Section 22
consent detest and abhor all sin, because that is tte mother of all mischief; that was it that introdnced all that death which sullies the world's beantf, ruffles its peace, and stains the pride of all its gkiry.
But there is a death which is the particular lot of impenitent sinners. We lie under a sentence of death for the breach of the original law, but ttii speaks another death, a much sorer condemnation, which is inflicted for the contempt of the remedial law.
(1.) It is a spiritual death. An impenitent soul dies as a soul can die; it lies under the wrath and curse of God, which is killing to the soul, is its death ; it is destitute of spiritual life* and of its principles and powers. It is under the dominion of corruption, which is as killing a sickness to the soul as the curse of God is a killing sentence. When Christ threatens concerning those who believe not in him, that they shall die in their sins,* or as it is, t. 21. «y ry afULpruf, i}iiiav, in your sin, in that sin of unbelief ; he means not so much that you shall die the death of the body, in an unconverted state, hot you shall die spiritually, in the same sense that we are said to be dead in trespasses and sins, Eph. ii. 1. Sinners shall die, that is, their disease shall be incurable, and consequently mortal; they shall languish of it awhile, and die of it at last.
They shall die, that is, they shall be cat off fjroB all communion with God, which is the life of the soul, and from all hope of his loving-kindness, wldd is better than life. They shall die; that is, tbey shall be dead to God, and to all good; dead to Christ, as branches in the vine that are withered, which have no communication with the root, nor derive any virtue from it.
This spiritual death is a thousand times worse than the death of the body, and more to be dreaded. The body separated from the soul, which is its life, is only made a just and easy prey to the worms, which feed sweetly on it; but a soul separated firoai God becomes a just and easy prey to tiie devils, as tempters, tormentors, or both. The death of tbe body is not to be called death to any but to those who die in their sins, and to them it is followed by the second death : to the saints it is but a sleep, for they die in Christ, and the toil of their work ceases while the comfort and recompence of them remains. Those are dead indeed who are twice dead; the body dying, and the soul dead. O dread this spiritual death; Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from this death, and Christ shall give thee light md life.
(2.) It is an eternal death: this is but the perfection of the former, the sinfulness of man and the wrath of God both immutably fastened. He diaU die; that is, he shall perish eternally, he shall die
• Ps. lis. u.
b Esek. xzxiii. 7, a
e John Tiii. 24.
THE FOLLY OF DESPISING OUR OWN WATS.
da9 the second death. The learned Mr. Mede observes, that in Solomon's proverbs hell is called the *' congregation of the dead/' of Rephaim, of the ffiants, so some render it,<^ alluding to the sinners of the old world, who were cat off by the deluge, and died together, which was a figure of the eternal punishment of sin in hell,® and he supposes that Solomon has an eye to that future state of torment, when he says, of the strange and foolish woman, that her house inclines to death, and her paths to the dead / and, that the dead are there, and her guests are in the depths of hell.> Agreeable to which it is here said of the wilful sinner, that he shall die, be shall die eternally, shall go down to the congregation of the dead and damned.
That misery which those inevitably fall into who live and die in their sins, is fitly called death, because, though it is not the extinguishing of their being, yet, which is equivalent, it is the extinguishing of their bliss, and non ett vivere ted valere vita — life consists not in existence but in enjoyment; they are ever dying, and yet never dead. Death is the most terrible thing we can conceive, especially death by exquisite tortures, when death itself is courted as ease and release; ^ and, therefore, hell is represented by the most killing tortures, to which that period is denied, because it is indeed more terrible than we can conceive. The metaphors are nothing to what the thing itself will be ; nothing to what it is represented to us, when it is stript of the Bietaphors. It is indignation and wrath, tribulation mnd anguish, to the soul of man that doeth evil; it is the wrath of an immortal God, filling the conscience of an immortal soul, that went out of this world unpardoned and unsanctified, and has in that world its faculties vastly enlarged, to receive the impressions of that wrath, and to make bitter reflections upon itself; that has no delights of sense to divert the thoughts of its own misery with, nor any hope of ever having benefit by the rejected Saviour, and the resisted Sanctifier.
This is no pleasing subject, nor is it any pleasure to me to dwell upon it, but we dare not pass by it when it comes in our way. I hope you do not desire we should; that you are not of those who would have only smooth things prophesied to you You had better hear of it than feel it, especially when you hear of it for no other end but that for which the rich man in hell desired his five brethren might have it testified to them, lest they should also come into this place of torment. They who blame ministers for preaching these terrors of the Lord, and with them persuading men, who turn it to their reproach, that they fill their pulpits with hell and damnation, forget how frequently our Lord Jesus preached upon this subject, of being cast into utter darkness, where f. Prov. xxi. 16. f Prov.ii.l8.
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth ; of the destruction both of soul and body in hell; of the furnace of fire into which the wicked shall be cast; of the worm that dies not, and the fire that shall not be quenched, the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels; of those who cannot escape the damnation of hell; and many, very many, the like passages we find in Christ's preaching. Such are the warnings we have received from his mouth, and we should be false to our Master, and false to your souls, if we did not give yon this warning; and we should fall under his curse, and yours too, for our unfaithfulness. Give me leave therefore briefly to tell you,
[1.] That this second death, of which we give you warning, is a real thing, and no fancy. It is undoubtedly true, that there is a state of misery and torment in the other world, which will certainly be the portion of all who live and die ungodly. It is not the product of a crazed or terrified imagination, nor an engine of state wherewith to keep the world in awe: no, sirs, what we tell you concerning the torments of hell, a? well as concerning the joys of heaven, are the true sayings of God. This branch of God's wrath is plainly revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.* It is so far from being inconsistent with the justice of God to punish sin to this degree, that considering the pomp, pleasure, and prosperity of many wicked people in this world, it is necessary to the maintaining and asserting of the divine justice and holiness; for considering how wickedness seems to be connived at and countenanced in this world, how would it appear that God hates it, and as a governor punishes it, if there were not such a place of torment reserved for it: and, therefore, the day of wrath is called the day of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God.'' And even natural conscience witnesses to the truth of it, when the terrors of the Lord set themselves in array against it. Some have felt such a hell within them, as has been a plain indication of a hell before them.
O that all our hearts were possessed with the firm belief of this truth, that the wrath of God abides, and will eternally abide, upon all those who believe not in Jesus Christ, and submit not to the laws of his holy religion. The devil drew our first parents in to eat the forbidden fruit, by promising them impunity, and facing down the truth of the threatening; though in it he gave the lie to eternal truth. God had said. In the day ye eat thereof ye shall surely die ; and has said to us as plainly. He that believes not shall be damned: yet, as Satan said then to those who ate of the forbidden tree. Ye shall not die, he still says to those who persist in unbelief and impenitence. Ye shall not be damned. And shall
H Rev. ii. 5, 6.
i Rom. L la
k Rom. ii. 5.
THE FOLLY OF DESPISING OUR OWN WAYS.
we suffer ourselves to be imposed upon by the same fallacy, or impudent falsehood rather, which was so fatal to our first parents, and to us in them ? Shall we credit the father of lies, who seeks our destruction, rather than the God of truth, who desires our welfare ?
You who are young, in this age of infidelity, have need to guard against temptations of this kind. Be firmly established in this truth, and hold it fast The revelation of it plainly comes from God, and, therefore, every suggestion, how plausible soever, that tends to shake your belief of it, must come from Satan, and must be accordingly rejected with abhorrence. Live not a carnal, sensual, wicked life, for then you will be tempted to wish there were no hell, and so by degrees to believe there is none: but by your belief of it be driven to Christ, be restrained from sin, and kept in the way of your duty, and by such good influence upon your hearts and lives, you will have your belief of it confirmed ; and it will be so far from being a terror to you, that it will furnish you with matter of comfort and praise, to think that through grace you are delivered from the wrath to come.
[2.] The second death, as it is a real thing, so it is a fearful thing, inconceivably dreadful; for who knows what is the power of God's anger, either what he can inflict, or what it is possible for a soul to suffer; or what a fearful thing it is for a sinner, who has made himself obnoxious to God's justice, and would not come up to the terms of pardoning mercy offered, and has made himself odious to God's holiness, and would not come under the power of sanctifying grace, offered likewise ; to fall into the hands of the living God, when he comes to take vengeance, not only for his injured holiness and justice, but (which will add greatly to the account) for his despised grace and mercy ?
The condition of all those will no doubt be very sad and doleful, who shall be shut out from the vision and fruition of God in heaven ; as all those will be who are not, by the grace of God, made meet for it: but it is observable, and it is what ought to be observed to you who enjoy the gospel, and profess Christianity, that the extremities of the torments of hell are always spoken of as the portion of those, who either might have had a place and a name in the church of Christ, and would not, or have a place and name in it, and do not live up to it. They are the children of the kingdom, the unbelieving Jews who shall be cast into outer darkness,^ who were invited into the Christian church, but refused the invitation. They are the tares found in the field of the church, and the bad fish enclosed by the gospel net, who shall be cast into the furnace of fire." And hypocrites, who shall not escape the damna-
1 Matt viii. \% m Matt xiii. 43. n Matt. xzii. 13.
tion of hell, even those who come to the wedding-feast without a wedding-garment.** It is he who follows Christ, and yet betrays him, whose conditioii will be so miserable, that it had been better for that man he had never been bom.* And thej are those who had talents but buried them ; who had opportunity of relieving Christ's poor, and shut up the bowels of their compassion from them, who shall be most severely reckoned with. So that we, for oor parts, are all concerned to fear the worst, and with the utmost diligence to flee from the wrath to come; for if we fall under it, (how charitably soever some may be willing to hope concerning those who never enjoyed the advantages that we enjoy, nor made the profession that we make,) it is certain that our oob-demnation will be more intolerable than that of Sodom and Gomorrah, (so the Judge himself has told us,) though theirs is no less than the vengeance of eternal fire.P
Let our holy faith therefore produce a holy fear, as Noah's did, who by faith being warned of a deluge coming, was moved with fear to prepare aa ark.4 O that the sinners in Sion might hereby be made afraid, because, of all sinners, it will fare worst with the sinners in Sion! O that fearfuloess might surprise the hypocrites, whose doom will be the most fearful; that by this fear sinners may be awakened to cast away the filthy rags of their iniquity, and hypocrites to trust no longer to the cloak of their hypocrisy; that sinners may become saints, and hypocrites sincere: for when we preach soeh terrible doctrine as this, it is not, as we are sometimes told, to frighten you out of your wits, butto frighten you out of your sins.
[3.] This second death is very near to all who are going on still in their trespasses. If Satan cannot prevail to take away the influence of this truth upon men's minds, by denying the reality or eternity of hell-torments, or by diminishing the terror of them, he then endeavours to do it by representing them at a vast distance, that in that view they may appear small and inconsiderable, in comparison with the things that are present and near. When we tell wicked people that they shall surely die, if they go on in sin, they are ready to tell us, perhaps it may prove so at last; but the vision that we see is for many days to come, and we prophesy of the times that are very far off,' as the people said to the prophet. If there be such an evil day coming, yet they put it as far off from them as they can, and so it makes no impression upon them.
And is it so indeed ? No, certainly; I am to tell thee, sinner, thou who goest on frowardly in the way of thy heart, that there is but a step between thee and this second death, and it may be a short step, and soon taken. There is but one life between thee o Matt uvi. 24. p Jude 7. s Heb. xi. 7. r Ezek. xii 27.
THE FOLLY OF DESPISING OUR OWN WAYS.
and belly and that is thy own, which, perhaps, will be shortly at an end; Behold the Judge standeih be-he/ore the door. As the Saviour of the saints, though he tarry, yet will come, and will not tarry; so the judgment of sinners, though it seem to linger, seem to slumber, yet now of a long time it lingers not, it slumbers not.*
It would amaze us if we could see it with our bodily eyes, but (which is next door to it to a believer) our Saviour has set it before us in two parables, what a sudden change death makes with a secure worldling, whose soul is promised the enjoyment of goods laid up for many years, and yet is this night required; or with a secure sensualist, who fares sumptuously every day, and the next news that is heard of him is, he is dead and in hell torments.^ In a moment they go down to the grave, from the height of prosperity to the depth of misery.
O that the nearness of this dreadful doom might awaken sinners to a speedy repentance and return to God! Believe it, sirs, it is not a time to trifle, or to be dilatory, yet a little, little while, and the vail will be rent. The days of your probation will be numbered and finished, and you will enter upon the state of recompence and retribution. O that you would bethink yourselves in time, now, at length, in this your day, that you would know and consider the things that belong to your everlasting peace; for though they are not yet hid from your eyes, thanks be to God they are not, yet you know not how soon they may; when the misery, that might have been in time prevented, must be to eternity rued, but cannot to eternity be remedied.
Those are very awakening words of Mr. Baxter's, in a sermon before the House of Commons, which Dr. Bates quotes in his sermon at his funeral, and which I shall crave leave to transcribe here. '< The wretch that is condemned to die to-morrow cannot forget it; and yet poor sinners, that continually are uncertain to live an hour, and certain speedily to see the majesty of the Lord to their inconceivable joy or terror, as sure as they now live on earth, can forget these things, for which they have their memory, and which one would think should drown the matters of this world, as the report of a cannon doth a whisper, or as the sun obscures the poorest glowworm. O wonderful stupidity of an unrenewed soul I O wonderful folly and distractedness of the ungodly! that ever men can forget, I say again, that they can forget, eternal joy, eternal woe, and the eternal God, and the place of their eternal, unchangeable abodes, when those stand even at the door, and there is but the thin veil of flesh between them and that amazing sight, that eternal gulf, and they are daily dying and stepping in V
Be convinced of the certainty of these truths; that
• 2 Pet. ii. 3.
if we live after the flesh we shall die; that the broad way of sin leads to destruction, and ends in it; that except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish; and then tremble to think how miserable the condition of that man is, who has brought himself to this fearful dilemma, that either God must be false, or he must be damned. But I hope better things of you, my brethren, and things that accompany salvation, though it is needful I should thus speak.
2. Here is the sinner's fault and folly, which brings him to this ruin, and which we are here warned against, and that is, despising his own ways; and the opening of this is what I chiefly aimed at in the choice of this text Having yesterday in another place, upon a like occasion, showed the folly and danger of despising our own souls, as those do who are careless about their spiritual state, I thought this might fitly follow it, to show the gross absurdity they are guilty of who are careless about their particular actions, and never heed whether what they do be right or wrong; than which nothing can be of more pernicious consequence, especially to young people. And this is that which is here meant by the sinner's despising his own way;— Qui negligenter instituit vitam et more* — who is careless in the regulation of his life and manners ; so Piseator: Non curans quo modo vivat — who is heedless how he lives ; so Mercer, ^The former part of the verse explains it. He that keepeth the commandment, heepeth his own soul. Those who walk circumspectly in the way of duty secure all the true interests of their own souls, and will be happy for ever. But those who despise their way, and do not govern themselves according to the commandment, do not keep to that, they ruin theii own souls.
So that hence we may gather this doctrine,
That it is a very foolish and dangerous thing for men to despise their own ways. Or thus: Those who despise their own ways are in the high road to utter ruin.
In the prosecution of this, as of the former, I must, I. Show when we may be said to despise our own ways; and, II. The folly and danger of doing so; and then make application.
I. When may we be said to despise our own ways, our conversation, and the particular actions of it, which we ought to have a very tender and careful regard to ? You shall see the crime opened in six particulars:
I. When we are altogether unconcerned about the end of our ways, we may then be truly said to despise our own way This inconsideration of the end of our way includes two things, which are both fatal.
(I.) Not designing the great end, which in our way we should aim at, nor directing our ways towards that end. We know very well, that the God t Luke xTi. 19,33.
THE FOLLY OF DESPISING OUR OWN WAYS.
who made ns, made us for himself, to show forth his praise; that the Christ who bought us, bought us for himself, that we should not henceforth live to ourselves, but should be a peculiar people to him, should live to him, and be to him for a name and a praise. So that the great end of our being and living is the glory of our Creator and Redeemer; and this end we should at least virtually and habitually aim at in all our ways.
And it is a great honour which the God of heaven has put upon our ways, that he is pleased to reckon himself glorified by them if they be good, and, it in them oar light shine before men, glorified by the fhiits of our ways." That not only such a favourable, but such an honourable, construction should be put upon any thing we can say or do, that it should be acceptable and serviceable to tbe great God of heaven and earth, who is infinitely exalted above all blessing and praise! That the worms of the earth should be capable of doing tlie work of angels! Man's honour, in being made Lord of the inferior creatures, is very g^^at: the Psalmist, when he observes him to have dominion over the works of God's hands, reckons him, in that, crowned with glory and honour.'' But his honour in being made the mouth of the inferior creatures in praising God is much greater; that whereas they can only minister matter for praise, man is capable of ofiering up actual adorations and praises to the Creator; and he is pleased to say, that he who offers praise, glorifies him, and to take it among the titles of his honour, that he *' inhabiteth the praises of Israel:" for this we have much more reason to say, Lordy what is man, that thou magnifi€$t him, and makett tueh account of him ? In my eye, a man looks more truly geat when he is in a right manner worshipping his Creator at the footstool of his throne, and giving glory to him, than when he is domineering over his fellow-creatures, and giving law to them, on the highest of the thrones of the kings of the earth.
Nor is it only in the solemn acts of religious worship that we are to glorify God, but even in our common actions, whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do, we must do it to the glory of God ;* that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ.* The general scope and tendency of our conversations must be toward the pleasing and praising of God ; his favour must be pursued as our chief good in all we do, and his honour aimed at as our highest end; that we may in all our actions express the honour we have for God, and may excite others to honour him. And when we do thus, t% borrow a phrase that commonly passes from man to man, but much more properly from man to God, we do ourselves the greatest honour of subscribing ourselves his *' admirers and humble servants."
u Matt. V. 16. John xy. 8. w I Cor. X. 31.
viii. 5,6. X iPetiv.n.
But if, instead of directing our ways to this gieit end, we regard not whether we do so or no: nay, if we direct them to a contrary end, and instead of living to God and to his glory, we live to ourselfei, we eat to ourselves, and drink to ourselves,^ as God complains concerning his people, to please ouraehes, and gratify the appetites of sense, that we may eojoj bodily ease and pleasure; if, instead of seeking his honour, and the honour that conies from him, «e seek our own honour, in the praise and applause of men ; if self be the centre in which the lines of all our actions meet; we may then be said to despise our ways, and to disparage them, when we make them subservient to an end so mean and trifling, when they are capable of being made to serve u end so great and noble. Belshazzar is said to haire lifted up himself against the Lord of heaven, whereas really he debased and diminished himself to the last degree, when he served his base and bnitisli lusts with the wealth and honour and power &at God had given him, and praised the gods of wood and stone, which neither hear, nor see, nor know; and must stand mute to that high charge. But tke God in whose hand thy breath is, and in whose are iff thy ways, hast thou not glorified,*
(2.) Not inquiring what will be the last end, in which our ways will terminate and have their period. That which makes our way considerable, that is, the course and tenor of our conversation well woittj our care,—is, that it is either the broad-way tint leads down to death and destruction, or the namv-way that leads up to life and glory. The path le walk in is either the path of life,* or the path of the destroyer.** It is not only either a right way tbit will bring us to the happiness we profess to be journeying toward, or a wrong way that will net; the difference is greater than that, it is a way tint will end either in heaven or hell.
And does it not concern us then to put the question seriously to ourselves. Whither will the vray that I walk in lead me ? where will it lodge me? that if it be the good way that leads to heaven, I may preii forward in it; if the bad way that leads to hell, I ' may hasten back out of it Whither am I going? what will be in the end hereof ? what shall I do in the day of visitation ? If I should die to-night, as I am not sure to live till to-morrow morning, whither would death bring me ? These are questions whicb all those who have a concern for their own way will ask themselves frequently; as the pilot who raiadi his business, often considers what port he is boond i for, and then, by inspecting his compass, inqoins J whether the course he now steers will bring him to it
But with tbe most of men this is the last thing in their thoughts ; they have not the pmdenee to foie-see the evil, and to hide themselves, but with iSst
7 Zech. Tii. 6. • Pb. xTi. II.
■ Dailv. fl. bPs.xTii4.
THE POLLY OF DESPISING OUR OWN WAYS.
simple they pass on, and are punblied.^ We earnestly wish, as God did of Israel, that they would be so wise as to consider their latter end; hut at the same time, we have reason to complain, as God did of Jerusalem, that because she remembered not her last end, therefore she came down wonderfully,^
Those despise their way who look not on it with that concern, which a serious prospect of the end of it would fill them with; and therefore it is, that they go on securely in that way of the ungodly which will perish; but they consider not the perdition that it will end in, and, therefore, are drawn into it, and drawn on in it, by the allurements of worldly profit and sensual pleasure. That simple unwary youth, whom Solomon speaks of, was made to yield, and in a manner forced, by the flatteries and fair speeches of the adulterous woman, because he considered not what would follow upon it, that it was the direct way to hell, and to the chambers of death; so that he went as an ox to the slaughter, and as a fool to the correction of the stocks; as a bird that hastens to the snare, and knows not that it is for his life. Men would not be brought, as they are, to believe a lie, by which they will all be damned, if they were not given up to strong delusions.
And are there any here who have lived thus many years in this world, and never yet bestowed one serious thought upon this grand question. What will become of them in the other world? who either never put the question to themselves, or, like Pilate, had not patience or courage to stay for an answer; who never yet judged it a matter worth being resolved in ? Know then, that you are of those who despise their own ways: and can it be a thing of small account with you, whether you are going to heaven or hell ? Is the difference between them so minute as to justify your indifference in this matter? O that at length you would bring this matter to a trial; and not only so, but bring it to an issue, with all the solicitude that a matter of such importance both deserves and requires. Make it to appear that you value your ways, by being inquisitive, as a careful traveller is, whether the way you are in will bring you to your journey's end if you proceed in it, or not, and proceed accordingly. If ye will inquire, inquire ye; and leave not a matter of such moment at uncertainty.
2. When we are indifferent about the rule of our ways, and the measures by which we govern ourselves in them, we despise oUr own ways. Men's practices will be guided and ruled by their principles, and those who are loose and unfixed in their principles can never be even and steady in their practices. Those certainly despise their way who walk at all adventures, and live at large when they should walk circumspectly, and live by rule.
• ProT. xxii. 3.
(I.) We despise our Way, if we set aside the rules which God has honoured us and our way with the prescribing of, God has bid us stand in the way and see. Consider what is the way appointed you to walk in, ask for the old paths, for God has not put us to seek for new rules to go by, such as were never heard of before, but such as were from the beginning, and he has said, Walh therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls, spiritual rest in your way, and eternal rest at the end of it. But they put contempt upon their way, which God had discovered such a concern for; for they said. We will not walh therein,^
It is a great honour God has put upon our way, [I.] That he has given us the Scriptures to be the guide of our way; has in them showed us what is good, and what the Lord our God requires of us; has here told us what are the by-paths we should carefully avoid, what the stumbling-stones we should take heed of: his word is a light to our feet, and a lamp to our paths, not only a discovering but a directing light Could a greater regard have been had to our actions by the God who made us, than to give us a divine revelation exactly suited to our case, and accommodated to all the steps that we have to take, on purpose to be our guide to heaven ? What an honour did God put upon Israel in the wilderness, though an undeserving people, and upon their passage through it, in that he gave them a pillar of cloud and fire to go before them, and show the way in which they should go, and to direct all their removals and rests! Such a divine conduct are we under, who have the written word to be our guide and counsellor.
But we despise our way if we make not use of this rule, and conform not our hearts and lives to it; if it be an indifferent thing to us whether we be ruled by the word of God, or no; if we never consult that oracle, never try our ways by that touchstone, nor are in care to walk by the light of th&law and the testimony. As presumptuous sinners trample upon the law, and do what they can to make it void, so careless sinners cast the law behind their backs, and keep it as much as they can out of their sight, as if it were not worth Vhile to order their conversation according to it. Those who despise the commandment of the Lord,' who despise the word, and fear not the commandment, they despise their own ways, and shall be destroyed :> but as many as walk according to this rule, as they put a respect upon it, so they put a respect upon their own way, and peace shall be upon them, and mercy, as it is upon all the Israel of God,*^ who are guided and governed by that rule.
Let young people cleanse their way, and make it pure and pleasant, acceptable to God, comfortable to themselves, and beautiful before men. Let them a Lam.i.9L
Jer. ?i. 19. I fa Sam. xll. 9. r Prov. xiil. 13. h QaL vi 1«.
THE FOLLY OF DESPISING OUR OWN WAYS.
direct their way to the right end, and in the right paths, by taking heed thereto with a constant care and concern, according to the word,' which we must always have regard to. [See Mr. Nesbit's sermon to yotmy people lately, on that text.]
[2.] That he has appointed conscience to be a monitor to us concerning our way, according to the Scriptures. As the commandment is a lamp, and the law a light, so the spirit of a man likewise is the candle of the Lord,^ Conscience, rightly informed, is an excellent guide in subordination to the Scrip-tores, and God has showed his care of our actions, by appointing us such a tutor and guardian, such an inspector of our manners, to be always with us, to check us when we do amiss, and to direct and encourage us to do well; to be a voice behind us, saying unto us. This is the way, walk in it, when we are ready to turn aside.' God, by enduing us with a faculty of reflecting upon our actions, which the beasts have not, of accusing and excusing ourselves, has evidenced the concern he has about our ways, that they be straight and good.
But if we have no regard to the admonitions of conscience, and turn a deaf ear to them; if we say to that seer. See not; if we smite our hearts for smiting us, or threaten to do so, as the king of Judah did the prophet, ForheaVy why shonldest thou be smitten?"^ if it be all one to us whether our consciences be pleased or displeased, and no care is taken to keep them void of offence; then we despise our own way, as if it were not worth looking into, or looking after. But however conscience may for a time be slighted and silenced, brow-beaten and run down, first or last it will be heard.
O that young people would betimes manifest their concern for their own way, by paying a respect to their own consciences, getting them rightly informed concerning good and evil, sin and duty ; hearkening to their dictates, though they be but whispered; keeping them tender and afraid of sin, and keeping up their dominion over appetite and passion, and all the lusts of the flesh and of the eye. . Often call upon conscience to do its office, and not only give it leave to deal faithfully with you, but charge it to do so: maintain the honour of the government in your own souls, and the due course of law, and suffer it not to be insulted, obstructed, or made despicable. Thus order is kept up in the soul, and its peace secured; and it is the greatest honour you can do yourselves, to maintain a value and veneration for your consciences.
(2.) We despise our way if we set up and follow their rules of walking, in opposition to those which God has appointed us; and such rules as are not only pernicious, but unworthy to be regarded in the conduct of our way.
i Ps. CXix. 9. k Prov. XX. 27.
m 2 Chron. xxv. 16.
I Isa. XXX. 21. o Jer. xliv. <I7.
What mean thoughts hare those of their own way, [I.] Who are guided and governed by appetite and passion, fancy and imagination, the sight of their own eyes; who will do just what they have a miiid to do, whether right or wrong. Quidquid libet /i«^-whatever pleases is right, that is their principle; if it be grateful to sense, it shall be lawful; they will do what is right in their own eyes, and what pleases them, whether it be right in God's eyes, and please him, or no.— We will certainly do whatsoever th\M§ goes forth out of our own mouth,'* is the language of those who despise their own way. By this Solomon describes the folly of the young man. That he walks in the way of his heart, and in the sight of Ais eyes.*
But are those fit to direct a way that leads to eternity ? Must the powers that are brutal command a creature that is rational ? Must human reason and divine revelation, and the oracles of both, give way to the desires of the flesh, and the more foolish inventions which man has found oat since bis departure from his God ? Nothing is so unseemly as servants on horseback, and princes walking as servants upon the earth :p nothing so insufierable as these servants when they reign, these fools whea they are pampered.^ Can we think that maui, who was made to be a subject to his Maker, should be allowed a boundless liberty, and sent out free with the wild ass ? No; you mistake yourselves, if yoo think you may do as you please.
[2.] Those, also, who are guided and governed bj the course and custom of this vain and foolish world, despise their own way, who think that a leader and director wise enough, and good enough, and safe enough for them. Those matter not much what they do, who resolve to do as the most do, and follow the multitude, though it be to do evil; nor whither they go, who resolve to go down the stream, without asking whither it will carry them. Christ says, Feihm me, and it will be an honour to us and our coovcr-sation to have such a leader, and to follow him whithersoever he goes, who is wisdom itself. The world says. Follow me, and we cannot do onrselves a greater dishonour, than to put ourselves under the conduct of such a leader; yet, thus the children of disobedience do, they walk according to the conrae of this world.' It is all one to them what they do, so they can but recommend themselves to the gay and the geat, or to the worldly-wise, on whom tiiat principle has a greater influence than all the principles of their religion, " As good he out of the world as out of the fashion,**
What contempt do those put upon their own ways, who are easily drawn aside from their duty into bypaths, by any one who will put up the finger, and flatter them, and speak a few fair words, and tell them every body else does so! It is with them as o Cccl. xi. 9. q Prov. XXX. 22.
p Eccl. X. S, 7. r Epb. ii S.
THE FOLLY OF DESPISING OUR OWN WAYS.
the apostle says it was with the Gentiles, they were carried away even as they were led. * Those make no account of their way, whose hearts are thus weak, thus easy, thus yielding to the suggestions and solicitations of them who lie in wait to deceive, and make them their rule.
3. When we are wavering and unsettled in the course and tenor of our ways, then we despise them. Those who in the course of their lives are of no consistency with themselves, but halt between two, and are continually contradicting themselves, they make nothing of their way, nor. bring any thing to pass in it; these are the double-minded men,* whose hearts are divided between God and the world, the Spirit and the flesh, as if they had the art of reconciling contraries; and they are accordingly * unstable in all their ways, in a continual struggle between their convictions and their corruptions, and sometimes they yield to the one, and sometimes to the other; and thus they go on from time to time, fed with a fancy, as if it would justify the abundance of bad in them, that there is something in them that 18 good which does condemn it, and witness against it. But this is despising their way, as if it were not worth being entirely submitted to God, but it were enough'to be in part so: but those who thus, like Reuben, are as unstable as water, like him shall never excel."
(I.) It is certain that those have not the concern tbey ought to have for their own ways, who have not resolution enough to persist in good purposes, and to hold to them. You shall have them sometimes in a good mind under the convictions of the word, or the corrections of the rod ; or when they are going out into the world, fresh from under the influence of a religious education; they will then promise very fair, AII that the Lord shall say unto us we will do and be obedient; and we have reason to think that thej mean as they say, and intend no other; but the buds and blossoms are blasted, their good purposes prove to no purpose; and it is for want of resolution, it is because they have not a just value for their own way, otherwise they would stick to a good bargain for it when they have made it.
You who are young, I hope, are ready to engage yourselves to the Lord, to promise that you will walk in his ways, and keep his statutes; but will you adhere to it ? will you abide by it ? Having sworn, will you perform it ? Will you with purpose of heart cleave to the Lord ? This would indeed put a value upon your way; if you had indeed one heart and one way to fear God for ever. This was it that Joshua laboured to bring the people of Israel to, when he put it to theii choice, whether they would serve other gods, or the true God only, and laid before them what there was in the service of God that
• 1 Cor. xii. 2. t James i. 8. n Gen. xMx. 4.
▼ Josh. xxiv. 21. w Hos. vi. 4.
2 N was discouraging: all was to bring them to this fixed resolution, and keep them to it. Nay, but we will serve the Lord,"
(2.) Those who have not constancy enough to proceed and persevere in the good practices wherein they have begun, have not the concern they ought to have for their own ways. Those who did run well, but something hindered them, and drove them oS\ who had a first love, but have left it, even the kindness of their youth, and the love of their espousals, as if they had found some iniquity in God or in his ways, which yet we challenge them to pro* duce and prove any instance of: those despise their way, who having begun in the spirit, end in the flesh, whose goodness is as the morning cloud and the early dew, which passeth away."
You who now in the days of your youth are mindful of your Creator, it is a good way in which you set out, make it to appear that you have a value for it, by persevering in it; and take heed lest, having escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of Christ, you should through carelessness of your way, be again entangled therein and overcome, and so fall from your own stedfastness.* I beseech you, look to yourselves and your own way, and to every step you take in it, lest ye lose the things ye have wrought and gained, that you may receive a full reward. ^ Notice is taken in the character of Jchoshaphat, that he walked in the first ways of bis father David:' it is a pity but those whose first ways arc good ways, should not have such regard to them, as still to improve, that their last ways may be their best ways.
4. If we do not apply ourselves to God in our ways, and acknowledge him, we despise our own ways. This honour has God been pleased to put upon our ways, that he has undertaken to be our guide and guard in them, if we look up to him as we ought. If, therefore, we have not our eye up to him, if we make light of this privilege, as all those do who do not make use of it, we lose this honour.
(1.) God has promised those who seek him, that he will teach them the way in which they should go, that he will teach sinners in the way,* will teach them his way, if they will but meekly attend his conduct; that he will teach them in the way that he shall choose, when otherwise they would be apt to turn aside into the way that a vain mind and a corrupt heart shall choose, v. 12. He has promised that he will find out some means or other to make their way plain before them, to guide them by his counsel, to guide them with his eye, by some little intimation of his mind, which they with whom his secret is do understand the meaning of; he knows how much depends upon the right ordering of their way, and how much it is his delight when it is a good
X 2 Pet. it. 20. s2 Chroii. xvii. X
Y 2 John 8.
• Ps. XXV. 8. 9.
THE FOLLY OF DESPISING OUR OWN WAYS.
way, and, therefore, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord,'' and we are instracted to pray, Lordt order my steps in thy word,^
But now, if we do not think this divine conduct worth asking, if we think we do not need it, or can do well enough without it; if in the most difficult and doubtful cases we go on leaning to our own understanding, and ask not counsel at the mouth of the Lord, wc despise our way, we put contempt upon it, and bring more contempt. Thus they did who took counsel, but not of God, and covered with a covering but not of his Spirit, Isa. xxx. I. They who over-value their own wisdom under-value their own way.
(2.) God has promised them that seek him, to bear them up and strengthen them in their way, to fortify them against the temptations of their way, to furnish them for the duties and services of it, and to work all their good works in them and for them. What an honour has God hereby put upon our way and work, that he has promised us grace sufficient for us, that as our day is, so shall our strength be! to enlarge our hearts, that we may run the way of his commandments, and work in us both to will and to do! But if we slight this grace which he has offered us and encouraged us to ask, and instead of committing our way to the Lord, go on in it in our own strength, as if we had no need of the divine aids, we then despise our way, and it is just with God to leave us to ourselves; to leave the youths who are confident of their own abilities, to faint and be weary, and the young men utterly to fail,<i while by renewed strength from him, the lame man is made to leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb to sing in the ways of the Lord.
5. When we are careless of our past ways, and take not the account we ought to take of them, we then despise our ways. It is our honour that we can look back ; it is our concern to look back, because if we have done amiss, there is a way provided to undo it by repentance, and prevent the fatal consequences of it. If we neglect that, we despise our way.
(I.) If we are not willing that others should reprove us for what they see or hear is amiss in us, we have not the care we ought to have for our own way. So many things there are amiss, and so much is it our concern to have them mended, and yet withal so partial are we in favour of ourselves, that we have need of more eyes than our own to discover us to ourselves : and it is a great advantage to us in our wray, to have faithful friends about us, to tell us of our faults and of our dangers ; This is not well, the other is not safe ; this is a blemish to you, and that will be a snare to you.
But there are those who take it as an affront to be b Ps. xxxvii. 23.
c Ps. cxix. 133.
d Isa. xl. 30.
thus admonished, are ready to fly ia the face of their reprovers, yea, though they be ministers, reptaven in the gate, reprovers by office; yea, though they be their own ministers, who ought to have some cue particularly of their souls; though they be their parents and masters, who rebuke with authori; though they be those to whom they haTe given the right hand of fellowship, with a mutual obligation to watch over one another; yet they are ready to say to them who show them the false steps they have taken, '< What is that to you ? meddle with your own business, we know what we have to do better than you can teach us:" and it is well if they bear them not a grudge for it. Is not this an evidence that they despise their way, tboogh it be *a way that leads either to heaven or to bell ? They would not thus despise their way from one part of the city to the other; for there they would think any one who would show them where they have missed their way, or are in danger of missing it, and would direct them in the right way.
2. If we are not willing to examine ourselves, and to search and try our own ways, and to call ourselves to an account, and correct ourselves forwbat we have done amiss, we despise our own ways, and do not make that account of them which God does, and which he expects we should do. He looks upon men when they have sinned, to see what they will do next, whether they will make any sorrowful reflections upon it, and whether their spirits will be grieved for that, by which they have grieved his Spirit: and, if there be any who say, / kave siwui and kave perverted that which was rights mnd ii pn-fited me not, « he is pleased with it, and meets such returning souls more than half way with his comforts. But if, on the contrary, when he hearkens and hears they speak not aright;' if none of them say," What have I done ? and it is all wrong;" still if they be not brought to that, he is disappointed, and is provoked to say, that his Spirit shall not any more strive with them.
Those despise their way, who never remember against themselves their former iniquities, nor inquire wherein they have erred; who never examine their consciences, nor review the records of them; lie down at night, and never ask what they have done amiss that day; enter upon a sabbath, and never look back upon their week's work; perhaps go to the Lord's table every month, and do not examine themselves how their conversation has been ordered since they were last renewing their covenants with God in that ordinance: and is not this a great contempt put upon their own way ? They are willing to take it for gpranted all has been well, as Ephraim, though he had the balances of deceit in his hand, and loved to oppress, yet flattered himself
• Job xuiii. 7.
f Jer. viU. 6w
THE FOLLY OF DESPISING OUR OWN WAYS.
with a conceit that they should find no iniquity in him that were sin, > nothing very bad, or at least nothing to be seen.
And while they thus neglect to inquire into their own ways, how can they tell what confession of sin to make, and what to pray particularly for the pardon of? and how can they tell what sin to covenant against, and to stand upon their guard against? You that are great dealers in the world, know of what consequence it is to you to keep your accounts even, and often to review them; and those who are shy of looking into their books, it is to be feared, it is because they are not willing to know the worst of their affairs; they suspect they are going behind-hand, and by this means are likely to go more and more so.
And will it not be of dangerous consequence to the prosperity of our souls, if we neglect to look over the books of conscience, that we may renew our repentance, and make our peace with God in Christ? He that is washed needs to wash his feet ;*> the sooner the better, and in order to that to observe what filth he has contracted ; if he do not, he despises his way. Consideration of our ways is the first step towards conversion from the errors of them, and, therefore, reckon not that you can safely go forward, till you have first seriously looked back.
6. When we are heedless and inconsiderate as to the way that is before us, and walk at all adventures, we despise our own way. If we think it is all one what we do, that God Almighty is neither pleased nor displeased with any of our thoughts or affections, words or actions, and, therefore, do as we please, and ask no question for conscience sake; if, in doubtful cases, we never consider what is our duty, but what is our inclination and secular interest; if we go on in our callings, and never consider how we may glorify God in the use of them, and keep a good conscience; if, like the men of Laish, we dwell carelessly, never look back with any regret, nor forward with any concern, we despise our way.
(I.) If we are in no care to avoid sin, which mars our path, and is a by-path, then we are careless of our way, as a fool upon the road, that never picks his way, but goes, as we say, through thick and thin. The chief, and indeed the only, thing we have to dread in our way is sin, for nothing but that can hurt or hinder us. The sin that most easily besets us, is the weight that must be laid aside; that is it that defiles our way, that disorders and perplexes it; that is the false way which we are to hate.
But those who are careless of their way, are not aware of their danger of sin, and their danger by sin, and therefore rush into it as the horse into the battle;* they consider not that they do evil,'' nor what a great deal of evil there is in what they do. They have, it may be, deceitful ways of trade, carry r Hos. xii. s.
k John xiii.
10. 2
i Jot. viii. 6.
it on by a course of lying and fraud, cheating their neighbours, cheating the government, and go on securely in it, not considering what an abomination to the Lord both the lying lips and the false weights and measures are. They keep up drunken clubs, and in them mispend their time, and unfit themselves for the service of God, not considering that drunkenness and revellings, and such like, are works of the fiesh, of which we have been told again and again, that they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.^
A.11 the corruptions of our way arise from the corruptions of our hearts, and if we take no care to mortify and subdue them, and to suppress the first risings of them, to get the habits of sin weakened, and to shame ourselves and frighten ourselves out of those inclinations and dispositions which are so hurtful to us; if we do not thus strike at the root, it is a sign that we have not the concern we ought to have for our own way.
Our own corruptions are excited and drawn out by the temptations of Satan. We are told of our danger from that enemy, but are careless of our way if we do not put on the whole armour of God, and in dependence upon divine grace put on resolution to resist him, and repel all his assaults. He has devices and wiles wherewith to beguile the unwary, latet an guts in herbd — there it many a snake under the green grass, and therefore we have need to look where we tread: and that we may be kept from evil, are concerned to abstain from all the appearances of evil, and to take heed of approaches towards it; if we do not we are careless of our way.
(2.) If we are in no care to do our duty, to be found in the way of it, and to do it as it ought to be done, we are careless of our way. It is not enough to the making of our way good that we cease to do evil, but we must learn to do well, and must learn to do it well, which will not be done without consideration. We must see to it, that in all the duties of the Christian life we walk circumspectly, axpifiut, accurately, exactly ;"* must do it by rule, and therefore must do it with care.
What we do that is good, must be done from a right principle, for a right end, and in a right manner; and therefore it must be done carefully, because herein it is so easy a thing to miss it; and if we are carried on in a road of religious exercises only by custom, and not by conscience and a due concern, we do but mock God and deceive ourselves, and it will turn to no good account.
Many an opportunity we have of doing good to others, and getting good to our own souls, which, if we do but walk carefully, we might make a good improvement of; but we lose it and let it slip, and it is a sign we despise our way ; for the husbandman
It Eccl. V. I.
I Gal. V. 11
Eph. V. 15.
THE FOLLY OF DESPISING OUR OWN WAYS.
that has a respect to his business, and a value for it, will not drop his proper time for sowing and reaping.
What is done in religion without care, is done accordingly. If we go about solemn exercises without solemn preparation, we commonly come off from them without advantage; and if the commandment be not duly observed, it will not be obeyed as it should be. It is charged upon Jehu, that he took no heed la walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart," And it is true of many, that they do not walk surely, are in no care to go upon sure grounds, and to take every step right, which is a sign they do not walk uprightly, nor have any true value for their own way.
II. I am next to show what a foolish and dangerous thing it is for us to despise our own ways, and what an absurdity they are guilty of who do so. Believe it, sirs, the ways we despise are not so despicable as we would make ourselves believe they are ; but a great deal of stress ought to be laid upon what we say and do, yea, upon what we think too; and consequently a great deal of care and concern ought to be about it.
This will appear if we consider these five things:
1. That the God of heaven observes and takes particular Tioticc of all our ways; even the ways of our hearts, even their thoughts and intents, are naked and open before the eyes of him with whom we have to do/* irpoc 6v I'lfnu 6 \oyoQ — with tchom there is for us an ar-count running and to whom there must be shoilly an account given up. God sees our ways, not only as he sees all things, but with a particular observation, as things that must be judged of, and by which judgment must be given justly.
It is a general truth laid down, and comes in as an argument against all secret sins, and those which are most artfully and industriously concealed ; that the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and hepoudereth all his goings,^ But we should each of us apply it to ourselves, and to our own goings. Job does so: Doth not he see my ways and count all my steps .^ David does so: Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my waysJ Now, shall we make a light matter of that which the God of heaven makes such a great matter of, or let that in us pass allowedly unobserved, which he so carefully observes ? It is natural to us to have some regard to ourselves, that we observe a due decorum when we are in the presence of our betters, whose eye we observe to be fixed upon us. Therefore we should have a jealous eye upon ourselves, because God has an eye upon us wherever we are, and whatever we are doing.
Therefore we should be very careful and diligent to avoid sin, because all our evil ways are before God ; they can none of them be hid from his pierca '3 Kin X. 31 o Heb iv. 13.
p Prov. V. 11.
ing eye; he sees all the secret wanderings of <mr hearts from him, and all the secret risings of oar hearts against him, and is much displeased witk them. And shall our sins be no proYOcation to us, when they are such a provocation to him ? I>oes he complain of his people's bent to backslide from him, and shall not they complain of it ? Is he broken witk their unfaithful heart, and shall they make lilit of it?
And therefore we should be very careful and diligent to do our duty, because God takes notice of til we think, or say, or do well, and is pleased with it, and it shall be owned in the great day, even a cap of cold water given to a disciple; which sboold engage us to wait all opportunities of doing good, because God observes all the good we do, especially if it be done in secret; for that shall with a paiticQ-lar regard be seen, and openly recompensed. Tk Lord knows the way of the righteous and, therefore, they should themselves take cognizance of it, of every path, and every step.
2. That Satan is a subtle enemy, who seeks to pervert our ways, and to draw them into his service and interests. If we despise our ways, yet he does not, but labours with the utmost subtilty and sodality to draw us aside out of the good and night wij, and to seduce us into the paths that lead to mio. He is represented, and his agents, by the foolish woman, who calls passengers who go right on their way, to come share in the stolen waters. Now if Satan be so watchful and busy to make us turn oat of our way, or trifle in it, and lets slip no opportunity of doing us a mischief in our way, we are fools if we be unconcerned, and slip opportunities of doin; ourselves a kindness. Our way is beset, and, therefore, we should t>e never off our guard.
Especially, because then our way is most endangered when it is most despised : when we least eon-sider what we do, our spiritual enemies gain most advantage against us, and make an easy prey of as. Satan's design is more than half accomplished, when he has brought men to an indifference as io their own actions, and let things go just as they will without either forecast or review.
This is a good reason therefore why we should be sober and vigilant, and make conscience of what we say and do, because our adversary the devil is seeking to devour us. Therefore St. Paul is jealoas over the Corinthians, and has a watchful eye apon all their ways, because there is danger, lest thfj should be beguiled as Eve was through the subtiltr of the serpent; and of the Thessalonians, lest by any means the tempter have tempted them, and his labour should be in vain.* And for the same reasoB we should have a jealousy of ourselves and oar owo way, lest if we sleep, and neglect our way, we lose q Job xxxi. 4.
THE FOLLY OF DESPISING OUR OWN WAYSl
KJg% our spear and cruse of water, as Saul did when he slept; nay, and our heads and lives, as Sisera did, when he slept in the tent of one who pretended to be his friend.
3. That we have many eyes upon us, that are witnesses to our way. David prays, Lord, lead me in a plain path because of mine enemies; ' because of ihem who observe me ; so it is in the original. We have need to look about us, for there are many about us who look upon us, to take notice of what we say and do. Let us walk honestly, fvffxijftovitfc— decently and as becomes our character, (so the word signifies,) as in the day, when we may be seen, and when we are in the midst of those who will observe us.
Some have their eye upon our way, perhaps, to take pattern by it, and that they may learn to do as we do, and then I am sure we ought not to despise our way, because the example of it may have a great influence upon others; so that if we do amiss, others will do amiss too, and so we shall become accessary to their sin, and shall be to answer not only for our ways, but, as the Scripture speaks, for the fruit of our doings, as Jeroboam for his sin, wherewith he made Israel to sin. If it be a good reason why we should not make friendship, nor keep company, with an angry man, lest we learn his ways, mach more is it a reason why an angry man should moderate his anger, and put on meekness, lest others should learn his ways, and get a snare to their souls," lest by setting his own house on fire he bum down a whole street. We ought to be very careful what language we speak, whether that of Canaan or that of Ashdod/ for those about us will learn our dialect, and be either the better or the worse for it.
Some, perhaps, have their eye upon our way to seek for matter of reproach ; they watch for our baiting, and if we say or do amiss, religion shall suffer by it, and be evil spoken of; and the enemies of the Lord will have their mouths opened to bias-]Aemy, as in David's case.* You who make a greater profession of religion, who attend preaching and catechising more than others, have need to be Tery strict and regular in your whole conversation ; for otherwise, by reason of you the way of truth will be evil spoken of ;'^ religion will be struck at, and wounded through your sides. That which, in others, would be winked at as a small fault, will, in you, be magnified and made a great matter of. Take ye therefore good heed to yourselves, that you may cut off occasion from them who desire occasion, ^ to reproach the good ways of the Lord, and prejudice people against them.
Some, perhaps, have their eye upon our way, that On the other hand would rejoice to see us do that Which becomes us, would have no greater joy than to see us walk in the truth, our strictness and stedt Ps. T. 8; xxrii. II. o Prov. xxii. 25. t Neh. liii. U. w 2 Sam. xU. 14. % 2 Pet. ii. 2.
fastness would be their strength and song: Now we live, says the apostle, if ye stand fast. We have reason to think that the good angels rejoice, as in the conversion of sinners, so in the even and regular walking of the saints; and, therefore, we are charged to behave ourselves very reverently in the worship 'a branch of our way which is by no means to be despised) because of the angels. Now, if our way be compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses,' it concerns us to have an eye to it ourselves; and to run, and run well, the race that is set before us, especially looking unto Jesus.
4. That we must shortly give an account of all our ways. As there is now an account kept of them all in the book of God's omniscience, and of the sinner's own conscience, because we are here in a state of trial and probation; so there must shortly be an account given of them all, and they must all be reviewed, for God requircth that which is past,* and will tell thee, these things thou hast done.
It is a folly for us to despise our own ways, and make a light matter of them, and to turn off the errors of them with a jest, when so great a matter will be made of them in the judgment; in the judgment at hand, which follows immediately upon death ; in the judgment at last, the public judgment of the great day. Therefore, it concerns us to fear God and keep his commandments, and to see that our matters be right and good, for God shall bring every work into judgment, bring it into the account, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.*' This was known and pressed by an Old-Testament preacher, but is much more clearly revealed in the New Testament, which tells us, We must all appear, one as well as another, all without exception, before the judgment-seat of Chrvt, to give an account of every thing done in the body, and to receive according to it, whether it be good or evil. Brethren, these are the true sayings of God ; all we are doing now will be called over again in the day of judgment; as sure as we see this day, we shall see that day, and it will be to us according as we are found.
O what a concern should this fill us with, to think that what we are now doing, every day, has a reference to that day; which methinks should make every day a great day, a judgment day, with us : for if we would daily judge ourselves concerning our own way, we should not be judged of the Lord.^ It would awaken us to consider our ways, if we would but consider how they will appear in that day, when we and they must appear undisguised, in true colours ; and with what eye we ourselves shall look upon them, an eye of shame, or an eye of satisfaction, and thankfulness to God. This should especially give check to the looses and extravagances y 2 Cor. xi. 12. « 1 Cor. xi. 10. « Eccl. iii. I&.
THE FOLLY OF DESPISING OUR OWN WAYS.
I of youth: Thou hast a mind, O young man, to lay the reins on the neck of thine appetites and passions, to indulge thyself in a sensual liberty, to walk in the way of thy heart, and in the sight of thy eyes, and this would be a brave way of living, if thou wast never to hear of it again ; but know thou, for all these things God will bring thee into judgment ;** for all thy indulgence of thyself in carnal mirth and sensual pleasure, unbounded and uncontrolled; for all those merry days and merry nights of thine, from which every thing was banished that was serious, and when God was not in all, not in any, of thy thoughts. Let the thoughts of this take young people off from their inordinate pursuits of the pleasures of sense, and deaden their desires towards them, that they may acquaint themselves with the pleasures of religion, which are spiritual and divine, and as much exceed the other as the richest wine does puddle-water.
5. That according as our ways are now, it is likely to be well or ill with us to eternity. It is the greatest folly imaginable to despise our way in this world, for as our way is, so will our end be in that world which has no end. Those who go upon the water only for pleasure care not what course they steer; but they who go upon business must steer the right course, and secure their point.
Believe it, sirs, and I pray consider it, that you are here upon trial for another world, and it will be to you a world of happiness or misery, according as you pass your trials. As you spend your time, you are likely to spend your eternity. If the prevailing temper of your mind now be vain and carnal, selfish and sensual, earthly and worldly, and you go out of the world under the dominion of such a temper, you are utterly unfit for heaven, and so is heaven for you, it would be no heaven to you. If the general course of your conversation be contrary to the rules of Christianity ; if, instead of being constant and devout worshippers of God, you slight and neglect religious exercises, and think meanly of them ; if, instead of living by faith in Christ, and in a continual dependence upon him for righteousness and grace, you lay him aside, and overlook him in what you have to do with God ; if, instead of living a life of self-denial and mortification, you indulge yourselves in all the gratifications of sense, and are in them as in your element; if, instead of bridling your passions, you indulge them upon every provocation, and are impatient of the least instance of contempt and contradiction, as if humility and meekness were no part of the law of Christ, or the livery of Christians ; if, instead of loving all men, even your enemies, and forgiving injuries, you have a jealousy of all, an antipathy to some, and bear malice and illd Eccl. xi. 9.
will to all that you apprehend have been injurioas to you, or stand in your light, or in yoar way; if, instead of being charitable and doin;^ all the good you can to every body, you are selfish, and leek your own things only, and are oppressive and hard with those you have power over or advantage against; if, instead of setting yonr affections oa things above, and having your conversation in heaven, you are wholly intent upon the world, and tho things of it; if that be the subject of your moit serious cares, and the object of your most vigoiMs pursuits, and you go on in such a course as this Is the end of your way, you cannot inherit eternal life; if the word of God be true, and there be any weigbt in the reason of the thing itself, you cannot; yoo cannot but perish, eternally perish. And can it then be an indifferent thing to us what our way is? Caa it be all one whether we live a godly or ungodly life, when our everlasting weal or woe does eef-tainly depend upon it ? O that we were wise and understood this, that we would consider oor latter end I then we durst not despise, durst not bat consider, our way.
And those who have good hope through giaee that they are in the way that leads to life, are concerned to regard their particular paths, to look wcU to their goings, and every step they take, because they know not how much their vigorous advances in grace and holiness, and their careful improvement of all opportunities of doing good, may add to the degrees of their glory and joy in heaven ; nor ham much their remissness, and the unevenness of their walking, may take from them: but this I am sure we all ought to fear, lest a promise being left ns of entering into that rest, and we having by faith laid hold on that promise, any of us should so much at seem to come short,* should seem either to others or to ourselves, should in the nature of the thing be in danger of it, or should come short of any of that measure to which, if we had been more caiefnl, we might have attained.
Nothing can be more proper to avraken us to pat a value upon our own ways, than to lay this to heart, that our present time is seed-time, and as we tow now we shall be reaping to eternity. The husbandman sows his ground with care, because he knows, that when what he sows comes up again, it will appear whether it was sown wisely and well or no, GaL vi. 7, 8. The matter is brought into a little compass* If tt sow to the flesh in a carnal, sensual life, tee iAdf of the flesh reap corruption; but if we $ow t9 ike spirit, we shall of the spirit reap life everlasting : and then I am sure it is folly for us to despise oar own way.
• Heb. iv. L
THE FOLLY OF DESPISING OUR OWN WAYS.
661
The Application.
The application of this plain and practical dis-csonrse lies npon yoarse Wes, brethren; the Lord help us all to apply it!
1. Let it be a caation to us not to be rigid and severe in oar censures of other people's ways, for that is none of our business; (we are incompetent jadges of our brethren, for we know not their hearts;) nor of their works, for we know not the principles they act from, or the ends they aim at, nor the one half of what is requisite to be known in order to the passing a right judgement upon them; we can judge at best but by the outward appearance, and, therefore, it is ten to one but we are deceiyed in our; judgment. And as we have not ability, so we have not authority, to judge concerning them; we step into
I the throne of God if we do: What have we to do to. fudge another man's servant? to his own master he, stands or falls. We are to hope charitably concerning cor brethren, and to put the best construction upon their words and actions that they will bear; but as to their way, and the end of it, the Lord only knows that, and to him we must leave it.
And this is another good reason why we should not pretend to judge our biethren and their way, because we have enough to judge ourselves and our own way: and here it becomes us as much to be strict and severe, as in judging of our brethren it becomes us to be candid and charitable, and make the best of every thing.
2. Let it be a charge to us to look well to our own ways. Let others, if they be overtaken in a fault, be restored with a spirit of meekness; and let us not be curious in prying into the fault, and examining all the circumstances of it; nor sharp in upbraiding them with their carelessness; but let every man prove his own work, let him bring that to the touchstone, and be very critical in trying it, and earnest with God in prayer, to discover him to himself; and if he find his heart upright with God, then he shall have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another/
O that I could prevail with you who are young, betimes to make conscience of what you say and do, and oblige yourselves to live by rule, and not, as most young people, to despise your own way. When you go out into the world, and begin to ** be for yourselves/' as you say, I beseech you, do well for yourselves. When you are gone from under the influence of your parents and masters, yet still continue under the influence of the good education they gave you, and think not, when you are set at liberty from them, you may live at large. With what grief have I sometimes heard that vain song put into the months of young people, which begins, " From grave lessons and restraints." I cannot repeat it, nor desire to do it, but it is designed to teach them to triumph in having shaken off the shackles of virtue, and laid the reins on the neck of lust. It is time to warm, my brethren, and to show ourselves zealous for the honour of God and conscience, of virtue and serious piety, for that is it I here, in the name of my great Master, contend for, and not the petty private interests of any party: let them take their lot, despise their way and spare not; the kingdom of God is not meats and drinks, either the imposition or the opposition of those matters of doubtful disputation ; but it is righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. It is the great and fundamental law of Christianity, repentance toward God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ ; it is humility and meekness; it is sobriety and temperance; it is chastity and strict modesty; it is justice and equity; it is universal charity and beneficence; that I am pressing upon you: these are the ways that you must walk in, if ever you hope to find rest to your souls; these ways must be your ways, and in these you must persevere to the end, and in these and all the acts of devotion, and the instituted exercises of religion, you must live a life of communion with God. In urging these, I say again, it is time to be in earnest, when the enemies of serious godliness are not only so subtle as secretly to weaken it.s principles, and sap its foundations under ground, but so daring as openly to attack all its strong holds; when you are taught by a celebrated poet to say, f Gal. vi. I, 4.
Conscience and Heaven's fears, religion's rules, Are but state-bells to toll in pious fools."
This is instructing you how to despise your own ways ; but. Cease my son to hear the instruction which causeth to err from the words of hnowledge ;> and the Lord rebuke those who give such destructive instructions, even the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke them, and snatch those as brands out of the burning who incline their ear to such instruction.
That which I am persuading you all to, both young and old, is, to keep yourselves, and all your words and actions, under a strict discipline. Are you your own masters ? Be faithful masters then to yourselves, and not careless ones. (I.) Be strict in your inquiries concerning your present way, and herein deal faithfully with yourselves, and do not despise a matter upon which your all depends. Are you in the broad way that leads to destruction, or in the narrow way that leads to life? among the many who walk in the way of their own hearts, or among the few who walk in the way of God's commandments? Christ is the way; are you in Christ? Holiness is the way; and is it the way of holiness that you are bsa
THE FOLLY OF DESPISING OUR OWN WAYS.
walking in ? Be willing to find oat the worst of your case, you need not be afraid to do so, while it may be amended, be it ever so bad: and be concerned to find it out; for if it be bad, and not amended in time, it will shortly be past recovery.
Take heed of deceiving yourselves in a matter of such vast moment as this is. The word of God has plainly told you once and again. There is a way which ieemeth right unto a tnan and be says I shall have peace, though I go on in it, but the end thereof are the ways of death ;*^ and will you suffer yourselves to be cheated into your own ruin, when you have such fair warning given you ? How bitter will the reflection upon it be hereafter, if you thus put a cheat upon your own souls! Self-deceivers will be self-destroyers, and, for that reason, to eternity self-tormentors.
For the Lord's sake, sirs, and for your own precious souls' sake, bring this matter to an issue quickly, by making your calling and your election sure, and so making your salvation sure. You are busy to make other things sure, that neither can be made sure, nor are worth making sure: O that you would make this sure, which may and must be made sure, and leave it no longer in suspense ! You cannot but tremble every step you take, as long as your own consciences tell you, if you give them leave to be faithful, that it is a step forward in the way of sin and death; but if you have good ground to hope, that through grace you are walking in the way of good men, that leads to life and happiness, you may go on cheerfully; you may sing in that way. Believe this matter therefore worth settling.
(2.) Be strict and impartial in your reflections upon your past ways, and do not despise them because they are past, for they are not past and gone, not gone out of God's remembrance: iVotr, there-fore, thus saith the Lord of hosts consider your ways} Set your hearts to your ways; so the word is; apply your minds seriously to think of them, and lay the concern of them near your hearts. Compare the temper of your minds, and the tenor of your lives, with the rule of God's word, which is right and strait, and therefore of use to show you the crooked ways into which you have turned aside; as far as you have varied and deviated from that, you have gone wrong. Find out the particular obliquities of your thoughts and afl'ections, your words and actions, that you may know what to sorrow for, as the plague of your own heart, and what to get healed ; for a disease that is known is half cured. Be particular in your reviews, that you may be so in your penitential acknowledgments; may be able to say not only, " I have done evil," but, " I have done this evil;" and not only so, but, *' Thus and thus have I done; ** h Prov. xiv. 12i xvi. 25.
i Hag. i. 5,7.
as Aaron, who on the day of atonement, (that dty to afflict the soul,) was to confess over the scap goat all the iniquities of the children of Israel, aad all their transgressions in all their sins,^ the nu themselves and all the aggravations of them. Aid usually the more particular we are in the confesiioo of sin, the more comfort we have in the sense of tk pardon, and the better fortified against temptatioBs to relapse and return to folly : Dolus versattw ti generalibus — Deceit employs general confessions nJtj,
It is good to be making penitential reflectiooi, every day, upon our sins of daily infirmity; and tke more frequently this work is done, the more easy it will be. *'Even reckonings make long friends:" if we daily audit accounts with our own consciences, and examine what we have done each day; if in the close of every week we do as God did, look apoo the week's work, and behold all that we have done; if, before we attend on the Lord at his table, we be particular in censuring ourselves for what has beta amiss, and renew our repentance, and fetch in fresk assurances of the divine favour in Christ, we sbail show that we have indeed a value for our way, and the great day of account vdll be no terror to as.
3. Be very circumspect and considerate as to tke particular paths that are before you. Do notbiog rashly, but every thing with due care. Let Darid's resolution be yours, and stick to it, I said I will tdu heed to my ways} He who walks uprightly, walki surely, will see to it that he goes upon sure grou Ddi, in opposition to walking at all adventures, and going on frowardly in the way of his heart. You put cos-tempt upon your ways if you do not make conscience of them. Dread that wicked notion, that it is all alike what you do; though you be ever so poor and low in this world, and ever so inconsiderable among men, and your way ever so little taken notice oC yet God's eye is upon it, and, therefore, yours should be so. Do nothing rashly, for fear of doing amiss.
As those who value their own souls cannot bat think themselves concerned to keep their hearts witk »". diligence, so those who value their own ways cannot but see themselves as much concerned to ponder the path of their feet; which direction follows I the former, and is given in pursuance of it. What- I ever you go about, consider diligently what is set / before you ; stand not gazing about you, and making I your remarks upon other people's ways, but let.voor I eyes look right on, and your eyelids look straigU before you, for your concern is vnth your own wajrs: let not your eyes turn, lest your feet follow them to the right hand or to the left Let heaven be the fixed end you walk towards, and the Scripture the fixed rule you walk by, and then you will walk steadllj and with a holy security.
And as those who value their own souls cannot do k Lev. xvi. 21.
I Pb. xulIz. I.
THE FOLLY OF DESPISING OUR OWN WAYS.
better for them, than to commit the keeping of them to God, as to a faithful Creator, and to Jesus Christ, the Bishop of souls, who has taken the oversight of them, not of constraint, but willingly; so those who value their own way cannot do better concerning it, ihan to commit their way, to commit their works, unto the Lord. Having chosen his word for your ^ule, be led by his Spirit. I know (says the prophet) that the way of man it not in himself, neither is it in man that walketh to direct his steps,^ We ought, therefore, in all our ways to acknowledge God, and to depend upon the conduct and support of his grace which he has promised to those who seek him, and m Jer. X. 23.
refer it to him to choose out their way, and to sit chief; in dependence upon which, every good Christian may promise himself the same satisfaction that the Psalmist pleases himself with. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterwards receive me to glory.
And, now, am I leaving you at parting under any serious, solicitous concern about your own way, resolving for the future to walk more circumspectly than you have done, in the strength of divine gp'ace ? And is this your resolution ? The Lord keep it always in the imagination of the thought of your heart, and thereby establish your way before him.
SOBER-MINDEDNESS
RECOMMENDED TO
YOUNG PEOPLE,
IN A DISCOURSE ON TITUS II. 6.
To THE Reader.
It has been the laudable practice of many good ministers, both in city and country, now about this time of the year, to preach sermons particularly to young people, to awaken them to a sense of their great concern. And it is very seasonable to do it now, not only because in these days of leisure they have more time to attend on such an opportunity, but because in these days of liberty and recess from business, young people are more exposed to temptations, which they have special need to be guarded against. Nor know I how we can better do honour to Christ, than by endeavouring thus to serve the great intentions of his coming into the world, and to bring in to him a seed to serve him, which shall be accounted to him for a generation; that from the womb of the morning he may have the dew of their youth.
Upon such an occasion as this, the substance of the following discourse was preached the other day in London; but I could not have persuaded myself to publish it, had I not been requested to do it by a number of very hopeful promising youths, to whom I have lately become related, for the present, as a Catechist; in which service, though it has been looked upon as one of the lowest branches of the ministerial office, yet it is the top of my ambition to be found, through grace, skilful, faithful, and successful.
To their service I dedicate it, not forgetting my friends in the country, the young ones of whose families I must ever have a deep and tender concern for. My prayer, both for the one and for the other, is, that they may betimes know the God of their fathers, so as to serve him with a perfect heart, and a willing mind; so know him, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent, as may be life eternal to them.
Matt. Henry. Jan, 3, 1712-13.
Titus ii. 6. Young men likewise exhort to be sober-mindet
Paul the aged is here directing Titus, a younf nister, whom he calls his oum son in the common what subjects to preach upon; in the choi which ministers have need of wisdom, should for wisdom, and take direction from this and Scripture directions.
In general, he must speak the things whicl come sound doctrine, v. 1. He mast preaci doctrine of Christ, the truth as it is in Jesu: great mystery of godliness, that is sound, or w some, doctrine, which is good for food, spiritual with which souls are nourished up, I Tim. i And good for medicine too; it is healing doctrii it speaks pardon of sin to those who complain c terror of guilt, and promises power agnst s those who complain of the strength of cormp and, blessed be God, this sound, this healing trine is preached to you, in its purity, and I ho its power, in season and out of season.
But this is not all, he must speak other tl which become this sound doctrine, opposed to Jewish fables and commandments of men, which they of the circumcision corrupted the trine of Christ; ch. i. 10, 14. The best wi guard against them, will be to preach the duti Christianity with the doctrines of it; the which is after godliness, ch, i. 1. Practical reli which regulates and governs the heart and li that which becomes the doctrine of Christia which it becomes the teachers of that doctrii preach, and both they and the professors of thai trine to make conscience of. The grace of Goc brings salvation teacheth us, and, therefore, the n ters of the word of that grace must teach yon, all who hope for that salvation must learn, to ungodliness, aiid worldly, fleshly lusts and to soberly, righteously, and godly. Right notions
SOBER-MINDEDNESS RECOMMENDED, &c.
not serve without good morals. Young people saying their catechism, if it were the best catechism in the world, saying it ever so well, and sajing nothing against it, will not save tliem, if the temper of their minds, ,and the tenor of their conversation, be not agreeable to the sound doctrine they converse with, of a piece with it, and such as becomes it
Titus is here particularly directed to preach upon the duties required from Christians of each sex, and each age of life. He must teach aged men how they ought to carry then Lselves, so that their hoary head being found in the way of righteousness, might be a crown of glory to them, v. 2. And the aged women likewise, v. 3. that they may teach the young women, v. 4. And here, in my text, he is directed what application to make to young men. Thus particular should ministers be in their preaching, that they may, as far as may be, reach every one's case, which is the likeliest way to reach every one's conscience. Thus ministers must endeavour rightly to divide the word of truth, and as wise and faithful stewards in God's house, to give every one their portion of meat in due season: and O that every one would take their portion, and feed upon it, and digest it, and instead of saying, " This was for such a one," would learn to say, " This is for me,"
In dealing with young men,
1. He is here directed to exhort them ; iraptueaXu, He must instruct them what to do, that they might know their duty; he must put them in mind of it, that they might know it when they had occasion to do it; he must excite and stir them up to it, and urge it upon them with motives and arguments; and he must encourage them in the doing of it, and comfort them, that they might go on in it cheerfully. All this is included in the word here used for exhorting them; and there is need of all this, and all little enough ; for some are ignorant and need to be taught, others are careless and need to be quickened ; some think their duty an indifferent thing, and on such we must press the command which makes it necessary; others think it an impracticable thing, and to such we must preach the grace that makes it easy.
In urging practical godliness, it is hard to say which is more needful, persuasion or direction; and which will be most serviceable to our end, good rules to show us what we should do, or good reasons to convince us that it is our duty and interest to do it: perhaps some stand in more need of the one, others of the other, and the Scripture furnishes us with abundant matter for both, enough to furnish the man of God for every good word of this kind.
The original word irapaica Xew, being a compound of ffo Xcitf, voco might properly be rendered, to ctdl to, or call upon; and that is the work of ministers, to be your monitors. We call to you, we call upon you, frequently, and with importunity, and as we see occasion, to mind your duty, and not to trifle in it, to take heed of sin, and not expose yourselves to it This is the word behind you, which is promised, (Isa. XXX. 21.) which shall say, This is the way, walk in it, and turn not aside to the right hand or to the left
Titus must exhort them in his public preaching, and in that must choose out words to reason with them. The rulers of the Jewish synagogue, after the reading of the Law and the Prophets in the assembly, on the sabbath, desired of Paul, a word of exhortation for the people. Acts xiii. 15. And public exhortations to those of one age, relation, or condition, may be of use to others, who are not to sit by as unconcerned, but some way or other to accommodate it to themselves, for what we say unto some we say unto all.
Yet this was not enough; he must exhort them in his personal conversation with them, must visit them at their houses, and there give them this admonition ; must give it in a particular manner to those that he saw needed it, give it with application, '* In this and the other instance you must be of a better spirit, and carry it better." When he was in company with young men he must be giving them good advice, and instead of allowing himself to be vain as they were, endeavour to make them grave as he was. Ministers must preach not only in the pulpit, but out of it, their conversation must be a constant sermon, and, in that they may be more particular in the application, and descend to persons and cases better than they can in their public ministry. Those ministers who complain that they would do this statedly and solemnly, but cannot bring it to bear, yet can have no excuse for not doing it occasionally, when it comes in their way, nor would seek an excuse if they had but a heart to it.
2. That which he must exhort them to, is to be sober-minded; all the law that concerns them ia particular, is summed up in this one word ; exhort them aiitvuv, — to be sober-minded. It is a very significant, comprehensive word; and has in it a check to all the ill habits and ill courses that are so mischievous and ruining to young people. The word speaks the duty of young men, but it is likewise twice used in the directory for young women, (v. 4.) that they may teach the young women to be sober, iva aupovi Zun ra£ vtoQ — that they may sober the yofumg women, may give them such instructions and examples as may help to make them sober; and again, (v, 5.) that they may teach them to be vwpovoc— discreet; so that it is the duty of young women, as well as young men, to be sober-minded; it is an exhortation proper for both the sexes of that age; and it is my exhortation to all of that age, who are within hearing to-day I beseech you suffer this word of exhortation, receive it at your peril, for if it come from God it is your utmost peril to refuse it
Doct, It is the gat duty of all young people to be sober-minded.
SOBER-MINDEDNESS RECOMMENDED
I shall endeavour to show you, I. What this sober-mindedness is which young people must be exhorted to. And, 11. What considerations should engage you who arc young to be sober-minded. And then, III. Make application.
I. Let us see what it is that we urge upon you, when we exhort you to be sober-minded. And I shall keep to the original word used in my text, and the various significations of it. It is the same word that is used to set forth the third part of our Christian duty, and is put first of the three lessons which the grace of God teaches us,—to live soberly, aw-^v(Mc« V. 12. And in another place it is put last of three excellent Christian graces, God has given us the spirit of power, and of love, and (ratpoviofiov — of a sound mind, 2 Tim. i. 7. And oiavwfioQ is put by Plutarch, in general, for the education of youth ; the sobering of them.
Give this exhortation its full latitude, and it speaks to you who are young these nine things:
1. You must be considerate and thoughtful, and not rash and heedless. To be sober-minded, is to make use of our reason, in reasoning with ourselves, and in communing with our own hearts; to employ those noble powers and capacities, by which we are distinguished from, and dignified above, the beasts, for those great ends for which we were endued with them, that we may not receive the grace of God in them in vain, but being rational creatures, may act rationally, as behoves us, as becomes us.
You learned to talk when you were children; when will you learn to think ? to think seriously, to think to the purpose ? Floating thoughts your heads are full of, foreign and impertinent ones; when will you be brought to close and fixed thoughts? to think with concern and application of the geat things that belong to your everlasting peace and welfare ?
Some have recommended the study of the mathematics, as proper to fix the minds of young people, and bring them to think. I wish any thing would do it, but would much rather it were done by a deep concern about the soul and another world, which, if it once prevail, will effectually fix the thoughts, and to the best purpose; for when once you come to see the greatness of that God with whom you have to do, and the weight of that eternity you are standing upon the brink of, you will see it is time to think, high time to look about you.
Learn to think not only of what is just before you, which strikes the senses, and affects the imagination, but of the causes, and consequences, and reasons of things ; to discover truths, compare them with one another, argue upon them, and apply them to yourselves, and to bring them to maturity; not to fasten upon that which comet first into your minds, but upon that which should come first, and which deserves to be first considered.
Multitudes are undone because they areaothbk-ing; inconsideration is the ruin of thousands, and many a precious soul perishes through mere carelessness ; Now therefoi-e, thus saith the Lord of hosts. Consider your ways ; retire into yoor owii lools, begin an acquaintance with them; it will be tbe most profitable acquaintance you can fall into, and will turn to the best account. While you are coveting to see the world, and to be acquainted with it, be not strangers at home.
Take time to think ; desire to be alone now and then, and let not solitude and retirement be an uneasiness to you, for you have a heart of your owd that you may converse with, and a God nigh onto you, with whom you have a pleasing communion.
Learn to think freely ; God invites you to do so: Come 710W, and let us reason together. We desire not that you should take things upon tmst« but inquire impartially into them, as the noble Bereans, who searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so, which the apostles told them. Pure Christianity and serious godliness fear not the sera-tiny of a free thought, but despise the impotent malice of a prejudiced one.
There are those, I find, who, under the pretence of being free-thinkers, by sly insinuations, endeavour to shake young people's belief of the divine authority of the Scriptures, and undermine all revealed religion, by turning sacred things into jest and ridicule; but they usurp the honourable character of free-thinkers: it does not belong to them; they are as far from the freedom they pretend to, as they are from the sincerity they protest against; for it is certain, that pride and affectation of singularity, and a spirit of opposition and contradiction, do as much enslave the thoughts on the one hand, as an implicit faith and obedience on the other hand. While they promise men liberty, they do but deceive them; and under colour of being sole mastcfs of reason, and ridiculing all who agree not with them, they as arbitrarily impose upon men's credulity, as ever popes and councils did under colour of being sole masters of faith, and anathematizing all who differ from them.
Learn to think for yourselves, to think of yourselves, to think with application. Think what you are, and what you are capable of. Think who made you, and what you were made for; for what end yoo were endued with the powers of reason, and attended by the inferior creatures. Think what you have been doing since you came into the world ; of the great work you were sent into the world about; of the vanity of childhood and youth, and how unavoidably the years of them are past away as a tale that is told; and whether, therefore, it be not time, high time, for the youngest of you to begin to be religious, and to enter in at the strait gte.
And as to your particular actions, do not walk tt
TO YOUNG PEOPLE.
6fi7 all adventures, as those do who despise their own ways; but consider what you do before you do it, that you may not have occasion to repent of it afterwards. Do nothing rashly, but always speak and act under the government of the great law of consideration. Ponder the path of your feet, that it may be a straight path.
Some people take a pride in being careless; tell them of such and such a thing that they were warned about, they turn it off with this excuse, that for their parts they never heed ; they mind not what is said to them ; nor ever thought of it since; and so glory in their shame.
But be not yon thus negligent; for then, and not (ill then, there begin to be hopes of young people, when they begin to set their hearts to all these things that are testified unto them, and to think of tbem with the reason of men, and the concern they deserve.
2. You must be cautious and prudent, and not wilful and heady. The word in the text is the same that is rendered, v. 6. to be discreet; prudenter agere — to behave prudently. You must not only think rationally, but when you have done so, you must act wisely, and so as will be most for your true interest; walk circumspectly; look before you, look about you, look under your feet, and pick your way; not aa fools, but as wise.
David's purpose when he set out in the world was, / will behave myself wisely in a perfect way ; and his prayer was. Lord, when wilt thou come vnto me, Ps. ci. 2. And accordingly we find, (I Sam. xviii. 14.) his purpose performed, and his prayer answered, He behaved himself wisely in all his ways, mmd the Lord was with him. Those who govern themselves, God will guide, but will justly leave those who love to wander, to wander endlessly.
Put away childish follies with other childish tilings, and do not all your days think and speak as ehildren. Espouse principles of wisdom, fix to yourselves rules of wisdom, and be ruled by those roles, and actuated by those principles. It is the irisdom of the prudent to understand his own way, !iia own business, not to censure other people's; ind this wisdom will in all cases be profitable to lifvct what measures, what steps, to take.
Youth is apt to be bold and venturous, and there-ore, resolute and peremptory, to its great prejudice. Bat be not you so ; let reason and conscience, according to the duty of their place, give check to the riolence of appetite and passion; let tbem rectify lie mistakes, and overrule the hasty dictates, of iumour and fancy, and reduce the arbitrary and exorbitant power of those tyrants.
How often does Solomon press it upon the young man he takes under his tuition ; My son, be wise, witdom is the principal thing, therefore get wisdom, fei understanding. You who are launching out into the world must take wisdom to be your pilot, or you are in danger of splitting upon some rock or other; this must be your pillar of cloud and fire, which you must follow the conduct of through this wilderness.
Be diffident of your own judgments, and jealous of yourselves, that you do not take things right, or not take them entire, and for that reason afraid lest the resolutions, which are the result of your considerations, should prove wrong; and therefore leave room for second thoughts. Say not, " I will do so and so, I am resolved I will walk in the way of my heart, and in the sight of my eyes, whatever it cost me/' Never have any will but what is guided by wisdom.
And, therefore, in every case of moment and difficulty, be willing to be advised by your friends, and depend more upon their judgment, who have had longer experience of the world, than upon your own. Consult with those who are wise and good, ask them what they would do, if they were in your case ; and you will find that in multitude of counsellors there is safety, and that that oftentimes proves best which was least your own doing; or if it should not prove well, it will be a satisfaction to you, that you did not do it without advice, and mature deliberation; and as the thing appeared then, you did it for the best.
What brighter character.can be given to a young man, than to say he is wise? Or what blacker, than to say he is stubborn ? See the former,—in Solomon, who calls himself a child, that hnuws not how to go out, or to come in, (I Kings iii. 7.) and yet his father calls him a wise man, who knows what he has to do ; see the latter,—^in the character of the rebellious son who was to be stoned to death, against whom the indictment runs thus. He is stubborn, he will not obey the voice of his father and mother, Deut. xxi. 18,20. Those are the fools whom there is little hopes of, who despise wisdom and instruction, Prov. i. 7. He who will not be counselled cannot be helped.
But would you be wise ? Not only be thought so, but really be so. Study the Scriptures; by them you will get more understanding than the ancients, than all your teachers, Ps. cxix. 99, 100. Make your observations upon the carriage and miscarriage of others, that you may take pattern by those who do well, and take warning by those who do ill, may look upon both and receive instruction. But especially, be earnest with God in prayer for wisdom, as Solomon was, and the prayer was both pleasing and prevailing in heaven. If any man, if any young man, lach wisdont, and is sensible that he lacks it, he is directed what to do, his way is plain, let him ash it of God; and he is encouraged to do it, for the Lord giveth wisdom, he has it to give, Prov. ii. 6. He delights to give it, he gives liberally ; he has a particular eye to young people in the dispensing
SOBER-MINDEDNESS RECOMMENDED
of this gift, for his word was written to give to the young man knowledge and discretion, Prov. i. 4. And because some are willing to be counselled, yet do not care to be chidden, we are told that he gives, and upbraids not; yet, as if this were not encouragement enough to the beggars at Wisdom's gates, there is an express promise to every one who seeks aright, that he shall not seek in vain ; it is not a promise with a peradventure, but with the greatest assurance, // ihall he given kim. Jam. i. 5. To all true believers, Christ himself is and shall be made of God Wisdom, I Cor. i. 30.
3. You must be humble and modest, and not proud and conceited. The word signifies modesti ie gerere, — to behave ones self modestly. Zcopovwi fjca XfiTf riyv rairuvopocrwiyv. So Chrysostom, Horn, ad Rom, — Sober-mindedness is the same with lowly-mindedness. And Theodoret makes it the same with that poverty of spirit, on which Christ pronounces his first blessing. Matt. v. 3. It is recommended to the younger to be clothed with humility, (1 Pet v. 5.) that is being sober-minded.
It is an observation that I have made upon the little acquaintance I -have had with the world, that I have seen more young people ruined by pride, than perhaps by any one lust whatsoever; and, therefore, let me press this upon you with all earnestness. And it is a caution introduced with more than ordinary solemnity, (Rom. xii. 3.) / say, through the grace given unto me, unto every man that is among you, A.nd what is the word that is thus declared to be of divine original, and universal concern? It is this: that no man thinh of himself above what he ought to think, but think soberly. And there is an elegant paronomasia in the original, which, for the sake of the young scholars, I beg leave to take notice of, fiij virep-^povuv trap' 6 Sti ^povttv, aXXa ^ovtiv a to autpovuv — let him think unto sobriety; the word used in the text; let him think himself into a sober mind, and always keep in that good mind.
Keep up low thoughts of yourselves, of your endowments, both outward and inward; of your attainments and improvements, and all your performances, and all the things you call merits and excellences. Boast not of a false gift, of what you have not, nor be puffed up with what you have. What there is in you that is commendable, wink at it yourselves, as most people do at their own faults, and diminish it, and look much at that in others which is more commendable. Let not the handsome glory in their beauty, nor the ingenious in their wit, for there cannot be a greater allay to the glory than to have it said, such and such arc comely, and witty, but they know it. Does your face in any respect shine? Be as Moses was, He wist not that the skin of his face shone; and do what Moses did, as soon as he perceived it, —^put a veil upon it. Delight more to say and do what is praise-worthy, than to be praised for it; for what hast thou which tboo hast not leodici. and what hast thou received which thon hast Mt abused ? And why then dost thoa boast?
Keep np a quick and constant sense of yovr <nm manifold defects and infirmities; how macb theie is in you, and how much is said and done by yos every day, which you have reason to be asha Biedo( and humbled for; in how many things yoo short of others, and in how many more you short of the rule. You will find no reason to be pnti of what yoo know, when you see how much yoo are ignorant of; nor of what yoa do that is good, wIki you see how much you do amiss. Dwell much vpot humbling considerations, and those that tend to take down your high opinion of yourselves; and keey up a humble sense of your necessary and constui dependence upon Christ and his grice, withoil which you are nothing, and will soon be worse thai nothing.
Think not yourselves too wise, too good, too oU, to be reproved for what is amiss, and to be taught to do better. When you are doable and treble tki age you are, yet yoo will not be too old to lean, ui increase in learning. If any man think that he knows any thing, that he knows every thing, so thai he needs no more instruction, he knows nothing jwt as he ought to know it, I Cor. viii. 2. And therefon he who seems to be wise, seems so to himself, aeem so to others, let him become a fool, that he may he wise; let him be sensible of his own folly, tkat he may be quickened to use the means of wisdom, aai prepared to receive the gprace of wisdom, 1 CeL iii. 18.
Be not confident of your own judgment, nor kek upon those with contempt that do not think as yaa do. Elihu is a great example of humility and bs* desty to those of your age; he wraa swift to bear, aii very ambitious to learn, for it is the learning age; / am young and you are old, and therefore I waited fit your words, I gave ear to your reastms, I sitttmki unto you, ready to give what you said its due weight and expecting to hear something that I had set known before: but ho was slow to speak; I 9m afraid, and durst not show you my opiniomfor 1 said, days should speak. Job xxxii. 6, 7, 11, 12. Be set forward to say, '' I hold so and so," for (as a giave divine once told a novice, that was laying down Ik law ^ith great assurance) ** It best becomes yoo U hold your peace."
Take heed of thinking yoorselves above year business. You that are apprentices, think not yoor* selves above your service ; humility will make the yoke you are under easy to you, which will gall the proud and stifi" neck. You who are set up for yov selves, think it no disparagement to you to yourselves to your business, and to make a of it, to see to it with your own eyes, no, nor to p your own hands to it. Be ashamed of nothing Imtfliii
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569
It will be yet much worse, if yoa think yourselves above your relijpon; above the restraints of it, as if it were a thing below you to be afraid of sin, and to make conscience of your words and actions, whereas there cannot be a greater disgrace to you than loose walking; or above the exercises of religion, as if it were a thing below you to pray, and hear the word, and join in acts of devotion, for it is really the greatest honour that you can do yourselves, thus to honour God.
Let this branch of sober-mindedness appear in your looks and carriage; let the show of your countenance witness for you, that you are not confident and conceited, but that you keep up a due diffidence of yourselves, and a due deference to all about you, especially those above you. Be not pert in your carriage, nor fantastical in your dress. If there be any thing in the garb and carriage, that young people may be innocently proud of, because those about them will be justly pleased with it, it is the Ipvity of it, when it is an indication of humility ftnd modesty reigning in the heart; for those are the best ornaments, and in the sight of God, and all wise men, of great price. And you will find, that better it is to beef a humble spiHt with tfte lowly, than to divide the spoil with the ftrovd; for when meiCs pritie shall bring them low honour shall uphold the hwitnble in spirit, and they shall be upheld, borne up and borne out in that honour.
4. You must be temperate and self-denying, and QOt indulgent of your appetites. It is the same word In the text, that, v. 2. is translated temperate, and Is one of the lessons that the aged men must learn; and some think it properly signifies a moderate use Df meat and drink : so as to keep the mean, and in tbe use of them amtv rnv ^fivrivy or rriv ^vaiv, to save our mind from being clouded, and our wisdom from being corrupted, that is, our hearts from being 9wercharged with surfeiting and drunkenness; we commonly put a '* sober man" in opposition to one that is drunk, or addicted to drunkenness.
Let me therefore warn young men to dread the dn of drunkenness, keep at a distance from it, si Toid all appearances of it, and approaches towards it. It has slain its thousands, its ten thousands, of fonng people; has ruined their health, brought liseases upon them, and cut them off in the flower >f their days. How many fall unpitied sacrifices to Lhis base lust! It has ruined their estates and trades. It their first setting out; when tbe time that should bave been spent in the shop and warehouse, is spent In tbe tavern and ale-house. When the money they shoo Id buy goods with, and pay their debts with, is thrown away in the gratification of an inordinate love of wine and strong drink, no wonder if they soon break, and run their country.
Take heed of the beginnings of this sin, for the way of k is down bill; and many under pretence of an innocent entertainment, and passing the evening in a pleasant conversation, are drawn in to drink to excess, and to make beasts of themselves. And you should tremble to think how fatal tbe consequences of it are; how unfit it renders you for the service of God at night, yea, and for your own business the next morning; how many are thus besotted, and sunk into that drowsiness, which clothes a man with rags: and yet that is not the worst, it extinguishes convictions, and sparks of devotion, and provokes the Spirit of grace to withdraw; and it will be the sinner's eternal ruin if it be not repented of, and forsaken in time; for the word of God has said, and it shall not be unsaid, it cannot be gainsaid, Drunh" ards shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Look not then upon the wine when it is red, when it gives its colour in tlie cup, is charming, is tempting, be not overcome with its allurements, for at the last it bites like a serpent, and stings like an adder. If you saw the devil putting the cup of drunkenness into your hand, I dare say you would not take it out of his; you may be sure the temptation to it comes from him, and, therefore, ought to dread it as much as if you saw it. If you saw poison put into the glass you would not drink it; and if it be provoking to God, and ruining to your souls, it is worse than poison: there is worse than death, there is hell, in the cup; and will you not then refuse it?
How many ways may you spend your evening, when you are fatigued with the business of the day, better than in drinking, in immoderate drinking! I am sorry we cannot urge against you, so much as gladly we would, the scandal of it, it is grown so fashionable. But whether you will hear, or whether you will forbear, we will insist upon the sin of it, and its prejudice to the soul both here and for ever, and beg of you, in consideration of this, to frighten yourselves from it We will insist likewise upon the real disgrace, that it is a reasonable creature who is, hereby, spoiled of his crown, and levelled with the brutes; and beg of you, in consideration of this, to shame yourselves out of it before God and your own conscience.
It is a sin that is in a special manner shameful and hurtful to those who profess religion. You who have been well educated, who have been bred up in sober families, have had examples of sobriety set you, and have known what the honours and pleasures of a sober conversation are; if, when you set up for yourselves, you think yourselves happy in getting clear from the restraints of a sober regimen, and take the liberty of tbe drunkards, what a reproach will it be to you! what a degeneracy! what a fall from your first love! and where will it stop ? Perhaps you have given up your names to the Lord Jesus at his table, and dare you partake of the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils? Let Christians, who are made to our God kings and priests, take to
SOBER-MINDEDNESS RECOMMENDED
themse Wes tbe lesson which Solomon's mother taught him. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings. So it is not for Christians to drink wine, but with great moderation, lest they drink and forget the law, forget the gospel, Prov. xxxi. 4, 6.
Yet this is not all I have to warn you against, under this head. Let not young people be nice and curious in their diet, nor solicitous to have all the delights of sense wound up to the height of plea-surableness; be not desirous of dainties, for they are deceitful meat, Prov. xxiii. 3. It is true that the use of them is lawful, but it is as true, that the love of them is dangerous ; and the indulging of the appetites of the body to them is often prejudicial to the soul and its true interests. Learn betimes to relish the delights that are rational and spiritual, and then your mouths will be out of taste with those pleasures that are brutal, and belong only to the animal life; and be afraid lest by indulging the body and the lusts of it, you come by degrees to the black character of those that were ipi KtiSovoi fta Wov 17 ^oBtoi — lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, 2 Tim. iii. 4.
The body is made to be a servant to the soul, and it must be treated accordingly ; we must give it, as wc must to our servants, that which is just and equal, let it have what is fitting ; but let it not be suffered to domineer, for nothing is so insufferable as a servant when he reigneth, (Prov. xxx. 22.) nor let it be pampered, for he who delicately brings up his servant from a child, shall have him become his son at the length, Prov. xxix. 21. Be dead, therefore, to the delights of sense ; mortify the love of ease and pleasure; learn betimes to endure hardness; use yourselves to deny yourselves, and so you will make it easy to yourselves, and will the better bear the common calamities of human life, as well as sufferings for righteousness sake. Those who would approve themselves good soldiers of Jesus Christ, must endure hardness, must inure themselves to it, 2 Tim. ii. 3.
5. You must be mild and gentle, and not indulgent of your passions. The word here used signifies moderation, such a soundness of mind as is opposed to frenzy and violence. We have need of sobriety to restrain and repress, not only our inordinate ap-" petites toward those things that are pleasing to sense, but our irregular resentment of those things that are displeasing ; for such a vexatious knowledge of good and evil has mankind got by eating of the forbidden tree.
Young people are especially apt to be hot and furious, to resent injuries, and to study revenge, like Simeon and Levi, whose anger was cursed, for it was fierce ; and their wrath, for it was cruel; and, therefore, the passion is ungoverned, because the pride is unmortified. They are fond of liberty, and therefore cannot bear control, and wedded to their own opinion, and therefore cannot bear contradiction, but are all in flame presently, if any one crots them ; and reckon that an honour, which is really their shame, to lay the reins on the neck of their passions, not caring what indecencies they are transported into by them, nor considering bow mischievous the consequences may be.
Learn betimes to bridle your anger; to gnard against the sparks of provocation, that they may not fall into the tinder; or if the fire be kindled, pot it out presently, by commanding the peace in your own souls, and setting a watch before the door of your lips. And when, at any time, you arc affronted, or think yourselves so, aim not at the wit of a sharp answer, which will stir op anger, but at the wisdom and grace of a soft answer, which will turn away wrath, Prov. xv. 1.
You are setting out in the world, and would have your passage through it comfortable. Now, there it nothing will contribute more to that than a qoiet spirit: The meek shall inherit the earth, was God's promise, by David first, (Ps. xxxvii. 11.) and afterwards by the Son of David, (Matt. v. 5.) that if they possess not an abundance of wealth, yet they shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. Bj the good government of your passions, yon will make yourselves easy, and easy to those about you; and a great deal of mischief both to others and to yourselves will be prevented.
The moral philosophers valued themselves very much upon the power which their instructions had upon young people, to soften and sweeten tbeir temper, and teach them to govern their passions, and keep a strict hand upon them. And shall Christianity, which, to all the arguments which reason suggests for meekness, adds tbe authority of the God who made us, forbidding rash anger, as heart-murder,—^the example of the Lord Jesus Christ who bought us, and bid us learn of him to be meek and lowly in heart,—and the consolations of the Spirit, which have a direct tendenoy to make us pleasant to ourselves and others,—and our experience of God's mercy and grace, in forbearing and forgiving us; shall this divine and heavenly instito-tion come short of their instructions, in plucking up this root of bitterness which bears gall and wormwood, and making us peaceable, gentle, and easy ta be entreated, which are the bright and blessed characters of the wisdom from above, Jam. iii. 17.
If you suffer your passions to get head now yoo are young, they will be in danger of growing more and more headstrong, and of making you perpetually uneasy; but if you get dominion over them now, you will easily keep dominion, and so keep the peace in your hearts and houses; and throogfa the grace of God, it will not be in the power even of sickness or old age to make you peevish, to soar your temper, or imbitter your spirits. Put on tbeitfort«
TO YOUNG PEOPLE.
661 among the ornaments of your youth, as the elect of Gadf holy and beloved, howeU of mercy, kindness, hum-hleness of mind, meekness, and lony-sufferiny. Your age is made for love; let holy love therefore be a law to you.
6. You must be chaste and reserved, and not wanton and impure. Both the Greek fathers and philosophers use the word ai Mtpoaupti for chastity; ' Continentiam et casiitatem significat — It signifies continence and chastity, Isidore Pelus. And when it 18 here made the particular duty of young men, this signification of the word must certainly be taken in; for the lusts of the flesh, which are manifest, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, (Gal. v. 19.) are particularly called youthful lusts.
And against those, in Christ's name, I am here to warn all you who are young; for God's sake, and for your own precious souls' sake, flee these youthful lasts ; dread them as you would a devouring fire, or a destroying plague, and keep at a distance from them ; abstain from all appearances of these sins ; hating even the garment spotted with the flesh, even the attire of an harlot. Covet not to know these depths of Satan, but take a pride in being ignorant of the way of the adulterous woman. See all temptations to uncleanness coming from the unclean spirit, that roaring lion who goes about continually, thus seeking to devour young people. O that you would betimes conceive a detestation and abhorrence of this sin, as much below you, and more against you ; and put on a firm and steady resolution, in the strength of the grace of Jesus Christ, never to defile yourselves with it; remembering what ' the apostle prescribes, as that which ought to be the . constant care of the unmarried, to be holy both in ' body and spirit, and so to please the Lord, 1 Cor. , vii. 34.
Take heed of the beginnings of this sin, lest Satan - In any thing get advantage against you, and the > little thief, stolen in insensibly at the window, open the door to the gp'eat one. How earnestly does Solomon warn his young man to take heed of the baits, lest he be taken in the snares, of the evil woman. .Remove thy way far from her, says he, for he that ^woald be kept from harm, must keep out of harm's ^way ; Come not nigh the door of her house, but go on the other side of the street, as thou wonldst, if it were a house infected ; lest thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed, and say, kam have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof, Prov. v. 8. 11, 12.
Pray earnestly to God for his gp'ace to keep' you fkom this sin, and that it may be sufficient for you; •o that be the temptation ever so sudden, it may find yoa awake, and aware of it, that you may not be nurprised into it; and be it ever so strong, it may find yon armed against it, with the whole armour of God,
HoA you may not be overpowered, and overcome by it.
2 o
Get your hearts purified by the word of God, and sanctified by divine love, for how else shall young people cleanse their way, but by taking heed thereto, according to the word. Keep up the authority of conscience, and keep it always tender, and void of ofl'ence. Make a covenant with your eyes, that they may not be the inlets of any impure thoughts, or the outlet of any impure desires; and pray David's prayer, Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity ; that you may never look and lust
Modesty is the hedge of chastity, and it is the ornament of your age, therefore, be sure to keep that up. Let your dress and carriage be very modest, and such as denotes a chaste conversation coupled with fear. Make it to appear that you know how to be pleasant and cheerful, without transgressing even the strictest rules of modesty; nay, that you know not how to be so, when any thing is said or done against those rules.
I would especially charge you who are young, to take heed that no corrupt filthy communication pro*-ceed out of your month. Never dare to speak, nor delight to hear, any thing that is immodest; Fornication and all uncleanness, let it not be once named among you; it is foolish talking and jesting, which is not convenient, which is very unbecoming the professors of such a pure and undefiled religion as Christianity is; it is that evil communication which corrupts good manners; it is, as some think, that idle word, for which our Saviour says we must give account in the geat day. Think what a great dishonour lascivious talk is to God, what a reproach to yourselves, and what mischief it does to those you converse with ; how great a matter a spark of this fire from hell may kindle; and how much of the sin and ruin of souls you may hereby have to answer for. God turns those to a pure language, whom he brings to call upon his name.
7. You must be steady and composed, and not giddy and unsettled. This we commonly take to be signified by a sober mind, a mind that acts and moves steadily, and is one with itself; in opposition to a roving, wandering heart, a heart divided, which cannot but be found faulty. Be sober-minded, that is, let your hearts be^^cf, Ps. cviii. 1. Establish your hearts, and be not like Reuben, unstable as water, for those who are so will never excel
Fix now, in the days of your youth, for God and Christ, and serious godliness; fix for heaven as your end, and holiness as your way. Halt no longer, hover no longer, between two, but be at a point; you have often been bid to choose whom you will serve, stand no longer deliberating, but bring this matter at length to the issue you will abide by, and abide by it. Nay, but we will serve the Lord.
Fix to that, whatever it is, that you are designed for in the world; fix to your business, fix to your book, if that is to be your business. Dum quid sis
QG2
SOBER-MINDEDNESS RECOMMENDED
iluhitas, jam potes esse nihil — While you are doubting what to he, you can do nothing. Whatever it is that you are employed in, let your application to it be close and constant, and do not upon every slight and trivial pretence start aside from it, and say you are weary of it, or you hope to mend yourselves, when the same volatile humour that makes you uneasy in the place and work you are in, will soon make you so in another.
Learn to fix your thoughts, and be not wandering; let them not run from one thing to another, as the bird in wandering, and the swallow in flying, for thus they run at length with the fooFs eyes into the ends of the earth ; but what thy hand finds to do, and tliy heart to think of, which is to the purpose, do it and think of it with all thy might, and pursue it close, till thou bring it to an issue, and then it is done and thought to purpose indeed ; whatever thou doest, hoc age — do this, mind thy business.
Learn to fix your aims, and act with a single eye; for the double-minded man, who is far from being sober-minded, cannot but be anstable in all his ways, and turns himself as the wind turns, and he that wavers is as a wave oftlic sea. Jam. i. 6, 8. Act considerately, that is, consistently with yourselves; and as those who understand your own ways ; and have not your ear open to every whisper and suggestion that would turn you out of it Be no more children, tossed to and fro with every wind, enticed to and fro with every bait, Eph. iv. 14. But in understanding be ye men, be ye fixed; let your foot stand in an even place, and then let your hearts be established, be not moved, be not removed.
8. You must be content and easy, and not ambitious and aspiring. Some make the word to signify, animi demissio — the bring mg of the mind down to the conditiony when the condition will not in every thing be brought up to the mind. A sober mind is that which accommodates itself to every estate of life, and every event of Providence, so that whatever changes happen, it preserves the possession and enjoyment of itself.
You who are young must learn betimes to reconcile yourselves to your lot, and make the best of that which is, because it is the will of God it should be as it is, and what pleases him ought to please us; for he knows what is fit to be done, and fit for us to have, better than we do. Let this check all disquieting discontented thoughts. Should it be according to thy mind? Shalt thou who art but of yesterday control him, quarrel with him, or prescribe to him, whose counsels were of old from everlasting ? It is folly to direct the divine disposals, but wisdom to acquiesce in them.
He who determineth the times before appointed, and the bounds of men's habitation, ordered what our rank and station should be in the world, what parents we should be bom of, what lot we should be bom to, and what our make and capacity of mind and bodj should be; and in these respects there is a gnsd variety ordained by Providence between some and others, who yet are made of one blood; some aie bom to wealth and honour, others to poveity and obscurity. Some seem made and marked by natire (that is, the God of nature) to be great and considerable, while others seem doomed to be all their dayi little and low; you see many above you, who mike a figure in the world, and are likely to do so yet more, while you are but as cjrphers; yet do not eavj them, nor fret at the place God's providence has pat you in, but make yourselves easy in it, and make the best of it, as those who are satisfied—not only in general, that all is well that God does; bat in particular, all is well that he does with yon.
Possess your minds, now you are yonng, with a reverence for the divine Providence, its sovereignty, wisdom, and goodness; and bring your minds wntto a cheerful reference of yourselves to all its arbitrations ; Here I am, let the Lord do with me, and all my affairs, as seemeth good in his sight. This would have a mighty influence upon the conduct of yoar affairs, and the evenness of your spirits, all your days. Whatever you are dispossessed of, or disturbed in the enjoyment of, resolve to be easy, not because you cannot help it, '^ This is an evil, and I must bear it,'' that is but a poor reason; but because it is the will of God, whose will is his wisdom, '* This is an evil, but it is designed for my good, and I will bear it"
Lay your expectations low from this world, ami promise not yourselves great matters in it It is God's command, ( Rom. xii. 16.) Mind not high things, set not your eyes and hearts upon them, as if they were the best things, and as if they would make you happy, and you could not be happy without them; but condescend to them of low estate, and take as much pleasure in conversation with them, as if they were company for princes and peers; or, as the margin reads it. Be content with mean things, with a mean habitation, mean diet, mean clothes, mean employments, if such be your lot, and instead of blaming it, bless God for it, that it is not worse, ami believe that it is fittest for you.
Not that I would have young people mean-spirited, or cramped in their aims and endeavours; whatever your business is, strive to be excellent and eminent in it; whatever your substance is, be diligent, that by the blessing of God upon it, it may, like Job's, be increased in the land. A good man leaves an inheritance, honestly got, to his children's children. But I would not have you ambitious of great things; covet not by taking thought to add cubits to yoor stature; let it suffice to thrive by inches, wHh the increases of the sober-minded; who do not make haste to be rich, for *^ Soft and fair goes fttit***
We commonly say of you who are young, thatym
TO YOUNG PEOPLE.
563 are upon your preferment; shall I persuade you to reckon it your best preferment to be eminently pious, and serviceable to the glory of God, and the interests of bis kingdom in the world ? That is the way to have the best reputation among men, which wise men reckon no despicable preferment, for A good name is better than precious ointment. Aim at advancing yourselves, not that you may live in so much the more pomp and ease, but that you may be in so much the better capacity to do good, and that is true preferment.
We commonly say of you who are young, that now is your time to make your fortune; it is a heathenish expression, for it is not blind fortune, but an all-seeing Providence, that we are governed by ; but that is not all; it is not in your power to make your own lot; Every man's judgment proceedeth from the Lord every creature is that to you, and no more, than he makes it to be; and, therefore, you must seek his favour; and reckon your lot best made when you have the Lord to be the portion of your inheritance and your cup, and then say. The lines are fallen to you in pleasant places; that is best for you, which is best for your souls, and in that you must soberly rest satisfied.
Jacob was setting out in the world, and ging to take him a wife, when all he desired and aimed at, and, if I may so say, indented for in his marriage articles, was bread to eat, and raiment to put on, to be kept in his way, and brought at length to his father's house in peace; and why should any of the spiritual seed of Jacob look higher in this world, who knows and hopes he has eternal riches in re-Tersion after one life ? Let young people be modest and moderate, and sober-minded, in their desires and expectations of temporal good things, as becomes those who see through them, and look above and beyond them, to the things not seen, that are eternal.
9. You must be grave and serious, and not frothy and vain. This signification we commonly give to the word here used. Him that is serious we call a sober man; and I put this last, of the ingredients of this sober-mindedness, because it will have a very great influence upon all the rest; we should gain our point entirely vrith young people, if we could but prevail with them to be serious. It is serious piety we would bring them to, and to live in good earnest.
Not that we would oblige younii people never to be merry, or have any ill-natured design upon them to make them melancholy. No, religion allows them to be cheerful; it is your time, make your best of it. jSvil days will come, of which you will say you have no pleasure in them, when the cares and sorrows of this world increase upon you, and we would not have you to anticipate those evil days. It is mentioned as an instance of the promised prosperity, and flourishing state, of Jerusalem, that the streets of the city f o2 shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets theteof Zech. viii. 6. Nay, religion prescribes cheerfulness to all tliose who are sincere and hearty in it; Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drinh thy wine with a merry heart, for God now accepteth thy worhs, Eccl. ix. 7. God expects to be served by us vrith joy fulness and gladness of heart, in the abundance of all things, Deut. xxviii. 47.
And it is certain, that none have such good reason to be cheerful as godly people have, none can be so upon better grounds, or with a better grace ; so justly or so safely. I have often said, and I must take all occasions to repeat it, that a holy, heavenly life, spent in the service of God, and in communion with him, is without doubt the most pleasant, comfortable life, that any one can live in this world.
But that which I would caution you against under this head, is vain and carnal mirth, that mirth, that laughter of the fool, of which Solomon says. It is mad, and What doeth it ? Innocent mirth is of good use in its time, and place, it will revive the spirit, and fit you for business, a merry heart does good like a medicine; but then it must be used like a medicine, must be taken physically, only when there is occasion for it, and not constantly, like our daily bread ; and like physic, it must be taken sub regi-mene — by rule; as not too often, so not too much at a time, like opiates, which are taken by drops, and with great caution. When you make use of these medicines, it must be with due correctives, and you must take great care of yourselves, lest that turn to your prejudice, and become a snare and a trap, which was intended for your health and welfare.
Allow yourselves in mirth as far as will consist with sober-mindedness, and no further; be merry and wise ; never let your mirth transgress the laws of piety, charity, or modesty, nor intrench upon your time for devotion and the service of God. Wise men will always reckon him over-fond of his mirth, who will rather lose his friend than his jest; much more may he be reckoned so, who will rather lose his God and a good conscience. Never make sport with the Scripture and sacred things, but let that which is serious always be spoken of with seriousness ; for it is dangerous playing with edge-tools.
Take heed lest your mirth exceed due* bounds, and transport you into any indecencies; that you give not yourselves too great a liberty, and then think to excuse it by saying. Am not I in sport! Prov. xxvi. 19. Set a double guard at such a time before the door of your lips, lest you offend with your tongues; and especially keep your hearts with all diligence. Let the inward thought still be serious ; and in the midst of your greatest mirth, retain a disposition habitually serious, and a reigning aff'ection to spiritual and divine things; such as will make you indifferent to ail vain mirth and pleasure,
SOBER-MINDEDNESS RECOMMENDED
and set you above it, and enable you to look upon that with a holy contempt, which many spend so much of their time in with so ^eat a complacency. A serious Christian, though, to relax himself and entertain his friends, he may allow himself a little mirth and recreation, yet he will make it to appear that he is not in his clement, that he knows better pleasures, and has given them the preference. A believing foretaste of the milk and honey of Canaan, is enough to put the mouth quite out of taste with the garlic and onions of Egypt.
But while I am pressing you who are young to be always serious, habitually so, always well affected to serious work, what shall we think of those who are never serious? who are always merry, always jesting, always bantering, so that you never know when they speak in earnest; who are always in pursuit of some sensual pleasure or other, and never know what it is to be one quarter of an hour serious, from the beginning of the year to the end of it? Certainly they forget, that for all these things God shall bring them into judgment and they know not how soon. O that this laughter might be turned into the mourning of true penitents, and this joy into the heaviness of sincere converts, that it may not be turned, as otherwise it certainly will be, into the weeping and wailing of damned sinners! The same Jesus who said, Blessed are they that moumfor they shall be comforted, has said also. Woe unto 'you that laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep, Luke vi. 25.
Shall I now prevail with you who are young, to value wisdom above wit, and that which helps to make you serious above that which helps to make you merry; and to take as much pleasure in gravity, as others do in vanity ? It will be the honour of your youth, will arm you against the temptations you are surrounded with, and will not only mark you for something considerable in this world, but for something infinitely more so in the other world. And, if you understand yourselves aright, I dare say, one hour spent in the employments and enjoyments of a sober, serious mind, will afford you more true comfort in the reflection, than many spent in mirth and gaiety, because it will certainly pass so much better in the account another day.
If you take the world for your guide, you will be bid to '* laugh and be fat;" will be told that <* an ounce of mirth is worth a pound of sorrow ;** but if you will attend to the dictates of the word of God, (and it is fit that the word that must judge us hereafter should rule us now,) that will tell you, that sorrow is better than laughter; and that it is better to go to the house of mourning, than to the house of feasting, for by tlie sadness of tlie countenance the heart is made better; it is made serious.
And thus you see what it is to be sober-minded, and how much of your duty it takes in; but are you content that it should take in all thi? Can you say, that though in many things yod come short, yet you esteem all these precepts, and all the things coatiis-ed in them, to be right, and, therefore, hate ereiy false way ? You will then be very willing to ban this sober-mindedness further pressed upon yon.
II. Let us see what considerations are proper, and may be powerful, to make young people in tU these respects sober-minded: and will yoo who ait young, apply your minds a little to these things?
I. You are all reasonable creatares, and tiiere-fore ought to be sober-minded. Consider how noble and excellent that rank of beings is that you are of; how far advanced above that of the beasts, and cob-sequently how unjust you are both to €rod and to yourselves, if by incogitancy, inconsideration, or tk indulgence of any brutish appetite or passion, yn level yourselves with the beasts that perish.
What have you your reason for, if yt>a do not make use of it ? your mind, if you do not take care to keep yourselves of a sound mind ? or, if you nind not that for the sake of which you had your rnindi given you ? Shew yourselves men, therefore, by briag-ing to mind, O ye transgressors, Isa. xlvi. 8. Sinncn would become saints, if they would but show tkcn-selves men, for the service of Christ is a reasontble service, and those who are wicked are unreasonable men : be persuaded therefore to act rationally; vai to save the nobler powers of reason from being tied up and overpowered by this and the other tfkd-lious lust and passion.
You brought rational souls with you into te world ; but think how long the seeds of reason kf buried under the clods before they began to sprii up; how long those sparks of a divine fire netati lost in the embers, during the years of infancy, wbea you were not capable of the consideration we are persuading you to. Yet then God took care of yoi, provided for you, and did you good, when jron were not able to do him any service. Study, therefore, now you are come to the use of reason, what honours and what dignities shall be done to him, who wai then careful for you with all that care. Study bov you shall redeem the time that was then unavoidaUj lost, by making so much the more use of your retsn now.
Think likewise how much time runs to waste a sleep, how many hours pass every day, daring wlnel the operations of reason are suspended, and fancy is all that while busy at work in a thousand fooliA dreams; yet then God preserves us, and gives kil angels a charge over us. Let us, therefore, wbfli we are awake, set reason on work, find it emphf ment, and support its authority by sober-miodei* ness; and let not the conversation of the day betf idle and impertinent as the dreams of the nigbtut; as I fear with many it is, both young and old.
Think, likewise, how piteous the case of tboieii who are deprived of the use of their reason, wbon*
TO YOUNG PEOPLE.
666 born idiots, or are fallen into deep melancholy, or into distraction and frenzy; who are incapable of thinking, speaking, and acting rationally, and are patent of the possession, government, and enjoyment of themselves. This might have been your case; it is God's great mercy to yoa that it is not so; nor ean you be secure, but that some time or other it may be so. You would dread it as the greatest affliction, not to be able to use your reason, and will you not dread it as a great sin, not to use it well, and as it should be used, now you are able.
When St. Paul would prove to the most noble Festus, that he was not beside himself, that he was act mad, his plea is, / speak the words of truth and tobemest; as if those that do not speak the words >f truth and soberness, all whose talk is banter and ranity, were no better than mad, and beside themselves. O that such young people as are thus taken in the snare of carnal mirth, and are in effect made lelirious by it, as you may perceive by the rambles af their talk, would at length recover their senses, return to their wits, and be sober-minded! That they would, like the prodigal son, come to themselves, ind come to a resolution to stay no longer in the devil's fields, to feed the swine of their own sinful lusts but to return to their Father's house, where they will be happy and shall be welcome.
When Christ was here upon earth, healing all manner of sickness, and all manner of disease, there was no one sort of patients that he had greater numbers of than such as were lunatic, and their lanacy was the effect of their being possessed with the devil. It was the miserable case of many young people; we find parents making complaints of this kind concerning their children; one has a daughter, another has a son, grievously vexed with the devil; but Christ healed them all, dispossessed Satan, and •o restored them to the possession of their own louls; and it is said of some whom he thus relieved, that they sat at the feet of Jesus clothed, and in heir right mind; it is the word used in the text, Luke iii. 35. As far as sin reigns in you, Satan reigns, Bd your souls are in his possession; Christ by cast-Dg out devils, gave a specimen and indication of tie great design of his gospel and grace, which was ) cure men of their spiritual frenzy, by breaking le power of Satan in them. O that you would lerefore apply yourselves to him! Submit to the 'ord of his grace, pray for the Spirit of his grace; Dd by this it will appear, that both these have had leir due influence upon you, if you sit at the feet r Jesas in your right mind ; in a sober mind. And, ideed, you never come to your right mind, till you o sit down at the feet of Jesus, to learn of him, and e ruled by him; you never are truly rational crea-ares, till in Christ you become new creatures. 2. Yon are .all sinners, and guilty before God; ODceived in iniquity, born in sin, you are by nature children of disobedience, and children of wrath; whether you have ever thought of it, or no, certainly it is so, the Scripture hath concluded you all under sin, and consequently under a sentence of death, like that of a physician upon his patient, when he pronounces his disease mortal; nay, like that of a judge upon the prisoner, when he pronounces his crime capital, so that both ways your danger is imminent and extreme. And shall not the consideration of this prevail to make you sober.
Were your bodies under some threatening disease, which, in all probability, would in a little time cut off the thread of your life, I believe that would make you serious, that would make you look solemn; were you condemned to die shortly by the hand of justice, that would sober you: and is not the death and ruin of an immortal soul more to be dreaded than that of a mortal body? and should not the danger of that give a louder alarm to the most secure, and cast a greater damp upon the most jovial, than of the other ?
And when you are told, that though the disease is mortal, it is not incurable, though the crime is capital, it is not unpardonable, how should that yet further prevail to make you serious, to make you very solicitous, very industrious, to get the disease healed, and the crime forgiven ! Your case will not allow any of your time or thoughts to run waste, or to be trifled away, but you have need, by sober-mindedness, to employ both in a due attendance to the things that belong to your everlasting peace.
You are sinners, and, therefore, have reason to think very meanly and humbly of yourselves; not to expect applauses, or resent contempts, nor to aim at great things in the world. What have such vile wretches as we are to be proud of, or to promise ourselves in this world, who owe our lives, which we have a thousand times forfeited, to the divine patience ?
You are sinners, and if yet you are in a state of sin, in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity, the misery of your state is enough to give an effectual check to your vain mirth, and would do it if you knew and considered it. Rejoice not, O Israel for joy, as other people, for thou luut gone a whoring from thy God, Hos. ix. I. Joy is forbidden fruit to wicked people. There cannot be a more monstrous absurdity, than that which they are guilty of, who say to the Almighty, Depart from us, who set him at a distance, set him at defiance, and yet tahe the timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ, and spend their days in mirth. Job xxi. 12—14.