tly and virtually all perfections of o not know but that by an early, y be found: 'Seek ye the Lord him while he is near,' Isa. Iv. 6; seek him and miss him: Though nto them; 'When ye "When ye make many Il they cry unto the Lord, but he upon me, but I will not answer; not find me." This was Saul's ne, and God will not answer me," they should seek and not find at they but sought seasonably and nestly, affectionately: With my ; yea, with my spirit within me The Hebrew word signifies both a the morning the spirits are up, cionate. be crowned with finding: 'My z, O Lord! in the morning will I thee, and will look up' [Hebrew, those that put their trust in thee ; because thou defendest them ctest them']. Let them also that nou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; Hebrew, crown him'] as with a the Lord, but they have, or cerall find,' Mat. vii. 7; 'your hearts ;'The effectual fervent prayer of v. 16, or, as the Greek hath it, an availeth much. That prayer I work wonders in heaven, in the ayer, like Saul's sword and Jona take heed of saying cras, cras, to-morrow, icah iii. 4, Prov. i. 28. The liveliest activity that can be. One speaking of Luther, who was a man ve Hic homo potuit apud Deum quod voluit, t he would of God, &c. Again, to seek early is to seek chiefly, pri thing. What we first seek, we seek as chief. early is to seek him primarily, chiefly; in th verse, 'Thou art my God, early will I seek the as my choicest and my chiefest good. God is whence all grace springs, and Omega, the sea and therefore early and primarily to be sough a solid good, Id bonum perfectum dicitur, d cui nil decedere potest (Lactantius), That is nothing can be added; that a solid, from whi Such a good God is, and therefore early and is a pure and simple good; he is a light in w a good in whom there is no evil, 1 John i. 5. T is mixed, yea, that little goodness that is in t much evil; but God is an unmixed good; he i is all over good, he is nothing but good. Go 'Walk before me, and be upright: I am God of Genesis and the first verse. Habet omnia, q (Augustine), He hath all that hath the ha himself all power to defend you, all wisdon to pardon you, all grace to enrich you, all rig all goodness to supply you, and all happiness satisfying good, a good that fills the heart a ii. 3. In the 33d of Genesis, and the 11th ve good Jacob; I have all,' saith Jacob, for so th I have all, I have all comforts, all delights, al nothing, I have all things, because I have Ch things in him, 'I seek no other reward, for h saith one. As the worth and value of many found in one piece of gold, so all the petty exc abroad in the creatures are to be found in volume of perfections, which is spread thro epitomised in him. No good below him that satisfy the soul. A good wife, a good child, a a good friend, cannot satisfy the soul. The cannot satisfy. All abundance, if it be not but poverty and want,' said one. Ah! that young men and women would b youth seek, yea, seek early, seek earnestly, diligently, seek primarily, and seek unweari greatest good, the best good, the most desiral good, a pure good, a satisfying good, a total g Reason 10. Because the time of youth is th for service. Now your parts are lively, senses fresh, m vigorous. The days of your youth are the sp 2 Quicquid est 1 Omne bonum in summo bono. 3 Omnis copia quæ non est Deus meus, mihi egestas est. time, they are the first-born of your strength; therefore God requires your non-age, as well as your dotage, the wine of your times as well as the lees, as you may see typified to you in the first-fruits, which were dedicated to the Lord, and the first-born, Exod. xxiii. 16, Num. iii. 13. The time of youth is the time of salvation, it is the acceptable time; it is thy summer, thy harvest-time. O young man! therefore do not sleep, but up and be doing; awaken thy heart, rouse up thy soul, and improve all thou hast; put out thy reason, thy strength, thy all, to the treasuring up of heavenly graces, precious promises, divine experiences, and spiritual comforts, against the winter of old age; and then old age will not be to thee an evil age, but as it was to Abraham, ‘a good old age,' Gen. xv. 15; do not put off God with fair promises, and large pretences, till your last sands are running, and the days of dotage have overtaken you. That is a sad word of the prophet, Cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and yet offereth to the Lord a corrupt thing,' Mal. i. 14. Ah! young men and women, who are like the almond tree; you have many males in the flock, your strength is a male in your flock, your time is a male in the flock, your reason is a male in the flock, your parts are a male in the flock, and your gifts are a male in the flock. Now, if he be cursed that hath but one male in his flock, and shall offer to God a corrupt thing, a thing of no worth, of no value, how will you be cursed, and cursed, cursed at home, and cursed abroad, cursed temporally, cursed spiritually, and cursed eternally, who have many males in your flock, and yet deal so unworthily, so fraudulently, and false-heartedly with God, as to put him off with the dregs of your time and strength, while you spend the primrose of your youth in the service of the world, the flesh, and the devil, Mat. xxi. 20. The fig-tree in the Gospel, that did not bring forth fruit timely and seasonably, was cursed to admiration. The time of youth is the time and season for bringing forth the fruits of righteousness and holiness, and if these fruits be not brought forth in their season, you may justly fear, that the curses of heaven will secretly and insensibly soak and sink into your souls, and then woe! woe! to you that ever you were born. The best way to prevent this hell of hells, is to give God the cream and flower of your youth, your strength, your time, your talents. Vessels that are betimes seasoned with the savour of life never lose it, Prov. xxii. 6. Reason 11. Because death may suddenly and unexpectedly seize upon you; you have no lease of your lives. Youth is as fickle as old age. The young man may find graves enough of his length in burial places. As green wood and old logs meet in one fire, so young sinners and old sinners meet in one hell and burn together. When the young man is in his spring and prime, then he is cut off and dies; 'One dying in his full strength (or in the strength of his perfection, as the Hebrew hath it) being wholly at ease and quiet, his breasts are full of milk, and his bones are moistened with marrow,' The days of youth are called ætas bona, in Cicero, and ætas optima, in Seneca. [Epist. xlix.-G.] Jer. i. 11, the almond tree blossoms in January, while it is yet winter, and the fruit is ripe in March. 3 Amazement.'-G. strength; therefore God requires e, the wine of your times as well d to you in the first-fruits, which e first-born, Exod. xxiii. 16, Num. me of salvation, it is the acceptable t-time. O young man! therefore waken thy heart, rouse up thy soul, thy reason, thy strength, thy all, to s, precious promises, divine experist the winter of old age; and then age, but as it was to Abraham, 'a out off God with fair promises, and re running, and the days of dotage I word of the prophet, Cursed be ck a male, and yet offereth to the are like the almond tree; you have ngth is a male in your flock, your eason is a male in the flock, your our gifts are a male in the flock. ne male in his flock, and shall offer worth, of no value, how will you be d cursed abroad, cursed temporally, lly, who have many males in your fraudulently, and false-heartedly e dregs of your time and strength, r youth in the service of the world, id not bring forth fruit timely and 1.3 The time of youth is the time uits of righteousness and holiness, rth in their season, you may justly I secretly and insensibly soak and that ever you were born. oe! to you hells, is to give God the cream and your time, your talents. Vessels savour of life never lose it, Prov. suddenly and unexpectedly seize The young man may find graves ces. As green wood and old logs d old sinners meet in one hell and an is in his spring and prime, then his full strength (or in the strength it) being wholly at ease and quiet, Dones are moistened with marrow, in Cicero, and atas optima, in Seneca. uary, while it is yet winter, and the fruit G. Job xxi. 23, 24. David's children die when Jeroboam's, &c. Every day's experience tells life is as much a vapour as the old man's is.1 I have read of an Italian poet, who bring rich and potent, discoursing with death in th his scythe in his hand, cutting down the life grass, Isa. xl. 6. And wilt thou not spare a young man? I spare none, saith death; man day, a winter's day. Ofttimes the sun goes it be well up. Your day is short, your wor long, and therefore you should rise early, heaven betimes, as that man doth that hath winter's day.2 The life of man is absolutely short: Be days as an hand's-breadth,' Ps. xxxix. 5. Th tively short, and that if you compare man's have reached had he continued in innocenc death is a fall, that came in by a fall. Or i now to what they did reach to before the flo seven, eight, nine hundred years, Gen. i. 9; days with the days of God, Mine age is as xxxix. 5; or if you compare the days of man Ah! young men, young men ! can you brevity of man's life, and trifle away your your precious souls, and eternity? &c. Sure dare not, if you do but in good earnest por man's life. It is recorded of Philip, king o pension to one to come to him every day at Memento te esse mortalem, Remember thou Ah! young men and old had need be o mortality; they are too apt to forget that them the thoughts of that day. I have read endure to hear that bitter word death men surely this age is full of such mousters. And as the life of man is very short, so well, now sick; alive this hour, and dead t always give warning beforehand; sometimes. suddenly; he comes behind with his dart, a heart, before he saith, Have I found thee, xxi. 30. Eutychus fell down dead suddenl denly arrested David's sons and Job's sons; pliment, Galba with a sentence, Vespasian laughing at the picture of an old woman which he drew with his own hand; Sophocles was choked with the stone in a grape; Diodorus the logician died for shame that he could not answer a joculary question propounded at the table by Stilpo; Joannes Measius, preaching upon the raising of the woman of Nain's son from the dead, within three hours after died himself. Ah! young men and women, have you not cause, great cause, to be good betimes? for death is sudden in his approaches. Nothing more sure than death, and nothing more uncertain than life. Therefore know the Lord betimes, turn from your sins betimes; lay hold on the Lord, and make peace with him betimes, that you may never say, as Cæsar Borgias said when he was sick to death, 'When I lived,' said he, 'I provided for everything but death; now I must die, and am unprovided to die,' &c.1 Reason (12). Because it is ten to one, nay, a hundred to ten, if ever they are converted, if they are not converted when they are young. God usually begins with such betimes that he hath had thoughts of love and mercy towards them from everlasting.2 The instances cited to prove the doctrine confirms this argument; and if you look abroad in the world, you shall hardly find one saint among a thousand but dates his conversion from the time of his youth. It was the young ones that got through the wilderness into Canaan, Num. xxvi. If the tree do not bud and blossom, and bring forth fruit in the spring, it is commonly dead all the year after. If, in the spring and morning of your days, you do not bring forth fruit to God, it is an hundred to one that ever you bring forth fruit to him when the evil days of old age shall ' overtake you, wherein you shall say you have no pleasure, Eccles. xii. 1. For, as the son of Sirach observes, if thou hast gathered nothing in thy youth, what canst thou find in thy age? It is rare, very rare, that God sows and reaps in old age. Usually God sows the seed of grace in youth, that yields the harvest of joy in age. Though true repentance be never too late, yet late repentance is seldom true. Millions are now in hell, who have pleased themselves with the thoughts of after-repentance. The Lord hath made a promise to late repentance, but where hath he made a promise of late repentance ? Yea, what can be more just and equal, that such should seek and not find, who might have found but would not seek; and that he should shut his ears against their late prayers, who have stopped their ears against his early calls? Prov. i 24-32. The ancient warriors would not accept an old man into their army, as being unfit for service; and dost thou think that God will accept of thy dry bones, when Satan hath sucked out all the marrow? What lord, what master, will take such into their service, who have all their days served their enemies? and will God? will God? The Circassians, a kind of mongrel Christians, are said to divide their life betwixt sin and devotion, dedicating their 1 Much earlier than Borgia, being recorded of the dying emperor Septimus Severus as follows: Omnia fui, nihil expedit.'--G. Hosea xi. 1, When Israel was a child, then I loved him,' &c. 3 An Hebrew doctor observes, that of those six hundred thousand that went out of Egypt, there were but two persons that entered Canaan. Ecclesiasticus xxv. 3; the first quotation by Brooks thus far from the Apocrypha.-G. to one, nay, a hundred to ten, if not converted when they are young. imes that he hath had thoughts of everlasting. The instances cited argument; and if you look abroad one saint among a thousand but of his youth. It was the young ones to Canaan, Num. xxvi.' If the tree forth fruit in the spring, it is comin the spring and morning of your God, it is an hundred to one that en the evil days of old age shall say you have no pleasure," Eccles. bserves, if thou hast gathered nofind in thy age? It is rare, very 1 age. Usually God sows the seed irvest of joy in age. too late, yet late repentance is seldom have pleased themselves with the Lord hath made a promise to late de a promise of late repentance? ial, that such should seek and not ould not seek; and that he should yers, who have stopped their ears -32. The ancient warriors would ny, as being unfit for service; and of thy dry bones, when Satan hath t lord, what master, will take such ir days served their enemies? and ans, a kind of mongrel Christians, sin and devotion, dedicating their of the dying emperor Septimus Severus as en I loved him,' &c. se six hundred thousand that went out of ed Canaan. y Brooks thus far from the Apocrypha.-G. youth to rapine, and their old age to reper I would not be in thy case for ten thousan I have read of a certain great man that ness to repent, who answered, that he wo should recover, his companions would laug and sicker, his friends pressed him again them that it was too late, Quia jam judi for now, said he, I am judged and condem CHAPTER I Reason 13. Because else they will nev being old disciples. It is a very great honour to be an old a Now this honour none reach to, but su but such as turn to the Lord in the spring It is no honour for an old man to be in coa a babe in grace. An A B C old man is a s but it is a mighty honour to be a man, whe his conversion from the morning of his honour to be an old disciple, I shall prove culars. As, 14 Particular 1. All men will honour an 'The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it b eousness. God requires that the aged sho 32, 'Thou shalt rise up before the hoary h the old man' (the old man here is by some 'and fear thy God, I am the Lord.' Hoarin found in a way of righteousness. A white holy heart, makes a man truly honourabl sights in the world: the one is, a young m ness; and the other is, an old man walkin It was Abraham's honour that he went to or rather, as the Hebrew hath it, with a g Many there be that go to their graves with Abraham's crown, that he went to his gra Had Abraham's head been never so grey, would have been no honour to him. A hoa an unsanctified heart, is rather a curse t head is as white as snow, and the soul as gives up such to the greatest scorn and con up by their hands, the faces of elders were and this God had threatened long befor against thee a nation from far, a nation o shall not regard the person of the old, nor Deut. xxviii. 49, 50. 1 Breerw. Enqui. [This is Edward Brerewood's E languages,' &c. 1614.-G.] Bed What more ridiculous than puer centum annorum, A crown is a very glorious thing, but there are bu |