do it when you are deprived 3. Your danger is in respect of the uncertainty of Gods working by the Means though he should continue them unto you the winde blowes where and when it listeth In youth you may feel the sweet breath of the Spirit moving upon your hearts if you do not hoist up sail when you have a fair wind possibly you may never have such a winde again as long as you live God may swear in his wrath that his Spirit shall no longer strive with you God calleth upon you when you are young if you refuse you may hereafter call and cry and seek and knock and not be heard or answered and the door be shut up against you for ever See Prov. 1. 24. to the 31. Mic. 3. 4. Zacb. 7. 11 12 13. We read of Esau's weeping for the blessing to no purpose and the foolish Virgins going to buy Oyl when it was too late and our Saviour telling Jerusalem that their day was spent and the things which belonged to their peace were hid from their eyes There are many that neglect the things of Gods Kingdom when they are young that have their day of grace set upon them before their lives be half spent God doth leave off calling and the Spirit doth leave off working and they are given up to a judiciall hardness as Act. 28. 26 27. The time of youth then is the most safe time Hearken then O ye young men and be perswaded in this your day to minde the things which belong unto your peace and to seek Gods kingdom and righteousness Seek this first that is timely before other things and that you may seek so as to obtain SECT VI. 2. You must seek Gods Kingdom and Righteousness First that is Chiefly and above other things These things must have the chief of your study and care and labour you must make it your business and look upon it as your chief business if business about the world have more of your time because of your engagements in your particular callings yet this should have more of your care and heart Better miscarry in any business than in this business better miss of an Estate than miss of Gods Kingdom better be a poor begger than remain a guilty sinner better the body be cloathed with rags than the soul be without the white robes of Christs Righteousness better the body were starved than to have the soul damned the greatest poverty and misery in this life which can befall you is not to be compared with the eternal misery of Hell which in the neglect of the duty of the Text you cannot escape And suppose you should gain the whole world what is that in comparison with the gain of the Crown of Glory what is earthly riches compared with heavenly treasures 1. The worth then of Gods Kingdom which is an Inheritance beyond any purchase except that of the blood of Christ and the excellency of this Righteousness which when it is imputed doth bring with it pardon of sin the favour of God the peace of Conscience and sometimes the unspeakable joyes of the Holy Ghost which the whole World were you possessed with it could not procure Where this Righteousness is imparted it doth include all the graces of the Spirit which are the choicest Jewels the chiefest Ornaments the best Riches the least measure of which is of more worth than ten thousand worlds and will stand you in more stead in a dying hour and be of only signification and advantage when you come forth of the body and appear naked stripped quite naked and bereaved of all earthly enjoyments before the Judgement-seat of God I say the worth and excellency of Gods Kingdom and righteousness should move you to seek after it above all other things 2. The necessity of this Kingdom and Righteousness should further stirr you up to employ herein your chief care It is the Unum Necessarium the One thing necessary other things you may have and you may be without but you must have a title to Gods Kingdom or else you cannot be happy you must have Gods Righteousness imputed and imparted or else the guilt of sin will remain and you will continue servants and slaves to sin and cannot escape the punishment of sin the dreadfull and eternal punishment of sin in Hell There is a necessity of the thing and there is a necessity of seeking it chiefly or else you are not like to obtain especially if you consider 3. The difficulty of obtaining it is no easie thing to get to Heaven you must labour if you would enter into this Rest Heb. 4. 11. you must strive if you would enter in at the strait gate because many shall seek to enter in and shall not be able Luk. 13. 24. You must take the Kingdom of Heaven by violence if you would take it at all Matb 11. 12. not as if there were opposition from within for God is willing to entertain you the Lord Jesus is ready to set open the door before you the Spirit is ready to help you but there is opposition about the walls as it were of the place Sathan he buildeth Forts and strong Holds and casteth forth his fiery darts to drive you off when you make any attempt this way You will meet with opposition from the Devil and the World and chiefly from within your selves when you do in good earnest set your faces towards Heaven therefore you had need labour and strive and make it your chief care and business to get into this Kingdom You are in a Sea as it were where there are waves of trouble beating upon you a tide of inward corruptions working against you and a boisterous winde of temptation to carry you back you had need to row hard if you will get to the Haven You are travelling in the narrow path where there are many by-paths and many enemies to oppose you you had need look well to your way to get on the spiritual Armour and fight the good fight of Faith if you would obtain the Crown at the end of your way and at last lay hold on Eternal Life To conclude let me exhort you so to seek that you may finde so to run that you may obtain so to fight that you may overcome that after all your travail and pains you may sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of God 1 JOH 2. part of the 14 Verse I have written unto you Young Men because ye are strong and the word of God abideth in you and you have overcome the wickea one THE Author or Penman which was employed in writing this Epistle was John the Beloved Disciple The chief subject of this Epistle or duty which herein he exhorteth unto is Love Love to God and Love one to another The Persons to whom he writes this Epistle are all Believers in the general and particularly according to the three Ages of Men he dedicateth his Epistle unto Fathers unto Little
are strong Marvellous is the strength and power of grace in some young ones who have been sanctified betimes whereby they have been enabled to do him some notable service in the world In youth as the Body is most strong and active so the Soul is most vigorous and lively and therâ—…fore most fit to be employed by the Lord. Seâ—…k then Gods Kingdom and Righteousness in the time of Youth because this is the most acceptable time God is best pleased therewith 2. The time of youth is the most seasonable time There is a time for all things saith Solomon Eccl. 5. 1. The time of youth is the most sâ—…asonable time to seek the Kingdom of God There are four things requisite in seeking Gods Kingdom to all such as would obtain it 1. The Breaking of the heart for sin 2. The Breaking of the heart from sin 3. The Opening of the heart to Christ. 4. The Furnishing of the heart with Grace The time of Youth is most seasonable for all 1. You must get your heart broken for sin if ever you would enter into the Kingdom of Heaven you must mourn for sin here or weep for sin for ever you must sowe in tears if you would reap in joy The time of youth is most seasonable for this your sorrow is like to be loss heavy and more kindly The heart hath a natural hardness but if it hath got a contracted hardness it will with more difficulty be broken if ever it be broken Custom in sin will take away sense of sin and if you continue in the practice of sin you will feel a senselesness and stupidity grow upon your spirit and Conscience more tender and timorous at first by degrees will grow feared as with a hot Iron and be past feeling Bring your hearts therefore now under the hammer of the Word that they may be broken the longer you deferre the harder you will finde it to repent 2. You must get your hearts broken from sin you must turn from your evil wayes otherwise iniquity will be your ruine The longer you continue in sin the harder it will be to leave sin custom will be a second nature to you the changing whereof will be like changing the skin of the Aethiopian and taking away the spots of the Leopard When sin is rooted and riveted in you if so be you should turn from it it will be with unexpressible tearings and divulsions of spirit It is a hard thing to irradicate old habits which at first in the tender years may be done with more ease Therefore Dear young ones labour to get sin rooted out of your hearts betimes Get sin mortified before it hath got too much life and strength oppose sin before it hath got too much head and power which you may do with more facility and success 3. You must open your hearts and give entertainment unto Christ if you ever expect to have the gate of Heaven opened unto you and to be entertained by Christ in his Kingdom Such as shut the door of their hearts against Christ when they are young will finde if Christ doth not withdraw and leave knocking that the door will be faster bolted and barred within against him the longer you hold it out the more will Sathan strengthen the Fort against Christ and more easily beat off whatever assaults are made upon you by the Word and Spirit Christ will come in most willingly to them that open to him presently and the match will quickly be made up if in youth you hearken to the motion Let me beseech you therefore my dearly beloved young ones to open the door to Christ without any further delay by me he standeth now and knocketh for entertainment what answer shall I return that you have harboured lusts there where his lodging should be and would not part with them that you put me off till a further day untill you had a little longer tasted the sweets of sin O take heed of such carriage of heart towards Christ Qui non est hodie cras minus aptus erit if you be not willing to open to Christ now you will be more unwilling to morrow do it then presently may I be instrumental to joyn the Lord Jesus Christ and you together in marriage receive him into your hearts and accept of him to love honour and obey him and do it heartily and resolvedly and he is yours 4. You must get your hearts furnished with grace if ever you hope to share in the glory of Gods Kingdom Grace is glory in the seed and glory is grace in the flower grace is glory in the root glory is grace in the fruit grace is glory in the first-fruits glory is grace in the harvest You must get the seed sown the root planted or no flower no fruit no harvest is to be expected you must get the Kingdom of Gods grace within you Luk. 17. 21. if ever you would be admitted into the Kingdom of his glory And the time of youth is the most seasonable time for the getting of grace no time like the Spring for setting of this Plant of grace in the heart in the youth the heart is more plyable and like the yielding Wax more ready to receive the impressions of the Spirit 3. The time of youth is the most safe time If you make it your first care to seek the kingdom and righteousness of God you are most likely to finde and be successefull but if you make delayes you run your selves upon great uncertainties there is danger that you will never obtain if you do not seek whilest you are young The danger lyeth in three respects In respect of 1. The Uncertainty of Life 2. The Uncertainty of the Means 3. The Uncertainty of Gods working by the Means 1. In respect of the uncertainty of Life no Age â—…s secure and fenced against the arrowes of Death Some flowers are nipped in the bud some Springs run into the Sea so soon as they arise the thred of Life in some is quickly cut and the Candle blown â—…ut within a while after it is lighted You may dye whilest you are young and if you do not seek Gods kingdom and righteousness now you may not have â—…ime to seek these things at all 2. Your danger is in respect of the uncertainty of the Means of Grace you have now means and opportunities of seeking hereafter you may be deprived of the means if you be not deprived of your lives You have calls now hereafter you may be placed where you shall be out of call you now are planted in a fruitfull soil where the Sun shines and the Dews of the Word do fall if you remain fruitless God may remove you out of his Garden or he may withhold the dews and cause the Sun to retreat into a cloud He may either take away the Means of grace from you or take away you from the Means and if you do not seek and obtain whilest you enjoy the Means are you like to
they cannot cast your Souls into the Prison of Hell 2. Though they may take away your civil liberty yet they cannot take away your spiritual liberty and priviledges they may shut friends out from seeing you but they cannot shut you out of the presence of God nor keep you from the Throne of grace 3. In reference unto Life 1. That though men may destroy the Body yet they cannot destroy the Soul and 2. you must dye as was shown before and you cannot die upon a better score unto which I may adde that I believe none in the world dye with more peace and joy than those that dye for the testimony of Jesus and of a good Conscience My dear young ones labour thus to overcome all the prejudices of the wicked one whereby he would keep you from coming into the wayes of God and yielding obedience unto the Gospel that is the First SECT VI. 2. LAbour to overcome the Temptations of the Wicked one whereby he would draw you to the commission of sin Sin in its own nature is so black and odious that if your eyes were but opened to see what dishonour it reflecteth upon the pure and holy God and how it defileth your own Souls once made after the image of God you could not choose but loath and abhorr it and with hatred you would flye from it as from a Pestilential disease or venemous Serpent and no arguments would perswade you to commit it or give it any room or harbour in your hearts therefore the wicked one doth use the greatest art and cunning to paint and colour over sin with fair glosses that the monstrous nature and deadly poyson of it might be hid from your eyes and knowledge And as God hath his methods in the conversion of young ones and useth many arguments by his Ministers and Spirit to perswade them unto the practice of Religion So Satan hath his methods and arguments to draw away young ones from God unto the commission of sin and continuance therein 1. The first work of God upon young Converts is Illumination of the Understanding he opens their eyes to see their sin and misery the way of salvation by Christ the beauty and excellency of holiness so on the contrary Sathan the wicked one called the God of this World doth endeavour to blind the eyes of young ones to keep them in the dark that the light of the glorious Gospel might not shine upon them to discover either their sin or their Saviour and he endeavoureth to stir up in them a hatred of the light that so they might sin without reproof or controul 2. The second work of God upon young Converts is Contrition he awakens their Consciences filleth them with fears and terrours through apprehension of his anger and the dreadfull wrath that hangs over them and they know not how soon may fall down upon them and sink them into the lowest Hell for their sin that hereby they being terrified may apply themselves without any delay unto the Lord Jesus Christ the only Saviour of mankind So on the contrary the wicked one doth labour to still and calm and quiet the Consciences of young ones under the guilt of their sins to lull them fast asleep and keep them from all disturbances from an unquiet Conscience which if awakened would plead the cause of God against sin 3. A third work of God upon young Converts is a powerfull bending and enclining the Will to embrace Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Advocate and to resign up it self in full complyance with his will in every thing So the wicked one doth endeavour to 〈◊〉 the wills of young ones against Christ and the Law of God he doth what he can to corrupt and deprâ—…ve it and to draw it unto a full bent and resolution for sin 4. A fourth work of God upon young Converts is upon their heart and affections whereby he draweth them and engageth them for himself So on the contrary the wicked one is very busie in tampering with the affections of young ones and as God doth use arguments in effecting a gracious change upon young Converts so the wicked one doth use arguments to perswade them unto the practice of siÅ„ which arguments are his temptations Young men labour to overcome the Temptations of the Wicked one and that I may help you herein I shall 1. Set before you as in a glass the chief Temptations whereby the wicked one doth draw young men unto sin and endeavour to arm you against those Temptations that you may overcome 2. Caution you against the particular sins of Youth which the wicked one would draw you unto and then shut up my Discourse with a word of Encouragement 1. Concerning the Temptations whereby the wicked one doth endeavour to draw Young men unto sin And here I shall speak of the Five most ordinary Temptations whereby young ones are drawn unto sin 1. By the delight and pleasure of sin 2. By the glory and repute of sin 3. By the utility and advantage of sin 4. By the pretended smallness of sin 5. By the hopes of future repentance 1. The first Temptation whereby the wicked one draweth young men unto the commission of sin is by the delight and pleasure of it and here he is very cunning in the management of this temptation that it may take effect 1. He laboureth to hide from the eyes of young men those pure spiritual and more excellent pleasures those heavenly ravishing and far transcendent delights and joyes which are to be found in God both here and chiefly hereafter perswading them that the wayes of God are irksome and unpleasant which is furthered by their own experience they finde them to be so to them upon a little tryall for want of a spiritual appetite to relish that reall sweetness which is in them for as Angels cannot relish carnal pleasures because they have no carnal senses so neither can carnal persons relish spiritual pleasures because they have no spiritual senses 2. He laboureth to hide from them the sting and bitterness of sin the sorrow and vexation which it will certainly produce in the conclusion he covereth the hook out of their sight laboureth to divert their thoughts from all serious considerations of the gall and wormwood that is in the bottom of the cup. 3. He represents the delights of sin as most sweet and satisfying as present and at hand and easie to be had without difficulty and labour and sometimes as secret too which no mortal eye can take notice of 4. He joyneth in with the lusts of their hearts with which he hath a secret correspondence and proposeth such objects unto them as are most suitable and desireable It is by the pleasure and delight of sin that most young men are bewitched and perswaded to the commission of it It was by the pleasantness of the forbidden fruit that this Old Serpent enticed our first Parents to eat thereof and hereby it is that he doth entice