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fore? The paffion for pleasure has indeed abated, but the love of lucre, the most fordid of all paffions, hath come into its place. If fuch perfons have any regret for their paft life, it is only because it is past. Even then, they look with envy upon the gay and the flourishing state of the young. With what joy and triumph do they talk over the exceffes of their early days, and feem to renew their age in the contemplation of their youthful follies? Alas, my friends, Is not God the Lord of all your time? Is there one of your days which doth not pertain to him? Why would you then take the flower of life, and make it an offering to the enemy of fouls? Is your time too long, to be all employed in the fervice of God? Is the prime of your days too precious, to be devoted to Heaven? And will you only referve to your Maker the refuse of life; the leavings of the world and the flefh? If you would fpeak it out, the language of your heart is this; that whilst you are good for any thing, you will mind the world and its pleasures; that you will crown yourselves with rofebuds, before they are withered, and let no flower of the fpring pafs away; but if at any time the world fhall forfake you, if your paffion for pleasure shall have left you, you will then feek the comforts of religion. Any part of your time, you think, is good enough for God; you will apply yourselves to the work of your falvation, when you are fit for nothing else; and when you cannot make a better of it, you will feek the kingdom of Heaven.

Is it thus that ye requite the Lord, O people, foolifh and unjuft? Is this your gratitude to your Benefactor? Is this your love to your Father? Is this

your

kindness to your Friend? Whilft he now calls upon you in the sweetest language of Heaven, "My fon "give me thy heart," ought it not to be the natural movement of your heart, to answer with the good man of old, "With my foul have I defired thee in the night; with my spirit within me, will I feek thee "early ;"-" Whom have I in heaven but thee? " and there is none in all the earth whom I defire be"fide thee."

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In the fecond place, Let me exhort you to early piety, from the confideration of those evils which await you in your future days.

Now is your golden age. When the morning of life rejoices over your head, every thing around you. puts on a smiling appearance. All nature wears a face of beauty, and is animated with a spirit of joy. You walk up and down in a new world; you crop the unblown flower, and drink the untafted fpring. Full of spirit, and high in hope, you set out on the journey of life: vifions of blifs prefent themselves to view dreams of joy, with fweet delusion, amuse the vacant mind. You liften and accord to the fong of hope, “To-morrow fhall be as this day, and much "more abundant." But ah! my friends, the flattering scene will not laft. The fpell is quickly broken, and the enchantment foon over. How hideous will life appear, when experience takes off the mafk, and discovers the fad reality! Now thou haft no wearinefs to clog thy waking hours, and no care to disturb thy repofe. But know, child of the earth, that thou art born to trouble, and that care, through every fubfequent path of life, will haunt thee like a ghost. Health now fparkles in thine eye, the blood flows.

pure in thy veins, and thy fpirits are gay as the morn ing but alas! the time will come when diseases, a numerous and a direful train, will affail thy life; the time will come, when pale and ghastly, and stretched on a bed, "chaftened with pain, and the multitude of thy bones with strong pain, thou wilt be ready "to choose strangling and death rather than life."

You are now happy in your earthly companions. Friendship, which in the world is a feeble sentiment, with you is a strong paffion. But shift the scene for a few years, and behold the man of thy right-hand become unto thee as an alien. Behold the friend of thy youth, who was one with thine own soul, striving to fupplant thee, and laying fnares for thy ruin! I mention not these things, my friends, to make you miferable before the time. God forbid that I should anticipate the evil day, unless I could arm you against it. Now remember your Creator, confecrate to him the early period of your days, and the light of his countenance will shine upon you through life. Amid all the changes of this fluctuating scene, you have a Friend that never fails. Then let the tempeft beat, and the floods defcend, you are safe and happy under the shelter of the Rock of ages.

Thirdly, The feafon of youth devoted to piety, will yield you a comfortable old age.

When the fire and fpirit of youth are decayed; when fober age retires from the noife and bustle of a bufy world, and loves to spend in peace the tranquil Sabbath of life, what joy will it afford to be able to look back with pleasure on the actions of other years! Worn out and weary of his pilgrimage, the traveller now entertains himfelf by recalling the times that are

paft, and recollecting the scenes of his early days. In particular, he now loves to recall the period of childhood and of youth, when he wandered up and down, a ftranger to care and forrow, and paffed his days in innocence. Often does the fond idea recur; often the pleasant period return. It will add much, my friends, it will add much to the pleasures of the reflection, if you have it in your power to recall to mind that your early days were not only innocent, but useful, and devoted to the service of your Creator. To look back on a life, no season of which was spent in vain; to number up the days, the months, and the years, spent in the fervice of God, will be inward rapture, only to be felt. This will caufe the evening of life to fmile, and make your departure like a fetting fun.

I shall conclude with one confideration, which I hope will have weight, and that is, if you feek God now in the days of youth, you are certain of fuccefs. Go out in the morning of youth, and you are fure to gather the manna of everlasting life. God himself will bend from his throne, and teach your spirits to approach unto him. They who feek him early fhall find him, and fhall be guarded from evil on his holy mountain.

the text.

SERMON IV.

COLOSS. iv. 5.

-Redeeming the time.

AMONG thofe who have their time moft at their own difpofal, there prevails a maxim very different from that which is recommended in The maxim of the world is, to spend time in idleness and folly, or, to speak in their own language, "to kill time" by diffipation and amufement. Life, which appears fo fhort upon the whole, is nevertheless fo long in particular parts, that vaft numbers of men are overstocked with its days and hours; their time hangs heavy on their hands; they know not how to employ it, or what to make of themselves. As they have no fund of entertainment within, and for that reason, nó happiness at home, they naturally look out for it abroad. Hence every paftime is greedily fought after, that can banish thought, and fave them from their own company. Hence places of public entertainment are frequented, parties of pleafure are formed, plans of diffipation are concerted, and amusement, frivolous amufement, becomes the ferious occupation of life. Only look around you into the world! Obferve what policy and contrivance are continually put in practice by men, for pre-engaging every day in the week for one idleness or another; for doing nothing, or worse than nothing, and that with fo much ingenuity and forecaft, as

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