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A95992
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Counsel for youth; delivered in two sermons upon Psalm 119. vers 9. Preached by H.V. Rector of Alhallows-Honie-lane.
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U. H.
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1650
(1650)
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Wing V6; Thomason E590_9; ESTC R206331
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29,168
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39
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to fall upon a Nation so when the Lord by the Prophet would threaten the destruction of Jerusalem Isa 9.17 hee foretel's that hee would not have joie in their young men Therefore let parents on this ground bee exhorted to nurture their children and Masters their servants in the fear of God When they do amiss endeavour their reformation by grave admonition and by timelie and seasonable correction word of admonition beeing slighted Hearken to the advice of Solomon and bee led on by the argument whereby hee enforceth it Pro. 22 6. Teach a childe the trade of his waie and hee shall not depart from it when hee is old And the verie Heathen man could tell us as much Quo semel est imbuta recens servabit odorem Testa diu The vessel will keep that savor long wherewith it is seasoned at the first But I return to you young men for whose sake especially I first undertook this task Manie of you are passed ex ephebis yee are not now under government in comparison therefore take yee care of your selvs to amend your own lives while yee are young the young man saie's the Text must cleans his own waie for otherwise the labor of all others is like to bee frustrate 1. Yee will afterwards finde the benefit of it when yee com to man's estate Lam. 3.27 or to old age It 's true in this sens that the Prophet saie's It 's good for a man that he bear the yoak in his youth If yee have born the Lord's yoak in your youth custom will make it the more easie to bee born afterwards 2. For the present yee shall receiv this comfortable assurance by it that yee are the children of God For so it follow 's THE SECOND SERMON PRopos 4. The endeavour of the Reformation of waies is in all God's children and in them onely So it was in David here who therefore inquire's of God Psal 119.5 concerning this matter for himself and you And wee see his wish Oh that my waies were directed to keep thy Statutes Yea Psal 25.4.5 Psal 27.11 Psal 143.10 Act. 24.16 how fervently doth hee desire the guidance and direction of God Shew mee thy waie O Lord teach mee thy paths lead mee in thy waie and teach mee Teach mee thy waie O Lord and lead mee in thy paths Teach mee to do thy will And so in manie other places And this was St Paul's endeavour Herein do I exercise my self to have alwaies a conscience void of offens toward 's God and toward men And so is it with all others there is no childe of God but hee desire 's and endeavour's the reformation of his waie and it cannot otherwise bee that hee should bee in the state of grace for the first grace which God work 's in those that are his is to will and desire so that hee is not in the state of grace that hath not this desire this is to bee found in all the regenerate for it 's made a mark of him that is born again 1 Ioh. 5.18 Hee that is born of God sinneth not Not that anie man in this life attein's to an estate of impeccabilitie to bee void of sin It 's the voice of Solomon in the old Testament Who is hee 2 Chro. 6.36 that live's and sinneth not And of St James in the new Testament Iam. 3.2 In manie things wee offend all Wee wee all and in manie things and of St Iohn If wee saie that wee have no sin wee deceiv our selvs 1 Ioh. 1.8 and the truth is not in us But the meaning is that when God's children sin they sin of infirmitie not wilfully but either as they are over-born by Satan's temptations Rom. 7.23.19.17 or by the law of the members rebelling against the law of their minde so that they do the evil which they would not and so they do it not but sin that dwell's in them for they would do well they desire and endeavour it Vse See here a main difference between a wicked and a godlie man the wicked man sin's and make's it his pastime to do wickedly it 's his exercise his trade hee doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 work iniquitie hee is glad of the opportunitie hee is discontented at anie hinderance Isa 5.18 1 King 25. Hee doth draw iniquitie as with cards of vanitie and sin as with cart-ropes hee so sin's as if with Ahab hee had sold himself to work wickedness Satan is his Lord whom hee naturally serv's Of the wicked it's true that our Saviour saie's of the Jews Ioh. 8.44 Yee are of your father the divel and his lusts yee will do Thus is it with the wicked but it 's quite contrarie with the children of God they sin indeed but they are not workers of iniquitie 1 Ioh. 39. So saie's the Apostle hee that is born of God sin 's not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee work 's not sin though hee sin's yet hee would not sin hee delight 's not in the opportunitie of sinning hee is grieved when hee hath sinned hee hate's it and himself for it finding that hee hath by sin offended God hee desire 's and endeavour's the reformation of his waie It 's true wee are all of us sinners but if wee would bee able truly to saie with Job Iob. 10.7 Lord thou knowest that I am not wicked let us bear this minde in respect of sin not to commit it with greediness but rather to griev when wee have sinned and to desire and endeavour the reformation of our waies let not our will and desire bee cold and idle but earnest and industrious As the hungrie person cast's about how hee may get bread and use's all possible means to that end so let us with David in the Text cast about how and wherewithall wee may cleans our waie and not fail to use all possible means to effect it Propos 5. It 's an hard thing and business of great difficultie for young men to cleans their waie to reform their lives It 's manifest that David in the Text in hand speak's of it as such And if when a godlie man doth his best to reform his life hee doth yet oft and manie waies offend as the Apostle saie's Iam. 3.2 In manie things wee offend all wee all even the best of us and that in manie things it is then as cleer as the Sun that it is a matter of great difficultie for a young man to reform his waies And it 's further evident upon these grounds 1. Corruption of nature is strong in young men and evil affections settled in them and foolishness bound up in their hearts Pro. 22.15 2. Manie times custom of sinning hinder's the young man from reforming his waies so the Prophet saie's of it Can the Aethiopian change his skin and the Leopard his spots Jer. 13.23 Then may yee do good that are accustomed to do evil For it is a true
of many that this age is the happiest and these the best daies that ever they shall see but upon all the foregoing grounds it is evident that wee may well judg it the most miserable Eccles 12.1 becaus more sinful It 's true that Solomon call's old age evil daies but that is onely in regard of those bodilie inconveniences which attend old age but the danger of youth is far greater in regard of it's proneness to sin which is of far more dangerous consequence 2. It should make young men the more circumspect and watchful over their waies It 's the wisdom of a citie besieged to double their guards and make stronger defenses where on their own parts they finde greatest weakness and greatest opposition from the besiegers Take knowledg of it dear young men and believ it there is no age more strongly assailed by Satan and corruption no age more weak to make resistance then is youth Bee persuaded therefore to look to your selvs and to stand upon your watch-tower See and observ by what means others have been baned and sens your selvs against the same Jer. 5.23 1. Consider what the Prophet saie's Death is com up into our windows and hath entered into our palaces the bodilie eies are the windows of the soul sin enter's thereby and take 's possession of the soul how many have been ruined by the eie 2 Sam. 11. yea how have wee all been undon by it David looked and lusted and committed adulterie which was attended with murder and that of a faithful Vriah whence followed a world of mischief Josh 7.21 Hear Achan's confession When I saw among the spoils a goodlie Babylonish garment and two hundred shekels of silver and a wedg of gold of fiftie shekels weight I coveted and took them ver 24.25 and as hee by this had troubled Israël so for it God troubled him it was the ruine of himself and his familie Eve saw and liked and persuaded her husband Gen. 3.6 Rom. 5.12 and they did eat and hence followed ruine to all mankinde Oh therefore bee advised to watch over your eies suffer them not to bee roving about undue objects or not unduly gaze not upon the beautie of women if yee desire to bee fensed against uncleanness in this case imitate holie Job who made a Covenant with his eies and thereupon inferred Job 31.1 why should I look upon a maid if yee would bee fensed against drunkenness follow Solomon's advice Look not upon the wine Prov. 23.31 when it is red when it give 's his color in the cup c. yea in all kindes let it bee your care to praie with David Psal 119.37 Turn away my eies from beholding vanitie 2. Many have been ruined by the ear while they have listened to destructive counsels of wicked counsellors to flattering words of lewd women Gen. 3. so was Eve ruined by hearkening to the divel in the serpent Prov. 7. So was that fore-mentioned young man undon by giving ear to the wanton allurements of that strange woman Bee persuaded therefore I beseech you to watch over your ears to keep them shut against such wicked solicitations It 's Solomon's advice My son Prov. 1.10 if sinners entice thee consent thou not Let not the fair speeches of any seduce you nor their pretenses of friendship were they never so neer or seemed they never so friendlie reject them rather reject their friendship then accept of their counsel When our Saviour having foretold his passion Peter said to him Bee it far from thee Lord Matth. 16.21.22.23 what hear's hee from his Master Get thee behinde mee Satan hee own 's him not now as his disciple but take's knowledg of Satan making use of his tongue to dishearten him from that great work which hee was to perform tending so much to the glorie of his Father and the Salvation of the world So let it bee your care Look from evil counsellers as bearing the semblance of friends and consider them as instruments employed by Satan to draw you from the waie of obedience to the waie of sin and hearken not to them becaus they seem friends but stop your ears against their wicked counsels becaus herein Satan by them seek's the ruine of your pretious souls 3. Many have been undon by evil companie and how can it well bee otherwise One scabbed sheep marre's an whole flock 1 Cor. 5.6 Prov. 7. A little leaven sowre's the whole lump Who can touch pitch and not bee defiled here yee shall hear provocations to evil encouragements in evil discouragements from good reviling of goodness and who know's not what power such speeches have to corrupt here yee shall see examples of evil and yee know how powerful examples are to draw us away oh then bee choice of your companie bee warie to what companions yee join your selvs saie Psal 119.115 as David Away from mee yee wicked I will keep the commandements of my God It 's Solomon's advice as a fens against drunkenness and riot Prov. 23.20 Bee not among wine-bibbers and riotous eaters of flesh would yee not prove profane swearers shun the companie of such and so in all other kindes And if yee would fear God and walk on in the waie of God's fear imitate David Psal 119.63 whose profession it was I am a companion of all them that fear Thee and keep Thy testimonies In the companie of such thou shalt hear exhortations to good and encouragements in good and examples of good and these yee shall finde singularly usefull 3. By how much more corrupt youth is by so much more bee incessant in prayer and earnest with God to watch over thee Psal 127.1 and to fens thee against the corruptions of youth It 's true that the Psalmist saie's Except the Lord watch the citie the watchman waketh but in vain It hold's true in the business in hand That it is your dutie to watch over your selvs yee have alreadie heard but know that all your care will bee wholly frustrate and to no purpose except the watchman of Israël doth watch for you and with you Oh then ceas not to follow God with your praiers for the obteining of this grace whether the Masters of the families wherein yee live bee careful to praie to God with you and for you or no do not yee forget morning and evening to commend your selvs to God by praier that by the watchful eie of his gratious providence yee may bee preserved from those miscarriages to which yee are prone of your selvs or may bee solicited by Satan and his instruments 2. The consideration of this corruption of youth is singularly profitable to them that have out-lived that age and that also three waies 1. To teach them to look back to their youth and to take knowledg of the sins of it and the vices with which their youth hath been tainted not to bee tickled with