saying Consuetudo est altera natura Custom is another nature and of nature it 's no less true that the Poët saies Naturam expellas furcâ licèt usque recurret Drive awaie nature with a pitch-fork yet it will return It must then bee necessarily granted that it 's an hard thing for young men to reform their waies 3. Remember the four provocations to sin which S t Ambrose observ's in the Prodigal which are oft in other young men 1. His portion which enable's him to the committing of sin which if hee hath in his possession now hee is enabled to lewd living if hee hath it but in hope even this doth embolden him to wicked courses 2. His fathers indulgence by means whereof that is withheld from him by which hee should bee curbed and kept in aw namely severitie of discipline 3. His companie lewd young men like himself from whom hee shall not hear anie thing but evil counsel and encouragement to and in evil and disheartnings from the waie of obedience nor see anie thing but evil example which hath a strong power to corrupt 4. His youth in which there is heedlesness and inexperience In all which respects it cannot but bee a difficult matter for young men to reform their waies 4. If wee compare child-hood and youth together wee shall finde that childe-hood is far more easily kept in order and restrained from sin for 1. The age it self is weak and less acquainted with vice 2. It is fearful and stand's in aw 3. Commonly it is spent under som Aristarchus som severe and rigid School-master But now when young men have the reines cast upon their own necks wee are far more prone to grow wors then better And therefore David considering the difficultie of the business cast's about which waie it may bee effected Vse The thought of this is profitable both for them that have young ones committed to their care and for young ones themselvs 1. For them that have the care of youth committed to them Parents Masters School-masters Guardians Let the thought of this move them in pitie and compassion towards the young persons with whom they are put in trust to bee so much the more helpful to them Consider I beseech you 1. How necessarie it is for young ones to reform their waie Death is an impartiall officer not sparing any for their youth How many young men see wee daily taken out of this world and it 's woful to them and of sad consequence if death shall make a divorce between soul and bodie before a divorce bee made between them and their sins Rom. 6.21 Jam. 1.15 The issue of sin repentance not coming between is death And sin beeing perfected bring 's forth death not onely the first death the perfection of which is the separation of the soul from the bodie but also the second death the perfection of which is the casting of the sinner both in soul and bodie from God the fountain of happiness and his exclusion from everlasting happiness then which there is no greater loss nay none equal to it and the casting of him into hell and the torments of it which are endless easless and remediless Mar. 9. Matth. 25. where the worm never die's and the fire never goe's out even utter darkness where is weeping and wailing gnashing of teeth and wringing of hands and all for ever 2. How difficult a task this Reformation of waies is for young men how many hinderances there are in the wale of it and how many allurements they have to go on in their sinful courses And in both these respects bee yee readie to give them an helping hand do what lie's in you to reclaim them from their sins and so to prevent their everlasting undoing yee would readily think it your dutie to prevent any temporarie mischief towards them in their bodies or estates Know that the soul is far more excellent then either estate or bodie and therefore as yee would shew any love unto them bee specially careful to prevent the ruine of their souls by helping them in this great and difficult business the cleansing of their waies 2. For young men themselvs let not this difficultie of cleansing your waies dis-hearten you from attempting this business let it rather caus you more diligently to set about it It 's a true saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the things are commonly more excellent in which there is greater difficultie the difficultie therefore of this work and the opposition that Satan make's against it argue's the excellencie and usefulness of it I remember a passage of our learned Whitaker that it was an evident argument of speciall worth and goodness in Luther that the Jesuits were such bitter enemies to him as it 's an argument of good fruit on the tree when yee see boies throwing sticks at it so doth it argue the Reformation of young mens waies to bee specially excellent and useful that Satan doth so much oppose it and cast so many rubs in the waie By how much therefore Satan seek's more to hinder you in the cleansing of your waies by so much more beeing young applie yee your selvs to the doing of it To do easie things is no great matter of prais but to effect things in which wee finde difficultie and meet with opposition this is prais-worthie yea hoc aliquid est voluisse it 's somthing that wee would do it Yee therefore that are young men bee yee persuaded the more difficultie there is in it so much the more sedulously to endeavour the cleansing of your waies Labor to see what is amiss in them and use your best endeavours for the amendment of them And for your encouragement in this kinde consider what follow 's Though it bee difficult yet Propos 6. It 's possible for young men to reform and amend their waies It 's plain in the text It 's possible I saie but not by your own abilities nor by the strength of your own free-will for it 's a business above us it 's true that the Apostle saie's 2 Cor. 3.5 Wee have no sufficiencie as of our selvs so much as to think a good thought all our sufficiencie is of God And for this particular business in hand wee hear what repenting Ephraim said Turn mee and I shall bee turned Jer. 31. Cant. 1.4 and the Church Draw us and wee will run after thee But yet it is possible by the help of God's grace which use's not to bee wanting to them that set themselvs conscionably to the businesses which God hath enjoined unto them And the feasibleness of it appear's in this that it hath been effected in others as David Timothie c. what others have don wee may do by the help of the same grace of God by which they have effected it Vse 1. Let us not presume of our own strength in a business of this nature nor set up the Reformation of our waies as if of our selvs wee were
the particulars against persecution and slanders hear our Saviour comforting us Matth. 5.10 Blessed are they that suffer persecution for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven ver 11. Blessed are yee when men shall revile and persecute you and speak all manner of evil against you falsly for my Names sake ver 12. Rejoice and bee exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven for so they persecuted the Prophets which were before you Against the loss of all for the testimonie of a good Conscience Matth. 19.29 hear what hee saie's by waie of comfort Every one that shall forsake houses or brethren or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands for my names sake shall receiv an hundred fold and shall inherit everlasting life Against imprisonment hear that Rev. 2.10 Fear none of the things which yee shall suffer for the divel shall cast som of you into prison that yee may bee tried and yee shall have tribulation ten daies Bee thou faithfull unto death and I will give thee the crown of life Against the frowns and threatnings of men hear that comfort Matth. 10.28 Fear not them that kill the bodie and are not able to kill the soul are not two sparrows sold for a farthing ver 29. and one of them shall not fall to the ground without your father ver 30. But the very hairs of your head are numbered ver 31. fear not therefore yee are of more value then many sparrows Against the thanklesness of the world for the service which yee do 1 Cor. 15.58 hear the Apostle Knowing that your labor shall not bee in vain in the Lord. In a word against all afflictions to the suffering of which ye may bee exposed hear that ground of comfort 2 Cor. 4.17 Our light afflictions which are but for a moment Rom. 8.17 shall work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glorie ver 18. and that If so bee that wee suffer with him that is with Christ wee shall bee also glorified together for I reckon that all the afflictions of this present life are not worthie to bee compared with the glories that shall bee revealed in us Thus is the Word of God able to animate us against all those things that may dishearten us from the cleansing of our waie yea thus is it every waie usefull to help us in this business Vse 1. Let us bee thankful to God for that hee hath given us his Word so singularly useful in all kinds for the dispatch of so great a business and so necessarie as is the reforming of our waies A jewel it is of special price David in respect of that part of it which was then written which was the Pentateuch the five books of Moses could yet rais up himself and others to the praising of God Hee hath saie's hee shewed his Word unto Jacob Psal 147.19.20 his statutes and his judgments unto Israel Hee hath not dealt so with any nation and as for his judgments they have not known them and thence hee infer's Hallelu-jah Praise yee the Lord how much more have wee caus to bless the Name of our God who hath given us the sacred Canon perfect not onely the books of Moses as the Text but the writings of the Prophets as a Comment thereon nor onely the books of the Old Testament which were the New Testament veiled but also the books of the New Testament which are the Old Testament reveiled wee may much more saie Non taliter fecit Deus omni populo God hath not dealt so with other people how many great nations are there in the world to whom the Word of God hath not com they for want of it sit in darkness and in the region of the shadow of death but the light hath shined on us they are as Egypt under that plague of darkness Exod. 10.22.23 that might bee felt wee as the Israëlites in Goshen having light in their dwellings St Paul moving the question Rom. 3.1 What is the preferment of the Jews what is the benefit of circumcision presently return's answer Verily great every waie specially becaus the Oracles of God were committed unto them v. 2. how great then is our preferment What caus have wee then to bee thankful unto God 2. Let us all and do yee young men make use of the Word of God for this blessed purpose for the cleansing of your waies To this purpose wee see it 's profitable and for this end God hath afforded it to us to this purpose then let us make use of it that wee frustrate not God's exspectation and therefore 1. That wee may see what hath been amiss in our lives let us frequently compare our selvs with the Word of God and look our selvs in this Glass bring wee our words actions and thoughts to a privie search hereby It 's the counsel of the Prophet Lam. 3.40 Let us search and trie our waies and turn again to the Lord Repentance is necessarie as that without which it's impossible to bee saved Luke 13.3 for so our Saviour saie's Except yee repent yee shall all likewise perish would yee not perish repent but the searching of our waies is enjoined as subservient to the turning to the Lord implying that as Salvation is not atteinable without repentance so repentance is impossible without search of our waies Psal 119.59 and the same is implied in that speech of the Psalmist I considered my waies and turned my feet unto thy testimonies Oh then neglect not this business of the search of your waies Call to minde the thoughts of your heart the words of your mouth the works of your hands consider them whether they bee good or bad and to this end trie them by the touch-stone of the Word weigh them in this ballance of the Sanctuarie if yee finde them agreeable with this Word or not contrarie to it yee may conclude them to bee lawful and good but if they bee contrarie to it they are sinful and damnable this Word of God is a true and sure Glass that will represent things to us as indeed they are and will not deceiv us If wee stand to the verdict of our own imagination wee may bee deceived There is a waie saie's Solomon that is right in a man's eies Prov. 14.12 but the end thereof are the waies of death If wee stand to the verdict of men wee may bee deceived there are in the world flattering sycophants that for a meals meat having mens persons in admiration will call evil good darkness light bitter sweet praising those things which will prove bitter in the end and there are rigid censurers who will call good evil and light darkness and sweet bitter But if wee stand to the judgment of the Word of God wee cannot bee deceived by the consonancie of our words thoughts and actions with this Word
joie at the remembrance of them It 's thus with too many as with men who in their younger times have delighted in hunting whom therefore yee shall see beeing afterwards through age not able to follow the game yet to sit upon a style and to look after the dogs and crie after them So too many though through age they cannot follow the vices to which in their youth they were addicted yet glorie in and boast of the mad pranks of their youth this shew's plainly that they have not so much left their sins as their sins have left them Far bee it therefore from you that it should bee so with you rather think of the sins of your youth to bee filled with grief and horror for the same and to repent of them and to follow God with that request of David Remember not the sins of my youth Psal 25.6 2. To teach them to bee the more thankful to God if they have been kept from those vitious courses which they have seen in others Others have been drunkards riotous persons neglecters of Gods Word and Ordinances profaners of the Lord's Daie untrustie to their Masters hath it not been so with you sacrifice not to your own nets and yarns take it not to your selvs as if yee were able of your selvs to abstein from such vices for it 's no such matter it 's God that hath kept you from them let him therefore have the prais of it and give thanks to his Name for it 's a great favor and the greater by how much there are so many with whom God hath not dealt so mercifully But bee thankful also for the means by which yee have been kept from such misdemeanours thank God for the severitie of your parents masters teachers for the severitie of the Laws by which yee have been restreined from them thank God if hee hath kept you in order by the fear of hel-torments but especially if yee can finde that God hath seasoned your younger years with his grace and enabled you to abstein from sin out of an hatred of sin loathing sin as it is sin and a violation of God's righteous law now give prais to God especially as it is an incomparable favor 3. To teach them to bee the more circumspect over those young ones committed to their charge Parents over their children masters over their servants teachers over their scholars guardians over their pupils bee not wanting in your care for them remember their dangers in regard of that slipperie age in which they are and out of pitie watch over them remember what it is wherewith yee are put in trust not more the bodies then the pretious souls of your children servants scholars pupils even the souls for which Christ did shed his pretious bloud Know yee that are parents that your children are God's Children and yee are put in trust with them as if som subject should bee put in trust with a King's children and think how yee will bee able to answer it if they shall miscarrie through your fault or by your means and this is no less true in regard of any other inferiors servants scholars pupils If it bee but that they are other mens children that are put into your hands think how oft the life of the parents hang 's upon the wel-doing of their children and how can yee hold up your heads before them if they shall miscarrie by your means think how il yee would take it if yee shall commit your children to the care of other men and by their negligence they shall miscarrie and bee ruined and now yee know that rule of equitie What yee would that men should do to you Matth. 7.12 do yee the same to them Yea consider that the welfare of the Common-wealth for the future depend's upon the well-ordering of these young ones for the present what little thanks can yee exspect from your Countrie if yee shall neglect your charge Finally think what a sad thing it will bee to behold the miscarriage and undoing of comlie youths of good hopes of good abilities well bred well educated In all names I beseech you to look to your charge Bee not wanting in the use of any means for their good and for the preventing of their miscarriage It 's a true saying Qui non prohibet quando potest jubet Hee that forbid's not when hee may command's and wee may justly bee held to do that mischief which wee may hinder and do not hee is guiltie of the death of a childe that may hinder him from falling into the fire if hee doth not It 's no less true in this particular oh therefore let not your care bee wanting in this kinde prie into their carriage observ their behaviour and their companie which they haunt bee not unnecessarily absent from them let your eie as much as may bee bee continually upon them many hopefull youths have been undon for want of this care If yee see them given to any evil courses or evil companie admonish them of the danger of them If words will not prevail adde seasonable and necessarie correction Many are wrought upon with severitie with whom lenitie and gentleness prevail's not yet let it bee don with moderation not as tyrants but as fathers through excessive severitie come's no smal danger alienation of hearts from their superiors hardness of heart against means used towards them for their good yea oft hereupon they grow desperate At least take heed of poisoning them and perverting them an ill business this will prove what is it other then with your own hands to cast them into hell This yee may bee in danger to do either by putting them by your commands or allurements upon any evil projects or by your lewd and wicked example Take heed of both as yee love these young ones thus committed to your charge and as yee love your selvs Put them not upon any evil by your commands or allurements What they do upon your command or persuasion yee shall justly bee accounted to have done Joab at the appointment of David place's Vriah in a place of danger in the war against Rabbath 2 Sam. 11.15 17. and cause 's the rest to retire and this occasioned the death of Vriah and now not Joab so much as David is charged herewith God saie's to David by the Prophet Nathan Thou hast slain Vriah with the sword of the children of Ammon 2 Sam. 12.9 Take heed of giving them evil example of drunkenness swearing profaning of the Lord's daie contemt of God's Ministers how forcible examples of superiors are to draw inferiors to evil wee cannot bee ignorant though yee give them never so good counsel to the contrarie they are yet more readie to regard what yee do then what yee saie they believ their eies rather then their ears they readily think that if you were in good earnest in your counsels yee would not do the contrarie bee cautious therefore what examples yee give