Immagini della pagina
PDF
ePub

The Lord loves him, and keeps him as the apple of his eye; he gives his angels charge concerning him, to preserve him in all his ways, left at any time he should dafh his foot against a stone. He delights to speak his praise in the Affemblies of his faints and angels above he writes his name in the book of his remembrance, and gives him the honorable title of the friend of God. He makes all things work together for his good in this world, and, in the dark vale of death, opens his eyes to difcern the dawning of heavenly day. In fine, he holds his very afhes facred; and, raifing him up at the last day, carries him to his throne in heaven above, with the glorious company of the redeemed, to be made partaker of his own happiness.

These are thy palms, O Piety! Thine is the kingdom prepared above, thine the power with God and with man, and thine the crown of glory that fadeth

not away.

SERMON III.

ECCLES. xii. 1.

Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth.

WHEN Solomon, in early youth,

had afcended the throne of Ifrael, the God of his fathers appeared to him in a dream. The Almighty was graciously pleased to condefcend thus to vifit his creature. He put in his offer all the pleafures of the world, and defired him to afk, and he should receive; to wish, and he should enjoy. The young king poffeffed a wifdom beyond his years, and a greatness above his crown. He did not afk to have his palace filled with the beauties of the east, to have his treasury stored with the gold of Ophir, or to wear the laurel of victory over the nations. He afked a greater boon than all these. "Give thy fervant, O "Lord," replied the wife prince, " Give thy fervant "wisdom and understanding." What he then made the object of his own choice, he recommends to you under another name, in the words of the text. "Re"member now thy Creator in the days of thy youth."

This is the laft chapter of the works of Solomon, and these words may be regarded as his dying advice to the young. The philofophers of antiquity, who held out the lamp of wisdom to the heathen world, gave the fame advice to their followers. But between them and Solomon, there is this remarkable difference. They, from the obfcure retirement of

the schools, declaimed against pleasures which they had never tafted, and affected to defpife honors to which they never had it in their power to afcend. But Solomon, a great and powerful prince, in the pleasurable time of life, had in his own perfon tried the experiment. He made the tour of the fenfual world. He went in queft of happiness through all the scenes of life. He extended his fearch over the broad and flowery way, as well as in the narrow path, as it should seem by a particular permiffion of Providence, to fave the pains of future inquirers. Solomon acted the libertine upon a principle of inquiry. The result of his researches was, that all unlawful pursuits began with vanity, and ended in vexation of fpirit, and that the true happiness of man, confifted in that understanding which teacheth us to depart from evil, and in that wisdom which inftructeth us to fear the Lord.

It is common in Scripture, to express all the acts of devotion and virtue by fome part or principle of religion, fometimes by wisdom and understanding; at other times, by faith, love, the fear of God, walking with God, and many other phrases; all of which express the same meaning, and denote the whole economy of a religious life. So that remembering our Creator in the days of our youth, implies an early and an entire dedication of ourselves to the fervice of God.

In further difcourfing upon these words, I fhall enforce the exhortation in the text, and endeavour to perfuade you to remember your Creator in the days of your youth, from the peculiar fuitableness of religion to the early period of life. And in the first

place, let me exhort you now in the days of youth, to remember your Creator, from your being as yet uncorrupted by the world.

Although both Scripture and experience testify that man is fallen, and that our nature is corrupted, yet it is equally certain that our earliest paffions are on the fide of virtue, and that the good feed fprings before the tares. Malice and envy are yet ftrangers to your bofom. Covetoufness, that root of evil, hath not yet fprung up in your heart; the selfish, the wrathful, and the licentious paffions, have not yet obtained dominion over you. The modefty of nature, the great guardian of virtue, is not feduced from its poft. You would blufh even in fecret, to do a deed of dishonesty and fhame. High fentiments of honor and of probity expand the foul. The colour comes into the cheek at the smallest apprehenfion of blame; the ready lightning kindles in the eye at the leaft appearance of treachery and falfehood. Hence fays our Lord to his followers, Unless you be come as a child; unless you affume the candour, the innocence and the purity of children, you cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Therefore, whilft you are yet an offering fit for Heaven, present yourfelves at his altar, devote yourselves to his fervice. How beautiful and becoming does it appear for young perfons, newly arrived in this city of God, to remember the end for which they were fent into it, and to devote to their Maker's fervice, the first and the best of their days? When they are in the prime of youth and of health, when the mind is untainted with actual guilt, and alive to every generous imprefsion, to confecrate to religion the vernal flower of

[ocr errors]

life? The virgin innocence of the mind is a facrifice more acceptable to the Almighty, than if we should come before him with the cattle upon a thousand hills, and with ten thousand rivers of oil. If there be joy in heaven over a great and aged finner that repenteth, how pleasing a spectacle will it be to God, to angels, and to the fpirits of juft men made perfect, to behold a perfon in the critical season of life, acquit himself gloriously, and, defpifing the allurements, the deceitful and tranfitory pleasures of fin, choose for himself that better part which fhall never be taken away!

Dare then, O young man, to remember thy Cręator in the days of thy youth; have the courage to be good betimes. Beware of falling into the ufual fnare of the inexperienced; beware of thinking that you have time enough to be religious, and for that reafon may defer the work of your falvation to maturer age, when, as you foolishly imagine, seriousness and fanctity will come of their own accord. In answer to this, let me ask you, my friends, How often have you obferved time reform any one? Did time reform Saul? Did time reform Ahab? Did time reform Jezebel? On the contrary, did they not grow bolder in wickedness? You generally, indeed, obe ferve a greater decency in maturer age. The ebullition of youth is then spent, its turbulence is over; but, too often, I am afraid, the wild paffions have only given place to an external fobriety, whilft the heart is as far from God, and as carnal as ever. If you fufpect this to be a hafty decifion, examine what paffes in the world. Do you not observe great part of men in the decline of life, as earthly-minded as bę,

« IndietroContinua »