rivers before youth, of which many drink but are never fatif fied. Youth in this world wish to have happiness under their controul, but foon their fhow of independency on God will be over, and fipping at created cifterns muft fail. They muft feel, or they will feel comfort no more, "That from him "Springs fulness of joy." If, my precious youth, you plunge into the ocean of iniquity, you are loft, you are damned

forever.

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Fourthly, this remembrance implies a folemn enquiry how God. Is you stand with your creator, your Saviour and your it peace or war, friendship or enmity? My dear young friends, you know not the import of this enquiry. Have you repented of fin, fled to the blood of Jefus for deliverence-are you bled for original and actual tranfgreffion, and are the wonders of divine mercy all the ground of your hope? Attend to the character of God, his holy law, the exceeding great evil of fin, and the only method of recovery through the atoning merits of Jefus Chrift. The wafhing of the blood of the Redeemer is as neceflary for the young as the old. By this blood you must be cleansed, and in the faith of it, you must hop for eter nal life. Would to God, the fcriptural declarations respecting these important matters might be effectually impressed on every young and tender mind. However few your years, these are the essential terms of eternal life, you must repent and believe the Gofpel. "All men are commanded every where to repent, "the young as well as the old, the youth in all the flower of "his bloom, as well as the man of grey hairs." There is no exception here, all muft repent or perish. Our Lord's deci hion is, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." Só likewife faith enters into the effence of falvation. Eternal life by the conftitution of heaven, is infallibly chained to faith, and eternal damnation to unbelif and impenitence. The fum of all religion which our Lord delivered to his difciples, when he fent them forth to preach the gofpel to every creature, is this, "He that believeth and is baptifed fhall be faved," but

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how tremendously awful is the reverfe part of their commiffion? Who can pronounce it without horror. It should strike terror into every foul, "He that be "lieveth not fhall be damned." Wherefore let the counfel in the text be powerfully felt by every youthful mind, as a matter of the first and highest importance. "Remember thy Cre"ators in the days of thy youth." Remember the character of the Lord of universal nature; he is not a man, he is not a weak and impotent creature, but the Creator of the ends of the earth, whofe arm is full of power; his look fhakes the earth to its center; his anger makes the pillars of heaven to tremble; the hills melt and the mountains escape from before him. Wherefore my beloved children, "Acquaint yourselves "with him and be at peace, and thereby good fhall come un" to you."

I proceed to the fecond part of this difcourfe, to endea-vour to inforce the duty on every young and tender mind. It is impoffible in the range of a narrow difcourfe to pafs the limits of our text. The field of reafon and the extent of reve lation upon this fubject, the life of a Mathufalak could not.

exhibit.

First, the ftate of your birth is recommended to your confideration; that you have come into the world, fhapen in fin, and brought forth in iniquity, and your firft entrance inte existence is under the character of children of wrath. It is an awful thought for recollection, that you are by nature guilty and obnoxious in the fight of unftained purity. This is the fundamental reafon of circumcifion, baptifm and the dedication of children to God. The declaration of heaven is on the one hand, "That by one man's difobedience many were made "finners. That the judgment came upon all men to con"demnation; all are under the curfe," and the demands of justice rests upon the children who have never finned after the fimilitude of Adam's tranfgreffion, as well as others. And on

the other hand, all muft repent, from the youngest to the oldest, and turn unto God in the way appointed.

Secondly, the remembrance in the text, feems to imply a natural difpofition of unmindfulness of God. Were we born with a right temper, it would be as natural to love God, obey his commands and avoid what he forbids, as to exhibit defire for food and drink. That our first appearances of action are not to love and ferve God, are certain evidences, that our natural propenfities are wrong, wherefore upon this fuppofition we are called upon to remember our Creator while we are young. And this remembrance implies every temper, exercife and duty which constitutes real piety and true reli gion. Wherefore, let children and youth who would wish for happiness and the favour of God comply with this divine. counsel.

Thirdly, remember, while you continue in your native and wicked temper, God cannot be your friend, but enemy. "He is angry with the wicked every day. If they turn not, he will whet his fword, he hath bent his bow, and made it rea"dy." Therefore you are liable, however young, while re maining impenitent and unbelieving to be turned into hell with all that forget God. While this is your character, no. thing keeps you from this awful doom, but the wonderful patience and forbearance of God. He moft furely has power enough and provocation enough to fend you to perdition every moment you remain out of Chrift. There is the greatet reason therefore that you should remember your Creator in the days of your youth.

You know not, my dear friends, but that you may die young. You have no more fecurity for life, than the most aged person loit ering under the burden of many years and inarmities. This is a truth the young can hardly be perfuaded to feel or believe, Nay, the very ftrength of your conftitu

tion and heat of blood expofes you to many fatal difeafes. As many die in youth as in other periods of life. God may take away your breath every day and every hour just at his plea fure. Now as this is the fituation of every individual, what an argument of irrefiftible force is it to induce you to remember your Creator and your fouls in the days of your youth.

If you are not disposed to attend to religion now, there can be no future period of life, in which, if left to yourselves, you If mowill be more, or even fo much inclined to this duty. tives and arguments can have any influence, these are as strong and powerful now, as they can be at any time hereafter. The reafons drawn from the uncertainty of life-the commanding authority of God--the preciousness of the foul-the importance of falvation; and your own intereft, are all as weighty and forcible now, as they ever will or can be. These can never increase. But it is an awful and alarming fact, that your indifpofition to attend to religion increases daily through every period of life. Your years grow not fafter than the hardness of heart, blindness of mind, and ftupidity of confcience. This From the native alienation of the arifes from various causes.

The

foul from God; the longer it continues unreftrained, the ftronger it becomes. It arises also from the force of fenfual pleafures and from the nature of a worldly temper. more fuch pleasures are indulged, the greater power they acquire. The longer our attachments to the world are indulged, the greater the difficulty to renounce them. This fatal temper likewife gains ftrength from the delufive and fascinating hopes of a more convenient feafon for engaging in religion. This prefumption is always of a growing nature. The longer we put off the concerns of our fouls, the motives for fo doing accumu late, till death clofes the fcene and all is loft forever. Hence collecting all confiderations into one view, youth will never have a more convenient opportunity or a better difpofition for the remembrance of your Creator, if left to yourselves, than the prefent. "Now is the accepted time, now is the day, of

**falvation." You must enter upon falvation now, or it is probable you never will. Weigh the arguments placed before you; if these cannot influence you at prefent, it is certain their impreffions will become weaker every day. Then think for a moment what is likely to be the confequence. That you must make your bed in everlafting forrows. God only can turn the heart from youthful pleafures and finful amufements and form it by his grace for his love and fervice, therefore be intreated to remember your creator in the days of your youth. The effectual grace of God in your repentance and converfion, should be improved by you as an irrefiftible argument to cause you to remember him.

This fubject will clofe with a few obfervations on the motives in our text employed to excite young people to this great duty, the remembrance of God and their Saviour. Remem ber," while the evil days come not nor the years draw nigh, "when they fhall fay, I have no pleafure in them." By evil days is generally and rightly understood times of fickness, calamity, pains and death. Perform this duty, make your peace with your Maker, embrace the Redeemer, relinquish fin, and engage in the ways of piety in the prime of life. These things are to be done while you are young. They ought not to be postponed for a day. Evil days are faft hafting on, in which we will find no pleafure. God is long fuffering and grants space for repentance. And it concerns all to attend to it immediately and prepare for their latter end. Old age will advance and these will be years of unpleafantnefs. relish any of the delights of fenfe.

Barzillai could not then There you will be loaded

with infirmities, palfies, pains and weakneffes of a thousand forms; your strength will become labour and forrow. We fhall have then parted with the most of our dear friends and relations, and the refidue may have become wearied of us. This is a tormenting feeling. It is worfe than the pangs of death.

With not to be old, but wish to be good. Become