Selected quad for the lemma: city_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
city_n	way_n	young_a	youth_n	29	3	7.3980	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64999	Words of advice to young men delivered in two sermons at two conventions of young men, the one Decemb. 25, 1666, the other Decemb. 25, 1667 / by Thomas Vincent ...	Vincent, Thomas, 1634-1678.	1668 (1668)	Wing V452; ESTC R11106	64,706	122

WORDS OF ADVICE TO Young Men. DELIVERED IN TWO SERMONS At Two Conventions of YOUNG MEN The one Decemb. 25. 1666. The other Decemb. 25. 1667. By THOMAS VINCENT sometime Minister of Maudlins Milk-street London Prov. 8. 17. I love them that love me and those that seek me Early shall finde me Psal. 119. 9. Wherewith shall a Young Man cleanse his way By taking heed thereto according to thy Word LONDON Printed for Thomas Parkhurst 1668. TO THE Youth of the City of LONDON THE Lord having given me so great room in so many of your hearts I am the more encouraged to put these few words of Advice into your hands Upon your request they were preached in your Ears and it is for your benefit that they are now presented to your Eyes Vox audita perit litera scripta manet That which you only hear you may quickly forget and so the words with the sound perish in the Air when written especially printed words abide and may bring to your remembrance the things which you have heard long ago But if you would have these words in these sheets abide indeed with you better than if they were engraven upon a rock and written with a Pen of Iron and point of a Diamond you must get them transcribed and reprinted I mean upon your hearts Your hearts as yet in a great measure are a rasa tabula like a fair table or white sheet of Paper in which little is written Do not furrow the Table with Conscience-wounding sins do not blot and besmear the Paper with the defilements of Lust But get the Law of God engraven upon the Table of your hearts and the Counsels of the most High given you out of his Word written upon the white sheet within you It is true the youngest of you are defiled with Original sin and are grown more foul with Actual transgressions which none of you can in whole excuse your selves from however for the present you may be free from the more gross pollutions of the World and not arrived to that degree and height of wickedness which the audacious sinners of this vicious Age have attained unto But if you would get the Word written in your hearts it will both make you clean and keep you clean Psal. 119. 9. Wherewith shall a young man cleanse his way by taking heed thereto according to thy Word And v. 11. Thy Word have I hid in my hear●… that I may not sin against thee Dear Youths my love is great unto your Souls and my desires are earnest after your salvation it rejoyceth my heart to see so many of your faces in my Auditory here it will more rejoyce me if I may see all those faces in Heaven at last and truly I hope that many of you will be my Crown and Glory in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ therefore it is that I preach therefore I have written these Words of Advice unto you the chief heads of which are 1. That you would seek First the Kingdom of God where alone your chief happiness doth lye as the End 2. That you would seek the Righteousness of God which is in his Son that it might be imputed unto you for your Justification and that it might be imparted unto you for your Renovation and Sanctification as the necessary Means to attain this End without which there is no possibility of admittance for you into the Kingdom of God 3. That having obtained Grace in the truth of it you would labour to grow in Grace and to be strong therein that you might be enabled both to do and suffer whatever God calleth you unto 4. That you would get acquainted with the Word of God and endeavour that it may abide and dwell in you richly as the choicest of all Treasures 5. That you would labour to overcome the Wicked one and all his temptations whereby he would draw you unto sin especially those sins which in Youth you are most inclinable unto Beloved young men you live in the dregs of times in a wicked and debauched generation take heed of following a multitude to do evil save your selves from their sins as you desire God should save you from their punishments Come out from amongst them if you cannot in regard of your place be sure to do it in regard of your course and practice refrain too familiar converse with the wicked and profane let your Companions be such as fear the Lord walk in the way of Good Men take that course as the most do that seem to be most serious and to have their faces towards Heaven I have endeavoured to answer and remove the chief prejudices which are raised to discourage and divert from this way You may safely and confidently venture into it and walk in it and you will finde whatever the oppositions and discouragements be therein the end of it to be peace and happiness The Lord grant that this Book may be a Means to keep you from sin and help you forward in the way to Heaven which is the desire and prayer of Your faithfull Monitor and dear Lover of your Souls T. Vincent WORDS of ADVICE TO YOUNG MEN. MATTH 6. 33. But seek ye First the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you THESE words are part of our Saviours Sermon upon the Mount in which he spake with so much authority that the people were astonished at his doctrine for never man spake as he spake The subject of this Sermon is many excellent Promises Precepts Directions Cautions Exhortations backed with Motives and Arguments very needfull for the promotion of Holiness in Heart and Life 1. Our Saviour gives several promises of blessedness both here and hereafter to quicken his Disciples in their endeavours after some choice Graces and qualifications of minde and to incourage them against the outward persecution which for his sake they might meet withall in the world chap. 5. from vers 2. to 15. 2. He directs them how they should behave themselves as Ministers and his Disciples by the similitudes of Salt Light a City set upon a hill unto which they had or should have a conformity from vers 15. to v. 17. 3. He declares the immutability and purity of the Moral Law vindicating it from the corrupt and false glosses of the Pharisees and explaining it in its spiritual reach and meaning 4. He warns them against Hypocrisie in their Religious Services pressing them in their Alms Prayers Fasts to approve the ●…r hearts to God who seeth in secret that they might receive an open reward chap. 6. from v. 1. to v. 19. 5. He exhorts them to lay up for themselves Treasures in Heaven and not to be solicitous about the Provisions of this Life which Exhortation he backeth with six Arguments The first is drawn from the safety of Heavenly Treasures being removed beyond the reach of rust and moth and thies The second from the uncertainty of earthly Treasures which are in

them to believe because some here proved hypocrites and fallen quite away who have made as high a profession as any and therefore that they are all alike Moreover that some whom all account to have been sincere have committed as great sins as the most wicked on occasion as Davids murder and adultery and then Satan doth employ his instruments some to invent and raise slanders on many sincere persons especially the most faithful Ministers of the Gospel and others to divulge them and endeavoureth what he can that all might believe them that young on●…s especially may hereby be prejudiced against all Professors and by consequence be kept from obedience unto the Gospel That you may overcome this prejudice know 1. That i●… is very irrational to conclude that all Professors of the Gospel are hypocrites because some are so I believe you will not be kept from taking money because some have proved to be brass silvered over Though all be not gold that glistereth yet all gold glistereth The counterfeit of sincerity i●… an argument that there is sincerity and if the falling away of some doth evidence hypocrisie the standing and perseverance of others in the waies of God to their lives end doth evidence that they are sincere 2. If some that are sincere have fallen grosly yet let me tell you that there are but few sincere ones whom God doth suffer all their daies to fall into such sins Young Joseph had opportunity inticements secrecy to commit adultery wi●…h his Mistress and yet he stood he did not dare to do that great wickedness and sin against God And I believe there are thousands of sincere and humble Christians that would chuse rather to be torn to a thousand pieces than to commit that or any other gross sin It was a noble Christian spirit in that young man who when inticed by a Harlot to commit adult●…ry and he could not defend himself with his hands they being tyed bit off his tongue that the pain thereof might quench all natural desires aften the pleasure which she most obscenoly provoked him unto 3. That such of Gods children that have fallen into sin have not fallen often●… have not layn long have not lived in a course of sin have bitterly bewailed it been deeply humbled for it●… and as God hath permitted this that backsliders might not d●…spair of mercys that all might see where their strength lyeth not in themselves but in God and that they all might stand upon their watch and take heed of dallying with temptations so those persons have risen again by repentance and been more careful in their walking afterwards 4. Since the report of some sins which are fastened upon some Professors and Ministers through the cunning of the Devil to prejudice people against the waies of God are meer lyes and slanders and abominable falshoods therefore you should take heed of hearkning to such reports and believing them without sufficient proof It is the rule of the Apostle not to receive an accusation against an Elder but before two or three witnesses 1 Tim. 5. 19. 2. The wicked one doth endeavour to raise prejudice in the minds of young ones to keep them from obedience to the Gospel against the way that Professors walk in Representing it 1. As an uncertain Way 2. As a difficult Way 3. As an unpleasant Way 4. As a reproachful Way 5. As a dangerous Way 1. The wicked one doth represe●…t the Way of the Gospel that Professors walk in as an uncertain Way That Professors are divided some say this is the way and some say that is the way and therefore he would perswade young ones to hold on in their course of sin until all sides are agreed and then let th●…m come into the way To overcome this prejudice of the wicked one know 1. That you must never think to come into the waies of God nor obtain the Kingdom of Heaven if you stay till all are agreed because this is not likely ever to be in this world If you should resolve not to eat till all the Clocks in the City should strike twelve together you must resolve to starve and die So if you will resolve not to come into Gods waies till all Professors are agreed you must resolve to die in your sins whatever uncertainty there be apprehended in the way to Heaven be sure the way of sin you are walking in is the way to Hell 2. That there is a necessity as the Apostle speaks that there should be heresies that they which are approved might be made manifest 1 Cor. 11. 19. There are two wayes whereby God doth trye his people and make manifest their sincerity One by persecutions when persecutions arise many hypocrites drop off and flinch away and leave the sincere to bear the brunt The other is by Errour and Herefie and here some hypocrites that have held out under some kinde of persecutions do fall away and drink in the poyson of damnable errors unto the destruction of their souls but the sincere hold fast the Truth and it is impossible that they should be deceived because of Christs promise undertaking and the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ in them 3. That though the great disagreement is between the orthodox and heretical yet there may be a disagreement between the orthodox the sincere amongst themselves but it is only in circumstantials of Religion not in Fundamentals and all of them be in the same way to Heaven and meet at the Journeys end where they shall disagree no more 4. That the way of God is certain the uncertainty is from our own blindness Qu. But what shall poor ignorant persons do that have but weak judgements mean parts to understand which is the right way Answ. 1. I answer First that such are not so often and so foully mistaken as those who have great parts and lean to their own understand●…ngs 2. Let such therefore be humble and keep close to the Ministery and Ordinances of Christs appointment that they may not be led out of the way when they break over this hedge they will wande●… in the mist and darkness and hardly finde the way again 3. Let them apply the Promises which God hat●… made of pouring out his Spirit upon simple one●… Prov. 1. 23. and of leading them by his Spirit int●… all truth Joh. 18. 13. 4. Let them do and practise the will of God which they know and they shall be established in the knowledge of the doctrine of Christ John 7. 17. 2. The wicked one doth represent the way tha●… Professors walk in as a difficult way There are many hard sayings that they cannot hear there ar●… heavy yoaks which they cannot bear there are difficult duties required which they cannot perf●…rm he would perswade young ones that they will nev●… be able to walk in such a difficult way therefore they had better hold on in the more easie wa●… of sin To overcome this prejudice of the wicked on●… know 1. That the