图书图片
PDF
ePub

that I have; I am dependent on thee for all that I want; and I owe to thee all that I can do. I would be humbled before thee for all my childifh follies and youthful vanities; for the corruptions of my heart, and the iniquities of my life. I pray thee, O God, to deliver me from my guilt, and cleanfe me from my pollu tions. Form my mind to the early love of true and fubftantial wifdom. Teach me to love, fear and ferve thee, with all my heart. May I honour my Divine Saviour, know the truth as it is in him, feel the power of his doctrines, obey his commands, and be conformed to his example. I defire efpecially to imitate his example of youthful piety, virtue and wisdom. O that like him, I might not only grow in ftature, but also increase in wifdom, and in favour with God and man. May I embrace the good, and abhor the evil which I fee in others; and, by my example, do fomething to encourage good and difcourage evil, in all that I affociate with. May I be a companion of them who fear God, and wifely fhun the fnares of wicked company. May I be kept from temptations, or, when they meet me, be enabled to overcome them. Give me grace to keep my heart diligently, to govern my tongue wifely, and to use my time profitably. May I daily mind the one thing needful, and faithfully attend to the care of my foul. May! daily act in the fear of God, and with a fenfe of the judgment to come. May Idaily think of dying, and do Something in preparatian for my great change. And when death fhall remove me from this world, may I, of thine abundant mercy in Chrift Jefus, be received to thy prefence in heaven. Take me under thy care this day, [or this night,] and, both by night and by day, may I be kept from fin. And, whether IЛleep or wake, may I be preferved from harm; and unto thee I will afcribe the praife, through Jefus Chrift my Redeemer.Amen.

SERMON II.

The Duty of Speaking to the Young.

ZECHARIAH ii. 4.

-Run ípeak to this young man.

THIS young man was the prophet Zech

ariah, who feems to have enjoyed the spirit of prophecy in his youth. He flourished toward the end of the captivity, when things were ripening for the restoration. The intention of the firft part of his prophecy is to encourage the Jews in rebuilding their ancient city and temple. As he was converfing with an angel, whom he calls "the angel that talked with him," he faw another angel, with a measuring line in his hand, going, like an architect, to lay out the plan and take the proportion of the city, in order to its being rebuilded. And the angel, who talked with him, went forth, and this other angel went out to meet him, and faid to him, "Run fpeak to this young man, faying, Jerufalem fhall be inhabited, as towns without walls; for the Lord will be a wall of fire round about her, and the glory in the midst of her."

This meffage to the young prophet was sent on a fpecial occafion. There may be many occafions which call on us to addrefs the young. Other young men are to be spoken to, as well as the VOL. V.

D

t

prophet; others are required to speak to them, as well as the angel to fpeak to Zechariah; there are other fubjects on which the young need to be addreffed, as important as that which called the prophet's attention. I fhall therefore improve our text as a general direction to speak to the young. You will afk then, what young man is to be fpoken to?

Every one needs to have fomething faid to him. But there may be special occafions to speak to fome. You will find fome who are ignorant, and need to be inftructed; fome who are rash and precipitant, and need to be warned; fome who are wicked and ungodly, and need to be reproved; fome who are inattentive to their duty, and need to be exhorted. Every one has his temptations, his dangers, his weakneffes, and his failings, and needs to be addreffed in a manner fuitable to his peculiar fituation and character.

But what occafion is there to fpeak to the young man?

Speak to him, because he is unexperienced; he has not had time for much obfervation and improvement. Hence through want of knowledge, he is liable to commit many grofs mistakes, and to take many dangerous fteps. Give him, therefore, the advantage of your better judgment, clearer forefight and riper experience.

Speak to him, because temptations await him, of which he is unapprized. This is with him a giddy age; a critical period. His paffions are ftrong, his imagination lively, his felf-confidence bold, and his forethought but fhort. Hence temptations more fuddenly furprize him, more eafily overcome him, more powerfully bear him away, than, we hope, they will do at a riper age, when his fenfes are better exercised to difcern both good and evil.

Speak to him, because one wrong step may be followed with a train of mischievous confequences. It is of importance that he begin well; that he fet out right; that he early take the path in which he fhould walk; that he be fecured from the fatal tracks, into which incautious fouls are easily decoyed. One false step will make way for another, and that for a third, until the poor thoughtless wanderer will be fo bewildered in the mazes of errour; fo entangled in the fnares of vice, that he will not know by what means to extricate himself, nor by what steps to return back to the good way, from which he has departed.

Speak to him, because he may have many bad advifers. His wicked companions will intice him to evil; and perhaps their fair fpeeches will caufe him to yield. Many feducing fuggeftions will be made to him; many flattering arguments will be urged upon him, to draw him away from truth and virtue. Give him your wholefome cautions, that he may cease to hear the inftructions, which cause to err from the words of knowledge.

Speak to him, because the intereft of his foul is depending. It cannot be a matter of indifference what course he takes, for with this his eternal state is connected. The path of fin is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death. The path of righteousness is the way of life, leading up to the kingdom of glory. As you would fave a foul from death, apply the means in your power to convert the finner from the errour of his ways.

Speak to him, because from your filence he will conclude that his way is right, or not dangerously >wrong. There are many cafes, in which, not to reprove is to countenance an errour; not to condemn is to excufe a fault; not to reftrain is to embolden a tranfgreffion.

Speak to him, because the virtue and happiness of others may greatly depend on his conduct. If he runs into the path of vice, you know not how many he may draw after him. These again may decoy and mislead many more. His pernicious influence may fpread wide and laft long. It may reach down to fucceeding generations, and extend itself on each fide, more and more, in its progrefs. One finner destroys much good. You know not, how much evil you may prevent, and how much good you may promote, by speaking to one young man. By speaking to him, you may speak to hundreds.

Speak to him, because he is young, and there is hope that you may do him good. There may be fome older finners who are hardened through the deceitfulness of fin, and become callous and unfeeling to reproof. The young are not yet fo far gone in vice. There is in them fome fenfibility of heart; fome regard to honour; fome apprehenfion of futurity; fome tenderness of confcience; and a word properly spoken may have a happy effect.

You will next enquire, whofe business is it to fpeak to the young man ?

It is the business of every one who fees, that he needs to be spoken to, and who can do him good by speaking. Particularly,

His parents ought to speak to him. They are commanded to bring him up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; to train him up in the way in which he should go. By divine authority they are charged with his inftruction, guidance and education. If they forbear to execute the charge, how God will refent the neglect, they may learn from the example of his vengeance on the house of Eli, of which he fays, " Iwill judge the

« 上一页继续 »