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A30623
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Good instrvctions for all youngmen and maids being the substance of an excellent sermon preached at St. Stevens Colmanstreet the 8 day of March 1641 : at the earnest request of divers youngmen and apprentices at a solemne thanksgiving and celebration of a fast / by Samuel Burrowes.
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Burrowes, Samuel, 17th cent.
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1642
(1642)
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Wing B6135; ESTC R14376
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6,225
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16
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GOOD INSTRVCTIONS For all Youngmen and Maids Being the substance of an excellent Sermon preached at St. Stevens Colmanstreet the 8. day of March 1642. At the earnest request of divers Young-men and Apprentices at a solemne Thanksgiving and celebration of a Fast By that most worthy DIVINE Mr. Samuel Burrowes The Text being Psal. 148. 12. 13. Young men and maids old men and children praise ye the name of the Lord Published for the generall good by me R. H. Printed at London for T. B. and are to be sold at his shop in the Old Baily 1642. Good Instructions for all Young-men and Maids Psal. 148. 12. 13. Young men and maids old men and children praise ye the name of the Lord HEre is a Psalme fully made up of praise and it being a day of praise I frame my meditations onely to praise this day It is not long since I knew of it and then being asked by these godly young men for this Oration I had no power to deny them And besides I conceive that it is matter of great prayse to see so many yong ones to desire a day of praise and to set it apart to God alone This mercy doth deserve a day of prayse And besides I would not be willing to quench the least sparke that is kindled in any one that is here And besides this I do heare they are very well given and that they doe much frequent the Fasts and our Humiliations and doe not give themselves to prophanenesse as others And these were the reasons that I could not deny their requests and the reasons that made me chuse this Text Well then this Psalme is a song of praise From hence learne this choice point Doct. 1. That in the consorts of all Creatures praysing God young men praising him doe make sweet melody in his eares and God taketh most delight in it Reason 1. The first reason of this point is this The prayses of the young ones are joyned to the joyes of heaven for out of the mouthes of babes and sucklings God hath ordained praise See Matth. 21. 15. 16. that place is very remarkable For first see there how the children cryed Hosannah when Christ came to whip out the buyers and sellers out of the Temple Marke so it was with us For wee had buyers and sellers in our Temples that bought and sold mens consciences at their will They were earthly buyers but they are whipped out and now the children are crying Hosannah and I verily beleeve that this day was partly kept for the whipping out of those our buyers Many worthy Divines have observed that it was a great miracle that Christ did to whip out those sellers seeing they knew him to be a poore man son the sonne of Ioseph But you may see there they were sore displeased even as our Scribes are at this present Reason 2. The second reason is this God hath purchased their praise When the young men shall praise God what a shame will it be to our old men but no marvell for God hath purchased their praise There was a young man that came to Christ and he loved him and that may encourage you to come to Christ For I say all you that are here this day with an upright heart Christ doth come and looke on you and love you dearly Oh he loveth your first fruits And that you may see hee loveth your first fruits see in the 7. of Micah vers. 1. that place doth allude to our purpose God doth love the first fruits of young men even as our Ladies doe love the first fruit of the earth as Cherries and such like God is much delighted in your first fruits See Hosea 9. 10. God doth delight in budding fruits See for proofe in Levit. 2. 15. and in Deut. 26. 6 7. and in Deut. 19. 14. and in Nehemiah 10. 35. and in Exod. 15. 13. and in Deut. 8. 4. and Levit. 2. 4. These are the severall places that may be seene that God will have the first fruits God will not have young men to stay and say they are not able to serve him no he will be are with them and theire weaknesses you must come in God will not have you stay till you be full ripe but will have you come in in green care But some may say what should yong men goe to God yet for let them stay till they haue more wit but I say God he doth call them and not only that but he stands much upon it because it pleaseth him well and besides God doth not only call for our first fruits but for the first of our first fruits as in 23 of Exod. and 19. Some may say God shall have yong dayes and I will serve him but it shal be when I am out of my time or when I am free but I say it must be whilst thou art a prentice whilst thou art 78 or 10 years old do not deferte it Againe as you must come to God in your young years see then how you must come You must come soberly be sure of that as in the 13 of Exod. and soe in the 18 of Numb. and 26 and againe there must be a day set apart to doe it in as in the last place you may see it plaine It is not a thing to be slighted but to be much regarded You must set a time apart to meete the Lord as this day you haue a great time and opportunitie and when you goe home goe to God and say as in the 26. of Deut. and 4. goe and tell God that you haue beene seeking his promises that he made to your forefathers and that you have found that they are fulfilled and you have beene praysing his name this day and goe and tell God thou hast a poore father and mother in the country that is in the Egyptian darknesse and in blindnesse and blesse God that thou art otherwise this day but let this be by thy selfe all alone againe when you doe offer up your first fruits do it cheerfully willingly and reverently Reason 3. The third reason is this that when grace doth fully meet with a sweet nature when the sweetnesse of grace doth meet with the sweetnesse of nature then doth arise a deale of glory to God for grace is most sweet to a soule that is not full of bitternesse truely there is a great deale of pitty to bee had of one that hath a sweet nature and no grace added to it but I have greater hopes of you Reason 4. But for the fourth reason and that is this that the time of youth is the fittest and most choisest time for to give God your hearts in and to that purpose see Eccl. 12. 1. Christ doth come a wooing to you this day to come to him because it is the fitest time for him for now you are strong and quick and full fed remember thy Creator in the daies of thy youth Reason 5. There doth a great deale of honour rise to
God by the truth of grace in them grace manifested fully a cloth can never be so well died in the cloth as it is in the wooll just soe with us I remember a story of Hannibal who was a mightie enemy of Rome and why was it but because his father made him sweare when he was nine yeares old that hee should be her utter enemy and he remembring that his young oath made him to keep it so strictly So let us doe in this case in this our day and so performe them all our daies Reason 6. But a sixt reason God doth see them very eminent in their youth it is like to be the better harvest when the seed is sowen betimes there was never no notorious men for God in all the Scriptures but those that did begin betimes as Ioseph and David and Daniel an old man may come to heaven but not bee eminent for Gods glory as you young men may be Iust like a young tree in the setting a yong plant may meet with many rubs and many a shake but if it bee not pulled up it will grow still So you young men may have the divell come and shake and trouble you but not pull you up If so then thou maist come to be a flourishing tree Reason 7. But a seventh reason why God doth take delight in young men is this that by the working of grace in you it doth incourage old men it may bee thou hast a father or mother or master that is in blindnesse it may make them looke about them to see thee so gratious it may make them say Lord my son or daughter can discourse of heaven and knoweth that that I never knew in all my life and I am thus old and am yet blind and in ignorance and this may be another reason Reason 8. But another reason why God would have you come to him because thereby there will be a world of sinne prevented which if that we should goe on in sinning we might justly bee called young boyes and children and old and antient sinners but if we serve God while wee are young then all drunkennesse and swearing and Sabbath breaking and lying is all prevented but if we goe on in sinne then we may at length beare the reproach of our youth as it was with Ephraim A naturall aged mans bones is filled with sinne so that if you would come and aske an old man what he would have I will warrant you he will cry out to be delivered from the sinnes of his youth of his prentiship oh then a world to have them away Reason 9. But an other reason there will bee a great hope of a succession of godly ones for after ages God taketh delight that you should come in because thereby there might bee a continuance of his name from one Generation to another see in Psal. 72. 11. 17 The Lord doth love a land when he seeth a many Towers up even as a gardner loyeth to see his garden furnished with dainty flowers I am perswaded the Lord hath amany flowers that is growing in this City and in this land this being an other reason why God would have you come in to him in your young daies Reason 10. But for another reason and that is this that in a young mans comming to God there is the great power of God seen in their selfedeniall for there is a world of selfedeniall in it if wee consider how all manner of pleasure doth invite them and they to deny it it is a great kindnesse they offer to God to deny all for him see Ieremiah 2. 2. for any man to leave all to goe to God it is such a thing as God will thanke thee for and it is a great selfe deniall so in the first Epistle of Iohn 2. 14. having shewed you the reasons of the point why God taketh such delight in young ones now let me give you some incouragements to this worke at this time Incouragement 1. Hast thou given or wilt thou from this time give thy heart to God and tender thy first fruits then happy and blessed art thou and thou art the great hopes of our labours and you are great incouragers of us to goe into our studies because we see there is a yong generation that will receive it of us Incouragement 2. Againe you in your going to God will bee a great helpe and incouragement to other parishes Incouragement 3. Againe you are heere this day praysing God blesse God for it for you might have beene now a swearing and drinking amongst the wicked of the world therefore bee incouraged at this your happinesse and blesse God for it Incouragement 4. But besides yong men hath God given any of you good Parents or Masters that taketh care for your good education then bee incouraged by these mercies to the worke I remember a story of Austin that hee saith his mother was more troubled at the second birth of her sonne then at the first Oh mothers is it so with you for your children consider will it not bee a glorious thing to have the fruit of thy wombe to come and have a crown of glory on and sit the next to Christ in heaven Objection 1. But some may say what shall I doe if I have wicked Parents or if my Master be wicked or the like for answer let me perswade thee to be incouraged and blesse God that thou art pulled out of the divels hands it is no matter if thou bee singuler and if thou doest light in a wicked family labour to bring them home to God Incouragement 5. Againe thou maiest be taken away whilst thou art young and greene therefore let this move thee to make fast worke whilst thou maiest and then if God come to cut thee off then thou maiest become a young branch fit to adorne heaven if God call thee to worke in the morning of thy daies fall to work and then if God call thee away about 9. or 10. a clock in the morning it is no matter thou shalt be sure of thy wages be not fearfull of that nor bee not discouraged to thinke of a hard winter but goe forward still and know that the choisest flower may meete with some winter but after a while it will be past and then thou mayst become a glorious flower when as a wicked man in the same winter shall be so crushed as he shall never rise againe Incouragement 6. Againe to incourage you you may see how Christ doth love you in giving such a charge to his Ministers as he did to Peter three times together feed my sheepe as in the last of Iohn Objection 2. But some of you yong men may aske me what shall we prayse God for this day seing wee are met to praise God I tell you blesse God that you are alive this day to enjoy such an opportunity as this day is and praise God that you have a heart to praise God and praise God for the greene mercies wee daily hope for praise God for our sensible mercies that we plainly see for a while agoe wee could hardly see the mercies of God with us only by a narrow way but now we may see them plainly therefore praise God Againe let us praise God because God is going to make Jerusalem a praise on the earth and be sure you yong men praise God because you may see it in your daies you may see Christ raigne nay you may bee great instruments of bringing the same glory see Isal. 8. 2. and there you may see that out of the mouthes of babes God will still the enemies and avenger and wee by experience may so speake this day for our enemies mouthes are stopped this day at this our day of praise Againe praise God that you are here this day and not amongst the Idols or Masse to the which wee were very neere crept wee were under hard taskmasters but now blesse God they are under us But now for some directions to you all and so to end 1. First then be truly humbled for this your duty this day and doe not rest in it as to thinke you did better then many a one did not so I pray you but be humble 2. Secondly be not puffed up for Paul he would not have a Minister to be a novice because of being puffed up for it is a rare thing to have a gratious heart and an humble heart together that is it the world would fain see in you to be proud and stout but I pray you deceive them all in the 〈…〉 young men are bid to be sober minded so bee you all that are here this day 3. Againe be sure you doe not neglect your calling I would not have the men of the world to have that claw against you but I would have you all so behave your selves after this day as your Fathers or Masters should say you were mended in all your actions and words and behaviour wonderfully and that they should say you have beene the better since you came amongst these Puritans and that they will never hinder you from going among them more I would have them say that from this very day you have beene gratious 4. Againe bee sure thou art freed from the lusts of the flesh for that will bee stealing on thee do what thou canst it may be this very night if thou takest not heed 5 Againe doe all that you doe orderly not tumultuously as I here in some measure you doe 6. Looke in the first Epistle of Iohn 5. 21. there Iohn bids you keepe from Idols so doe I perswade you all for wee are inclining to that sinne 7. Lastly you young men that are here this day have much ingaged your selves to God and if any of you should now turne away from God and walke stubbornly and scornfully I tell you whosoever you bee the curse of God will follow you and if you see any that doe fall away bee sure you labour to get them in againe but if there bee any such here as will not bee wrought upon by faire meanes nor foule I tell thee it were better for thee that thou wert dashed in peeces in this place before ever thou doest goe out from hence to scandalize this holy profession and way of godlinesse FINIS