they have come never the nearer to the haven of rest after all their toile and labour Whilst wicked men live they are farr from God in whose presence is life from whose favour is the comfort and crown of life they have bitternesse in their greatest sweets and death in their life The longest life of the wicked is but a moment compared to eternity the sinner of an hundred years old lives not so long but he may be truly and properly said to dye eternally To dismisse the objection briefly know that this is a generall rule of Gods own making that godlinesse hath the promise of this life and of that which is to come With long life will God reward and satisfie the righteous man and at last shew him his salvation in heaven in the life everlasting When it falls out otherwise as to temporalls 't is either rare and that losse abundantly repayed in eternall life or else 't is a Chastisement for some irregular and exorbitant demeanour of our selves or others in relation to us 'T is true as the Preacher saith that all things fall alike to all that is frequently 't is so and that sometimes 't is worst in outward worldly respects with the best of men of whom the world is not worthy Yet when it is so the fault is in good men themselves God is as it were constrained for the love he beares their precious soules to make exceptions from his generall rule which is doe well and have well both here and hereafter Say ye to the righteous It shall be well with him and here the hoary head is a crown of glory and it is found in the way of righteousnesse V. And thus are we come to our fifth head to shew what is that old age which is most honourable Although all old men as old men are in that respect honourable yet they are not all Peeres of the Kingdome of heaven Some Translations render the Text When 't is found in the way of righteousnesse Surely the Elders that live well are worthy of double honour honour these Elders for they are honourable indeed 'T is recorded Act 21.16 to the honour of Mnason that he was an old Disciple Seniority in the society of Saints as Saints should have honour The Apostle Paul makes honourable mention of the Elder Converts Rom 16.7 Salute Andronicus and Junia my kinsmen and my fellow Prisoners who are of note among the Apostles who also were in Christ before me But on the other side the sinner of an hundred yeares old is accursed Esa 65.20 Or as the Wiseman saith Though a sinner doe evill an hundred times and his dayes be prolonged yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that feare God which feare before him But it shall not be well with the wicked neither shall he prolong his daies which are as a shadow because he feareth not before God Ecclesiastes 8.12.13 Sinners may say though never so hoary headed the crown is fallen from our head woe unto us that we have sinned If you ask why Religious old men are worthy of the greatest honour I answer 1. Because these fathers are all the sonnes of the most high every one the Son of a King of the great King of heaven and earth and they resemble their heavenly Father they who are holy as he is holy And although Gods children are an assembly of first borne yet the elder any one is in grace the greater portion of honour ought he to have from and above his brethren If the elder by naturall generation and birth be to have double honour surely the elder by regeneration and a spirituall new birth much more We find that good Shem Isaak and Jacob though younger ones got the birth-right-blessing and honour before their elder brethren 2. Because religious men are the truely wise men and the longer and greater experience any one hath had in religion he is the more wise and therefore more honourable We read Mat 2.1 that there were wise men came to seek Jesus to worship him truely they are deservedly called wise men who ever seek Jesus and when they find him worship him They say the Turkes account all fooles Saints and many amongst us Christians account all Saints fooles But the holy Scriptures which alone are able to make us wise unto Salvation teach otherwise Heare the word of the Lord Job 28.28 And unto man he said Behold the feare of the Lord that is wisdome and to depart from evill is understanding And if we will beleeve the wisest of men Solomon the Godly man is the wise man but the Sinner is the foole as appeares by his opposing the sinner the wiseman Eccles 9.18 One such wise man may be a means to deliver a City Eccl. 9.16 and upon that accompt ought to be honoured Yea 2 Sam 20.16 c 'T is recorded that a wise woman saved the City Abel that it perished not in the Rebellion of Sheba the sonne of Bichri 3. Because these religious old men are most beneficiall are the greatest blessings to the persons with whom and to the places where they live they are the Walls and Bullworks of a City they are the foundations and pillars of a Nation they are the Shields of the earth Q. But what is the speciall honour which we must do religious old men A. We must reverence them inwardly in our hearts and outwardly not in word and in tongue only but in deed and in truth Whilest these precious Sonns of Sion our Fathers and Elders goe on in heaven-way before us Let us stand by them and stand for them and in nothing be wanting to them and when any of them goes up to heaven before us let that be the language of our hearts which was spoken by Elisha at the taking up of Elijah my father my father the Chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof 2. We must obey these mens Counsailes and directions Let 's make them under God and the Scripture our Oracles Let the counsell of the Elders be our great and supream Councell Let 's honour these as good Job was honoured Ch 29.21 c Let 's give eare to these let their speech drop upon us let us waite for them 〈…〉 man better then his mother viz his wife but he must honour still his mother before his wife Consider her grìevous pangs in bringing us forth at first her great paines in bringing us up and she that bare with the thousand infirmities weaknesses and follies of our infancie and childhood Let her be borne withall for some weaknesses of her sex in her old age according as it is written Prov 22.22 despise not thy mother when she is old And now to conclude this Use Oh that the great peace-maker after that our families have been divided Father against Son and Son against Father the Daughter against the Mother and the Mother against the Daughter would according to his promise once made to the Jewes Mal
4. Convert or turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and of the children to their fathers left he come and smite our land with a curse 3. Then honour old men especially religious old men It was Idolatrie to fall down and worship the golden Image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up but 't is Religion to fall down and worship with Civil worship or reverence the religious old man whom God hath set up Goe forth O ye sons and daughters of Jerusalem and behold the good old man with the Crown wherewith his heavenly father hath crowned him in the day of his hoary head 4. Is a good old age to be found in the way of religion and righteousnesse Oh then let the young generation who desire to live long and to see good dayes let them hence be exhorted to pietie and holinesse Come ye children hearken unto me and I will teach you the way to live to be honoured old men live well if you would live long The more you live to God the longer you 'l live in the world the Papists have a saying that Nemo senescit dum interest Missae that is that no man is never the older for the time he spendes in hearing Masse Truly the time we spend in religion and religious exercises is time well saved is time redeemed They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength their youth shall be renewed like the Eagles Ps 103. But as for evill doers the Lord shall wound the hairie scalp and the hoarie head too of him that goes on in his wickednesse if he live to age Well therefore doth the wise man advise Ecclesiastes 7.17 Be not overmuch wicked neither be thou foolish why shouldest thou dye before thy time Men naturally desire to prolong their dayes To this end what dyet will they not keep what exercises will they not use what Medicines will not they take skin for skin and all that a man hath will he give for his life The Princes and Potentates of the earth have their Physitians to counsell them alway what course to take that they may live long upon the earth But behold I shew unto you all this day a more exellent way and that is the way of the text the way of righteousnesse Get the Crown of religion if you would have that other crown of a hoarie head The same way that leads to Eternall life leads to a long life More particularly as ever you would live to a good old age Beware of those speciall sins which ordinarily cut the thred of mens lives before the time which either as thieves doe wast or as winds blow out the candle of life before it is burnt half to the socket 1. As first If thou desirest to live to be old take heed of Cains sin the sin of blood-guiltinesse he that is guilty of of blood may Justly fear least every one that meets him should slay him The Hue and Crie the blood-hound the Avenger of blood doth ordinarily overtake such before old age Justice saith Give him blood to drink for he is worthy 2. The sin of uncleanesse whether naturall or unnaturall For Onan's sin the Lord slew him God rained down fire from heaven upon the unclean Sodomites and destroyed them speedily the Lord made a short work with them and Prov 7.22 't is said He that followes an harlot goes as an Oxe to the slaughter Shechems sin of uncleannesse with Dinah cost him his father and the Shechemites their lives So Amnon's incest with his sister Tamar cost him his life 3. Disobedience to Parents When Hophni and Phinehas hearkned not to the voyce of their father it was a signe and presage that the Lord would slay them Absolom's rebellion against his father David caused his sun to set at noon When the children of Bethel mock'd the Prophet Elisha saying goe up thou bald head c that is why doest not thou goe up to heaven after thy master two shee Bears tore 42 of them 2 King 2.24 4. Covetousnesse especially if dyed in oppression and injustice Immoderate cares feares and excessive turmoyling the usuall concomitants of them that will be rich do naturally shorten the life of man but besides an untimely death seems to be the penalty denounced against this sinne according to the Statute Law of the great Lawgiver Jerem 17.11 As the Partridge sitteth on eggs and hatcheth them not so he that getteth goods and not by right shall leave them in the mid'st of his dayes and at his end shall be a foole As the Partridg gathereth eggs together to sit on and to hatch but hatcheth them not her eggs either proving windy and addle as they say it oft falleth out with those eggs which she hath produced as she doth frequently without the company of the male or otherwise miscarrying the male many times breaking them that he may have the company of his mate Or else as some others think the Partridge or Heb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Kore having got together the eggs of other Fowles and sitting on them as her own untill they be hatched they then leave her and keep with and follow those of their own kind So Covetous men desirous to enrich themselves by oppression and taking from others that which is not their owne and sitting brooding upon the eggs or baggs which they have thus gathered together at last these their riches take themselves wings and fly away Prov 23.5 or they are taken from them Luk. 12.20 5. Is the hoarie head a crown of glory if it be found or when it is found in the way of righteousnesse then hence we learn that want of religon in an old man is a great abatement of honour in his Coat The best flower in his garland the choycest pearle of his crown is wanting The old sinner together with his crown hath a curse upon his head the sinner of a hundred years old is accursed As God and man love an old Friend so they hate and abhorre an old Enimie Old sinners are like old toads and old serpents the fullest of poyson and therefore most abominable He is an old Thiefe saith the Judge away with him Away with him 't is not fit such an one should live So saith God he is an old Idolater drunkard unclean person swearer c I have borne with him these forty fifty or sixty years and upwards I crowned every one of those years with my goodnesse but ungratefull unworthy wretch he hath gone on to rebell against me and goes on to this day and will not turne Now therefore oh ye evill angels this night or this week or this yeare see ye that yee require his soule of him or els oh death let not his hoarie head goe down to the grave in peace as David charged Solomon concerning Joab 1 King 2.6 or oh thou sword of the Lord his hoar head bring thou down to the grave with blood as David charg'd Solomon concerning Shimei 1 King 2.9 Oh consider this ye
the Originall to note that then old men are most to be honoured when they are religious when they walk in the way of righteousnesse according as the Geneva translation hath it Age is a Crowne of glory when it is found in the way of righteousnesse Both these translations hold forth a truth viz that God doth give long life to godly Religious men that we ought to give more especiall honour to holy and religious old men Those men who besides the silver crown of old age have upon their heads the golden crown of religion are most honoured by God and ought so to be by men The summe of all may amount to thus much viz. That a good old age which God usually or ordinarily bestowes upon good men is honourable and glorious or ought to render them very honourable in our eyes I shall take occasion from this Text to treat of the honour of old age and to that purpose I shall endevour to shew 1. That old age is honourable and glorious 2. Why old age is so honourable 3. How we are to honour old age 4. By what meanes we may attain to the honour of old age 5. What is that old age upon which God and good men bestow the most abundant honour 1. Of the first Old age is truly honourable Whether we consult the law of Scripture or the law of anture either God's or man's Heraldrie 1. God hath commanded us to honour the hoarie head thus shall it be done to the man whom the King of heaven delighteth to honour Levit. 19.32 Thou shalt rise up before the hoarie head and honour the face of the old man and fear thy God as ever thou fearest the Lord thy God see that thou reverence age yea 't is the first commandement with promise Eph 6 7. That which requires us to honour old age under the name of father and mother t is the first commandement which hath any speciall promise annexed unto it old men are comprehended within this commandement as fathers and old women as mothers 1. Timoth 5.1 2. rebuke not an elder but intreat him as a father and the younger men as brethren the elder women as mothers c. And because the mother is usually most despised therefore 't is thought that in Levit 19 3. God commands the fear of the mother in the first place saying Ye shall fear every man his Mother and his Father Again because the devill will teach us to break over the hedg where 't is lowest namely to slight our mother in her old age because of the weaknesse of her sex and of the infirmites of old age concurring together therefore hath God not left himselfe without witnesse nor us without warning against this sin But hath made especiall provision to stop this gap and to make up and make strong this fence with that saying Proverbs 23 22. Hearken unto thy father that begat thee and despise not thy mother when shee is old 2. The Scripture makes this an argument of the dissolution of all politie and good government in a Kingdome or State when the aged are not duely honoured So much is intimated Esa 3 5. the child shall behave him felfe proudly against the ancient and the base against the honourable And indeed when once it comes to this that every boy or young stripling dares demean himself insolently towards the ancient whom he ought to reverence honour then behold confusion in every state according as is threatned Esa 24 2 3. Then farewell all good order and distinction and regard of persons in Church and State It was a sad presage of the mine of the Jewes that they respected not the persons of the Priests and that they favoured not or accepted not the elders or ancients Lament 4 16 If we understand the place of the Jewes as some Or else it is accounted barbarousnesse even in an enemy not to respect calling or age not to respect the Priests not to favour the Elders if we understand the place of the Chaldeans as others Agreeable hereunto we read in 2 Chron 37 17 that the King of the Chaldees had no compassion on young man or maiden old man or him that stooped for age 3. We find in 1 Sam 2 30 that when God threatned Eli's house to degrade them from their honour he presently addeth v 31 32 33 once and again there shall not be an old man in thy house and a third time all the increase of thine house shall dye in the flower of their age But on the contrary to dye in a good old age is spoken of as a blessing Job 5 26 thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age like as a shock of corne commeth in in his season that is as the corn stands against all stormes of wind and rain untill it be fully ripe and then is gathered into barn being first made up in shocks so shalt thou stand upon the earth and not be ruined or reaped whilst thou art green till thou art ripe and full of dayes and then and not till then shalt thou come to thy grave as ripe corne into barne Yea 't is promised to Jerusalem after the returne from the Captivity Zachar 8 4 that there should yet old men and old women dwell in her streets and every man with his staff in his hand for verie age Let me add that Romans 9 4. 't is reckoned amongst the honourable priviledges of the Israelites as that Jesus Christ was their brother according to the flesh so that theirs were the Fathers And thus much may suffice for the Blazoning of this ancient Coat of Honour according to Scripture Heraldrie I might also shew how the Gentiles who had only the light of nature yet did reverence and honour old age Plato in his Common-wealth ordered that the Elders should be honoured Ovid tels us how of old time they were reverenced amongst the Romanes Lib 5. Fast Magna fuit quondam capitis reverentia cani Inque suo precio ruga senilis erat Juvenal saith that in the golden age they counted it a capital crime if a young man though a rich man did not rise up to an old man though a poore man Juve Sat. 13. Credebant hoc grande nefas morte piandum Si Juvenis vetulo non assurexerit c. And this may suffice to have been spoken for the proof of the first thing propounded namely that old age is honourable and glorious II. Of the second viz Why old men are so honourable 1. Because they are an honour to the place where they live living monuments of Honour They honour us and therefore 't is but reason we should honour them Antiquity is very attractive that side old men goe on usually bears the greatest sway and authority Old men are loadstons to draw younger ones their way And truly there was not so great a contest about the young child before Solomō whose it was as there is to this day betwixt us Protestants
into the world to save sinners of which I am Chiefe and again How shall I escape If I neglect such great salvation God forbid but that this goodnesse of God should lead me to repentance Thus reason or commune with thy own soul before it be too late Loe I have given the devill God's and my soul's enemie the most generous refined wine my young and sprightly dayes and will God now accept can God find in his heart to accept of dregs of my old age The devill has had the the finest flower and will God be contented with the bran the devill and my sins have had a full harvest and will God to whom first fruits and all is due be satisfied with gleanings the devill has had the first-lings the best and fattest of the flock and will God accept of the halt the lame and the blind in sacrifice Oh the height and depth and bredth of the mercy of God! Oh my soul my soul thou Shulamite return return I beseech thee by these mercies of God that henceforth thou give up thy self a holy and living sacrifice unto God which is but reasonable service that thou redeem the time and doe much for God in a little time And now oh that my age might he renewed like the Eagles that God would add unto my dayes many years that the Sunne of my life might stand still and not hast to goe down for many years till I might be avenged on my lusts the Enimies of my God and of my soul till I that have done God a great deale of disservice and dishonour might doe him a great deale of service and honour Till I have been as Eminent for holynesse as ever I have been notorious for Prophanesse And now oh all ye that passe by tell me tell me what such an old sinner as I should doe to be saved To this question I answer that old men must be saved the same way that young men are saved and that is by beleeving on the Lord Jesus Christ the Lord our righteousnesse Whosoever beleeves on the Lord Jesus Christ although he be never so old a sinner shall certainly be saved shall in no wise perish but have everlasting life Doest thou see thy self lost in old Adam doest see thy self as thou art growing up out of that old stock out of that root of bitternesse fit fewell for Hell-fire doest see a necessity of being born again now thou art old or else thou must dye eternally Art weary of the body of sinne and death that old man of originall sinne which thou carriest about with thee Wouldest with all thy heart have this old man with his deeds crucified together with Christ doth it repent thee withall thy heart that thou hast lived so long to so little purpose that thou art ready to goe out of the world before thou hast done almost any thing of the work for which thou camest hither Can'st find in thy heart to come to Christ for salvation from the hell that is in sin as well as from the hell that sin deserves before thou goest out of the world Darest venture thy soule upon this crucified Jesus and know it is no venture Is there none in heaven or earth no other Saviour none that thy soul desires in comparison of him Art resolved in the strength of Christ to live in him whil'st thou livest and to dye in Christ or for Christ when thou dyest Doest desire in the matter of Justification to be found not having on thy own righteousnesse but the righteousnesse of Christ and thereby to appear righteous before God and for the glory of God and to the Justification of thy Faith before men doest resolve to endeavour that thy hoary head may be found in the way of holynesse and righteousnesse If these things and such holy motions resolutions and qualifications as these be in thee and abound Blessed art thou that ever thou wa'st borne thou shalt not dye but live this day I assure thee salvation is come unto thy soul Jesus Christ hath given thee life a new life in thy old age Men it may be think it almost impossible that a valley of dry bones should live and say as 't is Ezek 37. can these dry bones live who would ever have said that such an old sinner should ever have proved a young convert But God that quickneth the dead he saith to his Prophets Prophesie upon these bones and say unto them oh ye dry bones hear the word of the Lord and who knows but that some of these dry bones may live Truely my prayer for these old men shall be to the God of my life and theirs that they might all live in his sight that they might all live for ever And for you all that hear me this day oh that God would bind up all your souls in the bundle of life oh that ye might have part in the first resurrection that on you the second death might have no power oh that ye might be changed from nature to grace before your change by death come that your change may be for the better and not for the worse But least any from the possibility of the salvation of the oldest and chiefest sinners take heart to put off their repentance to old age least any suck poyson from so sweet a flower take by way of Caution or Antidote these two or three Observations 1. That old sinners who have all their time enjoyed the means of grace have rarely been known to return and repent in their age when there is but a step betwixt them and death so betwixt them and hell 2. That those labourers in the Parable who came into the vineyard to work at the eleventh hour were not cald untill the eleventh hour Math 20. The Question was put by an old Indian Sagamore or governour in New England to one of the English Ministers Whether our God and Saviour would receive an old sinner such as he was The Minister answered doubtlesse he would considering this old man had never heard of Christ ' til his old age and came in when called 3. That there was a time when wisedome stop'd her eares at their crie who refufed to hear when she called Prov 1.24 Let not young sinners goe on in their sins thinking to return when they are old for that is the way never to live to be old or if they doe they rarely repent in age Yet let not old sinners despaire whoever comes unto Christ he will in no wise cast out And as for you old men whose hoarie heads are found in the way of righteousnesse Goe on and prosper and the Lord be with you Be as Noah was Preachers of righteousnesse in your generation See that ye shine as lights in the midst of a crooked generation Be examples of holinesse to younger ones call upon them to remember their Creatour betimes in the dayes of their youth teach them the way they should goe that they may not forsake it when they are old And especially ye who are fathers and mothers let the soules of your children be precious in your eyes doe not offer your sons and daughters unto devills and bring them forth and up to the great Abaddon or murtherer of soules for want of religious education Be earnest with God night and day with teares and Prayers and with your children by instruction reprehension correction exhortation that so your children may rise up and call you blessed may blesse God for you and with you Oh what a joy and rejoycing ye pious fathers and mothers will it be to you to meet Jesus Christ at the great day with such like words as he used to his father Loe here are we and the children thou hast given us of all thou hast given us have we lost none there 's never a son or daughter of perdition amongst them thine they were thou gavest them us and they have kept thy word To conclude all men brethren and fathers I beseech you to suffer the word of exhortation I speak unto you Young men and exhort saying Be ye righteous that ye may be old this will be your crown and the length of your dayes I speak unto you old men and exhort saying Oh be ye righteous and religious this will be your crown and glory better then that of a hoarie head be holy and ye shall be happy live well and live for ever And ye that have been young and religious and old religious too young Saints old Saints Oh be not weary faint not hold out ye are not far from the kingdome of heaven you are near the Goal your labour and travaile is almost at an end you shall have crown for crown for this corruptible crown of glory of old age you shall have a crown of glory which is reserved in heaven for you which is incorruptible your old bodyes shall be new cast in the grave as in a new mould and all the wrinkles cracks and flawes shall be mended and whereas you have now a crown of glory upon your head in your old age you shall then have a body all glorified and all glorious you shall be made like unto the glorious body of Christ that is you shall shine as the Sunne in the kingdome of your Father Instead of long life on earth you shall have eternall life in heaven You shall sit down with the holy Patriarcks Abraham Isaack and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven Yea thus blessed and glorious shall ye all be both young and old who are found living and dying in the way of righteousnesse FINIS