="22" REF="14"> that have young ones committed to their care, and for young ones them&s;elvs.</P>
<P N="1">1. For them that have the care of youth committed to them, Parents, Ma&s;ters, School-ma&s;ters, Guardians: Let the thought of this, move them (in pitie and compa&s;&s;ion towards the young per&s;ons, with whom they are put in tru&s;t) to bee &s;o much the more helpful to them. Con&s;ider, I be|&s;eech you.</P>
<P N="1">1. How nece&s;&s;arie it is for young ones to reform their waie: Death is an impartiall officer, not &s;paring any for their youth: How many young men &s;ee wee daily taken out of this world? and it's woful to them, and of &s;ad con|&s;equence, if death &s;hall make a divorce between &s;oul and bodie, before a divorce bee made between them and their &s;ins:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 6.21. Jam. 1.15.</NOTE> <HI>The i&s;&s;ue of &s;in</HI> (repentance not coming between) <HI>is death:</HI> And <HI>&s;in, beeing perfected, bring's forth death,</HI> not onely the fir&s;t death, the perfection of which is the &s;eparation of the &s;oul from the bodie, but al&s;o the &s;econd death, the per|fection of which is the ca&s;ting of the &s;inner both in &s;oul and bodie from God the fountain of happine&s;s, and his exclu&s;ion from everla&s;ting happine&s;s, then which there is no greater lo&s;s; nay, none equal to it, and the ca&s;ting of him into hell and the torments of it, which are endle&s;s, ea&s;|le&s;s, and remedile&s;s,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mar. 9. Matth. 25.</NOTE> <HI>where the worm never die's, and the fire never goe's out;</HI> even <HI>utter darkne&s;s, where is weeping and wailing,</HI> gna&s;hing of teeth, and wringing of hands, and all for ever.</P>
<P N="2">2. How difficult a task this Reformation of waies is for young men, how many hinderances there are in the wale of it, and how many allurements they have to go on in their &s;inful cour&s;es: And in both the&s;e re&s;pects bee yee readie to give them an helping hand; do, what lie's in you to reclaim them from their &s;ins, and &s;o to prevent their everla&s;ting undoing: yee would readily think it your dutie, to prevent any temporarie mi&s;chief towards them in their bodies or e&s;tates: Know that the &s;oul is far more excellent then either e&s;tate or bodie, and therefore (as yee would &s;hew any love unto them) bee &s;pecially careful to prevent the ruine of their &s;ouls, by helping them in this great and difficult bu&s;ine&s;s, the clean&s;ing of their waies.</P>
<PB N="23" REF="14">
<P N="2">2. For young men them&s;elvs, let not this difficultie of clean&s;ing your waies di&s;-hearten you from attempting this bu&s;ine&s;s, let it rather cau&s; you more diligently to &s;et about it. It's a true &s;aying, <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 span">, the things are com|monly more excellent in which there is greater difficultie: the difficultie therefore of this work, and the oppo&s;ition that Satan make's again&s;t it, argue's the excellencie and u&s;eful|ne&s;s of it: I remember a pa&s;&s;age of our learned <HI>Whitaker,</HI> that it was an evident argument of &s;peciall worth and good|ne&s;s in <HI>Luther,</HI> that the <HI>Je&s;uits</HI> were &s;uch bitter enemies to him: as it's an argument of good fruit on the tree, when yee &s;ee boies throwing &s;ticks at it; &s;o doth it argue the Re|formation of young mens waies to bee &s;pecially excellent and u&s;eful, that Satan doth &s;o much oppo&s;e it, and ca&s;t &s;o many rubs in the waie: By how much therefore Satan &s;eek's more to hinder you in the clean&s;ing of your waies, by &s;o much more, beeing young, applie yee your &s;elvs to the do|ing of it. To do ea&s;ie things is no great matter of prai&s;, but to effect things in which wee finde difficultie and meet with oppo&s;ition, this is prai&s;-worthie, yea, <HI>hoc aliquid e&s;t volui&s;&s;e, it's &s;omthing, that wee would do it:</HI> Yee therefore, that are young men, bee yee per&s;uaded, the more difficultie there is in it, &s;o much the more &s;edulou&s;ly to endeavour the clean&s;ing of your waies: Labor to &s;ee what is ami&s;s in them, and u&s;e your be&s;t endeavours for the amendment of them. And for your encouragement in this kinde, con&s;ider what follow's. Though it bee difficult, yet</P>
<P>Propo&s;. 6. <HI>It's po&s;sible for young men to reform and amend their waies.</HI> It's plain in the text.</P>
<P>It's po&s;&s;ible, I &s;aie, but not by your own abilities, nor by the &s;trength of your own free-will; for it's a bu&s;ine&s;s above us; it's true, that the Apo&s;tle &s;aie's,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 3.5.</NOTE> <HI>Wee have no &s;ufficiencie as of our &s;elvs, &s;o much as to think a good thought, all our &s;ufficiencie is of God.</HI> And, for this particular bu&s;ine&s;s in hand, wee hear what repenting <HI>Ephraim</HI> &s;aid, <HI>Turn mee, and I &s;hall bee turned;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 31. Cant. 1.4.</NOTE> and the Church, <HI>Draw us, and wee will run after thee.</HI> But yet it is po&s;&s;ible by the help of God's grace, which u&s;e's not to bee
<PB N="24" REF="15"> wanting to them, that &s;et them&s;elvs con&s;cionably to the bu|&s;ine&s;&s;es, which God hath enjoined unto them.</P>
<P>And the fea&s;iblene&s;s of it appear's in this, that it hath been effected in others, as <HI>David, Timothie,</HI> &amp;c. what others have don, wee may do, by the help of the &s;ame grace of God, by which they have effected it.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 1. Let us not pre&s;ume of our own &s;trength in a bu&s;ine&s;s of this nature, nor &s;et up the Reformation of our waies, as if, of our &s;elvs, wee were able to effect it, but crave the aid of God: hear what <HI>Jeho&s;haphat</HI> &s;aid, when <HI>Moab, Edom,</HI> and <HI>Ammon</HI> invaded his Kingdom, and &s;o let us &s;aie of our &s;ins, &s;etting our &s;elvs to the redre&s;s of our waies, <HI>Wee have no might again&s;t them,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chro. 20.12.</NOTE> <HI>neither do wee know what to do, but our eies are upon thee:</HI> and as <HI>David</HI> went again&s;t <HI>Goliah,</HI> &s;o let us &s;et our &s;elvs again&s;t our &s;ins in the amendment of our waies,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 17.45.</NOTE> <HI>In the Name of the Lord of Ho&s;ts.</HI> But yet</P>
<P N="2">2. Let not the difficultie of this bu&s;ine&s;s di&s;-hearten you from attempting it, but let the po&s;&s;ibilitie of effecting it, animate you to this enterpri&s;e: were it (as difficult, &s;o) im|po&s;&s;ible, yee might have &s;omwhat to &s;aie for your &s;elvs, by which to excu&s;e your &s;elvs in the neglect of it: for, though &s;om men will attempt things, in which they finde difficultie, yet no wi&s;e man will attempt impo&s;&s;ibilities: But, &s;ince (though it bee difficult, yet) it's po&s;&s;ible, all excu&s;e &s;hall bee taken away from you, if yee neglect this bu&s;ine&s;s, the very po&s;&s;ibilitie of it &s;hall <HI>ora obturare,</HI> bolt up your mouths, yee &s;hall have nothing whereby to apologize for your &s;elvs, your &s;in will bee out of mea&s;ure &s;inful, and your follie un&s;peak|able. If yee, neglecting the &s;tudie of the amendment of your waies, peri&s;h, yee may thank, or rather blame your &s;elvs,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 13.9.</NOTE> not God: it will bee mo&s;t true, <HI>Perditio tua ex te, Thy destruction is of thy &s;elf.</HI> As therefore yee love your &s;elvs, I be&s;eech you, young men, yea, all, to &s;et your &s;elvs to the clean&s;ing of your waies. It's difficult, but it's po&s;&s;ible. It's true,</P>
<P>Propo&s;. 7. <HI>Man of him&s;elf know's not how to clean&s; his waie.</HI> And this made <HI>David</HI> to go to God with this enquirie,
<PB N="25" REF="15"> <HI>Wherewithall &s;hall a young man clean&s; his waie?</HI> And it's mani|fe&s;t, for of our &s;elvs wee are ignorant of God's waies: and, as the Prophet &s;aid of the Jews, <HI>Wee are wi&s;e to do evil, but,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 4.22.</NOTE> <HI>to do good, wee have no under&s;tanding:</HI> wee know how to &s;in; how to repent wee know not; beeing like the &s;heep, that hath skill to wander, and to go a&s;traie, but hath no skill to return to the fold.</P>
<P>The ground of this is our fall in <HI>Adam,</HI> whereby it's com to pa&s;s, that wee have defaced that glorious image of God, according to which wee were cre&auml;ted, and have contracted to our &s;elvs the contrarie corruption; and, among&s;t the re&s;t, wee have hereby ex&s;tingui&s;ht that light, which God had &s;et up in our mindes, by which wee were enabled at the fir&s;t, and might &s;till have been able, (had wee not wilfully di&s;|abled our &s;elvs,) to know what&s;oever conduced to our good, and darkne&s;s of minde hath com in the room of it, &s;o that that de&s;cription of the Gentiles agree's to us,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 4.18. 1 Cor. 2.14.</NOTE> <HI>having our under&s;tandings darkened,</HI> &s;o that <HI>wee neither do, nor can per|ceiv the things of the &s;pirit of God,</HI> and, (though wee have skill in affairs of the world, and skill to ruine our &s;elvs by &s;in, yet) wee have no skill of our &s;elvs, in the things that con|cern our everla&s;ting Salvation.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 1. Let us bewail our own ignorance and blinde|ne&s;s; Oh the heavie complaints that wee hear made by tho&s;e, that laie under the burden of bodilie blindne&s;s! how much more cau&s; have wee to lament the blindene&s;s of our mindes? as it is of far more dreadful con&s;equence: yea, let us bewail our fall in <HI>Adam,</HI> which hath occa&s;ioned it: think what goodlie gods wee are becom, <HI>&s;uch as have eies,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 115.5. Gen. 3.6.</NOTE> <HI>and &s;ee not:</HI> where is the Divel's promi&s;s, <HI>Yee &s;hall bee as gods knowing good and evil?</HI> oh what fools were wee to believ that lying &s;pirit? wee affected more then was meet for us, and wee have lo&s;t what wee had; wee would bee gods, and wee are hardly men, but bea&s;ts in the &s;hape of men; as brute bea&s;ts, without under&s;tanding: de&s;perate fools that wee were! oh bee wee a&s;hamed of it: And, complaining of our natural blindne&s;s, let us repair to God, with <HI>David</HI>'s enquirie in the text, <HI>Wherewithall &s;hall a young man clean&s; his waie?</HI> Lord, wee have don ami&s;s, our waies are cor|rupt,
<PB N="26" REF="16"> how &s;hall wee redre&s;s them? And, as <HI>Saul,</HI> afterwards ble&s;&s;ed <HI>Paul,</HI> let us &s;aie to God, <HI>Lord, what wilt thou have thy &s;ervant to do?</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 9 6. P&s;al. 143.10.</NOTE> and cea&s; not to join with <HI>David</HI> in that &s;uit, <HI>Teach mee to do Thy will.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. Let us bee thankful to God for the means of In&s;truction, that wee have, as a written word, &s;o men, like our &s;elvs, in any mea&s;ure able and willing to &s;hew us how to amend our waies: ble&s;s God for &s;uch parents, ma&s;ters, mini&s;ters: ap|plie your &s;elvs to them for in&s;truction and guidance in a bu&s;ine&s;s of &s;uch moment, to your parents, to your ma&s;ters, bee|ing in any mea&s;ure able to direct you: e&s;pecially let this bee your care in re&s;pect of the Mini&s;ters of God &s;et over you. <HI>Ask the Prie&s;ts concerning the law,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Hag. 2.11. Mal. 2.7.</NOTE> &s;aie's God. And in ano|ther place, <HI>The Prie&s;ts lips &s;hould pre&s;erv knowledg, and they &s;hould &s;eek the law at his mouth.</HI> In a dark night wee are thankful for a light, and readie to follow it: A blinde man is glad of a guide, and willing to bee guided by him: the mini&s;ters of God are lights to men, that are in the dark, and guides to the blinde: bee yee thankfull to God for them, bee yee readie to ask coun&s;el of them, and no le&s;s readie to accept of their advice: and, as <HI>Jotham</HI> ad|vi&s;ed the men of Shechem,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Judg. 9.7.</NOTE> <HI>Hearken to them, that God may hearken to you.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. If yee have any knowledg of, and in&s;ight into this bu&s;ine&s;s of the amendment of life, bee not proud of it, as if yee had this of your &s;elvs, but acknowledg your own natural blindene&s;s, and let God have the prai&s; of it: it's true of this, that our Saviour &s;aie's, <HI>Fle&s;h and bloud hath not revealed it unto you,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 16.17.</NOTE> <HI>but my father that is in heaven:</HI> and therefore &s;aie in this re&s;pect with the P&s;almi&s;t, <HI>Non nobis,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 115.1.</NOTE> <HI>Domine,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to thy Name give Glorie.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. Having in&s;ight into this bu&s;ine&s;s, let us, out of pitie, bee readie to teach others, that need our help, and impart our knowledg unto them. It's an act of charitie to &s;hew others the waie, they beeing ignorant of it, and to guide the blinde: thus is it with men naturally, they are blinde and ignorant in this bu&s;ine&s;s of amendment of waies; let us therefore charitably teach and guide them in it: This e&s;pe|cially
<PB N="27" REF="16"> concern's us Mini&s;ters in regard of the people, with who&s;e &s;ouls wee are put in tru&s;t; but it belong's al&s;o to you, that are parents and ma&s;ters, in re&s;pect of your chil|dren and &s;ervants, yea, to us all mutually: Having received the talent, hide it not in a napkin, but emploie it to the ad|vantage of our Lord and Ma&s;ter.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 25. v. 21, 23. v. 28, 30.</NOTE> Remember that Parable of the Talents; &s;ee what reward God promi&s;es and a&s;&s;igne's to the faithful di&s;pen&s;ers, and the dreadful &s;entence again&s;t the unfaithful &s;ervant. Hear what the Apo&s;tle &s;aie's, <HI>The manifestation of the &s;pirit is given to every one to profit withall:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 12.7.</NOTE> wee &s;hall not have the le&s;s by imparting to others; yea, wee &s;hall have the more: It's a true &s;aying, <HI>Docendo di&s;ces; by teaching thou &s;halt learn: The talent taken from the unfaithful &s;ervant is given to him that had ten talents: for,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 25.28. ver. 29.</NOTE> <HI>to every one that hath, &s;hall bee given.</HI> In all re&s;pects then bee per&s;uaded to im|part to others, for their benefit, the knowledg which in this, or any kinde God hath be&s;towed upon you.</P>
<P>But, though it bee true, that of our &s;elvs wee know not how to go about the clean&s;ing of our waie, yet</P>
<P>Propo&s;. 8. <HI>God is readie to teach us, if wee have recour&s; to him for advice.</HI> This is al&s;o plain in the Text: Yea, &s;ee how readily hee offer's him&s;elf in this kinde by the P&s;al|mi&s;t, <HI>Com, my children, hearken to mee,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 34.11.</NOTE> <HI>and I will teach you the fear of the Lord.</HI> And this wee may argue, as our Saviour ar|gue's the like, <HI>What man is there of you,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 7.9.</NOTE> <HI>whom if his &s;on ask's bread, will hee give him a &s;tone? or, if hee ask's a fi&s;h, will hee give him a &s;erpent? If then yee, beeing evil,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">10.11.</NOTE> <HI>know how to give good things to your children, how much more &s;hall your heavenlie Father give good things to them that ask him?</HI> So may the point in hand bee argued: what man is there, who &s;hall give &s;om bu&s;ine&s;s in Charge to bee don by his childe or &s;ervant, but hee will al&s;o bee readie to direct him how to do it, if his childe or &s;ervant &s;hall crave his direction? If an earth|lie father will bee &s;o readie to direct his childe or &s;ervant, how much more &s;hall God bee readie to teach us, if wee &s;eek to him for advice?</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 1. See and admire the goodne&s;s and infinite mer|cie of God: as if a father, having once &s;et up his childe
<PB N="28" REF="17"> in the world, and put a &s;tock into his hand, and the &s;on ha|ving by il husbandrie embezled it, hee &s;hall again &s;et him up, and give him a new &s;tock, with which to trade; who will not admire the love of &s;uch a father? This is the ca&s;e here: God in Cre&auml;tion gave us a &s;tock, con&s;i&s;ting in part of the knowledg of his will; but wee, by our fall in <HI>Adam,</HI> have forfeited this knowledg, and brought ignorance and blindne&s;s upon our &s;elvs; yet hee is readie to give us di|rection, how to amend our lives, and clean&s; our waie, wee &s;eeking to him for it: how great then is his mercie? Let us not fail, to give him the glorie due to his Name for &s;uch mercie.</P>
<P N="2">2. Let us imitate our heavenlie Father, beeing readie to teach others, and to give them advice, e&s;pecially, if they, bee|ing ignorant, &s;hall de&s;ire our help. But of this before.</P>
<P N="3">3. Let this encourage us to &s;eek to God for advice in this bu&s;ine&s;s of &s;o great importance, as is the clean&s;ing of our waie. But of this al&s;o before.</P>
<P>Yea, God give's his an&s;wer and re&s;olution in this text, and &s;et's down the means, which if yee will con&s;cionably u&s;e, yee &s;hall finde this great work effected. For &s;o it follow's.</P>
<P>Propo&s;. 9. <HI>The waie whereby a young man, any young man, all young men, may clean&s; their waie, is to take heed thereto accord|ing to God's Word, to frame our life and conver&s;ation according to the Law of God, and ju&s;t as Hee hath commanded.</HI> It's plain in the text, as the an&s;wer to the fore-going que&s;tion: And it further appear's:</P>
<P N="1"><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119.105.</NOTE>1. The Word of God is <HI>a light unto our feet, and a lamp to our paths,</HI> &s;o that it &s;erv's, if wee take heed thereto, to &s;hew us our waie, and to keep us from &s;tumbling, as a Lanthorn or torch in a dark night.</P>
<P N="2">2. Whereas the begining of the clean&s;ing of our waie, the amendment of our lives, is the &s;ight of our &s;ins, this Word of God is a Gla&s;s, wherein wee may &s;ee what is ami&s;s in the cour&s; of our life, that &s;o wee may amend it; as a Looking-gla&s;s di&s;cover's to us any &s;pot in our faces, that wee may wa&s;h it away: So S^t <HI>James</HI> re&s;emble's it, while hee &s;aie's,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jam. 1.24.</NOTE> <HI>If any bee an hearer of the Word, and not a doer, hee is like
<PB N="29" REF="17"> a man looking his face in a gla&s;s,</HI> &amp;c.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 3.20.</NOTE> and &s;o S^t <HI>Paul</HI> tell's us plainly, that <HI>by the law is the knowledg of &s;in.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. The Word of God is a Rule or Square, whereby wee may level or &s;treighten our waies.</P>
<P N="4">4. And, whereas our pa&s;&s;age in this world is over hils and dales, God's Word is like a beacon &s;tanding on an high hill, to give us direction in our journey; or (if on the &s;ea of this world) this law is our load-&s;tar, yea, our Card or Com|pa&s;s to guide us in our Navigation.</P>
<P N="5">5. Nay, if wee bee blinde, and con&s;equently &s;ubject to go a&s;traie, to &s;tumble and fall, this Word of God is, not one|ly a Staff, by the help of which to feel out the waie, but al&s;o Eie-&s;alve to cure our blindene&s;s, and recover our &s;ight: So &s;aie's <HI>David, The Commandement of the Lord is pure, enlighte|ning the eies.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 19.8.</NOTE></P>
<P N="6">6. In a word, this Word of God is a perfect word, every waie u&s;eful, as the Apo&s;tle &s;aie's excellently, <HI>The whole Scripture is profitable, for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for in&s;truction in righteou&s;ne&s;s.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 3.16.</NOTE></P>
<P N="1">1. Would'&s;t thou know the will of God, and his truth? This Word will bee able to teach thee what thou &s;hould'&s;t do, and believ.</P>
<P N="2">2. Would'&s;t thou redargue error? this Word of God wil perform it to thy hand. <HI>Verum e&s;t index &s;ui &amp; obliqui. Truth &s;hewe's it &s;elf, and it's contrarie.</HI> That is true, which is con&s;onant to the Word, therefore that which is di&s;&s;onant, is error and fal&s;hood.</P>
<P N="3">3. Is any thing ami&s;s in thy life? God's Word will cor|rect it, by acquainting thee with the divine prohibition, by which it's forbidden, and the judgments of God threatned again&s;t, and executed upon men for doing &s;uch things.</P>
<P N="4">4. Would'&s;t thou do righteou&s;ne&s;s? God's Word in|&s;truct's thee.</P>
<P N="5">5. Yea, in this waie of reforming thy life doe&s;t thou meet with di&s;couragements? God's Word will comfort thee: &s;o &s;aie's the Apo&s;tle, <HI>through the comforts of the Scripture:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 15.4. I&s;ai. 66.11.</NOTE> the&s;e are <HI>the bre&s;ts of con&s;olation.</HI> There is not any thing by which thou maie&s;t bee di&s;couraged in this bu&s;ine&s;s of the Refor|mation of thy waie (mocks, &s;landers, frowns or threatnings
<PB N="30" REF="18"> of great men, lo&s;s of goods by confi&s;cation, impri&s;onment, bani&s;hment, torments or death) but from this Word yee may gather grounds of comfort again&s;t the &s;ame, as the childe by &s;ucking draw's milk from his mothers bre&s;ts; as by enquirie yee may &s;ee in all the particulars: again&s;t per&s;e|cution and &s;landers hear our Saviour comforting us,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 5.10.</NOTE> <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed are they that &s;uffer per&s;ecution for righteou&s;ne&s;s &s;ake: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">ver. 11.</NOTE> <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed are yee, when men &s;hall revile and per&s;ecute you, and &s;peak all manner of evil again&s;t you fal&s;ly for my Names &s;ake.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">ver. 12.</NOTE> <HI>Rejoice and bee exceeding glad, for great is your re|ward in heaven, for &s;o they per&s;ecuted the Prophets, which were before you.</HI> Again&s;t the lo&s;s of all for the te&s;timonie of a good Con&s;cience,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 19.29.</NOTE> hear what hee &s;aie's by waie of comfort. <HI>Every one that &s;hall for&s;ake hou&s;es, or brethren, or &s;isters, or father, or mo|ther, or wife, or children, or lands, for my names &s;ake, &s;hall receiv an hundred fold, and &s;hall inherit everla&s;ting life.</HI> Again&s;t impri|&s;onment hear that,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 2.10.</NOTE> <HI>Fear none of the things which yee &s;hall &s;uffer, for the divel &s;hall ca&s;t &s;om of you into pri&s;on, that yee may bee tried, and yee &s;hall have tribulation ten daies. Bee thou faithfull unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life.</HI> Again&s;t the frowns and threatnings of men hear that comfort.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 10.28.</NOTE> <HI>Fear not them that kill the bodie, and are not able to kill the &s;oul: are not two &s;parrows &s;old for a farthing?</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">ver. 29.</NOTE> <HI>and one of them &s;hall not fall to the ground without your father.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">ver. 30.</NOTE> <HI>But the very hairs of your head are numbered;</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">ver. 31.</NOTE> <HI>fear not therefore, yee are of more value then many &s;parrows.</HI> Again&s;t the thankle&s;ne&s;s of the world for the &s;er|vice which yee do,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 15.58.</NOTE> hear the Apo&s;tle, <HI>Knowing that your labor &s;hall not bee in vain in the Lord.</HI> In a word, again&s;t all afflicti|ons, to the &s;uffering of which ye may bee expo&s;ed, hear that ground of comfort,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 4.17.</NOTE> <HI>Our light afflictions, which are but for a moment,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.17.</NOTE> <HI>&s;hall work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glorie:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">ver. 18.</NOTE> and that, <HI>If &s;o bee that wee &s;uffer with him,</HI> that is, with Chri&s;t, <HI>wee &s;hall bee al&s;o glorified together: for I reckon, that all the afflictions of this pre&s;ent life are not worthie to bee compared with the glories that &s;hall bee revealed in us.</HI> Thus is the Word of God able to animate us again&s;t all tho&s;e things, that may di&s;|hearten us from the clean&s;ing of our waie, yea, thus is it every waie u&s;efull to help us in this bu&s;ine&s;s.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 1. Let us bee thankful to God, for that hee hath given
<PB N="31" REF="18"> us his Word &s;o &s;ingularly u&s;eful in all kinds for the di&s;|patch of &s;o great a bu&s;ine&s;s, and &s;o nece&s;&s;arie, as is the re|forming of our waies: A jewel it is of &s;pecial price. <HI>David,</HI> in re&s;pect of that part of it, which was then written (which was the <HI>Pentateuch,</HI> the five books of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI>) could yet rai&s; up him&s;elf and others to the prai&s;ing of God: <HI>Hee hath,</HI> &s;aie's hee, <HI>&s;hewed his Word unto Jacob,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 147.19.20.</NOTE> <HI>his &s;tatutes and his judgments unto I&s;rael; Hee hath not dealt &s;o with any nation, and as for his judgments, they have not known them,</HI> and thence hee in|fer's, <HI>Hallelu-jah, Prai&s;e yee the Lord:</HI> how much more have wee cau&s; to ble&s;s the Name of our God, who hath given us the &s;acred <HI>Canon</HI> perfect, not onely the books of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> as the Text, but the writings of the Prophets, as a Comment there|on; nor onely the books of the Old Te&s;tament, which were the New Te&s;tament veiled, but al&s;o the books of the New Te&s;tament, which are the Old Te&s;tament reveiled? wee may much more &s;aie, <HI>Non taliter fecit Deus omni populo: God hath not dealt &s;o with other people:</HI> how many great nations are there in the world, to whom the Word of God hath not com? they for want of it &s;it in darkne&s;s, and in the region of the &s;hadow of death, but the light hath &s;hined on us: they are as <HI>Egypt</HI> under that plague of darkne&s;s,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 10.22.23.</NOTE> that might bee felt: wee, as the <HI>I&s;ra&euml;lites in Go&s;hen,</HI> having light in their dwellings. S^t <HI>Paul</HI> moving the que&s;tion,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 3.1.</NOTE> <HI>What is the prefer|ment of the Jews? what is the benefit of circumci&s;ion?</HI> pre&s;ently return's an&s;wer, <HI>Verily, great every waie: &s;pecially becau&s; the Oracles of God were committed unto them:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">v. 2.</NOTE> how great then is our preferment? What cau&s; have wee then to bee thankful unto God?</P>
<P N="2">2. Let us all, and do yee, young men, make u&s;e of the Word of God for this ble&s;&s;ed purpo&s;e, for the clean&s;ing of your waies: To this purpo&s;e (wee &s;ee) it's profitable: and for this end God hath afforded it to us: to this purpo&s;e then let us make u&s;e of it, that wee fru&s;trate not God's ex&s;pectation: and therefore</P>
<P N="1">1. That wee may &s;ee what hath been ami&s;s in our lives, let us frequently compare our &s;elvs with the Word of God, and look our &s;elvs in this Gla&s;s; bring wee our words, actions and thoughts to a privie &s;earch hereby. It's the coun&s;el of
<PB N="32" REF="19"> the Prophet,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Lam. 3.40.</NOTE> <HI>Let us &s;earch and trie our waies, and turn again to the Lord:</HI> Repentance is nece&s;&s;arie, as that, without which it's impo&s;&s;ible to bee &s;aved:<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 13.3.</NOTE> for &s;o our Saviour &s;aie's, <HI>Except yee repent, yee &s;hall all likewi&s;e peri&s;h:</HI> would yee not peri&s;h? re|pent: but the &s;earching of our waies is enjoined, as &s;ub|&s;ervient to the turning to the Lord, implying, that (as Sal|vation is not atteinable without repentance, &s;o) repentance is impo&s;&s;ible without &s;earch of our waies:<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119.59.</NOTE> and the &s;ame is implied in that &s;peech of the P&s;almi&s;t, <HI>I con&s;idered my waies and turned my feet unto thy testimonies:</HI> Oh then neglect not this bu&s;ine&s;s of the &s;earch of your waies. Call to minde the thoughts of your heart, the words of your mouth, the works of your hands: con&s;ider them, whether they bee good or bad: and to this end, trie them by the touch-&s;tone of the Word, weigh them in this ballance of the Sanctuarie, if yee finde them agreeable with this Word, or not contrarie to it, yee may conclude them to bee lawful and good: but if they bee contrarie to it, they are &s;inful and damnable: this Word of God is a true and &s;ure Gla&s;s, that will repre&s;ent things to us, as indeed they are, and will not deceiv us: If wee &s;tand to the verdict of our own imagination, wee may bee deceived; <HI>There is a waie</HI> (&s;aie's <HI>Solomon) that is right in a man's eies,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 14.12.</NOTE> <HI>but the end thereof are the waies of death.</HI> If wee &s;tand to the verdict of men, wee may bee deceived: there are in the world flatte|ring &s;ycophants, that for a meals meat, having mens per&s;ons in admiration, will call evil good, darkne&s;s light, bitter &s;weet, prai&s;ing tho&s;e things which will prove bitter in the end: and there are rigid cen&s;urers, who will call good evil, and light darkne&s;s, and &s;weet bitter: But if wee &s;tand to the judgment of the Word of God, wee cannot bee de|ceived, by the con&s;onancie of our words, thoughts, and actions with this Word, the goodne&s;s and rectitude of them will appear to our comfort, &s;o that wee &s;hall not need to re|gard the cen&s;ures of men; and their di&s;&s;onancie from it will &s;hew the pravitie and crokedne&s;s of them, and &s;o wee &s;hall bee &s;tirred up and excited to humble our &s;elvs before God for them, and to depart from them. As then yee love your &s;elvs, and would bee &s;et right in the judgment of your waies, bee per&s;uaded not to make your &s;elvs, nor other men your judges;
<PB N="33" REF="19"> but bring your &s;elvs;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 3.20.</NOTE> and your conver&s;ation to the trial of God's Word, <HI>by which come's the knowledg of &s;in.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. Do nothing ra&s;hly, &s;peak nothing ra&s;hly, think no|thing ra&s;hly, but upon mature con&s;ideration going before. This is a branch of that watchfulne&s;s, which the Scripture every where enjoine's. The Porters at great mens gates &s;uffer not every one to enter that would but they fir&s;t examine them, What are you? Whence are you? Whether tend you? otherwi&s;e they may bee in danger to entertein theeves and robbers in &s;tead of friends. So let us bee circum&s;pect over our whole conver&s;ation: give not entertainment to every thought, that would enter and lodg within us; give not waie to every word, to every action: un&s;peakable danger may, and cannot but i&s;&s;ue upon it: but examine them fir&s;t, what are you? good? or evil? whence are you? from God? or from Satan and corruption? whether tend you? to heaven? or to hell? to God's honor and my own comfort? or to the di&s;honor of God, and my own horror? by this means yee &s;hall prevent a world of mi&s;chief. Oh therefore let this bee the care of us all. And to guide us in this examination, let us not &s;tand upon humane judgment, our own, or of others: but bring all to the triall of God's Word, weigh all in this ballance, trie all by this touch-&s;tone: and if they agree with it, wee may bee bold and confident to &s;peak &s;uch words, to do &s;uch actions, to entertein &s;uch thoughts: what&s;oever wee may &s;uffer for it in the world at the hands of men, they are good, they are from God, they tend to Heaven, to God's honor, and our own Salvation: but if they bee contrarie to the Word of God, they are wicked, they are from the di|vel and corruption, they tend to hell, to God's di&s;honor, and your own pre&s;ent di&s;comfort, and your everla&s;ting perdition: venture not upon them though yee might thereby gain ten thou&s;and worlds. And thus taking heed to your conver|&s;ation according to God's Word, yee &s;hall clean&s; or redre&s;s your waies.</P>
<P N="3">3. That wee may thus reap the benefit of God's Word for the clean&s;ing of our waie, let us exerci&s;e our &s;elvs con&s;tantly in it, hear it read, and preached publickly, read it privately: how el&s; &s;hall yee bee able to make u&s;e of it, for &s;earch of
<PB N="34" REF="20"> your by-pa&s;t cour&s;es, for the trial of words, actions and thoughts for the future? Hearken wee therefore to our Sa|viour,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 5.39. Col. 3 16.</NOTE> <HI>Search the Scriptures,</HI> and to S^t <HI>Paul, Let the Word of Chri&s;t dwell plentifully in you.</HI> This concern's not us onely, that are in the Mini&s;terie, but al&s;o all ordinarie Chri&s;tians: nor concern's it onely old men, that are readie to depart out of the world, but it belong's al&s;o to you, that are young men, for even to you al&s;o belong's the care to clean&s; your waie, to which this Word of God is &s;ub&s;ervient, <HI>Timothie from a childe knew the &s;criptures.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 3.15.</NOTE> Put not off this &s;tudie then either to other men, or to another time, but &s;et your &s;elvs to it, and even now: Con&s;ider the opportunities that yee have: the Word of God is written, yea, it's printed, &s;o that yee may compa&s;s it at an ea&s;ie rate: and it's tran&s;lated into your mother-tongue, that &s;o yee may know what yee read, nor is there danger in reading it, as &s;omtimes it was to our Prede|ce&s;&s;ors in this land, and is &s;til in tho&s;e Countries that lie un|der the <HI>Romane</HI> yoke. Nor are yee told, that it's unlawfull for you to do it, nay, yee are frequently taught, that it is a nece&s;&s;arie dutie, and frequently excited to it: oh, if, after all this, yee &s;hall neglect this dutie, how &s;hall yee an&s;wer it to God? how can it bee, but that yee &s;hould finde that to bee true,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Job. 3.19.</NOTE> which our Saviour &s;aid, <HI>This is condemnation, that light is com into the world, and men love darkne&s;s rather then light:</HI> oh therefore bee yee per&s;uaded, both young and old, to lay hold upon the gracious opportunities, which God put's into your hands: what a &s;ad bu&s;ine&s;s will it bee, if by your neglect of this grace of God, yee &s;hal move God, in di&s;plea&s;ure to bring &s;uch times upon you, as in which yee would bee glad to read the Scriptures and may not? do it therefore, while yee may; let no daie pa&s;s over your head without reading &s;om part of it: this will bee a comfortable evidence to you, that yee are in the number of them that &s;hall bee ble&s;&s;ed: for &s;o &s;aie's the P&s;almi&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 1.1.2.</NOTE> <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed is hee that delight's in the law of the Lord, and ex|erci&s;eth him&s;elf therein daie and night;</HI> yea, thus &s;hall yee bee en|abled to the clean&s;ing of your waie, which yee have heard to bee a dutie, that &s;o mainly concern's you.</P>
<P>Con&s;ider what hath been &s;aid, and the Lord give you un|der&s;tanding in all things.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="20">
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</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
