draw young men to the commission of sin is by the hopes of future repentance You may allow your selves a little longer in the practice of sin you may rejoyce and take pleasure in the dayes of your youth it is time enough hereafter to think of growing serious and religious to think of repenting and turning and making your peace with God That you may overcome this temptation remember what hath been said already concerning the uncertainty of your Life the uncertainty of the Means of grace the uncertainty of Gods working by the Means Thus much for the first particular concerning the most ordinary and prevailing Temptations whereby the wicked one doth draw young men to sin SECT VII 2. THE Second thing is to caution you against some particular sins of Youth which the wicked one would draw you unto Now there are these 20 sins of Youth which I shall caution you against 1. Uncleanness 2. Drunkenness 3. Gluttony 4. Gaming 5. Quarrelling 6. Swearing 7. Lying 8. Unfaithfulness 9. Disobedience 10. Idleness 11. Sabbath-breaking 12. A Frothy spirit 13. Scoffing 14. Pride 15. Censoriousness 16. Procrastination of Repentance 17. Carnal Security 18. Carnal Confidence 19. Rashness 20. Unsteadfastness 1. Young men take heed of uncleanness The wicked one will be busie to tempt you and your hearts in these years will be most ready to encline you youthfull lusts are now apt to stir within you especially in such a City as this where there are so many objects to entice your eye and heart but for your Life take heed that you be not drawn to this sin Flee fornication and adultery other sins are without the body but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body 1 Cor. 6. 18. Not to speak any thing of mens weakening and consuming their bodies by their frequency in this sin he that committeth fornication desâ—…leth his body it is a filthy nasty sinâ—… hereby the body is more defiled in the eyes of God than if the body were drenched in a Jakes it is just with God that such as venture upon this sin should as many do get the soul disease hereby and that their members should â—…ot and putrifie whilest they are alive He that committeth fornication or adultery sinneth against his own soul he defileth his soul he woundeth his soul and he destroyeth his soul his heart which should be God Temple is hereby defiled and he loaths such an habitation his Conscience which whilest whole is a continual Feast is hereby wounded his spirit which whilâ—…st chaste and clean is safe is hereby exposed unto inevitable ruine and destruction Therefore it is a foolish sottish thing to commit this sins see Prov. 6. 32 33. Whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding he that doth it destroyeth his own soul a wound and dishonour shall he get and his reproach shall not be wiped away Such as commit this sin blot their Name as well as defile their Spirit wound their Reputation as well as wound their Conscience but chiefly they lack understanding because hereby they dâ—…stroy their own Soul Young men look into two or three Scriptures which methinks should be sufficient to deterr you from this sin where you may perceive whatever sweetness and pleasure this sin may promise and yield that bitterness and destruction is at the end and in the conclusion See Prov. 5. 3 4 5. The lips of a strange woman drop as an hony-comb and her mouth is smoother than Oyl But her end is bitter as worntwood sharp as a two-edged sword her feet go down to death her steps take hold on hell See also Prov. 7. from vers 6. to the end of the chapter where Solomon speaketh of the young man void of understanding whom he took notice of out of his window meeting with an Harlot who enticed him and perswaded him to accompany her to the bed of lust and he telleth you that he went after her as an Oxe to the slaughter and a sool to the correction of the stocks as a bird to the snare till an arrow struck thorow his liver not perceiving the danger he was in of his life Therefore he calleth upon young men to hearken and take warning and to turn away their feet from her paths and that because her house goeth down to Hell and chap. 2. 19. he telleth you that none that go unto her return again neither take they hold of the paths of Life This sin doth so stupifie men that it is ten thousand to one but you go to Hell without ever thinking of returning if you commit it for he that commiteth-fornication or adultery sinneth against God and he severely threatneth all such Heb. 13. 4. Marriage is honourable in all and the bed undefiled but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge And it is a fearfull thing to fall into the bands of the living God Heb. 10. 31. Hereafter you will be repayed with ten thousand times more pain and hearts-grief in Hell than ever you found delight in this sin Young men take heed of Uncleanness as you ever hope for salvation and to escape future wrath refrain this sin take heed of actual adultery avoid occasions come not neer the places where Harlots live shun the company of such as are light and wanton entice not any by speech or look or behaviour neither be enticed your selves take heed of going to Stage-playes where a dart may strike your heart where you may have incentives to the sin by the immodest actions of actors or the immodest garb of spectators Comé not neer the flame lest a fire be enkindled in your bosomes before you are aware be not found in the Devils School lest he catch you in his snare and binde you and lead you captive If the wicked one assault you in your place and you be tempted by any that converse with you flee the place as Joseph when his Mistress enticed him say How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God And young Virgins yield not to this sin if you be inticed encourage not any by your carriage to make an attempt rush out of the hands of the temptation with speed and indignation proclaim the shame of any that shall twice move you keep your selves chaste and pure it is your ornament it is your glory Young men take heed of actual uncleanness with others and take heed of self-pollutions which are Murder and Adultery before God do not dishonour your own bodies by your selves Take heed of speculative uncleanness do not look upon a woman to lust after her Make a Covenant with your eyes that you may not think upon a Maid suppress the first rising of lust in your minde get this evil concupisâ—…ence mortified by vertue drawn from Christs death and the operation of the Spirit beat down your flesh with labour and abstinence if you finde your selves very prone to this sin and if no other course will do to quench the burning God hath appointed a remedy by Marrying
the sins of their Youth 2. That seek the Kingdom and righteousness of God least who seek these things after a sort but it 〈◊〉 by the by they do not make it their business â—…hat seek but it is in a slothfull careless manner â—…hat seek but do not strive to enter in at the streight â—…ate that do not seek heartily diligently chiefly â—…hat seek the things of the world in the first place â—…nd the things of Gods Kingdom afterwards and as â—…ose things will suit with their secular interests â—…nd earthly concernments as if Mammon were to 〈◊〉 preferred before God and Earth were of more â—…orth than Heaven and the Body more excellent than the Soul I might here both speak of the siâ—… of those persons and shew how they dishonour God of the folly of those persons and shew how they arâ—… injurious to themselves But it is the next word 〈◊〉 chiefly intend SECT III. Use 2. OF Advice and that to Young Men to puâ—… in practice the duty of the Text Seeâ—… first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness The chief composition of this Auditory at thiâ—… time being young men and the occasion of this Sermon being the desire of young men I shall therefore address my self wholly unto you that arâ—… young It is a goodly sight to behold so many oâ—… you come together to hear something for your soulâ—… good I had several Texts propounded to my thoughts to speak unto this I thought might be a suitable and seasonable as any Your forwardness to hear maketh me hope you will be forward to obey O that my Doctrine might now drop like the dew and that my words of advice out of the Word oâ—… God might be like the rain falling upon the tendeâ—… grass which causeth it to spring Let it not be likâ—… water falling upon so many rocks which maketâ—… no impression or like rain upon barren ground which bringeth forth briars and thorns instead oâ—… hearbs meet for the Masters use you know thaâ—… such ground is nigh unto cursing and burning Heb. 6. 8. Receive then Dear Youths the word of Advicâ—… which I now give you in the name of my Lord anâ—… Master from whose mouth the Word did first proceed Seek first the Kingdom and righteousnesse of God There is a generation of old ones who are going off the stage of the world and you are comeing on in their room ere long they will lie down in the dust and you not long since did spring out of it they are almost come to their Journeys end and you are setting forth on the way they are even arrived at the Port and you are now putting forth to Sea It is of the greatest concernment in the world to take and follow good advice at the first before you are engaged too farr Here therefore I shall put you in minde that there are two wayes or passages in which all the children of men are travelling the one is the way of sin the other is the path of righteousness The way of sin is broad an open beaten road you may easily know it by the multitude of Travellers it is the course of the world Your Parents when they bring you into the world set you down in this way and many yea most of them go before you in it It appeareth to you the smoothest and fairest way it may seem a delightfull way to you at the first strewed with roses such company such enticements you may have in this way as may render it most desireable if you take Sense and Flesh for your guides and counsellers But let me warn you before-hand that you walk not in this way you will quickly finde the pleasurâ—…s in this way to drop and fade the flowers will wither the Sun will be clouded the delights of sin will vanish and heavy griefs and bitter sorrows and vexation of spirit will succeed and blot out all the sweet relish you have had of unlawfull enjoyments You will finde your selves bereaved and disappointed in that satisfaction and happiness you looked and hoped for it a sinfull course It is a dangerous way there arâ—… unseen snares in it and you will receive secret buâ—… deep and mortal wounds which are beyond the arâ—… of man to cure It is the way which leadeth to destruction Matth. 7. 14. It is the high road to Hell thither it will bring you And if there be some sensual sweetness in the beginning of the way think what bitterness there will be at the end thereof Think how terrible Death will be unto you after a life of sin but think how dreadfull the punishment of Hell will be when you are let thorow the gate of death into that place of extream and dreadfull torment There is another way namely the path of Righteousness the way of Holiness which is narrow and hath a strait gate which you must go thorow if you would get into it namely the gate of Regeneration It is a way that is difficult to finde tedious and irksome at first it is a weeping and sorrowfull way at the entrance few there be that finde it most are discouraged by the narrowness and difficulty of it from putting their feet into it But it is the way of Life it is the way to the Kingdom it is the way of Peace it is the way of God it is the way to Heaven The difficulty is chiefly at the first the sorrows are mostly in the pangs of the New Birth in conflicting for passage thorow the strait gate weepinâ—… may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning Trouble may be your companion for a while but peace and sweetness succeed in its room If you walk steadily you will finde it to be a way of such pleasure and delight as you never did finde or can finde in the way of sin And if there should be clouds and rain and stormy windes of trouble and temptation in the Journey yet the latter end will be Peace be sure there will be rest and happiness in the Kingdom into which death will convey your Souls after they are seperated from your Bodies there you will finde fullness of joy and pleasure for evermore So that you have here Life and Death set before you Heaven and Hell eternal Happiness and eternal Misery the latter at the end of the way of sin and the former at the end of the way of Holiness And which will you choose if you will run with the wicked in the same excess of riot if you will follow the multitude to do evil if you will walk according to the course of the world fulfilling the desires of your flesh and make provision for the satisfaction of its lusts you will be found at last in the number of the children of wrath and the wrath of God will certainly come upon all such Children of disobedience If you will live after the flesh you shall die you shall not escape the stroke of eternal death you cannot avoid the
disappoint and vexation to your selves besides the displeasing of God hereby But let your desires follow your love let them be carried forth chiefly and most strongly towards God and the things which concern his Kingdom and Glory your own peace and salvation Because you lie under the guilt and power of sin without a Christ labour in the first place afâ—…er strong earnâ—…st thirsting desires after Jesus Christ and his Righteousness that you may have your sins pardoned and hearts renewed Cry out None but Christ none but Christ give us a Saviour or else we are lost give us Christ or else we die and perish eternally Let your strong wishes be O that we had an interest in Christ O that our hearts were united and joyned to Christ O for a drop of his blood to sprinkle our consciences O that he would undertake for us that he would be our Advocate to plead for us and reconcile us unto the Father Let your prayers be Lord thou hast given thy Son for us give thy Son to us thou holdest forth thy Son help us to lay hold on him thou callest us to thy Son by thy Word draw us to thy Son by thy Spirit thou hast put thy Son to death for sin and accepted of the sacrifice which he hath offered O that our sins might be forgiven upon his account Let your desires go forth strongly after the favour of God there are many that say Who will shew us any good Lord shew us thy face Lord lift up the light of thy countenance upon us Desire earnestly with David the presence and communion with God in his Ordinances as Psal. 27. 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after to dwell in the house of the Lord all the daies of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord c. And Psal. 42. 1 2. As the Hart panteth after the water-brooks so panteth my soul after thee O God my soul thirsteth for God for the Living God when shall I come and appear before God! Many young men have earnest desires after the company of their friends that are of pleasant conversation let your desires be carried forth most earnestly after the company and communion with God in his Ordinances wherein the chiefest pleasure is to be found Therefore prize and desire Ordinances for the sake of God because they are the means of bringing you and God together of joyning your hearts unto the chief good and if you desire the company of men let it be the company of Gods Children who are the excellent of the Earth Labour for strong desires after the Image of God that you may be holy as he is holy after conformity to Christ in his death by dying to sin and readiness to suffer for his sake in his Resurrection by your newness of life Let your dâ—…sires be strong after the Spirit that he might be given to you and abide in you desire every grace of the Spirit in the highest measure and content not your selves with any degree desire the comforts of the Spirit the joyes of the Holy Ghost desire strength for every duty that you might be made use of to glorifie God in your generation that you might be kept from sin rather than from any evil that you might be made victorious over all your spiritual enemies especially let your desires be carried forth with the greatest strength after the Crown of glory the undefiled and never-fading inheritance in Heavâ—…n after the beatifical Vision and full fruition of God in the New Jerusalem the perfection of holiness and happiness which is reserved for hereafter the fulness and eternity of joy in Gods glorious presence and desire the hastening of Christs second appearance that he would come quickly and put you into the possession of that Inheritance which he hath purchased and prepared for you 4. Young men labour for strong Hope Young men usually are big with hope and expectation of some great things in the world they hope for such an â—…state and then that they shall be content such deâ—…ights and sensual enjoyments and then they shall be â—…appy and satisfied but they that are elder and have â—…ad greatest experience finde the world and all â—…hings in it to be empty and vain and their hopes â—…ave been frustrated however being unacquainted â—…ith higher things their hearts are still most irraâ—…ionally set upon the world but I would exhort â—…ou young men to have higher hopes than worldâ—…ings and let your hopes be strong Do not hope for â—…ch in the creature it hath not what you hope for â—…ut let your hope be in God let your expectation be â—…rom him only Do not hope for much here below â—…his is not the place of your rest and happiness but â—…et your great hopes be of things above as your â—…esires should be strong after them so your hopes â—…hould be strong of them Hypocrites have some â—…ind of hopes but they are thin weak hopes like â—…he Spiders web Job 8. 14. which is easily torn in â—…ieces by the wind the wind of affliction doth rend â—…he hopes of Hypocrites from them they have hopes â—…ut such as quickly perish and are cut off Job 13. 14. They are like the giving up the Ghost Job 11. 20. When they give up the Ghost their hopes give up â—…he Ghost they and their hopes perish together beâ—…ause they are groundless and presumptuous Labour â—…herefore for a strong hope such a hope as is well grounded which will end in fruition and never in disappointment and make ashamed Let the object of your hopes be God and the things which are above and let the bottom the foundation of your â—…opes be those two immutable things the Apostle â—…peaketh of Heb. 8. 17 18 19 20. Wherein God willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of Promise the immutability of his counsel confirmed it by an oatb that by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie we might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us which hope we have as an anchor of the soul both sure and stedfast and which entreth into that within the Vail whither the fore-runner is for us entred The two immutable things which are the foundation of our hope are Gods Promise and Gods Oath his Promise This is the Promise which he hath promised even eternal life Job 2. 25. His Oath which he sware by himself to Abraham and in him to all his children Surely blessing I will bless thee Heb. 6. 13 14. which doth include eternal blessedness God who cannot lye giveth his Promise and his Oath God who can do whatever he will and will do whatever he hath promised here is a good ground for your hope to build upon let your hope be strong let it be a strong anchor to your soul sure and stedfast and that it may be so it must not be cast downwards like those of ships which
that it is as hard to get a pardon for those sins which you call small ones as for the greatest God can as easily pardon the one as the other the smallest sins require the infinite mercy of God and the infinite merits of Christ for their pardon therefore no sin is in it self small 2. Consider is the thing but small which you are tempted unto this in some respect aggravateth the offence if you yield to the temptation A man that will forfeit the favour of his Prince or friend for a small thing it argueth a great slighting of their favour So the least wilful sin argueth a great slighting of the favour of God which hereby is forfeited Thou sellest thy people for nought and dost not encrease thy wealth by their price saith the Psalmist when he apprehended that God took little regard to his people Psal. 44. 12. So may I say on the contrary when you will offend God for a small thing you do as it were sell your God for nought and what advantage will you get hereby It was the saying of our Saviour Mat. 24. 26. What shall it profit a man if be gain the whole world and lose his own soul And what can a man give in exchange for his soul Much more may I say What shall it profit a man if he should gain the whole world and lose his God and what can a man give in exchange for God who is the chief good and in whom doth consist our chiefest happiness But if you will lose or exchange your God for nought for a trifle by little sins this as it argueth great folly so it is a great aggravation of sin 3. Consider that the least sin which you allow your selves in the practice of is sufficient to damn your souls A small leak in a ship unstopped will quickly let in water enough to drown the ship though not so soon as the greatest breach A prick with a pin in the heart will as surely kill a man as a wound with a sword So the least sin unrepented of will as surely shipwrack and destroy the soul as the greatest and most heinous osfences The Law curseth and condemneth every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them Gal. 3. 10. And such as lie under the curse cannot inherit the blessing Let not any think then to get to Heaven who allow themselves in the practice of the least sins who make no conscience of petty oaths officious lyes idling away their precious time and the like which are accounted small and trivial things by the men of the world 4. Consider though the wicked one seemeth modest and shamefac't in his first temptations in asking but little things yet he will not rest there but by degrees will proceed further and hereby bring you unto the commission of greater As the habits of grace so the habits of sin are strengthened by degrees though the beginning be but small yet within a little while sin will greatly encrease Rivers at first arise from small springs which in running gather waters and encrease into a great stream So actual sins I speak not of original sin which is a deep and unsearchable fountain from whence actual sin doth arise and by which it is fed I say actual sins in their first beginning are but small which if a man alloweth himself in the practice of they will swell and encrease and carry him with a strong stream towards the Ocean of Gods wrath if you make no conscience of small sins you will easily be tempted to those which are great and more notorious First Satan will propose sin to your thoughts it is no great thing to think and if you can dally with sin in your thoughts then he will by delightful pleasing thoughts of sin lay siege to your will it is no great matter to desire if you do not act then if the fort of the will be taken all the under-forts of the affections will quicâ—…y yield and when you have entertained sin in your hearts you will be tempted to proceed further to vent it at your lips it is no great thing to speak and then as you have opportunity he will tempt you to practice go a little further the sin is sweet try but once put but one step into this way and retire again as soon as you will and when once you have committed the act it may be with smitings and reluctance of conscience then he will entice again it cannot be much worse try once again and by degrees the reluctance wears off and though you commit sin at first with more regret yet afterwards you will do it with more ease and delight yea with greediness and resolution with hardness and obstinacy and one great sin will make way for the commission of more so that in time you will not forbear the greatest sins Nemo repentè fit turpissimus no man arriveth to the highest degree of wickedness upon a sudden but is step by step drilled on by the Devil and his own hearts lusts from little sins to the greatest By degrees Gods reverence is more lessened the will more enclined the conscience more seared the habits of sin more strengthened the Devil more encouraged and so way is made for any sin Lesser Commandments saith one are a hedge about the greatest if by small sins you break down this hedge you will quickly make breaches upon the greater too Smaller sins many times will engage you to commit greater to maintain and defend them the least link in a chain will draw the greatest after it If you would be kept from great sins you must take heed of the first beginnings obsta principiis c. A small wound in the body if it be not looked after may fester and gangrene and endanger the life So small sins if not stopt and healed will breed a gangrene in the spirit and bring certain death and destruction If you do not resist the beginnings of sin it will be hard to make head against it afterwards when it hath got more strength It will be as hard to leave off a custom of sin which will be a second nature as for the Aethiopian to change his skin or the Leopard his spots Non obtinebis ut desinant si inâ—…ipere permiseris Imbecillis est primò vires dum procedit par at Excluditur facilius quà m expellitur Facilius non recipiuntur quà m exeunt saith Seneca Vice is but weak at the first it gathereth strength as it proceedeth it is easier kept out than thrust out it is easier not to receive it than being received to leave it Dear Youths take heed then of small sins resist the first motions and temptations to sin crush sin in the first rising of it delight not in the thoughts of it Keep your hearts guard your senses if you would overcome this temptation of the wicked one 5. The fifth Temptation whereby the wicked one doth