Desire of seeking God but now Youth improved will make the Performance of the Duty more facile Opportunity improv'd sayes one facilitates every Action and Employment making a work come off sweetly smoothly and with facility It is as the laying of the Knife upon the Joynt when we would divide the Bone It is Wind and Tide to the Oars of Industry Thirdly The more Wrath you will treasure up unto your selves by having more sins to answer for The sooner we begin the less we shall have to answer for but the longer we deferre the more we shall have to answer for Fourthly Young Men shall come to Iudgement as well as those of riper years You think that you have a Priviledge by your Age Youth must have its course say some they must sow their wild Oats But now the Counsel of the Spirit is otherwise In the Morning sow thy Seed and in the Evening withhold not thy hand for thou knowest not whether shall prosper And David doth tie up your untamed Age to the horns of the Altar saying That even You must cleanse your wayes by taking heed thereto according to Gods Word Think not I say because you are Young you shall be excused For the dead small and great shall stand before the Lord and you that now take your pleasures know that for all that ye shall come to Judgement and your Pleasures shall have an End Methinks that Scripture in the 11 of Eccles. v. 9. should cool the Courage of such Young men who go on in their Career to Hell in the midst of their Pleasures Rejoyce O young Man in thy youth and let thy Heart cheer thee in the dayes of thy youth and walk in the wayes of thy heart and in the sight of thine eyes but know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into Iudgement Fifthly You will not Repent that you have call'd God to mind so soon But thou shalt esteem Gods Grace the more for it rejoyce in the sense of it and in Comfort conclude thy Life whensoever God shall call thee hence I would fain lay down some Cautions and Exhortations unto the Young Men of this Age which if observed by them I am confident would help them much in remembring of their great Creator But should I doe this it would make this little Book swell too much which for the Poor's sake I would prevent and yet a little too I will venture First more generally have a care Young Men of laying a stress on Parentage Birth Education Civility and your Natural Endowments They are all but painted shews of Righteousness and crack'd Titles to Heaven Faith comes not by Birth Generation or Education and he who is Gifted is not alwayes Believing But Secondly more particularly I would caution you from these Vices which tend much to the Corruption of Youth First I would caution you from Love of the World If any man love the World the love of the Father is not in him 1 Joh. 2. 15. O let not the World lye so neer your Hearts as it did to the Young Man 's in the Gospel You can never Love your Creator so as to die for him if the World get root in your Heart Have a care I beseech you of preferring the Gifts of God before God himself All Creatures that the Lord made he made for Man and Man for himself But this is a fearfull Contempt of God and disestimation of his Majesty when the Creature is better lov'd than God as Evah for the love of an Apple lost the love of the Lord and Esau for a Mess of Pottage sold his Birthright and the Gadarens counted their Swine more precious than the Son of God Christ Iesus He that loveth these bodily worldly and perishing Riches cannot love the spiritual heavenly and eternal Riches Love not this World because the Devil is the God of it love not this World because it cools thy Affections to God and the things of God Love not this World because it is the Bird-lime of spiritual Punishments Love not this World because the Love of the World is Enmity towards God The Riches in this World are call'd Thick Clay Hab. 2. 6. which will sooner break the Back than lighten the Heart O that I could but disswade Young men from this peccatum peccatorum sin of Earthly-mindedness Consider O young Men what Solomon sayes of this World who knew as much as ever any did as to the sweetness of sensual pleasures Three Advantages Solomon had above others to know the Vanity of the Creature 1 In regard of his Wisdome 1 Kings 4. 29 30. 2 Riches 1 King 10. 23. 3 In that he gave himself to make trial and Experience of the Creature Yet Vanity of Vanities saith the Preacher Vanity of Vanities all is Vanity Five times Vanity 1. Vanity not vain onely but Vanity it self in the Abstract 2. Excessive Vanity Vanity of Vanities Hebraism superlative by doubling he signifies most vain imperfect uncertain transitory void of Content full of Grief 3. An heap of Vanities Vanity of Vanities an Hebraism and imports most great Vanity 4. An universal Proposition all is Vanity Fugiamus hinc ubi nihil est ubi inane est omne quod magnificum putatur Let us flye from this World wherein is nothing but Vanity Nihil siquidem a somni Vanitate differt rerum praesentium figura sive illae tristes sint sive prosperae The most excellent Shews of this Life are but Dreams which may affect for a time but do vanish so soon as the man awaketh And this is the first Caution Love not the World The Love of the World is an Obstacle that must be removed where Love to Christ and to thy Soul Young man is to be shewn Secondly I would caution you from Evil Company I know very well that we are mighty apt to follow a Multitude to do Evil I know that Youth above all is apt to keep Company especially had Company And how many have been brought to Ruine thereby Have not many at the Gallowes laid their sins at the Door of bad Company forewarning all to shun the same and take Example by them Every man is as his Company The Heathen could say Noscitur ex comite qui non cognoscitur ex se He is known by his Company that cannot be known by himself A Mans Company is as it were a Commentary on his Life A Company or Multitude and I pray Young Men do you especially take notice of it is not the Rule you should walk by as for doing Evil so for doing Good He that doth Good because a Multitude doth it will also do Evil because a Multitude doth it We must not saith Austin do a good thing because Many do it but because it is Good If others doe that which is Good saith he I will rejoyce because they doe it but I will not do it because they do it c. Keep good Company we
he is best when he can serve God most according unto the Apostle I delight in the Law of God after the inward Man with my Mind I serve the Law of God though with my Flesh the Law of Sin Remember thy Creator that is Remember him so as to love serve and obey him And thus you have heard first and last the full Import of these words Remember thy Creator The third thing I am to speak unto by way of Explication is this What is it to remember our Creator above all-things whatsoever which may fall under these three heads 1. Loving God above all things whatsoever 2. Fearing God above all things whatsoever 3. Obeying God above all things whatsoever First Loving God above all things whatsoever Here is Love in its highest stature and such a kind of Love God requires nay no other Love will he acccept of either of that kind we must give him or none at all The prime of our Affections must God have and indeed who deserves them more than He who shall have them if not He Verily our selves have not so great a right unto our selves as He We and our selves and all that is ours are Gods yea we are more Gods than our own How is it then that God is no more lov'd than he is and that even some who profess Love unto him do not love him above all things whatsoever Surely here lies the Reason Ignorance Ignorance Ignorance Ignoti nulla cupido sayes the old Poet what we know not we love not Did persons but know God more they would love him more O who would not but love that infinite Love and Excellency though he had no Interest of his own in it God is Love it self and if we will not love Love it self surely we are distracted Doest thou therefore O my Soul Remember thy Creator and doest thou so Remember him as to Love him and doest thou so love him as to love him above all things whatsoever How many I fear if weighed in the Ballance would be found wanting as to this which is the summe and substance of Christianity And shall I here expostulate with the Young man What sayest thou Art thou willing to give Christ the First-born of every Affection in thy Soul Doest thou love God above all things whatsoever Doest thou love him above thy Relations Estate and very Life Canst thou preferre Gods Glory before all Secular Interest whatsoever and even deny thy very Life for him if called thereunto This indeed is Love like Gold tried in the Fire Verily when Carnal Relations come in competition with and stand in opposition unto Christ we must hate them when our Friends would prove Snares and hinder us from doing our Duty we must either leap over them or tread upon them like Galeacius Caracciolus that most famous Patron and Second Moses who though he was the Son of a Marquess the Pope's Nephew yet deserted Italy and with Moses Pharaoh's Court treading upon and leaping over his Wife and Children rather than he would worship Idols and so that he might be with Reverend Calvin under his Ministry in Geneva So that in this case Odium in suos is Pietas in Deum Ierome likewise hath an excellent passage If my Wife saith he should hang about my Neck my Mother shew me the Breasts that gave me suck perswading me to deny Christ I would not Peter though a Friend and Disciple of Christ yet when he prov'd a Tempter Christ saith unto him Get thee behind me Satan I cannot omit that excellent Passage of Mr. Swinnock that Laborious and Pious Divine concerning Love to God being as followeth I wish since Love is the greatest thing my Saviour can give for God is Love and the greatest which I can give my Saviour that his love to me may be reflected back again that my chiefest Love may be as a Fountain seal'd up to all others and broached onely for him who is altogether lovely that I may hate Father Mother Wife Child House and Land out of Love to him that many Waters of Affliction may not quench this Love but rather like snuffers make this Lamp to burn the brighter Again Doest thou love Christ O Young man above thy Estate or this present World Hast thou put thy Love to Christ in one Ballance and thy Love to the World in another and doth thy Love to Christ weigh down thy Love to the World or is not thy Case like the young Man in the Gospel who was Christs Hearer but not his Follower When Christ said unto him Sell all and give to the Poor it is said Abiit tristis he went away sorrowfull Mat. 19. 22. Doth the World lye nearer thy heart than Christ How then dost thou love Christ above all things whatsoever Again Is Christ O young Man of more esteem unto thee than thy Life canst thou lay it down for his sake His Love to thee was stronger than Death is thy Love to him stronger than Life Can wicked Men be content to suffer for their Lusts and will not ye suffer for Christ Heroick Luther hath an Expression and indeed it is like himself I would rather saith he be a Martyr than a Monarch And the same said again Disce mori ut vivat Christi Gloria Learn to die that the Glory of Christ may live Such who do preferre Christ think not much to die for him and that it is so see it confirm'd in this Cloud of Witnesses The Prophet Isaiah was kill'd with a Saw Ieremiah with Stones Amos with an Iron-barre and St. Luke was hanged on an Olive-tree So that this is clear he who preferres his Life before Christ is not worthy of him He that with Iudas and Spira will rather sin than suffer must with them suffer a Hell on this side of Hell Secondly Fearing God above all things whatsoever Thou fearest thy Father and Mother thy Master and such who have the Rule over thee but doest thou fear thy Maker How many I fear especially Young men may I find tardy in this Why now to remember thy Creator above all things whatsoever is to fear him and to fear him above all things whatsoever is to fear him in an otherguise manner than one Mortal fears another Civil or Natural Difference among us here below commandeth proportionable Reverence and if such Reverence be due from one Creature to another when they are all made of the same coarse earthly Mould and must all be buried in the bowels of their common Mother the Earth when there is no Essential but onely an Extrinsecal difference between them What Fear and Reverence then is due from us poor dust and ashes to the God of the Spirits of all Flesh the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords between whom and his Creatures there is an infinite distance O be perswaded above all things to fear that glorious and fearfull Name The Lord thy God That Name which is the greatest prop
sense such who do not experimentally know God that he is and in measure What he is cannot properly be said to Remember him Remember your Creator that is no less than the Import of knowing and acknowledging your selves with God whereby peace may come unto you according unto that excellent counsel of Eliphaz to Iob Acquaint now thy self with God thereby Good shall come unto thee Job 22. 21. Remember your Creator That is of no less Import than the dying words of King David to his Son Solomon And thou Solomon my Son know thou the God of thy Father 1 Chron. 28. 9. Secondly To Remember our Creator implyes a reverent Fear of Him Remembring of God is fearing of God Prov. 23. 17. Be thou in the Fear of the Lord all the day long How darest thou to say that thou Remembrest God when thou fearest him not and hast but little dread of his Greatness in thy Heart Thou canst fear Afflictions Death or any Evil approaching towards thee and for the diverting whereof applyest thy self to the Means in order thereunto but how little doest thou use thy Strength and Prudence against Sin that cursed thing and which rendreth thee obnoxious to the Wrath of God which if thou fearest not here shalt hereafter to thy sorrow and eternal detriment Thou canst reverence a Person of Quality or any Earthly Monarch and when Access unto him is granted thee how great is thy Care and Diligence in demeaning thy self before him and how dost thou tremble lest by any uncomely Gesture or Action thou shouldst offend him knowing that in case of Default thou mayst not onely meet with Repulse but also Penalty And shall the Presence of Worms so awe thee and not God in whose presence the blessed Saints and Angels cover their Faces as being unworthy of Beholding him It 's no marvel why Conscience bears so little sway now adayes why Piety is so little countenanc'd why Gods Glory is so little preferr'd why one Man even becomes a Devil to another and why Young men Remember not their Creator The Reason of all lies here The Fear of God is not before their Eyes nor his Greatness studyed by them Our Creator is God over all Blessed for evermore the Lord of Hosts is his Name all the Creatures are at his Beck and Check he is the stronger side and whosoever fears the Lord need not fear any thing else Confidence and strong Confidence is in the Fear of the Lord yea a Fear-freeing Fear this Fear is Thirdly To Remember our Creator implies setting the Mind on work on the Excellencies of him Psal. 104. v. 34. My Meditation of him shall be sweet The Excellencies of God are many great and incommunicable Many and wonderfull are the Excellencies of the Creature but not to be compar'd with God's because all Creature-Excellencies are but Derivatives And what are the Streams compar'd to the Fountain the Rivers to the Ocean and the excellencies of the Creature to the Excellencies of the Creator being in him primitively and incommunicably yea the proper subject and seat of all Excellencies whatsoever God is And canst thou Ovain young man set thy Heart on these transitory Excellencies of the Creature and yet canst not look up so high as to the Creator and take a View of his glorious and transcendent Excellencies that have and do ravish the Hearts of all their Contemplators Davids Meditations of his Creators Excellencies were sweet unto him Call back O young Man all thy stragling Affections it is high time now they have been long enough seeking Rest in these terrene things and finding none Call home O vain man thy Love thy Joy Hope Grief and Fear These are to the Soul as the Souldiers to the Centurion If he said to one Go he went if to another Come he came These say some are the Messengers of the Will these say others are the Wheels the Chariots the Wings the Feet of the Soul But now if thy Love which is the first and General of all the Affections should be set not on God but the World if your Hatred should be directed not against Sin but Good men or which is worse against Goodness it self if your Zeal should not be pure Flames for Divine Glory but a burning Rage against the Truth of God if your Fear should not be a flight from Evil but an Apostasie from Christ if your Anger should be a Displeasure at anothers Eminencies and not at your own Exorbitances if your Hope should not be a well-ballanced Expectation of Happiness but a blind and venturous Presumption of Mercy and if your Grief should be a trouble that you cannot be and doe more evil Ah how vile how irregular how dangerous are Affections thus misplac'd When Love and Hatred keep to their right Centres and move towards their proper Objects to love nothing but Good to hate nothing but Evil. Fourthly To Remember our Creator implies to recollect our selves and return unto him as the Fountain of our Salvation Psal. 22. 27. All the Ends of the World shall remember and turn unto the Lord. By Sin we have Apostatiz'd from God are we yet return'd unto him is there a Conversion of the whole man unto God Are Old things past away and all things become New Hast thou a New Heart till then thou canst not remember God with any Affection Hast thou a New Will till then thou canst not do as thou oughtest Hast thou a New Eye till then thou canst not see the difference that there is between things Spiritual and Temporal Hast thou a new Appetite till then thou canst not know what is bitter or what is sweet Every Faculty is become the seat of Sin and therefore a Necessity there is of a universal Change The Understanding is dark and stands in need of Divine Illumination The Will is contumacious and needeth the Almighty Power of God to make it flexible The Memory is weak and needeth supernatural strengthening The Affections are dull and need spiritual Operation The Conscience is benumm'd and needeth the beams of God's Spirit to warm it and quicken it that it may no more mislead and be as a blind Guide And thus our whole Life is crooked and perverse hast thou gotten it made strait by a sincere Repentance and Reformation The Holy Scriptures are a Rule hast thou measured thy Life by it The Curse of the Law hangs on thee why dost thou not satisfie its Demands and Appeal to the Grace of God in Christ for freedom therefrom Thy miseries O Natural man are many great and intolerable why dost thou not endeavour to extricate thy self out of them Read this Scripture O Graceless Prodigal Psal. 9. 19. The wicked shall be turned into Hell and all the Nations that forget God Recollect therefore your selves oh Old Men before your dayes are quite concluded Remember your Creator Oh Young Men while the evil dayes come not nor the years draw nigh when thou