ADVICE TO Young Persons Relating both to Faith Practice Contain'd in some Plain Directions how to Demean themselves Together with some few Motives to the Observation of what is here recommended Wherewithal shall a Young Man cleanse his way by taking heed thereto according to thy Word Psal 119. 9. London Printed for Brabazon Aylmer at the Three Pidgeons against the Royal Exchange in Cornhil Price 2d To his much Honour'd Patron The Author THo' it is our great Calamity to live in a most corrupt Age Yet by the Influence of the All-wise and All powerful God who can derive good out of Evil you are so Prudent as to make an Advantage of it and to raise the value of your Vertue and to add to the Lustre and Worth of your Reputation and Family by being untainted in the midst of most dangerous Temptations SIR I might tell the World that the following Lines were drawn as a faint Copy from the fair Original which you give and that the ensuing Precepts are taken from your Pattern But lest I should call up the Blood into your Cheeks by offering Violence to your singular Modesty or throw my self under the Suspicion of Flattery I will convert my just Praises of you into earnest Prayers for you that that good God who hath hitherto preserv'd you would still preserve you that you may go on by an Vnspotted Life still to glorify him and by your most agreeable Temper to win over others to Piety and Vertue and to answer the Care and Kindness of that Learned and Worthy Person by whom your tender Mind was inform'd and your early Manners cultivated from whom in your Minority I receiv'd the largest share of what I have and so stand perpetually oblig'd to return the most grateful Acknowledgment And lastly That you may grow in Grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ until you come to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ This is the earnest Prayer of Sir Your most Obliged Most devoted and Most Humble Servant ADVICE TO Young Persons FOrasmuch as 't is generally acknowledg'd that to perswade Young Persons to be Dutiful and Good would prove an Effectual Means to recover Souls out of the hands of Satan to reform the World and to retrieve Religion and Vertue therefore this small Treatise is sent abroad on purpose to exhort and if it be possible for it to perswade those who in their younger days are more especially beset with Temptations and more easily invited into a compliance with them that they should by God's Grace preserve their standing Or if fal'n that they should speedily rescue themselves out of their Slavery and henceforward fear the Lord always and keep his Commandments And may that same Good God who puts into our hearts good Desires by his continual help make us to bring them to good Effect through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen First then Let me perswade young Persons to lay such a steady and Unshaken Foundation of Faith that the Gates of Hell may never prevail against it For them who design to answer the main End of Christianity this Advice is always seasonable But never was this Advice more seasonable than it is in our present Age An Age wherein almost every particular Person is ready to broach some particular Opinion Insomuch that the old Land-marks of Faith are removed and the main Principles of the Gospel of Grace and Salvation by Christ doubted of disputed and denied O let it be your great concern then First To believe in God the Father who hath made you and all the World Secondly in God the Son who hath redeemed you and all mankind Thirdly in God the Holy Ghost who sanctifieth you and all the Elect People of God First then let it be your Concern to believe in God the Father who by the Son Heb. 1. 2. and by the Efficacy of the Holy Ghost Gen. 1. 2. Made the whole World Heaven and Earth and all created Beings which are contained therein And upon this Belief let it be your Business to give God the Father that Reverence that is due unto him as our Wonderful Creator This is that great Lord who made Heaven and Earth and the Sea and all that in them is Acts. 4. 24. This is our Father which is in Heaven Mat. 6. 9. In his Hand are all the Corners of the Earth and the strength of the Hills is his also the Sea is his and he made it and his hands prepar'd the dry Land And therefore O come let us Worship and fall down and kneel before him Psal 95. 3. And say with the Psalmist I will praise thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made marvellous are thy works and that my soul knoweth right well Psal 139. 14. Secondly You are stedfastly to believe in God the Son For that he is truly God the Apostle expresly declares Rom. 9. 5. where speaking of Christ he saith that he is over all God Blessed for ever and so St. John we are in him that is true even in his Son Jesus Christ this is the true God and Eternal life 1 John 5. 20. But we are not only to believe this Son to be God but also that he redeem'd us and all mankind And that this Son of God paid the Price of Redemption for all Mankind who can doubt that believes the Scripture for there is one Mediator between God and man the man Christ Jesus who gave himself a Ransom for all 1 Tim. 2. 5 6. And again he tasted Death for every man Heb. 2. 9. And here common Gratitude prompts and directs you to your Duty For since ye were bought with a Price even with the Price of the most precious Blood of the Son of God You are strongly oblig'd to glorify God in your Bodies and in your Spirits which are his 1 Cor. 6. 20. Thirdly You are faithfully to believe in God the Holy Ghost who sanctifies you and all the elect People of God that the Holy Ghost is God is plain from Acts the 5th verses the 3 d. and the 4th in the 3 d. verse St Peter propos'd this Question Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost and because Ananias thus lied to the Holy Ghost he tells him verse the 4th Thou hast not lied unto Men but unto God Nay before that when the Pharisees upon our Saviours casting out a Devil ascrib'd the operation to Belzebub the Prince of Devils our Saviour call'd this Sin that Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost which shall never be forgiven By which words the most Learned and Reverend Bishop Pearson observ'd amongst several other Arguments to that purpose that it appeareth that there is a Sin or Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost distinct from all other Sins and Blasphemies committed against God the Father or the Son of God that this Sin hath an Aggravation added unto it beyond other Sins and Blasphemies But if the Holy Spirit were no Person the Sin could not
the other hand thou who mindest thy Duty for thy encouragement consider that this is the eye that neither slumbers nor sleeps but is continually intent upon all thy holy Works all thy pure Words all thy pious and chaste Thoughts and Purposes and this good God registers all thy good Deeds in the Book of his eternal Remembrance And he is not unrighteous to forget he is not unable to recompence and repay thee for all thy labours for all the Talents which thou hast employ'd and husbanded to his Honour and to thine own Advantage As God sees and so will punish the wicked so the Lord beholdeth the Righteous and his Portion shall be with Plenty and Peace And therefore to restrain thee from Sin and to push and spur thee on to Vertue and Goodness O remember thy Creator this all-seeing and all-powerful God in the days of thy Youth Eccl. 12. 1. Secondly Consider ye Young Persons the Boundless Love of your most Gracious God towards you He rais'd you up into Creatures of a sublime and noble Being whereras he might have made you mere Stocks and Stones or Creatures more deform'd and ghastly than they He paid a Ransom for you of inestimable value even the Blood of his only begotten Son a Gift as great as Heaven could bestow or man receive Nay your Lot to whom I write is fal'n in a wealthy Place and you have a goodly Heritage it is the kindness of good Fortune nay of a good Providence and of tender Compassion that you are born of Christian Parents that you are receiv'd into the Bosom of the Church that you are enter'd into Covenant with God and have vow'd Obedience to him and have put your selves under his Divine Protection and the Promises of his Grace Nay more you are now grown strong and fit for Gods service and the Discharge of Duties And now shall he that bestowed on you Life He that hath ransom'd you from eternal slavery with the Sacrifice of his only Son He that gives you Temporal and spiritual health and strength shall he have no Return for these many these endearing Uouchsafements Certainly you are of better Dispositions than to requite so good a God so foolishly so unworthily so Ungratefully Certainly you would not deal thus with your natural Parents with your fellow Brethren with your hired Servants and much less surely with your God Who gives you life and breath and all things the mercies of the right hand and of the left the Blessings of this present life and the Overtures of another and a far better O often reflect and meditate upon the Love of God! and then if there be the least spark of Grace of good nature in you it must needs draw you on to serve the Lord and to keep his commandments Thirdly Let me perswade Young Persons to live in a cheerful Obedience to them that are set over them Now those that are set over them are their Temporal or their Spiritual Governours Their Temporal Governours are the King and those commissioned by him or their natural Parents or Masters And O how inviting and endearing how pleasing and praise-worthy is an humble and Obedient deportment to each of these Nay 't is not only endearing and praise-worthy but also attended with the Blessing of God and crownd with temporal comforts And as they who make little or nothing of the Breach of this great Duty many times suddenly perish and come to a fearful end so that the God of Order may signalize his Divine Providence in the World those that hono'r their Father and Mother their days are often prolong'd here or if sometimes they fall short of that they are lengthned out in an eternal Canaan in the City of God in the Land that the Lord giveth them Nay t is a common Observation that as stubborn and contumacious children often come to be whipt in their own Rod and to read their sin by their punishment by having children of their own as stubborn and stiffnecked as they were to their Parents So obedient children have a full Recompence return'd into their Bosom by having afterwards children as observant of and as Dutiful to them as they were formerly obedient to their Parents Or if herein they fall short God makes up the want in some more signal and supereminent Grace and Favo'r As ever therefore you hope to gain the good Opinion of men the Grace and Favo'r of God and to have Obedient children and submissive Servants shew your selves submissive and obedient to your Temporal Governours Honour thy Father and Mother which is the First Commandment with Promise Eph. 6. 2. But besides these Temporal Parents there are your spiritual Pastors and Teachers and let me perswade you young Persons to carry it to these with a due Respect and esteem The same God who is the God of Order hath appointed these to watch for your souls Nay these are the Ambassadors of Christ 2 Cor. 5. 29. But tho' they are thus appointed tho' they plainly prove their Commission from Christ tho' they preach nothing but sound words and the Will of God nay more tho' they labour in the Word and Doctrine yet if thou despise their Labours and take up low Opinions of their Abilities and Endowments you then frustrate all their Pains and Patience as to your selves and their Prayers as to you and exhortations and the word preached will be of none Effect not being mixed with Faith and esteem in them that hear it Those ministers therefore that are chosen by God that are selected and set apart by the Pastors of the Church that are establisht by the Laws of the Land and set over you as long as you may obtain the means of salvation under them as long as they preach nothing contrary to a holy Faith and good manners and as long as ther 's nothing sinful in their communion O keep ye stedfastly to them and encourage their Labours by your constant communion with them and by this means you 'l highly contribute to the preserving of Peace in the Church in the state in your Neighbourhood and in your private Families I conclude this head with the words of the Blessed Apostle 1 Thes 5. 12 13. I beseech you Brethren even you young men as Brethren to know them i. e. to own and acknowledge them with respect which labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you and to esteem them very highly in love for their works sake and be at Peace among your selves Fourthly Let me advise young Persons to weigh and consider things before they are too intent upon them and too eager in the pursuit of them Youth indeed is the peculiar Age and scene of much haste and Precipitancy and consequently of Wisdom and prudence not over much How many Young Persons have done that by one overhasty Act Which they have repented of afterwards all the days of their Life How many have done that with more haste than good speed Which
And remember that the wisest Man in the World is not able to foretel what one day may bring forth Ye know not what shall be on the morrow For what is your life It is even as a Vapour that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away James 4. 14. Since then the day of your departure is so uncertain be ye always ready that so when the King of Terrors shall seize you he may not with astonishment surprize you but that Death being disarm'd of its sting may serve to compose you for the Sweetest sleep and so you may lay you down in Peace and take your rest O watch continually for ye know not at what hour your Lord will come Mat. 24. 42. Lastly For a full inducement to the Practice of these Precepts and for the Observation of whatever is good often remember that the more Religious you now are and the more that you influence others to be Religious here the more you shall be rewarded hereafter Know and be assur'd that if you carefully husband and industriously by Gods Blessing improve your talents you shall receive a proportionable Recompence of Reward from your Gracious Lord and Master Mat. 25. 21. And let the words of the prophet Daniel continually dwell with you Dan. 12. 3. They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the Firmament and they that turn many unto Righteousness as the Stars for ever and ever These things out of pure tenderness to your immortal Souls O ye young Persons I recommend to you And now God of his infinite Goodness give you Grace to observe them that so ye may reap the Rewards of your Religion and be happy for ever To God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Ghost be all Honour and Glory both now and evermore Amen PRAYERS ALmighty and Everlasting God who hatest nothing that thou hast made and dost forgive the Sins of all them that are penitent create and make in me a new and contrite Heart that I worthily lamenting my sins and acknowledging my wretchedness may obtain of thee the God of all mercy perfect Remission and forgiveness through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen ALmighty and Everlasting God give unto me the Increase of Faith Hope and Charity and that I may obtain that which thou dost promise make me to love that which thou dost command through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen O God who hast prepar'd for them that love thee such good things as pass mans Vnderstanding pour into mine heart such love towards thee That I loving thee above all things may obtain thy Promises which exceed all that we can desire through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen ALmighty God who seest that we have no power of our selves to help our selves keep me both outwardly in my Body and inwardly in my Soul that I may be defended from all Adversities which may happen to the Body and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the Soul through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen O God the Creator and Preserver of all mankind I humbly beseech thee for all sorts and conditions of men that thou wouldest be pleased to make thy ways known unto them thy saving health unto all nations more especially I pray for the good Estate of the Catholick Cburch that it may be so guided and Governed by thy good Spirit that all who profess and call themselves Christians may be led into the way of truth and hold the Faith in Vnity of Spirit in the Bond of Peace and in Righteousness of life finally I commend to thy Fatherly goodness all those who are any way afflicted or distressed in Mind Body or Estate that it may please thee to comfort and relieve them according to their several necessities giving them Patience under their sufferings and a happy issue out of all their Afflictions And this I beg for Jesus Christ his sake Amen ALmighty God Father of all mercies I thine unworthy Servant do give thee most humble and hearty thanks for all thy goodness and loving kindness to me and to all men I bless thee for my Creation Preservation and all the Blessings of this Life But above all for thine inestimable love in the Redemption of the World by our Lord Jesus Christ for the means of Grace and for the hope of Glory And I beseech thee give me that due sence of all thy mercies that mine heart may be unfeignedly thankful and that I may shew forth thy Praise not only with my lips but in my life by giving up my self to thy service and by walking before thee in Holiness and Righteousness all my days through Jesus Christ our Lord to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be all Honour and Glory world without end Amen LOrd of all power and might who art the Author and giver of all good things graft in my heart the Love of thy Name increase in me true Religion nourish me with all Goodness and of thy great mercy keep me in the same through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen GRant O Lord that as I am baptized into the Death of thy Blessed Son our Saviour Jesus Christ so by continual mortifying my corrupt Affections I may be buried with him and that through the Grave and Gate of Death I may pass to my joyful Resurrection for his merits who died and was buried and rose again for us thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord Amen PRevent me O Lord in all my doings with thy most Gracious Favour and further me with thy continual help that in all my Works begun continued and ended in thee I may glorify thy Holy Name and finally by thy mercy may obtain everlasting Life through Jesus Christ our Lord in whose Name and words I call upon thee further saying Our Father which art in c. The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Love of God and the Fellowship of the Holy Ghost be with me now and evermore Amen FINIS ERRATA IN page 10. l 24 for thou read you p 23. l 20. for advice r. advise p 34 l. 1. after offer r. the lame and sick is it not evil offer it p. 36. l. 19. for benificial r. beneficial
decent Apparel and instead of these florid Fashions Which one Flower in thy Garden one single Tulip far out-shines be clothed with Humility 1 Pet. 5. 5. and put on the Ornament of a meek and quiet Spirit Which is in the sight of God of great Price 1 Pet. 3. 4. And since Garments were given as a covering of Nakedness Gen. 3. 21. O Never make thy shame thy Glory and be not Proud of thy loss and want of Innocence and Perfection Seventhly Let me perswade Young Persons carefully to avoid evil Company And to joyn themselv's to the Society of such as Serve God As ever they value their Reputations as ever they tender the Welfare of their Souls and Bodies as ever they mean to secure their safety as ever they design to promote their temporal and their Eternal Interest this is a Duty which is principally to be regarded Evil Company is the very Bane and Rust of Religion and good morals And all the seeds of Vertue which Christian Parents have most carefully sown tho having taken Root and grown up into a Strong blade yet they have often been soon blasted and consum'd by a swarm of these worse than Egyptian Locusts O what but wicked Company hath made Young Persons who have afforded the most promising hopes of an enriching Crop and harvest most fatally to miscarry and to become twice the Children of Hell more than they that inveigled them O let the sad Misfortunes and lamentable Ruin's of such make thee to shun their steps since the end of those ways is Death And tho' their Conversation be never so accomplisht Witty and inviting yet shun their fellowship as much as thou Wouldest avoid his who tho' he may be smooth and seems endearing yet hath the spots of an infectious Plague upon him And that thou mayest do this effectually joyn thy self to and enter into close fellowship with them that love and serve God Where thou mayest be Religious at an easy Rate and gain not only plain precepts but also inviting Patterns to goodness which will silently slide into thy Soul and almost insensibly draw and carry thee on and convey thee into the Land of the Living These will whet thy Desires and sharpen thy Appetites and enflame thy longings after God and Goodness and strengthen thy Resolutions and abett and improve thy Christian Courage and shew thee how to be an hardy Souldier of Christ Jesus and make thee more than Conquerour through Christ that loves thee O keep that Company that shall be instilling some good Lesson some excellent Advice into thee and that shall prescribe a good Example But shun that Society that infuses Poison into thy very Vitals and corrupts thy precious Soul by their Words and Works by their ill Counsels and worse Conversations And always remember the Words which the Apostle recites â— Cor. 15. 33. Evil Communications corrupt good Manners Further Let me perswade Young Persons to be Courteous and Obliging in each Relation wherein they stand Are your Fortunes fair and your Estates large shew your selves to be such as are Free born by such a carriage as may loudly proclaim your Birth and Education Or are your Estates confin'd in a narrow Compass you have much less Reason to boast and to bear high to disoblige and to provoke since you know not how soon Poverty may steal in upon you and how soon you may stand in need of the help of the Relief of those very Neighbours whom you now despise Nay you own your selves to be Christians and therefore learn of the Holy Jesus to be meek and lowly Who when he was reviled reviled not again when he suffer'd he threatened not but committed himself to him who judgeth righteously Heb. 12. 3. He was so suffering and so kind in his sufferings that he died for his Enemies that they might live for ever And for those enemies which put him to Death he thus prayed Father forgive them for they know not what they do Luke 23. 24. And now canst thou read canst thou hear this Passage with any Roughness or Impatience upon thy Spirit with any Anger or Indignation against those who affront or scourge thee O since the Holy Jesus my Innocent Saviour thus suffer'd mayst thou say who never did nor spake nor thought any thing amiss Well may I justly smart who act or speak or design few things well And since he bare his Burden patiently and pray'd even for his Persecutors for his murderers O 't is much more my bounden Duty to forgive as I have great and often need to be forgiven my self and to be obliging pitiful and Courteous 1 Pet. 3. 8. Lastly Let it be your daily Business as it is your Duty to pray earnestly to God to work in you both to Will and to do according to his good Pleasure Never think that either you or your Teachers are able to give you Grace or to secure your Vertues without the helping Hand of Heaven that giveth to all liberally that ask him Or without that Watchful Eye that neither slumbers nor sleeps No every good and Perfect Gift cometh down from above James 1. 17. And Paul may Plant and Apollos may Water But still it must be God that gives the encrease 1 Cor. 3. 6. And therefore that the hand of God may hold you up that his watchful Lye may be over you that he may Guide you into the ways of Truth and Peace and that he may Strengthen Stablish Settle you it is your Interest no less than your Duty to beg his Grace Nay it is your Honour no less than your Interest and Duty thus to repair to your God For you who are dust and Ashes to speak unto the Lord for you who are worthless Beings to have free Recourse to a Principle of absolute Perfection for you who are notorious Sinners to draw nigh unto the Holy Lord God of Hosts for you who are the meanest of Subjects to unbosom your selves to and to beg Boons and Favor's of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords this is so great a Priviledge and Hon'or that methinks it needs no further Motive to enforce it Only let me remind you that the manifold and great Temptations which your Age exposes and too often inclines you to may justly make you to cry mightily unto your God and often and earnestly to beg saying Save Lord or â—â—â— perish Mat. 8. 25. Often pray for the Pardon of your Sins past and for the Supplies of Gods Grace for the time to come And now in a Word that I may not omit recommending any important Duty which appertains to you Often consider and duly weigh those short but most comprehensive lessons drawn up for you in your Church Catechism which I desire you frequently to peruse and faithfully to remember now there you thus read My Duty toward God is to believe in him to fear him and to love him with all my heart with all my Mind with all my Soul and with all my strength
to Worship him to give him thanks to put my whole trust in him to call upon him to hono'r his Holy Name and his Word and to serve him truly all the days of my Life And my Duty towards my Neighbour is to love him as my self and to do to all men as I would they should do unto me To love honour and succour my Father and Mother To Honour and obey the King and all that are put in Authority under him To submit my self to all my Governours Teachers Spiritual Pastors and Masters To order my self lowly and reverently to all my betters To hurt no Body by Word or Deed. To be true and just in all my Dealings To bear no Malice nor Hatred in my heart To keep my Hands from picking and Stealing and my Tongue from Evil-Speaking Lying and Slandering To keep my Body in Temperance Soberness and Chastity Not to covet noâ— desire other mens Goods But to Learn and Labour truly to get minâ— own living and to do my Duty in that State of Life unto which it shall please God to call me And now I pass on directly to the last thing which I propos'd and that is to lay before you a few General considerations on purpose further to promote the Practice of that Advice which I have already given First Consider how easy t is for you in comparison of some others to be Religious and good Whilst you are untainted whilst the Powers and Faculties of your Souls are Vigorous and Lively whilst you have not accustomed your selves to any evil way whilst you are strangers to the fashionable sins of the Age whilst you have not run with others to the same excess of Riot whilst the Hellish Language of Oaths and Curses is terrible to you and all manner of profaneness appears to you in a Monstrous and ghastly Shape it must needs be easie to restrain you from what you dread and abhor Nay if you have sometimes fallen and receiv'd some few bruises yet how far more easily may you recover your selves than those who for many years have lain wallowing in their filthiness Moreover to your great encouragement consider that now your Souls are active and your limbs strong to run with patience the Holy Race that is set before you and you may well fight with the greatest Assurance the good fight of Faith Now ye are strong and may easily overcome the wicked one 1 John 2. 14. Secondly To move you the more consider how acceptable your early Piety will be to that God which ye Worship Your remembring your Creator in the days of your youth and your first fruits will be a Sacrifice wherewith God will be well pleased Whereas the Oblation only of dry bones and decayed sinews especially such bones as have been drain'd by sin such sinews as have been enfeebl'd by Iniquity will be only an abomination unto the Lord. If ye offer the blind for Sacrifice is it not evil and if ye offer it now unto thy Governour will he be pleased with thee or accept thy Person saith the Lord of Hosts Malac. 1. 8. Now if a Temporal Prince will reject such a present with a most fiery Indignation With what confidence then can we lay such a Sacrifice upon the Altar of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords But this is not your Case at present ye Young men and God Grant that hereafter when old it may never be your Fate Now you need not to doubt but that if you offer up the strength and Beauty of Holiness it will be accepted If now with the wise Virgins you get oyl and trim your Lamps you will ere long be received into the Bride-Grooms Chamber Thirdly Please to consider how much your remaining life depends upon your present Religious Efforts and how gradually you 'l go on when you are once well begun How easily will you damp and dispirit all the enemies to your salvation and under what Discomfiture and despair will you send them away when you baffle and rout them in the first Assaults that they make upon you Nay how much may your early and firm Resolutions tend to the reclaiming of this degenerate Age or at least to the reforming of the next Generation If the skill and conduct of one man made way for his Son to conquer all the parts of the world which he became acquainted with how far then may your united Forces extend to the pulling down of the strong holds of Satan and the subduing of the powers of darkness to the vanquishing of Sin and to the raising and establishing of the Throne of Vertue O consider how far you may spread these Spiritual Victories and Triumphs and may make your Companions and those that come after you more than Conquerors Fourthly please to consider that you notwithstanding all your health and strength may soon be called away to another stage either of endless weal or woe Go and take the Dimensions of the Graves in your Church Yards and you l find many of a shorter size than your selves And I am sure that you had not nay that you have not a more certain Lease of your lives than they had O therefore make no long tarrying to turn unto the Lord your God and put it not of from day to day lest your Fate lest your God come suddainly and snatch you away and there be none to deliver you Consider that Time and Opportunity will soon be no more And therefore instantly make it your business to spend your days to good purpose in reading the Word of God in pious and profitable meditations in reflecting upon and renewing your Baptismal Covenant and in frequent receiving the Holy Communion And above all labour to be true and just and good at your very hearts and Souls and industrious and Useful and benificial in your Generation And strive earnestly to fit and qualify your selves for an Eternity of the purest Pleasures that so you may relish the joys of Heaven whenever you shall be receiv'd into those everlasting mansions and may delightfully feast upon that fulness of joy which is in the presence of God and with continual desire drink of those Rivers of Pleasure which flow at his right hand for evermore And may be meet to be partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in light Col. 1. 12. And in the prospect of these enriching possessions of these never fading Pleasures break off all delays throw aside all hindrances and excuses and say not I will begin to be good when I begin to stoop towards the Grave and when old age tells me that I must soon leave this World then will I prepare for the next and when I feel this earthly Tabernacle to tremble and ready to dissolve and to be taken in pieces then will I seek out for another Fabric an house not made with hands eternal in the Heavens But instead of these uncertain frivolous and foolish Delays to day if you will hear Gods voice harden not your hearts