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A66469 A young man's fancy to the rising generation being a sermon preached upon the death, and at the desire of John Tappin of Boston, who deceased at Fairfield the 10th of October 1672, being in the nineteenth year of his age / by Samuel Wakeman ... Wakeman, Samuel, 1635-1692. 1673 (1673) Wing W279; ESTC R18408 44,372 48

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Venice-glasses not those that are first made are first broke but those that are first knockt Death is often sudden and unexpected in its approaches the evil day is very nigh sometimes when men are putting it furthest off The fool in the Gospel-Parable lessons us how prone we are to cast up our Accounts for many years when it may be we have not one night to live The notion of Death is too apt to look to all men especially to young men like Ezekiel's Vision Chap. 42.27 The Vision that he seeth it for many dayes and he prophecieth of times that are afar off Young men look it may be on the gray-headed as well on their way to the Grave and haply think it is time for old men to think of dying but from themselves they put it at a great distance but most true it is that Senibus Mors in januis adolescentibus in insidiis Death is oftentimes as near the young mans back as it is the old mans face even while he saith of Death as the unfaithful Servant in the Gospel of his Lord He delayeth his coming it cometh in a day when he looketh not for it and in an hour when he is not aware of and calleth him off and sendeth him unprepared as he is to the Land of Darkness whence there is no redemption O think man hath not death surprized many a poor unprovided sinner that put the evil day far off as confidently and upon as good grounds as thy self Hath nor Death prevented many a careless inconsiderate Loyterer who looked as little for his coming as thou doest and whose purposes for the future were as hopeful as thine now are Hast thou not followed ma●y a one to the Grave that had as probable Arguments for a longer ●●●e as any thou canst have Continual experience tells thee it is not thy Youth or Health and Strength that can save thee or so much as a little while Reprieve the Arrest of Death how dost thou dare then to put off one day when thou knowest not but it may be thy putting by for ever Do but suppose a dreadful yet probable supposition while thou art putting off and delaying a little and yet a little longer Death should step in and prevent thee O me-thinks this Argument if nothing else will should effectually deterre thee from loytering and throughly awaken thee to a now remembring thy Creator I have said what I shall say upon this Text beseeching you that it may be thought upon and beseeching God to give his blessing But I have another Subject that I must crave a few minutes time and a grain or two of patience more to say something of and that is the Young man lately deceased at whose Request and as whose Bequest you have had this Sermon and it is not the Commendation of the dead that is the thing intended he needs it not but the Instruction of the living As his Death in the time and manner of it was a real Sermon upon the Text of which we have been speaking so in other respect was his Life also in some good degree and I have two sayings to young men especially upon this Subject 1. In some things observable in him as to his Life he was a Patern for your Imitation 2. In some things observable about him as to his Death he was an Example for your Admonition First In some things observable in him as to his Life he was a Patern for your Imitation but to intimate some few things of special remark 1. He was a young man of an innocent Conversation of a civil sober Behaviour he was not of a debauched dissolute life nor did he run with others to that excess of riot which with sad hearts we see many young men do his Conversation was not spotted with such marks of deboistness as are too visible upon too many of his Age. Now though Civility Sobriety Morality are not Grace yet they are Jewels of price that have an amiableness and loveliness both in the eyes of God and good men it is said of the young man in the Gospel-story in Mark 10.21 that when Christ had heard from him what he had done how he had lived that he was a civil sober moral man though evident it is by the story that he was a stranger to the power of godliness that Jesus beholding him loved him Not but that I am perswaded better things of the young m●● of whom we are speaking and things that have accompanied salvation though I thus speak but to shew you that a meer Civil Sober Moral man is otherwise by God looked upon then others are that are Scandalous and Profane Christ hath a common love even to the better sort of ungodly men mo●e then to the worst a civil sober outwardly conform●ble life hath its account with God not that I would have you rest here I hope his Example led you h●gher 2. He was a young man of a serious Spirit he had som● 〈◊〉 weight with him and worth in him It is said of him by th●● 〈◊〉 ●he Family where he formerly sojourned amongst us for some time 〈◊〉 now lately died and took his leave of this world That they never h●●●d a vain misbecoming word come out of his mouth and his Conversation was according he was not vainly given nor spent his time in Drinking Gaming Company-keeping as many do but was much in Reading and took delight when his other business afforded him any leisure to be amongst his Books and Papers and very ready he was upon occasion for the help of others upon such accounts Alas a young man of a serious Spirit that is of some weight and worth that is something besides meer froth and vanity that mindes something worthy a man is too rare a sight amongst us Oh the exceeding vanity of the younger sort and too many of the elder too Alas what a meer Bubble of Vanity wrapped up in a bundle of fine Clothes is many a young Man many a Maid their clothing may be costly but their hearts their mindes as the Wise-man speaks Prov. 10.20 are little worth O how empty are they of all that is of worth that good is but running over with meer vanity and superfluity of naughtiness as the Apostle speaks Jam. 1.21 Mens mindes and mouthes run over with very froth and vanity scarce a serious thought in the one or a sober savoury word in the other not a Bible or a good Book in hand the week long it may be you had a better Example in him then this comes to 3. This young man as is credibly testified of him was a dutifull Childe to his Parents he was inured to bear the yoke from his youth He could almost say as the Son in the Parable to his Father Luke 15.29 Neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment Never but once as himself was saying to an intimate Friend of his not long before his death was he unseasonably absent from his Fathers
Family in all his life Young men I am afraid it is not once nor twice nor thrice nor ten times that will excuse some of you 'T is the complaint of Parents of Masters and a sad complaint it is that they cannot keep their Children their Servants in but that they will be out at all hours and if you observ●●t the bottom-Argument is Others do so and they must and will O that you would be perswaded to follow his better Example 4. To adde no more He was a young man that seemed to savour of and affect the best things What is said of young Abijah 1 King 14.13 appeared very hopeful concerning him that in him there was found some good thing toward the Lord God of Israel I do not doubt but that it may be truly said of him That he had more Sermons by him of his own hand-writing not onely then the most of the young men in Fair-field but then most of his Age have His writing Sermons at Meeting was commendable and imitable as also the after-improvement that he made of them his Notes were not laid by as useless or served to put under Pies but they were overlook'd and repeated by himself and to others as occasion offered The Sermons that he took here the last Winter as I am informed have been since called over in his Fathers Family That he was ready and forward upon such accounts is the account that such give of him that best knew him and as to this there is one thing more that would not be omitted That when he came now lately out of the Bay a little before his last Sickness that being at Sea upon the Sabbath and seeing the Morning well spent and nothing going forward of a Sabbath dayes work he began to minde them though the youngest of the Company of the Day and Duty thereunto belonging desiring they might go to Prayer and he would repeat a Sermon to them which accordingly he did both Forenoon and Afternoon Young men let I beseech you his Example upon these accounts Provoke your Imitation Secondly As in these things observable in him as to his Life he was a Patern for your Imitation so in some things observable about him as to his Death he was an Example for your Admonition Very briefly but to touch upon two or three things lest I utterly tire you 1. The Time of his Death being in the flower of his Age little more then Eighteen is for your Admonition to Remember now your Creator in the dayes of your youth who are now in your bloss me he was not arrived at the strength of his Age he was but newly come as it were to years of discretion Art thou past a Childe dost thou begin to understand thy self it is dangerous for thee to put off God the remembring thy Creator not for a longer but for any time Art thou Fifteen Sixt en Eighteen years old it is too great an adventure to put it off till thou art Twenty or One and twenty Thou art young and strong and lusty and thinkest thou mayest more boldly adventure measuring thy Life by thy Age and Constitution but are these certain Evidences as to adventure thy Soul upon are these such infallible Probabilities as to run the hazard of thy hopes for Heaven upon The Example that is before thee in this young man whom Death scarce suffered to be called a man may convince thee of the contrary O who would not be alwayes ready when his Summons are so exceeding uncertain 2. The Manner of his Sickness is Admonitory also and may lesson you this That it is good doing your great Work before the evil dayes of Sickness come Alas there is little time room opportunity or ability then A pained Body a distempered Brain a disturbed Spirit disability of Speech necessary Rest and these and those Attendances incapacitate divert take up the time and leave men commonly but a sorry opportunity of doing any thing to purpose for their Souls I was with him divers times in his Sickness yet had opportunity but once to say any thing to purpose to him one while flumbe●ing another while distempered in his Head or busily taken up by his bodily necessities and attendances O man Death may snatch thee away suddenly it doth not give every one a wee● or ten dayes warning but if not a leisurely Sickness may afford thee little leisure for thy Soul 3. How it was with him in his Sickness too how his Spirit wrought may admonish you to make thorow work of your great Work It was difficult to him to speak from an obstruction in his Throat and somewhat difficult to understand him when he did speak and so the less can be said but so much in substance might be gathered from him That he looked upon himself an undone man without an interest in Jesus Christ yet he was not without some hope that he was at peace with God in him yet not without fears bemoaning himself in respect of his hardness of heart and blindness of minde and that he had been no more throughly wrought upon by the Means that he had formerly enjoyed O Sirs Dying times are Trying times to die causlesly confidently I am afraid is too common but to die groundedly comfortably is a great work O do do throughly what thou hast to do man when Death comes thou wilt not finde it is too well done FINIS