traordinary life of pleafure and fin, and of wisdom and folly of which there has been none like it, nor will there be another. Forgive me this excurfion and deviation from the fubject in view. You are ready to fay, that all old men will · pafs the fame reflections on life, and make a fimilar regret, that they have paffed through the world under a kind of enchantment, which the approaches of death diffolve, and they awake to think of God and religion when their heart ftrings. are breaking. I readily grant death is an awakening period, and I also affirm the whole life is little enough to prepare for it. The young and gay will laugh at every thing ferious, and will fay, the religious language of the aged, is the refult of chagrin, disappointment, or furfeited repitition of enjoyments... To fuch, I can only fay, "Take the unhappy reins on your necks, range through the fields of pleasure, tafte of every forbidden tree, enjoy yourselves, abandon religion, banish death,. heaven, eternity, and hell from your thoughts, and forbid their intrufion to mar your pleafures; finish life in a thoughtlefs and. jovial fwing;" but, O youth, be affured of this, "God will bring "you into judgment." This thought is excluded in the hours of mirth and lawless pleasures, but hereafter it will bite like an adder and fting like a ferpent. I wish this one idea could be impreffed on the hearts of youth, "Remember that all your conduct in life, and every period of its pleafures God will bring into judgment in the prefence of the whole univerfe."

The great things enjoined upon youth in this fubject is the plain duty of remembrance of God and feveral reafons to en force their compliance with it.

The duty is to remember their Creator, and immediately to perform every matter and thing implied in this remembrance.. The original word is Creators, strongly intimating a Trinity of perfons in the Godhead to which their attention fhould be turned; they should remember the Father their maker, the Son

their redeemer, and the Holy Ghoft their fanctifier, which comprehends in it the whole of religion. The reafons enforcing the duty of the text fhall be the principal object of your atten tion, and no more shall be said about the duty itself, than merely to afcertain the nature of it in general. It most evidently involves in it the following particulars.

First, that you ever bear fully in your mind that there is a God, glorious in the perfons of Godhead and in all his attri butes. You muft furely feel he is your fupreme and rightful fovereign. You did not give yourselves exiftence by your own will or power. All the being and faculties you poffefs are from God. You must then be wholly God's. He has a more abfolute property in you, and a more unlimited claim upon you and your services, than it is poffible you should have upon any thing you call your own. Therefore he has an indisputable right to give you laws, and prescribe your duty towards himself, and towards all the creatures with which you ftand connected.

Secondly, another thing involved in the remembrance of your Creator, is that you owe him duty and affection to the ut most of your power. This is a debt due to him, for what he is in himself, and from your relation to him. Is God your Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier? Can any love be denied, or any duty fuppreffed which he requires? Reafon, confcience, and all that is in man, especially the whole foul of youth mult acknowledge, that we are wholly the Lord's. Every young perfon in my audience, is filently faying in his heart, "I am his, I am wholly his, created by his power and preserved by his goodness."

Thirdly, this reflection implies in it a feeling fenfe of your abfolute dependence upon him for the life that now is and for that which is to come. The streams of this world wax into

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 fprings fulness of joy." If, my precious youth, you plunge into the ocean of iniquity, you are loft, you are damned

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Fourthly, this remembrance implies a folemn enquiry how you stand with your creator, your Saviour and your God. 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 humbled 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 washing of the blood of the Redeemer is as neceflary for the young as the old. By this blood you must be cleanfed, and in the faith of it, you must hop for eter nal life. Would to God, the fcriptural declarations refpecting thefe important matters might be effectually impreffed on every young and tender mind. However few your years, thefe are the effential terms of eternal life, you must repent and believe the Gospel. "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 Lion is," Except ye repent, ye fhall all likewife perifh." So 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 counsel in the text be powerfully felt by every youthful mind, as a matter of the firft and highest importance. "Remember thy Cre"ators in the days of thy youth." Remember the character of the Lord of univerfal nature; he is not a man, he is not a weak and impotent creature, but the Creator of the ends of the earth, whose arm is full of power; his look shakes 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 endeavour to inforce the duty on every young and tender mind. It is impoffible in the range of a narrow difcourfe to pass the limits of our text. The field of reason and the extent of reve lation upon this fubject, the life of a Mathufalah could notexhibit.

First, the state 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 dedica tion of children to God. The declaration of heaven is on the one hand, "That by one man's disobedience 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 oldeft, 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, exercise and duty which constitutes real piety and true religion. 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 remaining impenitent and unbelieving to be turned into hell with all that forget God. While this is your character, nothing 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 greatest 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 perfon loit ering under the burden of many years and inErmities. This is a truth the young can hardly be perfuaded to feel or believe, Nay, the very strength of your conftitu