fending christians, and will he himself act other. wise? Nay, is it an evil in us to lay open the weak. nesses and infirmities of the saints to the world? and will it be an excellency, a glory, a virtue in Christ to do it in the great day.

5th Argument is this, It is the glory of a man to pass over a transgression: the discretion of a man deferreth his anger, and it is his glory to pass over a transgression, or to pass by it, as we do by persons or things we know not, or would take no notice of. Now, Is it the glory of a man to pass over a transgression, and will it not much more be the glory of Christ, silently to pass over the trans-, gressions of his people in that great day? The greater the treasons and rebellions are that a prince passes over, and takes no notice of, the more is the honour and glory; and so doubtless it will be Christ's in that great day, to pass over all the treasons and rebellions of his people, to take no notice of them, to forget them as well as to forgive them. The heathens have long since observed, that in nothing man came nearer to the glory and perfec tion of God himself, than in goodness and clemeney. Surely if it be such an honour to man, to pass over a transgression, it cannot be a dishonour to Christ to pass over the transgressions of his people, he having already buried them in the sea of his blood. Again saith Solomon, "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing," Prov. xxv. 2. And why it should not make for the glory of divine love to conceal the sins of the saints in that great day, I know not: and whether the concealing the sins of the saints in the great day, will not make most for their joy and wicked men's sorrows; for their

comfort and wicked men's terror and torment, I will leave you to judge, and time and experience to decide; and thus much for the resolution of that great question. Having done with the motives that may encourage and provoke young men to be good betimes, to know, love, seek, and serve the Lord in the spring and morning of their days.

CHAPTER VI.

I SHALL now come to those directions and helps which must, by assistance from heaven, be put in practice, if ever you would be good betimes, and serve the Lord in the prime of your days. Now all that I shall say, will fall under these two heads.

1. Some things you must carefully and warily decline, and arm yourselves against. 2. There are other things that you must prosecute and follow.

1. There are some things that you must warily decline, and they are these.

1. If ever you would be good betimes, if you would be gracious in the spring and morning of your youth, oh, then take heed of putting the day of death far from you. Young men are too prone to look upon death afar off, and put it at a great distance from them; they are apt to say to death, as Pharaoh said to Moses, Get thee from me, and let me see thy face no more; if old men discourse to them of death, they are ready to answer as the high-priest did Judas, in a different case, "What is that to us? look you unto it," Matt. xxvii. 4. We know sickness will come, and death is a debt we must all pay, but surely these guests are a great

way from us; for doth not David say, "The years of a man are threescore years and ten," Ps. xc. 10. We have calculated our nativities, and we cannot abate a day, a minute, a moment of threescore and ten, and therefore it is even a death to us to think of death, there being so great a distance between our birth-day and our dying day, as we have cast up the account.

Ah, young men, it is sad, it is very sad, when you are so wittily wicked as to say with those in Ezekiel, xii. 27. "Behold, they of the house of Israel say, the vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are afar off." Ah, young men, by putting far away this day, you gratify Satan, you strengthen sin, you provoke the Lord, you make the work of faith and repentance more hard and difficult, you lay a sad foundation for the greatest fears and doubts. Ah, how soon may that sad word be fulfilled upon you, Matt. xxiv. 48, &c. "The Lord of that servant, that saith, his Lord delayeth his coming, shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, (or cut him off) and appoint him his portion with hypocrites, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." When Sodom, when Pharaoh, when Agag, when Amalek, when Haman, when Herod, when Nebuchadnezzar, when Belshazzer, when Dives, when the fool in the gospel, were all in their prime, their pride, when they were all in a flourishing state, and upon the very top of their glory; how strangely, how suddenly, how sadly, how fearfully, how wonderfully were they brought down to the grave, to hell.

Ah, young man, who art thou, and what is thy name or fame, what is thy power or place, what is thy dignity or glory, that thou darest promise thyself an exemption from sharing in as sad a portion as ever justice gave to those who once were very high, who were seated among the stars, but are now brought down to the sides of the pit? I have read a story of one that gave a young prodigal a ring with a death's head, on this condition, that he should one hour daily, for seven days together, look and think upon it, which bred a great change in his life.

Ah, young men, the serious thoughts of death may do that for you, that neither friends, counsel, example, prayers, sermons, tears, have not done to this very day. Well, remember this, to labour not to die, is labour in vain, and to put this day far from you, and to live without fear of death, is to die living. Death seizeth on old men, and lays wait for the youngest. Death is oftentimes as near to the young man's back as it is to the old man's face.

It is storied of Charles the 4th, king of France, that being one time affected with the sense of his many and great sins, he fetched a deep sigh and said to his wife, By the help of God I will now so carry myself all my life long, that I will never offend him more; which words he had no sooner uttered, but he fell down and died. Do not, young men, put this day far from you, lest you are suddenly surprised, and then you cry out when too late, A kingdom for a Christ, a kingdom for a Christ, as once crookbacked Richard the 3d did in his distress, A kingdom for a horse, a kingdom for a horse.

Ah, young men ! did you never hear of a young man that cried out, Ah, I am so sick that I cannot live, and yet, woeful wretch that I am, so sinfùl that I dare not die; oh that I might live, oh that I might die, oh that I might do neither! Well, young men, remember this, the frequent, the serious thoughts of death will prevent many a sin, it will arm you against many temptations, it will secure you from many afflictions, it will keep you from doting on the world, it will make you do much in a little time, it will make death easy when it comes, and it will make you look out betimes for a kingdom that shakes not, and for glory that fadeth not away. Therefore do not, oh do not put the day of death far from you. Take heed of crying cras, cras, to-morrow, to-morrow, saith Luther, for a man lives forty years before he knows himself to be a fool, and by that time he sees his folly, his life is finished; so men die before they begin to live.

II. If you would be good betimes, then take heed of learning to your own understanding. This counsel wise Solomon gives to his son, or the young men in his time, Prov. iii. 1. "My son, forget not my law, and let thy heart keep my commandments: trust in the Lord with all thy heart, and lean not to thine own understanding."

Youth is the age of folly, of vain hopes, and overgrown confidence: ah! how wise might many have been, had they not been too early wise in their own opinion? Rehoboam's young counsellors proved the overthrow of his kingdom. It is brave for youth in all things to be discreet and sober-minded. Three virtues, they say, are prime ornaments of youth; modesty, silence, and obedi