Selected quad for the lemma: water_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
water_n	old_a	young_a	youth_n	80	3	8.4905	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A40656	A collection of sermons ... together with Notes upon Jonah / by Thomas Fuller.; Sermons. Selections	Fuller, Thomas, 1608-1661.	1655 (1655)	Wing F2418; ESTC R21301	51,193	163

misery Lent is a season for sorrow this Week is the suburbs of Lent this day the leader of this weeke Shrove-Sunday antiently used for penitents confessing of their sinnes Wherefore what doctrine more needfull in it selfe more usefull to us more suitable to the Season then to shrive our selves to God on Shrove-Sunday joyning with David in his paenitentiall devotions Remember not O Lord the sinnes of my youth 5. Which words containe Davids Petition to the King of heaven that he would be pleased to passe an ACT OF OBLIVION of the sinnes of his youth Premise we this that God cannot properly be said either to remember or forget because all things alwayes present themselves as present unto him But in Scripture phrase God is said then to remember mens sins when he doth punish them then to forget mens sins when he doth pardon them Thus as Moses vailed his face that he might be the better beheld so God to allay the purity of his imcomprehensiblenesse with meaner mettall namely with expressions after the manner of men to make it work to our capacities let us praise God for his goodnesse herein that whereas we could not ascend to him he doth descend to us and let us pray him that as here he doth cloud the object to make it fitter for our eyes so hereafter he would cleare our eyes to make them fitter for the object when in heaven we shall see him as he is 6. Before we come to the principall point we must first cleare the Text from the Incumbrance of a double objection The first is this it may seeme may some say very improbable that David should have any sins of his youth if we consider the Principalls whereupon his youth was past The first was Poverty We read that his Father Jesse passed for an old man we read not that he passed for a rich man and probably his seaven proper sonnes were the principall part of his wealth Secondly painefulnesse David though the youngest was not made a darling but a drudge sent by his father to follow the Ewes big with young where he may seeme to have learned innocence and simplicity from the sheep he kept Thirdly Piety Psal 71. 5. For thou art my hope O Lord God thou art my trust from my youth And again in the 17 verse of the same Psalme O God thou hast taught me from my youth David began to be good betimes a young Saint and yet crossed that pestilent Proverb was no old devill And what is more still he was constant in the fornace of affliction Psal 88. 15. Even from my youth up thy terrors have I suffered with a troubled mind The question then will be this how could that water be corrupted which was daily clarified how could that steele gather rust which was duly filed How could Davids soule in his youth be sooty with sinne which was constantly scoured with suffering 7. But the answer is easie for though David for the maine were a man after Gods own heart the best transcript of the best copy yet he especially in his youth had his faults and infirmities yea his sinnes and transgressions Though the Scripture maketh no mention of any eminent sin in his youth the businesse with Beersheba being justly to be referred to Davids reduced and elder age I will not conclude that David was of a wanton Constitution because of a reddy Complexion It is as injurious an inference to conclude all bad which are beautifull as it is a false and flattering consequence to say all are honest who are deformed Rather we may collect Davids youth guilty of wantonnesse from his having so many Wives and Concubines But what goe I about to doe Expect not that I should tell you the particular sins when he could not tell his own Psal 19. Who can tell how oft he offendeth Or how can Davids sinnes be knowne to me which he confesseth were unknowne to himselfe which made him to say O Lord cleanse me from my secret sinnes But to silence our curiosity that our conscience may speake If Davids youth which was poor painfull and pious was guilty of sinnes what shall we say of such whose education hath been Wealthy Wanton and Wicked and I report the rest to be acted with shame sorrow and silence in every mans conscience 8. The second objection hath more difficulty in it which is this this may seeme but a superfluous prayer of David For whereas in Charity it may and must be presumed that David long since had beg'd pardon for his youthfull sinnes that upon his begging God had granted it that upon his granting God never revoked it What need now had David to preferre this petition for pardon of antiquated sinne time out of mind committed by him time out of minde remitted by God 9. To this Objection I shape a foure-fold answer First though David no doubt long since had been truly sorrowfull for his youthfull sinnes yet he was sensible in himselfe that if God would be extream to marke what was done amisse though he had repented of those his sinnes yet he had sinned in that his Repentance Secondly though God had forgiven Davids sinnes so farre forth as to pardon him eternall Damnation yet he had not remitted unto him temporall affliction which perchance pressing upon him at this present he prayeth in this Psalme for the removing or mitigating of them So then the sence of his words sound thus Remember not Lord the sinnes of my youth that is Lord lighten and lessen the afflictions which lye upon me in this mine old age justly inflicted on me for my youthfull sinnes Thirdly Gods pardon for sinnes past is ever granted with this condition that the Party so pardoned is bound to his good behaviour for the time to come which if he breaks he deserves in the strictnesse of Justice to forfeit the benefit of his Pardon Now David was guilty afterward in that grand transgression of Beersheba and Uriah which might in the extremity of Justice have made all his youthfull sinnes to be punished afresh upon him Lastly Grant David certainly assured of the Pardon of his youthfull sinnes yet Gods Servants may pray for those blessings they have in possession not for the obtaining of that they have that is needlesse but for the keeping of what they have obtained that is necessary Yea God is well pleased with such prayers of his Saints and interprets them to be praises unto him and then these words Remember not the sinnes of my youth amount to this effect Blessed be thy gracious goodnesse who hast forgiven me the sins of my youth However here we may see that in matters of Devotion too much caution cannot doe amisse in the point of Pardon for sinnes we cannot seek too oft shut too safe binde too sure And therefore David who prayes elsewhere Lord remember David in his Troubles he could well be contented God would remember Davids Person to protect it Davids Piety to reward it Davids Misery to remove