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<DATE>2014-07-29</DATE>
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<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
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<HEAD>A NEW-YEARS-GIFT to YOUTH OR, The Young Mans Guide to Eternal Bli&s;s.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Fitted for the u&s;e of all <HI>Chri&s;tian Families;</HI> and more Particularly directed to the <HI>Youth</HI> of the <HI>Nation,</HI> for their General benefit and In&s;truction.</HEAD>
<P>THe Life of Man, may be ju&s;tly &s;til'd a Pilgrimage, wherein each Per&s;on is a Traveller, from his Cradle to his Grave. The Mi&s;eries, Cares, and Di&s;appointments that he meets with, no other than the Hard&s;hips of his Journey: which as they make his path Trouble&s;om, &s;o they endear his Harbour. It is therefore the Concern of all Men to look to their Steps, lea&s;t they fall by the way, or are allured by the Enticements of <HI>Sa|tan,</HI> to leave the ruggedne&s;s of tho&s;e Wayes that lead to Eternal Bli&s;s, and follow the more open and le&s;s Unplea&s;ant Roads, who&s;e End is De&s;truction. The which to avoid, is the Subject of the en&s;uing Rules: wherein no Advice can be more Suitable than that of the Wi&s;e Man, to the Youth of the Age wherein he Lived, and left behind him as a &s;tanding Rule to all Succeeding Generations: <HI>Eccle.</HI> 12.1. <HI>Remember now thy Creator in the Days of thy Youth, while the Evil Days come not, nor the Years draw nigh, wherein thou &s;halt &s;ay I have no Plea&s;ure in them.</HI></P>
<P>The rea&s;ons why he pre&s;&s;eth this great Duty, are Two|fold The fir&s;t Implied <HI>(viz.)</HI> the Uncertainty of our Condition here, <HI>Remember <HI>now:</HI></HI> as if he &s;hould have &s;aid; This <HI>now,</HI> is all the Portion of Time that God hath al|lowed thee, or which thou can&s;t call thy own: What is pa&s;t, is in his Hand, and the Actions thou ha&s;t therein perfor|med, whether Good or Evil, are under his Cognizance, and &s;hall receive the Sentence or Acquittal of the Almigh|ty: What is to come are at his Di&s;po&s;al: and whether thou maye&s;t have another Call from the Spirit of Grace, to improve them to thy Souls Advantage, before thy Head is in the Du&s;t, is uncertain. Yet Secondly, if it &s;hould &s;o fall out, that thy Days may be Lengthned, yet hath he herein told thee what will mo&s;t certainly en&s;ue, Old Age and Imbecility, that will Incapacitate thee for that Service he requires at thy Hands: both which ought to bring us to an early con&s;ideration of our State, and urge us betimes to make our Peace, with the God of Peace; or in his own Words, <HI>to remember our Creator,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>The Strength of the <HI>Wi&s;e Mans</HI> Argument, will appear more Di&s;tinctly in the parts of it. Fir&s;t in the Pro&s;pect of what Daily happens to others. And Secondly in what attends our Selves: and this will be enough to Waken the Secure&s;t, and Ring a Knell of Death, into the Ears of the Stronge&s;t among&s;t us. As for others, look abroad in thy Neighbourhood, and tell me whom the great Enemy of Mankind hath Spared. Hath he had Compa&s;&s;ion on the Beautiful? Hath he been afraid to Grapple with the Strong, to Contend with the Wi&s;e, or Encounter the Crown|ed Head? Hath he forgotten the Poor as not worth his Notice, or Complemented the Rich, as above it? Has he &s;aid to the Infant, in Mercy I'le Spare thee, or to the Aged in Reverence, I'le pa&s;s thee by? Has he heard the Entreaties of the Fearful, or Regarded the Tears of the Childle&s;s, the Moans of the Widdow, or the Groans of the Orphan? Alas not he, Inexorable as he is, his Darts flie Undi&s;tingui&s;hed round the World, and where e're they light they are Mortal: no Charm can Inchant them, no Power Controll them, no Device Counterwork them, no Wit avoid them, no Wealth purcha&s;e their Delay no Beau|ty Entice them to bee Courteous. This thou art every Day acquainted with, in the Examples of others; and how &s;oon it may be thy Turn con&s;ider with thy &s;elf: &s;hould this Enemy Approach thee, what can&s;t thou do to Avert him? If thou hear'&s;t the ratling of his Bones; if thou &s;ee&s;t his Bolts a Levelling at thy Head, do&s;t thou think to put him off with a come another time, I am not prepared for thee. No &s;uch An&s;wer will avail thee: or do&s;t thou hope to graple with him? what's thy Weakne&s;s to his Power? the lea&s;t of his Me&s;&s;engers will appall thee. If he &s;ends but the Tooth or Head-ach thou Droope&s;t: An <HI>Ague</HI> will Rob thee of thy Strength and Beauty: A Fit of the <HI>Stone</HI> or <HI>Gout,</HI> Tor|ments thee to Angui&s;h: Nay the lea&s;t of the&s;e with his Commi&s;&s;ion &s;ends thee irriver&s;ably to Companion with <HI>Worms.</HI> A <HI>Flie</HI> in thy Cup, a <HI>Crum</HI> in thy Gla&s;s, or a <HI>&s;plinter'd Bone</HI> from thy <HI>Trencher,</HI> by his Order, is as fatal as a Charged Volly at thy Brea&s;t or a <HI>Thunder-Bolt</HI> at thy Head. As thou walke&s;t along, a <HI>Tile</HI> may Di&s;patch thee, or an <HI>Appoplex</HI> Fell thee: thou art always like <HI>Damo|cles,</HI> a fatal Sword hangs over thy Head, by a twine Thread, which how &s;oon it may Break thou knowe&s;t not: Thy En|emies within thee may De&s;troy thee, and Thou&s;ands from without thee wait thy Ruine. There is but one way in|to the World, but Millions to di&s;patch thee Hence, and which is mo&s;t Dreadful, thou knowe&s;t not the manner how, nor time when. If thou lie&s;t Down to Sleep, thou may'&s;t Wake in Eternal Burnings. If thou Journeye&s;t abroad, the Home thou intende&s;t may be thy Grave. If thou Fea&s;t|e&s;t this Day, to Morrow thou maye&s;t be made a Fea&s;t for <HI>Worms.</HI> Thou art now perhaps Revelling in all man|ner of Delights and Plea&s;ure, the Sparkling <HI>Gla&s;s</HI> it at thy Lips, thy Jovial Companions about thee, thy Eyes are Admi|ring the objects of Beauty, thy Ears entertained with the Har|monys of Mu&s;ique, and Odoriferous Perfumes Strengthen thy Sen&s;es but thou knowe&s;t not how &s;oon Death may &s;trike thee, and turn thy Revellings into Langui&s;hings, thy Delights and Plea&s;ures into Sighs and Groans, thy la&s;t Sickne&s;s nau&s;eate thy Cups; thy Freinds take their Parting Adiews for ever: Beauty become Loath&s;om, the Toling Bell thy Mu&s;ick, and Stench and Defilement Choak thee. And tell me Young-Man if thou thinke&s;t it not thy Intere&s;t whil&s;t opportunitys are offered thee, to follow the Wi&s;e Mans Ad|vice. For Secondly, if thou e&s;cape&s;t all the&s;e Ca&s;ualties, Old Age will certainly be upon thee, its Harbingers are near, Gray Hairs, and the Bearing-Staff, will be quickly thy Portion. And can&s;t thou expect when the <HI>Devil,</HI> the <HI>Fle&s;h,</HI> and the <HI>World</HI> have had thy Youth and Strength of Performances Lavi&s;hed out in their Service, that God will accept of the Lees and Remainders of Old Age, and the Repentance that proceeds from thy Pains and Angui&s;h, it will then be too Late to give him thy whole Heart and thy whole Soul, which he requires of thee. The Cares of the World, the di&s;po&s;al of what thou ha&s;t, will rob him of his Share: be&s;ides thy Account will then be the Great|e&s;t, when thou ha&s;t the lea&s;t to Di&s;charge it with: when thou, &s;houlde&s;t Pray and Repent thee of thy Sins, the Di&s;|tempers and Aches thou art under will di&s;compo&s;e thee, when thou &s;hould'&s;t Weep for thy Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions, half the Tribute of thy Eyes will be required for thy Angui&s;h; and perhaps thy Sen&s;es may Decay with thy Strength, and the time thou allowe&s;t for thy Repentance, be wholly &s;wal|lowed up in Ignorance and Dotage. It behoves thee therefore to remember thy Creator at pre&s;ent, which is the application of the Wi&s;e Mans Rea&s;ons, and &s;hould be &s;o of thine: which if thou do&s;t, this will certainly carry thee through the whole Pilgrimage of thy Life, and bear thee up in all the mi&s;-adventurous paths thereof.</P>
<P>For, Fir&s;t if you remember him, he'le never forge thee: no trouble thou &s;halt encounter with, but he will Van|qui&s;h for thee, or &s;upport thee to bear it. No Allurement of the World &s;hall draw the a&s;ide from thy Path, but he will pre&s;ent the view of heaven in thy Eye, as the Reward of that Goal to which thou Pre&s;&s;e&s;t, and pervert the Temp|tation.</P>
<P>Secondly, remember him as a Good and Gracious God, Con&s;ider with thy &s;elf what he hath done for thy Beni|fit, when thou wa&s;t a lo&s;t and undon Creature, when no Eye pitied thee, when no Heart Relented for thee, when thou wa&s;t under the &s;entence of the Law, and con|&s;equently a Condemned Creature: no help, no Sanctuary, no Refuge for thy E&s;cape: it was then his time of mercy towards thee, then he parted with his only Son from his Bo&s;om, for thy Relief, to live a painful Trouble&s;om Life upon Earth, for thy &s;ake and In&s;truction, and at la&s;t to Dye a &s;hameful Death upon the <HI>Cro&s;s</HI> for thy Redemption and let this his Goodne&s;s allure thee to love him, to Prai&s;e and Adore him for the greatne&s;s of his Mercies.</P>
<P>Thirdly remember as he is a good God, &s;o he is a Ju&s;t and a Holy God; that tho he hath been, and is Merciful to thee, yet he will not &s;uffer his Mercy to be abu&s;ed and Slighted; that he is a Holy God, and expects tho&s;e that <HI>come to him mu&s;t be Holy as he is Holy,</HI> tho not in the &s;ame de|gree, which is unpo&s;&s;ible for any humane Creature to be: yet with endeavours of growing in Grace more and more, and Humble and hearty De&s;ires to be as far Comformable as thou can&s;t po&s;&s;ibly under thy Circum&s;tances attain unto, &s;tand not out again&s;t the calls of his Mercy, lea&s;t the &s;trokes of his Ju&s;tice overtake thee: tho he is &s;low to Anger, yet is he of mighty Wrath to tho&s;e that make light of his Com|mands. And let this induce thee to fear him, knowing thy Breath is at his Di&s;po&s;al, and every Moment he can call thee to an Account for thy mi&s;deeds: and who is it that can &s;tand before his Tribunal?</P>
<P>Fourthly, remember him as a God of Power, who is as well able to A&s;&s;i&s;t thee, as to condemn thee; that he hath Thou&s;ands and ten Thou&s;ands of Mini&s;tring Spirits, who are as ready to Execute the Commands of his Mercy, to the Penitent and returning Sinner, as to deliver the me&s;&s;a|ges of his Vengeance again&s;t the Ob&s;tinate and Remor&s;le&s;s. And let this induce thee to Prai&s;e and Adore him.</P>
<P>Fifthly remember him as a God omni&s;cient as well as Omnipotent; that he knows the Private&s;t of thy Thoughts: the mo&s;t reclu&s;e and retired of thy Imaginations are open before him: nor will he pa&s;s by what thou Imagine&s;t, as well as what thou Acte&s;t ami&s;s. For as the P&s;almi&s;t &s;ays, <HI>He re|quires Truth in the Inward Parts, and maketh us to Under&s;tand Wi&s;dom Secretly.</HI> And let the&s;e make thee careful of thy Private Actions, con&s;idering that it is not enough, that the World cannot Challenge thee of the Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of any publick Command; tho no man ever heard thee Swear an Oath, or ob&s;erved thee to Break the <HI>Sabbath.</HI> No Man can Accu&s;e thee of Di&s;obedience to thy Parents, Di&s;loyalty to thy Prince; of Theft; of Adultery; Contentiou&s;ne&s;s; or other open &s;candalous Crime: yet if thy Heart hath not been nor is right with thy God, know that he Under|&s;tands and beholds the &s;ame; and will without due Repen|tance account with thee therefore.</P>
<P>Sixthly remember him as a Guide in all thy Ways, for it is his Grace Conducts thee: 'tis his Grace that Pre&s;erves thee from the Trapans and Wiles of that great Deciever, who con&s;tantly goes about &s;eeking whom he may Devour: and &s;hould God let loo&s;e his Chain, and give him Power over thee, not all thy Strength or Subtlety could ever op|po&s;e him. And let this induce thee to Acknowledge him as thy Pre&s;erver and Conducter through the Pilgrimage of Life:</P>
<P>Seventhly He is to be remembred as thy Redeemer, for from him and in him, is the mea&s;ure of thy Hope: 'tis his Heaven thou art Travelling unto: 'tis his Son that is thy Redeemer, to who&s;e Bo&s;om thou art Approaching; in his Hand is the Crown of Righteou&s;ne&s;s, that mu&s;t impale thy Brows the Robe of Glory that mu&s;t array thee, and in his Pre&s;ence are fulne&s;s of Joys for evermore. Fall down there|fore upon thy Knees, and.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t confe&s;s thy great Unworthine&s;s for the lea&s;t of his Mercies: &s;ay unto him in the words of the P&s;almi&s;t, <HI>Have Mercy on me O God, after thy great Goodne&s;s, according to the multitude of thy Mercies do away mine Offence,,</HI> and with him in the Go&s;pel, <HI>Lord I am not worthy thou &s;houlde&s;t come under my Roof: I have &s;inned, what &s;hall I do unto thee O thou Pre&s;erver of Men.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, Acknowledge his loving Kindne&s;s in all thy Ways, 'tis by him alone that thy Life hath been Pre&s;erved to this Day, 'tis by his Grace thou ha&s;t any hope of Glory Say to him therefore <HI>I &s;hould utterly have Fainted, but that I Believed verily, to &s;ee the goodne&s;s of the Lord in the Land of the Living. Thou art my Helper and Redeemer, O Lord make no long Tarrying</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly Beg for Patience under all the Cro&s;&s;es thou &s;halt meet with on this &s;ide thy Home, knowing the eternal weight of Glory that is laid up for all tho&s;e that fear God. Say unto him <HI>O Ble&s;&s;ed Lord who Scourgeth every Son thou receiveth, let me not be weary of thy Correction, but give me &s;uch a perfect Subjection unto thee the Father of Spirits, that what ever Cha&s;ti&s;ement thou art plea&s;ed to Vi&s;it me with, may be for my Profit, that I may be thereby pertaker of thy Holine&s;s.</HI></P>
<P>Fourthly, put thy Tru&s;t and Re&s;ignation upon thy God, for he alone is able to Support thee in all thy Ways: &s;ay <HI>Mine Eyes look unto thee O Lord in thee is my Tru&s;t: O ca&s;t not out my Soul: O Lord in thee have I Tru&s;ted let me never be Confounded.</HI> So that when thou ha&s;t run through the trouble&s;ome pa&s;&s;ages of this Life; thou maye&s;t come to &s;ay when thou Arrive&s;t to a Death-Bed, tho I am here in a &s;tate of Banni&s;hment and ab&s;en&s;e from my God, <HI>O take me where I &s;hall for ever behold thy Face, and follow the</HI> Lamb <HI>whether-&s;oever he goeth. I have Fought a good Fight, I have fini&s;h|ed my Cour&s;e, I have kept the Faith, henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteou&s;ne&s;s.</HI></P>
<P><HI>O Ble&s;&s;ed</HI> Je&s;us, <HI>who hath Loved me, and wa&s;hed me from my Sins in thy own Blood, receive my Soul: into thy Hands I Commend my Spirit, for thou ha&s;t Redeemed me O Lord thou God of Truth, Come Lord Je&s;us, come quickly,</HI> Amen.</P>
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<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed by <HI>George Croom,</HI> at the <HI>Blew-Ball</HI> in <HI>Thames-&s;treet</HI> over again&s;t <HI>Baynard</HI>'s-<HI>Ca&s;tle</HI> 1685.</P>
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