Selected quad for the lemma: sin_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sin_n	bring_v	death_n	wage_n	3,944	5	10.7954	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02741	Tvvo treatises I. The purchase of Grace, shewing the excellency of Christ, and the graces of his spirit. II. The soules delight in Gods tabernacles, shewing the excellency of time, spent in duties of God's solemne service. Instances in the chiefe, viz. prayer, word, and sacraments. Motives and directions for right performance. Lastly, the chiefe usurpers of time discovered, with apt remedies against each of them. The contents of the booke are methodically exprest in the margent, which to the diligent reader may serve instead of a table. By William Harrison, Mr. of Arts, and minister of the Gospell at Canwicke neare Lincolne.	Harrison, William, minister at Canwick.	1639 (1639)	STC 12871; ESTC S103879	208,196	400

respect of God Himselfe 1. Not with God but without God in the world and without Christ according to that of the Apostle Eph. 2. 12. That at that time yee were without Christ being Aliens from the common-wealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world where the Apostle speaketh of the time that they had spent in the state of nature according to the Prince of the aire after the lusts of the flesh c. Ver. 2. 3. Now see how wofully and fearefully hee concludeth as touching all that time that is so spent namely That it is time spent without Christ without the Pale of the Church wirhout promise without hope and lastly without God in the world no time better spent then that time which is spent with God and therefore no worse time then that which is spent without God Thus Cain spent his time after hee had slaine his brother Abel He went out from the presence of the Lord saith the Text Gen. 4. 16. and this is a chiefe branch of the eternall punishment of the wicked in hell They shall bee punished with everlasting perdition from the presence of God saith the Apostle 2 Thes. 1. 9. Hereupon was that earnest and importunate sute of David Psa. 51. 11. Cast me not Lord out of thy presence to intimate untous what a woful thing it is to be without God or to be cast out of his presence 2. Time spent in the devils service in vicious courses is it not spent for God but against him not for his glory but to his dishonour Thou that boastest of the Law through breaking the Law dishonourest thou God saith the Apostle Rom. 2. 23. Time spent in the breach of Gods Law is spent unto Gods dishonour robbeth God of his honour and glory that is due unto him and therefore the worst spent time that can be Thirdly Time spent in sinning is not spent to Gods pleasure but the contrary it doth even provoke the eyes of his glory Isa. 3. 6. Their tongue and their doings are against the Lord to provoke the eyes of his glory yea the Lord is not only offended at it but even grieved and wearied with time so spent How can a child spend his time worse then in grieving and breaking the hearts of his loving Parents This is the very case of all those that spend time in vicious courses Observe it Isa. 7. 13. Is it a small thing for you to wearie men but yee will weary my God also O wofull thing to weary and grieve God with our sinfull courses Fortie yeares long was I grieved with this generation saith the Lord Psalm 95. 11. I am broken with their whorish heart which is departed from me Ezec. 6. 9. Yea his very heart is broken with the griefe of it as the Prophet speakes Ier. 23. 9. Yea the Lord is oppressed with our sinnes as a cart is pressed with sheaves it is the Holy Ghosts expression Amos 2. 13. Yea the Lord is so farre from being well pleased or delighted with it that on the contrary hee hateth and abhorreth it yea he smiteth his hands together in detestation of it I have smitten my hands at thy dishonest gaine saith the Lord Ezec. ●2 1● the Lord will not spare that man which so spendeth his time but his wrath and jealousie shall smoke against him to blot his name out from under heaven Deut. 29. 20. 1. It is the worst spent time that can be in regard of ourselves for there is neither profit nor credit nor safety nor pleasure nor comfort in it but the contrary to all these as is easie to manifest in sundry particulars 1. Time spent in the devils service is the worst spent because there is no profit in it a man is alwayes on the loosing hand now this is most evident that all sinfull courses are unfruitfull and unprofitable courses Have no fellowship with the unfruitfull workes of darknesse Ephesians 5. 8. All sinfull workes are both workes of darkenesse and unfruitfull workes hence that of the Apostle Rom. 6. 21. What fruite had ye in those things whereof yee are now ashamed Observe the confession and expression of every true penitent according to that wee reade Iob 33. 37. God looketh upon men and if any say I have sinned and perverted that which is right and it profited me not Every true convert is able to tell you out of his experience that all sinfull courses are unprofitable courses in conclusion for they loose Gods favour they loose their interest in Christ they loose the comfort of a good conscience they loo●e their soules Matth. 16. 26. and in a word they loose heaven these are the fruits of time spent in sinning Iudge then if all such bee not damned loosers in the end unlesse they repent speedily and turne to God Againe there is no true pleasure but vanity and vexation of spirit Take the sinne of uncleannesse which seemeth to have the most pleasure in it and you shall finde at last there is no pleasure in it but the gall of bitternesse In the end it biteth like a Serpent and ●urteth like a Cochatrice See a notable place for this purpose Pro. 5. where the Wiseman disswading from the sinne of uncleannesse Ver. 8. Remove thy way farre from her and come not nigh the doore of her house and then see what excellent arguments He useth to this purpose Verse 9. 10 11. Lest thou give thy honour to others and thy yeeres to the cruell there is losse of credit Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth c. there is losse of goods and outward estate Thus sinne bringeth beggery And thou mourne at last when thy flesh and thy body is consumed there is losse of pleasure and comfort and say How have I Oh how have I mispent my time in the service of sinne and Sathan Oh let us strive to see this in time and labour to prevent it Lastly there is no safety but death and danger in it for the wages of sinne is death Rom. 6. 2● The like I might say in regard of others but this is enough to prove that time spent in sinning is absolutely the worst spent time for body and soule Secondly For Humiliation Seeing time spent in Gods service is the best spent time This serveth to teach us what cause wee have even the best of us to be humbled that we have spent so little time in the duties of Gods service and have beene so lavish and prodigall of our precious time in other things For. 1. What a great deale of most precious time have we spent before our conversion before we spent in effect any time at all in Gods service All the time of our unregeneration hath beene utterly spent in the service of sin and Sathan wee were vassalls to the Prince that ruleth i● the ayre the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience Ephes. 2.

and faithfull servant because thou hast beene faithfull in a few things have thou authoritie over ten Cities Yea who must have the odde Talent but he that had ten before Ver. 24. And he sayd unto them that stood by Take the Talent from him and give it to him that hath ten Talents They said unto him v. 25. Lord he hath ten Talents i.e. he hath enough alreadie now observe the answer ver 26. For unto every one that hath shall be given c. He that hath most grace to spend most time in Gods service on earth shall have the greatest reward and the most glorie in heaven Oh therefore beginne betime to get grace that thou mayest have the more glorie in heaven Fifthly The sooner we beginne to spend time in Gods service the sooner shall we beginne to requite our Parents love and to affoord them comfort The childes well-doing is the Parents comfort Yea many Parents that are not so religious themselves rejoyce yet to see their children zealous and forward that way A wise Sonne maketh a glad Father sayth Salomon Prov. 10. 1. A wise Sonne that is a religious childe one that setteth himselfe to serve God in his youth he rejoyceth the heart of his Father But a foolish Sonne that is an ungodly Impe is the griefe of his Mother Vngodly children like a viperous brood do eate out the very hearts of their parents and doe stab their hearts with sorrow and heavinesse It is a strange speech of Salomon 17. 21. He that begetteth a foole that is an ungracious child for that is Salomons foole doth it to his sorrow and the Father of a foole hath no joy I marvaile not more that old Ely brake his necke with his fall at last then that his sonnes had not broken his heart long before with their vicious courses Oh let us therefore serve God in our youth that it may be a comfort to our Parents in their age Here is the fifth Benefit But besides the Vtilitie let us in the second place consider the Necessitie For besides the expresse charge that wee have from God to this purpose see the dangerous consequences and inconveniences that follow upon the neglect of it So that wee must needs doe it or we must doe worse Now the mischiefes that doe especially flow from the neglect of Gods service in our youth are principally five First If we doe not serve God in our youth we shall serve worse Masters sc. the Devill the world and the flesh He that serveth not God must serve the Devill it is unavoydable observe it Ephes. 2. 2. Wherein in times past ye walked according to the course of this world according to the Prince of the power of the ayre the Spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience But how came this to passe See Ver. 12. At that time yee were without Christ c. without God in the world He that is without Christ and without God will not nor cannot be without his lustes Vntill we become the servants of God we are all the vassals of Sathan and slaves to our own filthy lustes Titus 3. 3. For wee our selves were sometimes foolish serving diverse lustes and pleasures c. Loe our woefull Masters untill we set our selves to serve God Living in malice hatefull and hating one another sayth the Apostle there Yee cannot serve God and Mammon sayth our blessed Saviour Mat. 6. 24. As if he had sayd Yee cannot but serve one of them He that committeth sinne is the servant of sinne a wofull Master See what lamentable wages such Masters usually give their servants in the end The wages of sinne is death sayth the Apostle Rom. 6. 23. See then how necessary it is to serve God and that speedily for till then we must of necessitie serve wofull Masters for wofull wages But O the happinesse of such as spend time in Gods service Ver. 22. But now being made free from sinne and become the servants of God yee have your fruit unto holinesse and the end everlasting life There is excellent wages Secondly The longer we stay before we set our selves to serve God the more difficult and hard we shall finde it if we doe returne to God at last He that posteth the contrary way is still the farther from his journeys end and will have the lesse minde to returne Continuance in evill breedeth a custome in sinne which is not left without great difficultie Ier. 13. 23. Can the Aethiopian change his skinne or the Leopard his spots then may yee also doe good that are accustomed to doe evill It is exceeding difficult When a man hath gotten a custome of swearing or drinking or gameing how hard is it for such to be reclaimed A twig is easily dealt with which is immoveable if it grow till it become a tree How tractable was Joash in his youth but in his age intolerable He that was guided by Jehojada in his youth killed his sonne Zachariah afterward Much more he that is bad in his youth may be worse in his age Thirdly How just is it with God to reject them in their age which have rejected his service in their youth Men thinke any thing is good enough for God the rotten old age the blinde and the lame and the sicke but how much they are deceived the Prophet sheweth Mal. 1. Offer it now to thy Prince or thy Governour sayth the Lord would he accept it at thy hands Suppose that a Souldier should spend all his youth in service against his Soveraigne and then in his old age should offer his service to his Prince How justly might such a base offer be rejected Why should we spend the flower of our youth in vanitie and yet thinke that God should accept of us in our age He that runneth from God the greatest part of his life God may hide himselfe from him at his death witnesse Spira and the Kentish Apothecarie how wofully did God hide himselfe from them in death that had neglected his service in their life When the Father seeth the childe readie to play with every toy or feather and not to minde his way he steppeth behinde a bush and hideth himselfe a good while before the childe can finde him so dealeth God with his children Verely thou art a God that hydest thy selfe O God of Israel the Saviour Isa. 45. 15. If Gods children will walke so neare hell mouth the greatest part of their life no marvell if at the time of death the Lord take them by the heeles and make them beleeve he will throw them in So I conceive the Lord dealt with Spira and the Apothecarie I love them that love me sayth Wisedome and they that seeke me early shall finde me Pro. 8. 17. To intimate unto us that it is possible for a man to come too late There is a time when God will not be found as is intimated Isa. 55. 6. See an experiment of such as come

thus wee are children of wrath and in the state of nature as the Apostle sheweth Ephes. 2. 3. All the while wee live thus we can looke for nothing but the wrath of God to come upon us as it doth upon the children of disobedience as the Apostle speakes Ephesians 5. 6. The wrath of God is even revealed from heaven against such Romans 1. 18. See a notable place for this purpose in Romans 2. 8 9. But unto them that are contentious and doe not obey the truth but obey unrighteousnesse marke the condition of all such indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish upon every soule of man that doth evill upon the Iew first c. See here the estate of such as spend time in the devils service instead of Gods Secondly Consider that all such have cause to feare that God will deny to helpe and succour them when they stand in the most need of it and seeke for it with greatest earnestnesse If I regard wickednesse in my heart God will not heare my prayer saith David Psalme 66. 18. Yea we know that God heareth not sinners saith the blind man Iohn 9. 31. and therefore if God doe not heare wicked mens prayers in their extremities but lets them perish in their sinnes it is not for want of power or mercy in God but onely for want of piety and repentance in them according to that excellent place which wee have to this purpose in Isa. 59. 1 2. Behold the Lords hand is not shortned that he cannot save neither is his eare heavie that he cannot heare where is the fault then that you shall see in the next verse verse 2. But your iniquities have separated betweene you and your God and your sinnes have hid his face from you that he cannot heare Oh the wofull estate of all such as cry unto God in their extremities and are nothing at all regarded Yea God hath told them already that hee will not heare them observe it Proverbs 1. 28 29. Then shall they call c. that is in their extremity but I will not answer they shall seeke me early but they shall not finde mee because they hated knowledge and did not choose the feare of the Lord. Yea the Lord hath sent them word before hand that he will not helpe them Iob 8. 20. Behold God will not cast away a perfect man neither will hee helpe the evill doers saith the Text there O the wofull estate of all such when sicknesse comm●n or troubles come or death then they are glad to cry out Helpe Lord or else I am damned for ever Not I may the Lord say I will helpe no evill doers such as you are and therefore thou art now like to perish and dye in thy sinnes Iohn 8. 20. Yea the Lord is so farre from regarding the prayers of such people in such cases that he rather refuseth them see upon what warrant I speake it Proverbs 15. 8. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination unto the Lord. The sacrifice what is that Surely his prayers as appeareth by the Antithesis in that place for so it followeth But the prayer of the upright is his delight God hateth and abhorreth the prayers of all such as live in their sinnes and hate to be reformed Hee that turneh away his eare from hearing the Law even that mans prayer shall be an abomination saith the Wiseman Prov. 28. 9. O wofull estate If men had but eyes to see it and hearts to consider it aright the Lord takes no pleasure in the very best services which they can doe him And no marvell for in the third place So long as men live in their sinnes without repentance and spend time in the Devils service instead of Gods there is a direct and an expresse enmity betweene God and them If when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Sonne saith the Apostle Romans 5. 10. Yea especially those that live and goe on in their sinnes have just cause to be assured of this and that they shall smart for it accordingly See a place or two to this purpose Psalme 37. 20. But the wicked shall perish why so surely because they are Gods enemies And the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of Lambes easily melted into smoke shall they consume away Where we see first that the wicked are Gods enemies Secondly that they shall consume away like smoke and the fat of Lambes So in that Psalme for the Sabbath Psalme 92. 9. For lo thine enemies O Lord lo thine enemies shall perish and who are they that yee shall see in the same verse All the workers of iniquity shall bee scattered where we see both the description and the condition of wicked men They are Gods enemies there is their description dissipation and perishing there is their condition But above all to this purpose is that of Psalme 68. 21. God will surely wound the head of his enemies and the hairie scalpe of such a one as goeth on still in his trespasses O consider this ye that forget God and live in your sinnes lest God teare you in peeces and there be none to deliver you Psal. 50. 22. What estate can be more dangerous then an estate of enmity against God The adversaries of the Lord shall bee broken in peeces out of heaven shall be thunder upon them saith Hannah Samuel's Mother 1 Samuel 2. 10. Mee thinkes I have said enough if effectuall to afright men out of their service of sinne and Sathan especially if I shall adde but one thing more which shall be the fourth and the last remedy that I purpose to propound Fourthly Therefore consider that the devill is the worst master that any man can serve and giveth the most wofull and accursed wages What baser Master then the devill that great red Dragon Revelations 12. 12. That roaring Lion that goeth about continually seeking whom he may devoure A murtherer from the very beginning Iohn 8. 44. and the most damnable liar that ever was yea the very father thereof What baser Master then the Devill Yea and see what base wages he giveth Romans 6. 23. For the wages of sinne is death spirituall temporall and eternall both the first and the second death They that spend time in the devils service must goe to hell with the Devill for company Psalme 9. 17. The wicked shall be turned into hell and all that forget God They are utterly deceived that thinke to live like devils upon earth and yet for all that become glorious Saints in heaven when they dye that thinke they shall get into the new Ierusalem hereafter without being New Creatures for the present No no God hath revealed the contrary already as is evident Revel 22. 14 15. Blessed are they that doe his Commandements that spend time in Gods service for they shall enter in through the gates into the City of the new Ierusalem But without shall be dogges and Inchanters and Whoremongers and

of age Fly the lustes of youth sayth the Apostle 2 Tim. 2. 22. There are certaine lustes which men are most subject unto in time of youth yea these lustes are noysome and dangerous and fight directly against the soule Abstaine from fleshly lusts which fight against the soule sayth another Apostle 1 Pet. 2. 11. These many times lye heavie upon the conscience of the best in time of age Hearken how holy David cryeth out Psal. 25. 7. Remember not the sinnes of my youth sayth that good man He knew what a wofull case he should be in if God should call him to account for the sinnes of his youth and yet doubtlesse he was a godly man even from his youth see what he sayth of himselfe Psal. 71. 5. Thou art my hope O Lord God thou art my trust even from my youth yea he was taught of God from his youth ver 17. Yea marke what the Lord himselfe sayth of him even in his youth 1 Sam. 13. 14. The Lord hath sought him a man after his owne heart He was a man after Gods owne heart yet cryeth out of the sinnes of his youth So consider Iob by the Lords owne testimony an incomparable man A man that feared God and eschewed evill yet see how he cryeth out of the sinnes of his youth Iob 13. 26. Thou writest bitter things against me and makest me to possesse the sinnes of my youth and yet he was religious and mercifull even in his youth see what he could speake of himselfe Iob 31. 18. where speaking of the widow and fatherlesse For from my youth he that is the fatherlesse was brought up with me as with a Father and I have guided her that is the widow from my mothers wombe Now marke it I pray you are the sinnes of youth thus bitter to such as David and Iob such godly persons What will they then be to them that draw iniquitie with cords of vanitie and sinne as it were with a cart-rope They must needs feele and finde one day that it is an evill thing and bitter to forsake the Lord and that his feare is not in them in their youth as the Lord himselfe speaketh Ier. 2. 19. They that have taken great paines and toyled and moyled in their youth are apt to cry out of Stitches and Aches in their age this is the very case of such as take great paines in the service of sinne and Sathan in their youth they will cry out of the bitternes of it in their age As Abner sayd to Ioab they will finde it bitternesse in the later end Thus wise Salomon disswadeth the yong man from whoredome Pro. 5. 8. Come not nigh the doore of her house Why so 1. Lest thou give thine honour to others and thy yeares to the cruell thy credits gone ver 9. yea and thy profit too Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth and thy labours be in the house of strangers it will emptie thy house of wealth c. But this is not all It will be bitternes in the end ver 11. Lest thou mourne at last and say How have I hated instruction c i.e. How have I mis-spent my precious time and neglected the service of God in my youth Now the way and chiefe meanes to prevent this is to set our selves to serve God even in our youth for this will bring sweetnesse and comfort in time of age Oh what an happinesse when a man can say with Paul Act. 23. 1. I have lived in all good conscience unto this day Or with the young man Mark 10. 20. All this have I kept from my youth See the respect that our Saviour had to him for this Then Iesus beholding him loved him He even loved him in some sort for his externall obedience how much more will he love them that truely and sincerely love and serve him Ich. 14. 21. 23. He that hath my Commandements and keepeth them is he that loveth me and he that loveth me shall be beloved of my Father and I will manifest my selfe to him yea my Father will love him and wee will come and make our abode with him O happie Companie what greater comfort It is heaven upon earth in stead of the bitter sinnes of youth we shall have fellowship with the Father and with his Sonne Iesus Christ sayth the Apostle 1 Ioh. 1. 3. Thirdly Time spent sincerely in Gods service in our youth will make us constantly religious in our age I know indeed that some that have seemed Saints in youth have proved devils in their age As Ioash c. but they did but seeme so they had onely a forme of godlinesse but denyed the power of it 2 Tim. 3. 5. But such as are truely and sincerely religious in youth will be constant in age that is the right propertie of a tree of Righteousnesse Psal. 92. that Psalme for the Sabbath day vers 13. 14. They that be truely planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the Courts of the house of our God They shall still bring forth fruit in their old age they shall be fat and flourishing To the same purpose is that speech of Salomon Pro. 22. 6. Traine up a childe or Catechise in the way he should goe and when he is old he will not depart from it Loe the benefit of a religious education in youth He that spendeth time in Gods service in his youth will hardly neglect it in his age He that is a Tymothy in his youth for the most part proveth a Mnaason an old Disciple in his age Act. 21. 26. An heart seasoned with the true feare of God in a mans youth will make him that he shall not depart from God when he is old Salomon indeed fell foulely and dangerously in his age but returned to God by repentance at last as is evident by his booke of Ecclesiastes yea see what warrant we have to thinke thus Ier. 32. 40. And I will put my feare in their hearts that they shall never depart from me He that once truely feareth God departeth not from him Fourthly The more time we spend and the more paines we take in Gods service in our youth the more comfort shall we have for the present and the more glorie hereafter this addeth still more weight and massinesse to our crowne of glory in heaven The small paines that we take in Gods service though in comparison they be but as for a moment yet worke unto us an eternall and exceeding weight of glory as the Apostle speakes 2 Cor. 4. 17. O how this should perswade us to beginne betimes The sooner wee beginne to spend time in Gods service the more time shall we spend in it and reape the more glory hereafter This is evident by that Parable of the Talents The more Talents we have and the better we employ them the more glorie in heaven See what is sayd to him that had five Talents well improved Luk. 19. 17. Well done thou good

too late and were rejected Pro. 1. 28 29. Then shall they call but I will not answer they shall seeke me early but shall not finde me Why so Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the feare of the Lerd See what it is to put off the service of God to the last Let Esau admonish every one of us to beware of comming too late Heb. 12. 16 17. Lest there be any fornicator or prophane person as Esau who for one morsell of meate sold his birth-right Why so For yee know how that afterward when he would have inherited the blessing he was rejected for he found no place of repentance though he sought it carefully with teares He that prophanely preferreth a messe of pottage before a birth-right is justly rejected when he would inherit the blessing He that hateth to be reformed in his youth is very likely to be rejected in his age Because I called and yee refused sayth Wisedome Pro. 1. 24. I will therefore laugh at your destruction and mocke when your feare commeth ver 26. He that laugheth Wisedome to scorne when she reproveth is justly derided of Wisedome in his greatest extreamitie Fourthly If a man were sure to escape this mischiefe and that he should certainly be accepted of God at last if he doe repent yet a man is not sure that he shall or can repent Repentance is the gift of God as well as remission of sinnes so that as none can be pardoned unlesse he repent so none can repent but those to whom it is given If God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth sayth the Apostle 2 Tim. 2. 25. He that is so often called to repentance in his youth and neglecteth it God may justly deny to give him repentance in his age Except yee repent yee shall perish sayth our Saviour Luk. 13. 5. and except God give it you cannot repent Oh therefore whilest God calleth to repentance and offereth the meanes embrace it lest yet be denyed it afterward Men may dye three wayes at last without repentance which have rejected it which have rejected it in time of their youth First They may dye suddainely 1 Thes. 5. 3. When they shall say peace peace then shall suddaine destruction come upon them c. Or else secondly They may dye desperately at least in their owne sense and feeling as Cain and Judas Or thirdly They may dye sullenly and sottishly like Naball Qualis vita finis ita 1 Sam. 25. Bruitish in life and bruitish in death after God smote him his heart dyed within him and he was even like a stone he had a long time to repent in but he wanted an heart his heart was dead within him and he was like a stone If a man were sure to repent at last and that his repentance should surely be accepted he might the farre more safely deferre and put off his repentance and serving of God till age or death but a man can be sure of neither of these for as true repentance is never too late so late repentance is seldome true sayth St. Augustine And againe He that alwayes giveth mercy to the penitent doth not alwayes give repentance to them that aske it To day if yee will heare his voyce harden not your hearts sayth the Psalmist Psal. 95. 7. As if he had sayd if yee reject or neglect to heare the voyce of God to day your hearts may be so hardened that yee cannot heare it to morrow Say not to thy neighbour goe and come againe to morrow sayth Salomon Pro. 3. 28. How much lesse is it meete to be said unto a God when he commeth unto thee and wooeth thee to give him thy heart Pro. 23. 26. My Sonne give me thy heart put him not off till to morrow thou knowest not what a day may bring forth therefore boast not of to morrow thy heart may be farther of from God to morrow then it is to day Oh therefore what thou resolvest to doe doe it speedily the sooner the better He giveth twice that giveth quickly He that will not serve God in his youth is in danger not to serve him at all and looke how thou doest thy worke so assure thy selfe God will pay thee thy wages and the Proverbe is often true An old naught will never be ought Fifthly It is a dangerous thing to neglect the service of God in the time of our youth and to mis-spend it in the service of sinne and Sathan Let no man say it is no matter for youth no great matter for children what they say or doe O yes brethren it is very materiall he that sinneth in his youth unlesse he repent is like to smart in his age It doth not extenuate our sinnes but aggravate them rather that they are the sinnes of our youth See how ironically the Wise-man speaketh to the riotous young man in Eccles. 11. 9. Rejoyce O young man in thy youth c. But remember that for these things God will bring thee to judgement This was one thing that aggravated the sinne of Sodome that young and old were guiltie of it they were generally beastly and filthy both young and old Gen. 19. 4. Did at any whit excuse or extenuate the sinne of Eli's sonnes that they were young men No it did aggravate it rather 1 Sam. 2. 17. Wherefore the sinne of the young men was very great before the Lord sayth the Text. An odious thing for a young man to be old in wickednesse for a young man to be an old drunkard or an old adulterer c. that is a man of a long standing in viciousnesse doth aggravate the sinne very much Yea God cannot endure prophanenesse no not in children and therefore let no man say it is no matter for children how prophane they be or how ungracious no matter if they be mockers and swearers c. O yes beloved God is a God of such pure eyes that he hateth prophanenesse even in children See an experiment of this in those children that mocked the old Prophet Elisha 2 King 2. 23 24. As he was going up by the way to Bethel sayth the Text there came forth little children out of the Citie and mocked him saying Goe up thou bald-head Goe up thou bald-head now see the event of this The old Prophet turned backe and looked on them and cursed them in the Name of the Lord and there came forth two shee Beares out of the wood and tare fortie and two children of them God will not suffer the prophanenesse of children to goe unpunished O how much better had it beene for these children that they had been employed in the worship and service of God that the Prophet might have blessed them in the Name of the Lord Now the estate of all that neglect the worship and service of God is a most cursed estate whether they be young or old For cursed are all they that erre from Gods