Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	find_v	young_a	youth_n	30	3	7.8354	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41668	The young man's guide through the wilderness of this world to the heavenly Canaan shewing him how to carry himself Christian-like in the whole course of his life / by Tho. Gouge ...	Gouge, Thomas, 1605-1681.	1676 (1676)	Wing G1387; ESTC R32454	122,357	176

assurance of living one day longer We are all but Tenants at will and may be turned out of our Earthly Tabernacles whensoever our great Landlord pleaseth even at a quarters yea at a minutes warning And therefore as thou hast any regard to the Eternal welfare and Salvation of thy precious Soul it behoveth thee now even now to set to thy work to abandon thy sins to close with the tenders and offers of Jesus Christ to give up thy self to the service of God for thou knowest not what a day-or an hour may bring forth A man that hath a work of great consequence to be done and but one day for the doing it had need rise early in the morning and with all possible speed to fall upon it This is thy case thou hast a great work to be done even the Salvation of thy precious and immortal Soul and but a little time allowed thee for the doing of it and that very uncertain Doth it not then concern thee speedily without any further delay to set about it and to improve thy precious time to the best advantage Reas. 4. May be taken from the uncertainty of Conversion in thine old age Though thou wert sure to live long even to old age and thereupon shouldst give up thy self to thy sensual liberties and incourage thy self therein by the hopes of an after-repentance yet how canst thou be sure that then at last thou shalt repent Conversion is not in mans power it is the work of God which he is pleased to work on whom and when he will God is merciful to offer grace but he is just also to punish the neglect thereof I have read a story of a prophane Fellow who was often wont to say he doubted not but that he should repent at last if he had but time to say three words Domine miserere mei Lord have mercy on me Not long after riding over a crazy Bridge both Horse and Man fell into the River but instead of saying the former words he cryed out in these three words Capiat omnia Daemon the Devil take all Young men let this be a warning to you all venture not on to morrow but to day if ye will hear his voice harden not your hearts Psal. 95 7. Now God calleth and inviteth thee to turn from thy sins unto him and in good earnest to set upon the practice of an holy life He now knocketh at the door of thine heart offering to enter that he may dwell in thee but if thou refuse to let him in how knowest thou whether ever he will knock again and what if he should not O what if he that knocks at thy door to day should if thou now open no●… never knock or look after thee again for ever O where must thine everlasting dwelling then be Reas. 5. May he taken from the manifold mischiefs which will follow upon thy continuing in thy sinful course of life without turning unto God 1. The longer thou continuest in any sin the stronger it will grow and the more hardly be subdued The longer a Tree is suffered to grow the deeper rooting it taketh and the more hardly will it be plucked up In like manner the longer thou continuest in sin the deeper rooting will it take in thee and with the greater difficulty be removed As therefore we would condemn him of extream folly who essaying to pluck up a young Plant and finding some difficulty therein should let it stand till it had taken deeper rooting in the ground and then attempt to pull it up So alike nay much more foolish is that man who in his Youth and younger years finding some difficulty in turning from his sins unto God should put it off till his sins had taken faster hold in him supposing that then he should more easily do it The truth is 't is rarely seen that such who give up themselves to the service of sin and Satan in their Youth do serve God in their Old Age. How seldom do we hear of an old sinner converted Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the Leopard his spots then may ye also do good who are accustomed to do evil Ier. 13. 23. As if it were a thing impossible for one that hath continued long in a course of sinning to leave and forsake it and to give up himself to the service of God Surely with man it is impossible though not with God unto whom all things are possible It will be therefore thy wisdom betimes even in thy Youth to set thy self against the power of thy corruptions lest they grow too strong in thee to be mastered and subdued 2. Continuance in a course of sinning will so insensibly harden the heart that thou wilt find the work more difficult Though thou mayst flatter thy self with a conceit that thou wilt cast off thy sins and become a new man hereafter yet thou wilt find by sad experience that the longer thou detainest them the harder it will be to part with them for every sin doth not only bring a guilt upon the Soul but likewise a stronger inclination to the practise thereof How many be there who in their Youth and younger years were wont often to say it is too soon to part with our beloved sins there is time enough for that hereafter but when their hereafter hath been come then have they said it is too late our hearts are so hardened that now we cannot repent 3. The longer thou deferrest thy Reformation and amendment the greater indisposition and disability wilt thou find in thy self thereunto Thine understanding will be more and more darkned with the mist of ignorance they will through custom in sinning be more stubborn and refractory to the Will of God revealed in his Word Thy Conscience will be more and more seared yea all the powers of thy Soul will be more and more distracted with Earthly cares and businesses What folly then must it needs be to put off thy serving of God from thy younger to thine elder years 4. By continuing in a course of sinning we come to a custom and habit in sinning which will be hardly left or broken off For custom in sin takes away all conscience of sin and hardeneth the heart more and more against God and godliness yea Custom is another nature and that which is natural is not easily changed It is found by experience that such who have been long accustomed to drinking swearing or any other vices are very hardly reclaimed from the same What egregious folly then must it needs be in any who now finding it somewhat difficult to break off his course of sinning and betake himself to a strict course of life should defer it longer till the corruption of nature through custom of sinning grow stronger and stronger in him If ever therefore thou intendest to give over thy sinning Trade and to devote thy self to the service of God it will be thy wisdom speedily to set upon it before thy sins be confirmed by

free gift of God which he seldom bestoweth on those in their old age who have neglected it all the former part of their lives And he that refuseth to turn when God calleth him provoketh God to give him over to the hardness of his own heart so that he cannot turn 11. Another incouragement is taken from the Mercy of God God say they is merciful and gracious yea rich in mercy whose arms are ever open to receive all poor sinners who come unto him and therefore we hope to find mercy at last though we never sought it before A. 1. True it is God is merciful yea abundant in mercy but to whom will he extend his mercy surely to poor penitent sinners who in truth turn from their sins and devote themselves to him and his service but thou who delayest and puttest off thy repentance from time to time must not expect to partake one drop thereof Though the Lord be ready to imbrace all poor penitent sinners in the Arms of his Mercy yet will he wound the head of his Enemies and the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses putting off his amendment from day to day Psal. 68. 21. 2. Know that as God is rich in Mercy so likewise abundant in truth and will shew no mercy to sinners in a way derogating from his truth Now as God hath promised in his Word to receive such into his favour who without delay will turn from their sins unto him and keep his Statutes Ezek. 18. 21. so in his Word hath he threatned destruction to such as put off their repentance when he calleth upon them to turn as Pro. 1. 24. Every Word of God will certainly have its accomplishment When therefore thou presumest on the Mercy of God remember withal that he is a God of Truth and as sure as God is true if thou continuest in thine ungodly course of life thou wilt perish for ever notwithstanding God is merciful For all the ways of the Lord are Mercy and Truth unto such as keep his Covenant and his Testimonies Psal. 25. 10. 3. Know that God is Iust as well as Merciful and will by no means clear the Guilty As he hath prepared Heaven for some so Hell for others and it is very just that such should be cast into Hell who will not accept of Heaven upon Gods terms by a speedy turning from their sins and giving up themselves unto him Thou therefore who blessest thy self with a false perswasion of Gods Mercy and thereupon runnest on in a course of sin know that thereby thou dost deceive thine own Soul for thou wilt at last find that the Lord is just as well as merciful just in executing his wrath upon obdurate and wilful sinners as well as merciful in receiving your penitent sinners into favour As God to shew the riches of his mercy converteth some in their elder years so to shew the glory of his Justice he leaveth others and those the greatest part to die in their sins 4. It is a mercy that sinners can never enough admire that upon repentance they may be received into favour but it is a wicked perverting this mercy of God if instead of leading us to repentance it should incourage us to defer the same from day to day Because God is merciful shall we be so ungrateful as thereupon to run on in a course of sinning against him presuming on his mercy to the last Because God is gracious shall we thereupon prove the more ungracious and rebellious against him and his Commandments That be far from us Yea rather seeing the Lord is merciful and gracious let us be the more ashamed to sin against so good and gracious a God Let not the mercy of God occasion us to take any incouragement to sin against him but rather let the consideration thereof be an effectual argument to prevail with us speedily to turn from our sins unto him and to walk in the ways of holiness Surely if there were any ingenuity in us his love to us would constrain us to love him again His mercy to us would work in us both a care to please him and a fear to offend him III. Another incouragement is taken by many from the patience and long-suffering of God because he long bears with them in their wicked and ungodly courses not executing his wrath upon them Eccl. 8. 11. Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily therefore the heart of the Sons of men is fully set in them to do evil Because the Lord is slow in executing vengeance on wicked men therefore are their hearts exceedingly hardened in their sinful ways so that they go on impenitently therein abusing the long-suffering of God unto presumption which should have led them to repentance But know that though the Lord doth bear long with some sinners yet not with all How many have we known in our own experience have been suddenly surprized and cut off in the very act of sin not having so much time and strength as to say Lord have mercy upon me And assuredly the slower God is in striking the heavier will be his stroak tthe Curse and Wrath of God for thy going on still in thy trespasses will be more grievous on thee at the last IV. Another incouragement is taken by many from the example of the converted Thief on the Cross who had spent all the former part of his life in wickedness and profaneness A. 1. It is a single example of extraordinary mercy there being not one more in all the Bible It is the saying of S. Austin Unus misericordiam invenit hora ultima ne quis desperet unicus ne quis praesumat That one man was received to mercy at the last hour that none should despair and but one that none should presume For this one man that repented at the last many thousand instances might be brought of such who putting off their amendment from day to day have at last perished in their sins What folly then must it needs be in any to put himself in a way wherein so many have miscarried 2. Christ wrought this rare Miracle of Mercy upon an extraordinary occasion namely to honour the ignominy of his Cross. When his Humane Nature was lowest then would he manifest the power of his Divine Nature whereby Christ shewed what he could do not what ordinarily he would do And being an extraordinary act of Christs Mercy and Power it can make no general rule What ground of hope then can this afford to thee who wilfully spendest thy Youth and younger years in the service of sin and Satan in hope to find mercy at the last 3. Though the Thiefs repentance was late even at the close of his life yet it was so soon as he heard of Christ. For it doth not appear that he either saw or heard of him before whereas thou hast often heard of Christ in the Ministry of the Word yea been called and invited