Advice to the Young with an Advice to the Old/Advice to the Young
Advice to the Young.
The inhabitants of Nillus are deaf by the noiſe of the waters; ſo the world makes ſuch a noiſe in men's ears, that they cannot hear the things of heaven.
Sicily is ſo full of ſweet flowers that dogs cannot hunt there; and what do all the ſweet contents of this world, but make us loſe the ſcent of heaven.
Be ſure to take God, the Father, to be your chief God, and higheſt End. Be ſure to take God, the Son, to be your Prince and Saviour. Be ſure you take God, the Holy Ghoſt, to be your Sanctifier, Teacher, Guide and Comforter. Be ſure to take the word of God to be your rule in all your actions. Be ſure to take the people of God to be your people in all conditions. Do likewiſe devout and dedicate to the Lord your whole ſelf—all I am, all I have, and all I can do; &c this I do deliberately, ſincerely, frely, and forever.
Early ſobriety, early knowledge of religion, and early habits of piety, are the moſt probable means of ſecuring the favor of God.
As every flower hath its ſweet favour, ſo every good word carries meat in the mouth, and comfort in the performance of it.
By painting ſin in virtuous colours Satan knows that if he ſhould preſent ſin in its own nature and dreſs, the ſoul would rather flee from it than yield to it; and therefore he preſents it to us printed and gilded over with the name and ſhew of virtue, that we may more eaſily be overcome by it, and take more pleaſure in committing it. Pride, he preſents in the ſoul, under the name of neatneſs and cleanlineſs. Covetouſneſs, to be but good huſbandry. Drunkenneſs, good fellowſhip Rioting, under the nation of liberality; and wantonneſs is a trick of youth.
I have many books that I cannot ſit down to read; they are indeed good and ſound; but, like halfpence, there goes a great quantity to a little amount. There are ſilver books, and a very few golden books; but I have one book worth them all, called the Bible; and this is a book of Bank notes.
"The Chriſtian Sabbath," ſays Mr. Hervey, "is an ineſtimable privilege to the church of Chriſt; it is a pledge of God's diſtinguiſhing love; and preparing us for our everlaſting Sabbath."
The Sabbath-day was anciently called the day of Light, alſo the queen of days; the primitive church held this day in high veneration: it was a great body of their religion; for when the queſtion was aſked, "Keepeſt thou the Sabbath?” the anſwer was, "I am a Chriſtian, and dare not omit the celebration of the Lord's day."
That great man, Judge Hale, thus ſpeaks of the Sabbath. I have, ſays he, by long and ſound experience, found that the due obſervance of this day, and of the duties of it, hath been of ſingular comfort and advantage to me. The obſervance of this day hath ever had joined to it bleſſing upon the reſt of my time, and the week that hath heen ſo begun, hath been a Bleſſing, and proſperous to me; and on the other ſide, when I have been negligent of this day, the reſt of the week has been unſucceſsful, and unhappy to my own ſecular employments, ſo that I could eaſily make an eſtimate of my ſucceſses the week following, by the manner of my paſſing of this day and this I do not write lightly or inconſiderately; but upon a long and ſound oſſervation and experience.
It was a cuſtom of Mr Grimſhaw to leave his church while the pſalms were ſinging, to ſee if any were abſent from worſhip, and idling their time in the church-yard, the ſtreet, or the ale-houſes, and many of thoſe whom he ſo found, he would drive into the church before him.
He endeavoured likewiſe to ſuppreſs the generally prevailing cuſtom in country places during the ſummer of walking in the fields, on a Lord's Day, between the ſervices, or in the evening, in companies; he not only bore his teſtimony againſt it from the pulpit, but went to the fields in perſon, to detect and reprove them.
The following is an inſtance of this kind, which ſets both his care of his people and his great aſcendency for them. There was a ſpot at ſome diſtance from the village, to which many young people continued to reſort; although he had often warned them in his preaching against this cuſtom; at laſt he diſguiſed him ſelf one evening, that he might not be known till he was near enough to diſcover who they were; he then ſpoke and charged them not to move. He took down all their names with his pencil, and ordered them to attend him on a day and hour which he appointed. They all attended as punctually as if they had been ſerved with a judges warrant. When they came he led them into a private room, when after he had formed them into a circle, and commanded them to kneel down, he kneeled down in the midſt of them, and prayed for them with much earneſtneſs for a conſiderable time, and concluded the interview when he roſe up, by cloſe and affecting lecture. He never had occaſion to repeat this friendly diſcipline; he entirely broke the cuſtom; and the place has never been reſorted to on Sunday evenings from that time to this preſent day.
It is ſaid of the pious Mr. Gauge, that be ſorebore providing Suppers on the eve before the Sabbath, that ſervants might not be kept up too late. He would never ſuffer any ſervant to tarry at home to dreſs any meat on the Lord's day, for any friends, whether they were mean or great, few or many.
It is evident there never has been any abrogation of the Spirit, meaning, or end of the law, as to the devoting the ſeventh part of our time to God. What then will they have to anſwer for, who ſet apart this day for travelling, and worldly amuſements: what an awful account many profeſſors will have to give, who violate this day, by working, poſting their books, keeping their ſervants unnecceſſarily at home to dreſs dinners and things which might have eaſily have been obtained on the preceding day. Let all ſuch remember how incompatible this is with the law of God.
You are now in the prime of your age and vigour, and may be in favor, and buſineſs: but all this will leave you, and you will one day better underſtand and reliſh what I ſay to you, then you will find that there is more truth, comfort, and pleaſure in retiring and turning your heart from the world to the good ſpirit of God, and in reading the Bible, than all the courts and favor of Princes.
It is ſuppoſed that the Scriptures are read by the poor and illiterate only, and that there is nothing in them worthy the attention of the great, the wiſe, and the learned; but this is a miſtake: It is their particular excellency that they are calculated for the benefit of the moſt ſagacious philoſopher, as well as the moſt humble peaſant.
There is no book in the world ſo admirably adapted to the capacities of all men: It is ſo ſublime in its, language, ſo noble in its doctrine, yet plain in its precepts, and excellent in its end; that the man muſt be ignorant, and deprived, indeed, who lives without reading it.
Queen Elizabeth ſpent much of her time in reading the beſt writings of her own and former ages, yet the by no means neglected that beſt of books the Bible; for proof of which take her own words. "I walk," ſays ſhe, "many times in the pleaſant fields of the Holy Scriptures; where I pluck up the godliſome herds of sentences. By pruning, eat them; by reading, digeſt them; by muſing and laying them up at length in the high ſeat of memory, by gathering them together; So that having taſted their ſweetneſs, I may leſs perceive the bitterneſs of Life."
Titus, the Roman Emperour, throughout the whole courſe of his life, called himſelf to account every night for the actions of the paſt day: and as often as he found he had ſlipped any one day without doing good, he entered upon his dary this memorial, "I have loſt a day. This may every man ſay who ſuffers a day to paſs without doing ſomething for God for his foul, or for his fellow creature.
An Italian Philoſopher, ſays Dr. Johnſtone, expreſſed in his motto that time was his eſtate; an eſtate, indeed, which will produce nothing without cultivation. but will always abundantly repay the labours of induſtry, and ſatisfy the moſt extenſive deſires if no part of it be ſuffered to be waited by negligence, to be overrun with naſeous plants, or laid out for ſhew rather than for uſe.
How little do we reflect on the uſe and value of time! it is in every body's mouth but in few peoples practice. How circumſpect we ought to be in the right management of our time for God never gives us two moments together; he gives us only the ſecond as he takes away the firſt and keeps the third in his hands, leaving us in an abſolute uncertainty, whether he will give it us, or not Time is precious, life is ſhort; and conſequently not a ſingle moment ſhould be loſt.
Archbiſhop Leighton was a moſt exemplary character. Biſhop Barnes ſays he had the greateſt elevation of ſoul, the largeſt compaſs of knowledge, the moſt mortified and heavenly diſpotition that I ever yet ſaw in mortals. He had the greateſt parts, as well as virtue, with the moſt perfect humility, that I ever ſaw in man; and had a ſublime ſtrain in preaching with ſo grave a geſture, and ſuch a majeſty both of thought of language and pronunciation, that I not yet once ſaw a wandering eye where he preached; and I have ſeen whole aſſemblies often melt in tears before him: and of whom I can lay with great truth that in a free & frequent converſation with him for two & twenty years, I never know him ſay an idle word, or a word that had not a direct tendency to edification; and I never once ſaw him in any other temper but that I wiſhed to be in the laſt moment of my life.
For ſome years before Mr. Hervey's death he viſited very few of the principal perſons in his neighbourhood. Being once aſked why he ſo ſeldom went to ſee the neighbouring gentlemen, who yet ſhewed him all poſſible eſteem and reſpect; he anſwered, 'I can hardly name a polite family where the converſation ever turns upon the things of God. I hear much frothery, and worldly chit chat; but not a word of Chriſt and I am determined not to viſit thoſe companies where there is not room for my maſter as well as myſelf.
Such was Mr Hervey's ſtrick piety, that he ſuffered no moment to go unimproved. When he was called down to tea he uſed to bring his Hebrew Bible, or Greek Teſtament with him; and would either ſpeak upon one verſe, or upon ſeveral verſes, as occaſion offered. This, ſays Mr Romaine, was generally on improving ſeaſons. The glory of God is very ſeldom permitted at the tea table; but at Mr Hervey's drinking tea, it was like being at an ordinance, for it was ſanctified by the word of God and prayer.
Secretary Walſingham, an eminent courtier and ſtateſman, in Queen Elizabeth's time, in his old age, retired into privacy, in the country. Some of his former gay companions came to ſee him, and told him, he was melancholy. No, ſaid he, I am not melancholy I am ſerious; and it is fit I ſhould do ſo. Ah! my friends, while we laugh, all things are ſerious; God is ſerious who exerciſeth patience towards us; the Holy Ghoſt is ſerious in ſtriving againſt the obſtinacy of our hearts; the holy scriptures bring to our ears the moſt ſerious things in the world; the holy Sacrament repreſents the moſt ſerious and awful matters; the whole creation is ſerious in ſerving God; and as all that are in heaven and hell are ſerious, how then can we be gay.
He gives the following plain, but ſuitable advice to his Son, on this head. It may not be amiſs for you to have two heaps, a heap of unintelligibles, and a heap of incurables; every now and then you will meet with ſomething or other that may pretty much diſtreſs your thoughts: but the ſhorteſt way with the vexations will be to throw them onto the heap they belong to, and be no more diſtreſſed about them.
I endervour to walk through the world as a phyſician goes through Bedlam; the patients make much noiſe, peſter him with impertinence, and hinders him in his buſineſs; but he does the beſt he can, and ſo gets through.
I feel like a man who has no money in his pocket, but is allowed to draw for all he wants upon one infinitely rich; I am therefore, at once both a beggar and a rich man.
Luther being one time in ſome wants, it happened that a good ſum of money was unexpectedly ſent him by a nobleman of Germany, at which being ſomething amazed he ſaid, I fear that God will give me my reward here, but I proteſt I will not be ſo ſatisfied.
It is a precious truth, never to be forgotten that Duties are eſteemed not by their sets, but by their ends. The end moves to doing, keep thyſelf within compaſs, and have an eye always to the end of thy life and actions. The more I have been among vain men I returned home leſs a man than I was before.
Mr Greenham, when called before the Biſhop of Ely to be queſtioned concerning his non conformity, he gave a noble proof of his prudence and boldneſs. The Biſhop repreſenting unto him the great ſchiſm that reigned in the church, aſked, Where the blame was to be caſt? whither upon thoſe who conformed to the church of England, or upon thoſe who did not? Greenham inſtantly replied, that the blame might lie on either ſide, or it might lie on neither; for, added he, if both lived and reſpected each other as they ought, they would cheerfully perform all the duties of ſocial kindneſs, & ſo maintain mutual love and harmony; by this conduct the blame would fall on none of the parties; but on the contrary, whatever party neglects the mutual offices of kindneſs and charity, that party rends the church and ſchiſm is chargeable upon that party only. The biſhop was ſo pleaſed with this reply, that he diſmiſſed him in peace.
Many have puzzled themſelves about the origin of evil; I obſerve there is evil, and that there is a way to eſcape it; and with his I begin and end.