MATTHEW MEAD Minister of the Gospel Aetatis Suce 70. An. o Do 1699. Printed for Iohn Marshall Sold by him at the Bible in Grace-church-Street THE Young Man's REMEMBRANCER AND YOUTH's Best Choice BEING An Exhortation to Conversion in Two Anniversary Discourses from Eccl. xii 1. Remember now thy Creator in the Days of thy Youth while the Evil Days come not nor the Years draw nigh in which thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them LONDON Printed in the Year MDCC THE EPISTLE TO Young Readers Looking towards the Kingdom of God Dearly Beloved in our Lord THE Hopes that there is a Harvest of Young Ones to Christ for which the Fields are Already White when Christ shall have in this sense the Dew of his Youth from the Womb of the Morning and You Free-will Offerings to Him in that Day of his Power This gives Encouragement of this Address to you in Confidence there will be many of You Readers It is Evident Young Persons are One Eminent Portion of the Lord Jesus his Love and Care and so of the Gospel Ministry and of the Servants of God in all Ages God was assured of Abraham he would Instruct his Children after Him in his Knowledge and Fear Moses took great Care of this to leave Monuments for Young Israelites growing up David the Father gave Excellent Principles to his Son Solomon And in a Holy Zeal and Love to Young Men cries out Wherewithal shall a Young Man cleanse his Way As if he should say What Spiritual Engine shall I find to raise the Hearts of Young Men to Buoy them up from the World the Raging Sea of Vanity Lust and Wickedness I should rejoice in such a One and I have found it even thy Word to which they should always give heed Solomon in this Penitential Sermon of his after some Declinings recovering the Piety of his Youth in which he stiles himself Ecclesiastes or the Preacher is much engaged in it as you will see in the Following Discourses Jesus Christ in Love to the Rising Hopes of Young Ones Blessed early even Infant Age The Beloved Apostle that lay in the Bosom of Christ says I write to you Young Men because you are strong Vigorous in Mind Body full of Spirit and Vivacity and in all of them who are Christians the Word of God abideth and as Vigorous Persons the Champions of Christ overcome the Wicked One though the Strong Man Obadiah feared God from his Youth that early Saint of the Old Testament Timothy of the New Testament Knew the Scriptures from a Child Christ remembers the Kindness of Youth the Love of First Espousals before farther Alienations from him and Prostitutions to Sin Satan the World His Soul desires the First Ripe Fruit. Oh that all this might perswade But I especially recommend the following Directions prepar'd for you given forth by some Excellent Master of Assembly whom I will not attempt to suppose who he was being not entrusted with it and whether he did not Animam in Vulnere Ponere He did not draw out his very Spirit and Life in shooting this Sharp Arrow of Christ into your Hearts that you might fall under Christ Oh therefore You in the Ascendency of Life against all Temptation flee Youthful Lusts sacrifice this Choice Part of Life to God take heed that Curse come not on you You who have in your Flock this Male of Life even Youth Oh design not to Vow to Sacrifice to God the Corrupt Thing of Old Age Grown old in Sin The Brand of a Deceiver is set on all such Know therefore in this your Day the Lord hath made for you the Day of your Visitation the Accepted Day of Salvation the Things of your Peace This is recommended to you in the following Instructions under the Blessing of the Eternal Father through the Redemption of the Eternal Son by the mighty Efficacy of the Eternal Spirit the One Eternal God the Ancient of Days the Father of Lights with whom is no variation of Age nor shadow of Turning to the West of Days to whom be Glory for Ever Amen TO THE READER IT may not be amiss to inform thee that this Piece thou hast now in thy Hand may truly he called Orphan and therefore it cannot be expected to come forth in such a Curious Dress as becomes the Child of such a Parent there being no possibility of access to his Wardrobe to adorn it Yet notwithstanding I hope there are many Witnesses to its Birth into whose Hands it may come that may give sufficient Testimony of its Legitimacy It cannot be at all questioned but you who have so often desired and have with pleasure heard its Voice but will also add this Request to your former Let me see thy Face It now with Samuel to Eli cries out Here am I for thou didst call me Say not of it as the God of Israel How shall I put thee among the Children But let this which was the Parents Benoni be thy Benjamin and the rather because as the Reverend Mr. Mead says * Preface to Four Vseful Discourses by J. Burroughs The Publishing the Labours of such Men of Worth is of Happy Tendency to promote our Communion with them in the Spirit whom it may be we never saw in the Flesh and it is to be reckoned among our Mercies when the Dead are made to speak that the Living may be perswaded to hear May the God of Heaven attend this Essay with his Blessing that its Publication may be attended with such Success as was the Author's Design in its Preaching and may'st thou by this Small Tract be Enabled to have an Eye to that Reward which now he reaps as the end of so Liberal a Seed-time here even Everlasting Joy and Felicity in the World to come Farewel THE Young Man's REMEMBRANCER I. DISCOURSE Eccles xii 1. Remember now thy Creator in the Days of thy Youth while the Evil Days come not nor the Years draw nigh in which thou shalt say I have no Pleasure in them THE Two great Duties of the Christian Life are to Cease to do Evil and to Learn to do Well the one is Negative Godliness the other is Positive the latter can never be without the former No Man can be Good that doth not Cease to be Evil and therefore Solomon Exhorts to the former in the Last Verse of the foregoing Chapter and he brings it in with an Illative Particle Put away Evil from thy Flesh It referrs to the Ninth Verse Know thou that for all these things God will bring thee to Judgment These things that is these youthful Lusts these sensual Pleasures which by a sharp Satyr he does reprove in the former part of the Verse Rejoice O young Man in thy Youth and let thy Heart Cheer thee in the Days of thy Youth and Walk in the Ways of thy own Heart and in the Sight of thine Eyes As if he should say if thou art resolved upon thy Lusts and bent to
Christ's Kingdom If there be but one Lamb one Young One in all this Assembly added to the Flock of Christ this Day all the Angels in Heaven will rejoice Ay all the Angels in Heaven nay it will be the Day of the very Gladness of Christ's Heart For as the Bridegroom rejoices over his Bride so shall thy God rejoice over thee Isa 62.5 Fifthly Consider how uncertain the measure of thy Life is thou mayest think to live many Years and yet may'st die soon How many have you gone after to the Grave that came after you into the World Job says speaking of the Sinner The number of his Months are cut off in the midst Job 21.21 It is not only a Description of Death but of Early Death an immature Death is the cutting off our Months in the midst this is that David deprecates Take me not away in the midst of my Days As our Times are in God's Hand in regard of the event of them so they are in regard of the length of them either God may not give thee time to grow old or not a heart to repent when thou art old When so many offers of Grace are refused and so many motions of the Spirit resisted by thee I tell thee thy heart is in great danger of being for ever hardened How many Young Ones are now awake and that for ever in Endless Flames that would never open their Eyes to see their danger till they came thither That is an aweful Word Psalm 58.9 Before your Pots can feel the Thorns he shall take them away as with a Whirlwind both living and in his Wrath. Before your Pots can feel the Thorns That is before you have any real Sence of your danger To what shall I compare the Miseries of Young Ones that are taken away so often in the midst of all their Pleasure before ever they thought of Death It is a thing sad beyond comparison beyond all expression Have you then Young Ones no pity for your Souls Or do you resolve not to prepare for the Tryal till the Assizes come and the Judge sits on the Bench If we had a certain knowledge from Heaven that this was the last Sermon we should ever hear that this was the Last Call to Remember our Creator that God would ever allow us that we should be in another World before another Day comes about with how many Tears should we bewail our Folly of neglecting God And how should we rend the Heaven with Cries that God would own us and help us to own him and that he would reprieve us a little longer that we might make sure of an Interest in him before we go hence and be no more And why should we not do so now seeing we know not the day nor hour when the Son of Man will come The Lord awaken Young Ones for none else can awaken them and perswade them to seek after God betimes O that you would be perswaded to this He is the most Eligible Object in the World they that have chosen him will tell you so they have found him so you will never have cause to repent of your Choice you may have cause to repent of other Choices None ever made a carnal Choice but he repented first or last either here with a godly Sorrow whilst Matters were capable of retrieving or in Eternal Misery where there is Repentance without returning But who ever repented of chusing God Name one that ever did Job once cursed the Day of his Birth but who ever cursed the Day of his New Birth Who ever repented of his closing with Christ or of his being sanctified and made like God When Death comes then the Cry begins amongst Carnal Sinners How have I hated Instruction How have I forgotten God and my Eternal Interest How have I regarded Lying Vanities to the forsaking of my own Mercies O this Flattering World How hath it deceived and undone me This will be your cry when you come to a Sick Bed Now did you ever hear any one say I have chosen God but God hath deceived me I have ventured my Soul upon the Lord Christ for Pardon for Righteousness and Christ hath deceived me I have chosen the Way of Holiness and that hath deceived and misled me Did you ever hear such a Complaint No nor never shall Arise then Young Ones in the Name of the Lord I say to thee arise and shake your selves from the Dust and Vanities of Youth betake your selves out of hand to God in Christ make Religion your Business whatever you do for the Lord's sake this will make you a Blessing in your Generation Truly let me tell you the Days we live in calls aloud upon you Youth in this Matter we are in declining times sad times for Religion it loses ground apace in this Age and if God do not stir up the Young Generation to keep up Religion I tell you it will be quite lost in the next O therefore that you would resolve to devote your selves heartily and betimes to the Lord Never think it too soon to seek him nor too long to serve him You will not count a whole Eternity too long for your own Happiness do not therefore count your whole Life too much for God's Service I had thought to have laid down some Directions for your guidance and help in this great Duty of chusing God I will but name Five or Six First Labour for a deep Sence of your Natural State this furthers the Work No Man comes to Christ till he is weary and heavy laden and that no one is or can be till a Sence of Sin and of his Natural State makes him so Secondly Another should have been this Whenever the Spirit of the Lord strives with you carry it becomingly to him especially in Two Things Labour to know his Striving Seasons And Labour to cherish all his Motions Then Thirdly I would have said Do not consult Flesh and Blood on the one hand nor give ear to the Suggestions of Satan on the other for he will always draw you from God Fourthly Do not put off this Work of chusing God from time to time but resolve to set upon it now without any more de ay And Fifthly Besure shun the Conversation of such as Deride and Scoff at serious Godliness and such as deny all Revealed Religion it will be the Undoing of your Souls else And then I would have said Lastly Beg the renewing Grace of God to carry on all Fear and Shame may conceal a Sinner Morality may varnish him but it is only renewing Grace can change him and bring him to chuse God for his God And then I would have spoken to the Second Branch of the Exhortation that is to such of you as have chosen God in your Early Days I am perswaded I speak to many such this Day many Young Ones who have chosen God in their chusing Time Why First Bless God O bless him magnifie his Grace who hath counselled and inclined your Hearts to this When David had chosen God for his Portion he presently cries out I will bless the Lord who hath given me Counsel Psal 16.7 O Sirs What a blessed Thing is it to be an early Convert to be an early Christian It is not only Matter of Comfort to you but I tell you it is a Comfort to your poor Ministers How do they Rejoice when they can beget one Soul to Christ What says Paul to the Philippians to whom God had blessed his Ministry in their Conversion Ye are our Crown and our Joy Phil. 4.1 And again to them 1 Thes 2.20 Ye are our Glory and our Joy we bless God that blesseth us to bring in any one of you to Christ O that every Young One in this Place were of this Number You are our Comfort that God has some to keep up Religion when we are Dead and Gone You are a Comfort likewise to your Godly Parents that can in you see the Return of many Prayers and that they can now Die with Comfort because they leave you their Children to Walk in the Steps of your Fathers and to Honor God when they are gone to Heaven O it is a blessed Sight to see Young Ones Walk with God! Therefore bless God for inclining your Hearts to this whilst you have a Day to Live Secondly Let it be your Care to renew your Choice of God every Day renew your choice of God daily and also the Dedication of your selves unto God Our first Dedication is not enough though it may be Sincere therefore it must be Improved by repeated Acts We should be often renewing our Choice of the Lord and should think it not enough to be the Lord's but we should labour to be more the Lord's for let me tell you though God cannot be more ours yet we may be more his and one Excellent Way to be so is by chusing God and dedicating our selves to God Lastly Live as they that have chosen God for their God your claim is high let your carriage be answerable In short if you have indeed chosen God and have given up your selves to him make it appear let it be known prove it by all Acts proper to such a Priviledge How is that By daily putting off the Old Man and putting on the New by Dying more to Sin and Living more to Righteousness giving up your selves to the Conduct and Leadings of the Spirit to be guided by him in all his Motions making the Word of God the whole Rule of your Lives labouring in all things to Walk worthy of God who hath called you to his Kingdom and Glory and in so doing you will have a sure evidence that you have obeyed this Call of God in the Text Remember now thy Creator in the Days of thy Choice FINIS ERRATA PAge 8. line 18. for some read something p. 9. l. 16. r. slighty p. 21. l. 23. f. ruine r. mind p. 32. l. 20. r. when Christ touched p. 34. l. 16. r. not known p. 62. l. 21. r. so say I.
8.11 Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God And Positively as in the Words of the Text Remember now thy Creator But why doth God put a Memento upon this Duty here Why there is a Fivefold Reason for it First To Intimate to us the Opposition of our corrupt Hearts to this great Duty naturally Man cannot endure the Yoak of Obedience to God He is without God in the World God is not in all his Thoughts therefore he calls us to Remember him Secondly The Sum of all Religion lies in the Observation of this one Command there can be no such thing as Religion where God is forgotten Jacob gave a severe Charge to his Sons concerning Benjamin because he lay nearest his Heart the Honor of God lies nearest his Heart of any thing and no Man can Honor him that doth not Remember him therefore he gives such a strict Charge about it It is this that frames our Spirits for all other Duties and makes them fit for every good Work Sin never prevails more upon our Hearts than when God is shut out of our Thoughts the Children of Israel did Evil and forgat the Lord therefore Remember thy Creator Thirdly It implies that no Age is so prone to forget God as that of Youth Youthful Pleasures and youthful Lusts and Vanities do frequently turn the Heart away from God therefore Solomon says Childhood and Youth are Vanity in the Words before the Text. It is Vanity both In a Natural and In a Moral Respect It is Vanity in a Natural Respect as being Frail and Mortal Though by the Course of Nature Young Ones may think to Live long yet by reason of the Frailty of Nature they may Die before the Eldest many Younger than you lye yonder Rotting in their Graves Now thou hast the Seeds of Death in thee and thou hast Sin the Cause of Death cleaving to thee and the Sentence lies against thee and therefore tho' thou mayest please thy self with the Thoughts of Living many Years like the Fool in the Gospel yet thou mayest Dye before to Morrow as he did Thou Fool this Night shall thy Soul be required of thee And as Youth is Vanity in a Natural Sense so it is in a Moral Sense for it is Tainted and Defiled with Lust and Corruption all over Thou art a Child of Wrath from the Womb under a Damning Guilt before ever thou didst commit one actual Sin For by the Offence of one Judgment came upon all Men to Condemnation Rom. 5.18 But alas How much Guilt hast thou Contracted by thy Actual Sin thy Lying thy Swearing thy Drunkenness thy Gluttonny thy Pride and Envy thy Lewdness and Uncleanness thy sinful Mirth and Levity thy Slothfulness and Vanity thy Stubbornness and Obstinacy These are the common Sins of Youth And no wonder that that Soul is prone to forget God where these Lusts reign therefore Remember thy Creator Fourthly It is a Duty of the Greatest Equity not only from the Will of him that Commands it but from the Reason of the Command it self which Consults Man's Good as well as God's Glory and is it not Equal that we should Remember that God that never forgets us and that we should mind his Glory who is mindful of our Good Besides how Equal is it that God who is the First Cause the Chief Good and Last End should be first owned best loved and most served And is it not Equal that Time being so rare a Jewel so great a Betrustment so Rich a Talent should be employed for him who gave it and who can either continue it or cut it short as we either lay it out upon God or profusely lavish it upon our Lusts Therefore Remember thy Creator Fifthly God gives us this Memento to mind us of that strict Account we must e're long give to him for all our Time Youth is to Account to God for a few Years as well as Old Age is for many more and therefore the Wise Man warns Young Ones of a Judgment Day for them as well as for those of more Years Eccles 11.9 Rejoice O Young Man in thy Youth But know that for all those things God will bring thee to Judgment If we do not Remember to keep this Precept God will Remember to punish the breach of it If we forget our Obedience to God he will not forget to punish our Disobedience and therefore God puts a Memento upon this Command that so we may be Awakened to our Duty from the Sense of an Approaching Judgment Remember thy Creator But it is not barely an Act of the Mind that is here called for it is not enough meerly for you to Remember or Think of God for that is done in Hell they all Remember God there the Memory of the Damned shall then be more quick and strong than ever and shall bring all your Sins into an Eternal view Now the Sins of Youth are committed and forgotten by us and we are apt to think God forgets them too and that they shall never be remembred more they say Tush the Lord seeth us not Ezek. 8.12 But mark what God says Psalm 50. ver 21. These things hast thou done speaking of their Sins before These things hast thou done and I kept Silence But I will Reprove thee and set them in Order before thine Eyes Every Sin shall be set in Order and come into Remembrance in that Day Son says Abraham to the Rich Man Son Remember Luke 16.25 pointing him back to his Lusts If Sinners could but forget in Hell it would be a Comparative Happiness A Loss though never so great yet when it is forgotten the trouble of it ceases It would be an ease to Sinners in Hell if they could never think of God more and if they could raze out the Remembrance of Christ and the Gospel out of their Minds and forget that ever they heard of a Redeemer to Remember what a God what a Creator what a Redeemer what a Heaven what a Happiness they had tendered to them and therefore might have secured but would not to Remember what Calls they were once under to Convert and Turn to God and Close with Christ and Live O how will this wound and afflict in that Day I had once the Means of Grace I heard the Preacher often Calling and Wooing me to leave my Lusts and come to Christ I have many times felt the Convictions and Strivings of the Spirit in me under the Word to bring it about and had I had Wisdom to Consider and a Heart to Comply O how Happy had I been I might have been one amongst the Blessed Saints in Heaven who are here Tormented amongst Damned Spirits O how often have I had Life and Death set before me and therefore this Misery is the Fruit of my own Choice To Remember Lost and Past Opportunities O how will this Torment Fool that I was to have such a Price put into my Hands to get Wisdom as once I had and yet to have
Wilderness or a Land of Darkness If so you have some occasion to Revolt and Forget me but if not why say ye We will come no more at thee Jer. 2.31 O what a shame is it that any one should forget God that never did him hurt but good all the Days of his Life Pray Consider that first Question in your Catechism Who made you You once were not and that which once was not could not make it self as Nothing has no Existence so it can have no Operation Nothing cannot be a Creator to every one of you You derive your Beings from God It is he that made us and not we our selves Psalm 100.3 therefore you are called the Offspring of God Acts 17.28 In him we live move and have our Being for we are his Offspring Now what a shame is it that a Creature that is made by God should forget his Maker God complains of this Isa 51.13 They forgat the Lord their Maker and should he be forgotten that gave us our Being Honour thy Father and thy Mother it is a Law written in Nature they deserve the highest Respect and Reverence because they were the Instruments of our Being Now God is much more the Author of our Being than he that Begat us or than she that Brought us forth Thou art he says David that took me out of the Womb thou art my God from my Mother's Belly Parents are but the Second Causes of our Being God is the First Cause and all Second Causes depend upon the First in their Being and Operation therefore Man is nothing in our Production if compared with God and shall this God be forgotten and sinned against He calls Heaven and Earth to witness against such Rebels Isa 1.2 Hear O Heaven and give Ear O Earth for the Lord hath said I have nourished and brought up Children and they have Rebelled against me Heaven and Earth will cry out against you if he that made us be not remembred and owned by us Secondly Consider what a Price God has put into your Hands for the good of your Souls He hath not only made you but he hath made Seasons of Grace for you Seasons for the getting the Knowledge of God in Christ Seasons for getting an Interest in Christ He has given you his Sabbaths his Word his Ordinances a Powerful Means and Ministry Nay many Young Ones have felt somewhat of the Power of these things God has been at Work with them betimes their Hearts have been touched the Spirit of God hath wrought in them some Convictions of Sin and of their lost undone State O what a Price has God put into your Hands and how can you answer the neglect of it What says Solomon Prov. 17.16 Wherefore is there a Price put into the Hand of a Fool to get Wisdom seeing he hath no heart to it He that hath a Price put into his Hands to get Wisdom and hath no Desire in his Heart to it that Man is a Fool God says so He is a Fool And as he is so now in the Judgment of others so he will be so one Day in his own It will be a Sword in his Heart to consider I might have had God for my God but I forgat him I might have had an Interest in the blessed Redeemer but I neglected it I might have been Saved but I let slip all these Opportunities that God put into my Hands I have now wofully destroyed a Precious Soul by my Impenitent continuance in my Cursed Lusts against the Calls and Counsels of God It is an awakening Passage Eccles 8.6 Because to every Purpose there is Time and Judgment therefore the Misery of Man is Great upon him Therefore Wherefore VVhy because he hath not Judgment to discern the fittest Opportunity for every Purpose Many Young Ones O how do they purpose that they will seek God hereafter How do they purpose to mind their Salvation One purposes a New Life and a Better Course and God has given every one of you time for this but they want Wisdom to know the Time and so the Opportunity is lost and gone and they are miserable for ever Because to every Purpose there is Time and Judgment therefore the Misery of Man is great Sirs Consider it Young Ones how will your fruitless Repentance begin when your Opportunities are past and gone then you will see your Folly At his Latter End he shall be a Fool He was a Fool at first but he shall see it at last at his Latter End he shall be convinced of his Folly Thirdly Young Ones you that now forget God and slight Religion and indulge to your Lusts let me tell you you are a Judgmen to the Nation a Judgment and a Plague to the Land I have formerly said it to you and I say it again the Youth of a Nation are always a great Good or a great Mischief to the Nation they are either the Hope or the Plague of the Land When Young Ones are Serious and mind God and their Souls when the Word of God is Precious to them to Awaken and Convert them to Season their Hearts with Wisdom to Know and Remember God to Seek after Christ to Honour Religion by a Sober and Holy Conversation such a Race of Youth are a Blessing in any Age they are a Blessing of God to a Land But when the Youth of a Nation cast off Religion cast off all Duty to God and Man and all Sobriety and Vertue and grow Proud Profligate Profane tainted with all manner of Wickedness even to Atheism it self What shall we say then Then I say this is a sad sign of some Judgment of God coming upon the Land and indeed we have many Young Ones in this Day such Monsters in Wickedness as hath not been known in any Age such Young Swearers that can scarce speak plain Young Sabbath-breakers Young Blasphemers Young Atheists never any Age produced the like and for accompanying with Harlots and all manner of Uncleanness that is become a Fashion Therefore I tell you and I tell you from the Word of the Lord and I beg you would Consider it there is some sore Judgment of God near at hand I tell you the truth it is near and hastens greatly a Day of Trouble and Distress a a Day of Wasting and Desolation therefore my Brethren I speak it with an Aking Heart England is now big with such a Brood as will Eat out our Bowels the Children will Destroy the Mother therefore Pray hearken to a word of Exhortation and not from me but from the Lord it is the Exhortation in the Text O Remember your Creator now in the Days of your Youth Now if ever now or never now in the Days of your Youth As ever you would have Good Times as ever you would have God own this Nation as ever you would have the Gospel continued in the midst of you O Remember your Creator First Remember how he Created you in his own Image every one
your Sins The Presence of his Power to support your Persons The Presence of his Omniscience to know your Wants And the Presence of his Goodness to supply them He is your God your own God as David calls him God even our own God shall bless us A Man can never be happy that has nothing of his own and a Man can call nothing his own but God All things else may be lost but he that has made sure of God his Right can never be invaded nor his Propriety lost Mary hath chosen that good part which shall never be taken from her And is not this a Benefit Secondly Is it not a great Benefit to have the Heart fixt and stedfast in the Ways of God The Cause of all Halting in Religion is the Want of a Choice and Purpose resolutely set The Apostle says James 1.8 A Double-minded Man is Vnstable in all his Ways 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A Two-Soul'd Man one that has a Heart and a Heart one for this way another for that one for God and another for the World Such a one must needs be unstable and of an inconstant Soul being as ready to depart from God as to close with him But he that owns God and his Ways by choice will suit his Conversation to his Election If he be sincere in his choice of God that will make him faithful in all his carriage to God And therefore Joshua when he would ingage the People to continue faithful with God he draws them on to a choice and then lays that upon their Conscience to bind them Joshua 24.22 Ye are witnesses against your selves that ye have chosen the Lord to serve him and they said we are witnesses It greatly strengthens a Bond when a Man freely binds himself Thirdly This resolute choice of God is of great advantage in carrying on the Work of the Heavenly Calling with the more ease and delight because a choice is nothing else but an inclination of the Soul guided by Judgment strengthened by Resolution and actuated by Love Now as Judgment justifies our choice and Resolution makes it entire so Love makes it easie and sweet and so our delight in obeying God answers to the sincerity of our chusing of him Fourthly This chusing God gives great peace and comfort in the Ways of God this is as natural as for the Fire to produce Heat The Fruit of Righteousness is Peace As Sin causes a Sting in the Conscience and a Wound in the Soul so every good Action done in Sincerity hath the approbation of the Conscience and that gives peace and the witness of the Spirit that brings joy and comfort This is intended in that of the Apostle Rom. 14.7 The Kingdom of God is Righteousness and Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost Here is a double Benefit mentioned Peace and Joy There is a difference between them Peace is a tranquility of Mind springing from the rectitude of our Actions Joy is from the Impression of the comforting Spirit Peace is an acquittance from Conscience but Joy in the Holy Ghost is an acquittance from God himself who is our Supream Judge is the beginning of that Endless Joy that he has prepared for them that love him Fifthly This intitles you to a future and a fuller reward for in chusing God you chuse him for the future as well as for the present in chusing the ways of God you chuse all that is intailed upon them and that is Life and Blessedness So says Wisdom Whoso findeth me findeth Life The Word sets before every one of us Life and Death as Moses did to that People of old Deut. 30.15 Now many chuse Death rather than Life for they chuse to please their Lusts and to gratifie their carnal Appetite and therein they chuse Death as Christ says All they that hate me love Death But he that chuses God and the Ways of God chuses Life and he shall have it he chuses Endless Felicity in another World and he shall never be disappointed O the benefit of chusing God and his Ways That is a Third Thing Fourthly The Chusing God and his Ways in our Youth is the only Means to Prevent or Cure the many Mischiefs that flow from our Neglect of it Days of Youth are Days of Folly now the Way to correct the Follies of Youth is to be Wise toward God Childhood and Youth are Vanity Now the Way to Cure this Vanity is to be Serious and Earnest about Eternity Youth is most apt to be carried away by the Power of Lust hence is that Counsel of the Apostle Flee Youthful Lusts and the proper Way to flee from them is to flee to God in Christ for Help and Strength against them Youth has a great Advantage against Sin had they but Wisdom to Improve this now in the Text. Now Sin is but Budding and therefore may the easier be Nipt now Corruptions are but Twigs and therefore may sooner be Lopt off now Lust is but Conceiving and therefore may more easily be Stifled in the Birth A green Wound is soon Cured but if it be let alone long it may turn to a Gangreen that may prove Incurable O my Brethren there is no Age so fit so suitable to the Nature of Religion as Youth is Religion is the Christian Race now who Chuses an old Man to run a Race It is called a Wrestling and who will call an old Man into the Ring that is ready to have his Heels tript up by his own Age It is called a Warfare and under the Law the Aged were Discharged from War to shew that it is the proper Work of Youth Religion is a Calling a High a Holy a Heavenly Calling Now Youth is the fittest Season for Chusing any Calling and therefore the Text bids us to Chuse the Heavenly Calling by Chusing God in the Days of our Choice The Chusing of worldly Things first shuts God out of our Thoughts and Sensual Objects quickly draw the Heart from God therefore you should Chuse God first that is the Fourth Thing Fifthly To name no more No Man knows how soon his Day of Grace may be past therefore he ought to Chuse God betimes The Seasons of your Closing with God are Arbitrary Salvation is not to be had when you will but when God will and God's Will is that you should seek after it now in your Youth God hath his set Time of finding Seek the Lord while he may be found Isa 55.6 And let me tell you if God's Time be once past though you seek him you will never find him They shall seek me Early but they shall not find me Prov. 1.28 I say this is the very thing that most perish upon their slighting of God's Time Esau he would have had the Blessing but alas he came too late he missed the Season Heb. 12.6 The Foolish Virgins would fain have entred in but when they should have entred their Oil was to Get and when they would have entred the Door was Shut