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A29178 A minister's counsel to the youth of his parish when arriv'd to years of discretion : recommended to the societies in and about London / by Francis Bragge ... Bragge, Francis, 1664-1728. 1699 (1699) Wing B4199; ESTC R32860 70,334 248

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then if he has him not he must for ever lose him And the circumstance of a Dying Condition give him great Advantages over a Poor Languishing Amaz'd Dispirited Affrighted Creature and 't is but too too often that he is Successful against those that madly while their Repentance off till then For Thirdly The inseparable Attendants upon a Death Bed are such as if there were no such Adversary to deal with would render it a very unapt season for so great a Work as this Our Powers and Faculties both of Soul and Body are then generally mightily Disorder'd and very little Serviceable our Apprehension dull'd our Understanding and Judgment and Memory weakned and Impair'd our Minds Distracted by fears and uncertainties and our Bodies Languishing full of Pains and great Discomposures Some Diseases make the Patient stupid and utterly Inapprehensive others heat Him into Frenzy and Distraction and some keep Him continually upon the Rack and will not suffer him to attend to any thing but his present Misery And even the most favourable have enough in 'em mightily to hinder our Progress in this great Duty for which a whole Life of Youth and Health and perfect soundness of Mind and Body will not be too much No wonder therefore if the weaknesses and Infirmities of Sickness and the Approach of Death which make a Man scarce capable of settling his worldly Affairs should be a very unfit Time for him to begin to make his Peace with God and Prepare himself for Eternity But in the last place Let us suppose all that can be desir'd in such a Case as this that the Distemper is not so Violent but that it leaves a Man the free use of his Reason and all his Faculties and the decays of his Body are gradual and without excessive Pains and Death comes on by easie gentle steps 'T would yet be a very great Folly to put off Repentance ev'n to such a Death Bed as this because 't is so hard a Matter to have any tolerable Assurance that the utmost we can then do is Hearty and Sincere and will be to any purpose 'T is the Fruits of Repentance that Prove the sincerity of it and Sorrow and Regret for past sins and wishes that we had never committed them and the like how pungent and how earnest soever they may be are not Repentance but only a step in order to it For Repentance as was said is a thorough Change of a sinner's Mind and Life which whether such Sorrow will really effect or not nothing but Time can shew And therefore the Man that Repents not till his Time is just Expiring that has no Temptation to his former Vices nor Ability to Commit them if he had must needs be very uncertain whether He indeed Repents or is only scar'd and frighted with the near Prospect of the endless Miseries that attend a sinner after Death That it is too often thus with dying Penitents their returning to their Vices when God has Restor'd to them their Health is Proof sufficient and whether it is not so in any particular Man's Case no one can say unless he Lives to make the Tryal Now what a Comfortless disheartning thing is it for a Man to Breath out his Soul in such great uncertainties How miserably anxious must his Breast needs be about the safety of his Condition and his Acceptance with God which yet he can have no Assurance of till his Condition is fix'd and become unalterable The only Remedy is to Repent Immediately that we may have time to approve the Sincerity of our Repentance and enjoy the unspeakable Comforts both in Life and Death that will attend our being at Peace and Reconcil'd to God Wherefore as the Wise Ben Sirach excellently adviseth make no tarrying to turn unto the Lord Eccl. 5.7 and put not off from day to day for suddenly shall the wrath of God come forth and in thy security thou shalt be destroyed and perish in the day of vengeance The Last Advice AND now for a Conclusion of all Last Advice Let me Advise Young Persons when by God's Assistance they are become so Sensible of their Miscarriages as sincerely to Repent of them and resolve to Reform Let me then Advise them to seal and ratifie those Pious Resolutions with a Devout Reception of the Holy Communion and Confirm and strengthen them still more and more and bring 'em to Perfection by a frequent attendance at the Table of our Lord. The Sacrament of our Lords Supper as 't is one of the great Mysteries of our Holy Religion and therefore requires of us the profoundest Awe and Reverence and Religious Fear so is it a Treasury of Blessings also a Channel flowing with Divine Grace and Bounty and therefore calls for the highest Degrees and expressions of Desire and Love 'T is like the Pillar of a Cloud and of Fire that accompanied the People of God in the Wilderness Dark and Mysterious indeed on one side and apt to Imprint a Holy Dread upon our Spirits But on the Reverse there is Light and Heat to inflame our Love and enkindle our Devotion to enlighten our Understandings and direct our Wills to purifie and refine us and render us an Offering of a sweet smelling savour acceptable to God by Jesus Christ And thus was it esteem'd by the Holy Men of the First Ages of Christianity when the Fires of Devotion burnt bright and the Church was Acted by the Spirit of Love and Purity Many excellent Things were then spoken of this Mystery and great was the Reverence that was given to it but then their Love to it likewise was very great their desires of it ardent and frequent and constant was their Reception of it They call'd it a Mystery and as such they rever'd it they call'd it too a Feast of Thankfulness and Love and as such they rejoyced in it and thirsted after it And the Effect of this was Exemplary Piety and Holiness of Life and steady Profession of the Faith of Jesus even to the Death Afterwards when the Love of many did wax cold this Sacred Duty grew more and more neglected two or three times a Year was thought sufficient to Communicate and sometimes once would serve the turn and so 't is still with most amongst our selves and the Wickedness Ignorance and Stupidity of the middle Ages and the open Prophanness and scandalous Debauchery of these last Times are the miserable Consequences of so great an Impiety And indeed no wonder if the Disease get head when Men omit to apply the Remedy The Holy Jesus that great Physician of the Soul who bests knows its Distempers and the Methods of their Cure left this as his Dying Secret to be observ'd by all Ages of the World for the Recovery and Confirmation of their Spiritual Health Now if after all this Care and Kindness and excellent Provision on His part we slight his Directions reject his Medicines and refuse Life when 't is so Charitably offer'd us
than in Mine and the World's Creator who hath communicated Being and Happiness to all the Universe and by whose Bounteous Hand we are all supply'd with abundant Plenty of our proper Good For the same Reasons therefore that we love any thing we shall find our selves strongly engaged to Love our Creator infinitely more and Imitation and Obedience will naturally follow True Gratitude and Love So that Would Young Persons be but perswaded Eccles 12.1 as the Wise King Advises Thus to Remember their Creator in the Days of their Youth That His Hands have made them and fashioned them and trace their Life and their Happiness up to its Eternal Spring And would they do this seriously and not too seldom what Religious Affections would it not excite What Self-Annihilation and Humblest Thankfulness content in every Change of their Condition and Modesty and Moderation in their greatest Prosperity What Admiration at the Divine Wisdom and Power and Goodness and entire Resignation of themselves to all his Disposals and resolv'd Conformity to all his Pleasure And what a happy Influence upon their future Life such a Temper of Mind as this would have is not to be express'd The Second Advice BUT Secondly Advice 2 Let them Remember too that they are Christians the Disciples of Jesus that Eternal Son of God the King of Glory who is the Saviour of the World Who from a most deplorable Condition into which Mankind had plung'd themselves by Sin by his Bitter Sufferings in their stead and cruel Death upon a Cross Redeem'd and Rais'd them up to Infinitely Happy Circumstances and most Glorious Hopes And that upon this Reasonable Condition only that they Believe what He has done and suffer'd for them to be sufficient to their Salvation and trust in it as the only Meritorious Cause of it and give full Assent to the Great Truths He hath made known to them and carefully observe what He hath commanded in the Gospel Revelation All which was engag'd for them in their Baptism or Admission into this Happy Society and which they have since Agreed to and Ratified in their own Persons at their Confirmation There is no Title in the World that carries with it so much Honour emp●●ys so much Happiness and reminds of so much Duty as that of Christian It bespeaks a Man a Friend and a Favourite Rom. 8.14 c. nay a Brother of the Son of God receiv'd by Adoption into the same near Relation to the most High an Heir of God and Coheir with Christ of Eternal Glory in the Highest Heavens 1 Joh. 3.2 Where he shall be made Like to his Heavenly Father in all his Communicable Excellencies and in the Bosom of Jesus for ever enjoy the most consummate Felicity And all this from a state of Enmity with God and open Rebellion which had deservedly brought His Curse upon him made him the Object of the Divine Hatred and Vengeance which would have made him extremely Miserable to Eternal Ages had not the most Compassionate Jesus made an Attonement with His Blood and Introduc'd this wondrous Happy Change But then what Vast Obligations lie upon all Christians for such Amazing Favours as these As first so far to know themselves as to Live suitable to the High Honour conferr'd on them by God which the Apostle stiles Walking worthy of the Vocation wherewith we are call'd Eph. 4.1 and not to Degrade themselves by vile and finful Courses If God has rais'd 'em from so Low and Miserable to so Glorious and Happy a Condition 't will be Inexcusable Meanness of Spirit and contrary to all the Principles of Honour to become Slaves and Drudges for such pittiful base things in comparison as the Objects of Sense and the Enjoyments of Brutes and forgetting their Treasure in Heaven the Crown that awaits 'em there employ all their Thoughts and their Diligence upon the Trifles of this Earth Again If they are the Purchase of the Son of God Redeem'd by the Inestimable Price of His most Precious Blood from the Extreamest Misery there 's all the Reason in the World that they should entirely Dedicate themselves to His Service as no longer their own 1 Cor. 6.20 and Glorify that Blessed Saviour of theirs with their Bodies and their Spirits which are his Would a Slave ransom'd from the Mines or Gallies think much for ever to serve and obey his Redeemer Would a Wretch condemn'd to the Rack or Wheel there to be Tortur'd to Death think any thing too much to do for that dear kind Man who procur'd for him his Pardon Can his Life and his Liberty be employ'd better than in doing him Honour to whom he owes both And how would our Blood rise against that ungrateful Wretch who would take no Notice of all this or at most return a few cool dry Thanks and refuse some easy reasonable piece of Service that was requested of him or put it off till he had nothing else to do What Love and Duty then can be enough to the Great Saviour of the World from Misery infinitely greater than the most witty Malice upon Earth could e're invent and which too Never Never should have End and who besides has rais'd us to a State as Glorious and Happy as that we are redeem'd from would have been Wretched and Miserable And can we think the most Compassionate Jesus who underwent such barbarous cruel Usage and lost his Life in Torment for our Sakes would e're require of us unreasonable Things No no All His Commands are Holy Just and Good contriv'd on purpose to carry on the Gracious Design of making us both now and ever completely Happy and that at length we may have full Possession of what he has purchas'd for us That he may see the Blessed Effects of the Agonies and Travel of his Soul and conduct his little Flock which Mens own Obstinacy does make so little into the blissful Kingdom of his Father That where he is there they may be also Joh. 17.24 and behold and partake of his Glory How can we better spend the Prime and Flower of our Age than in the Service of so Good a Master and who himself did lead the way perform'd what he requires of us and made his excellent Precepts look still more lovely by the Lustre of his own Example Nothing can more commend the True Nobleness and Generosity of our Spirits than in the midst of those Temptations which surround us at our First Entrance into the World to Remember our Obligations to Jesus our Best Friend and freely lay our Fortunes our Strength our Reason our Affections our very Life down at his Feet to be entirely Govern'd and Directed by him who once as great a Person as he was submitted to Poverty suffer'd the greatest Hardships and e're he arriv'd to half the Age of Man became a Sacrifiee for us Certainly we can't but think this highly reasonable especially since we are so firmly engag'd to it by the most Solemn