Young people

 

The directest way that young people can take to spend their youth pleasantly, is to walk in the ways of religion and virtue.

This may seem very strange and paradoxical to many young people, but yet I hope to make it very evident in the following method. 

I would show that spending youth in the practice of religion and virtue, 

first, is the way to obtain pleasures vastly more excellent than by spending youth in sin and vanity; 

second, that such a course don't destroy young people's pleasure in outward enjoyments, but adds to 'em; 

third, that it makes youth the pleasanter in all the circumstances and concerns of it.

I. Hereby young people may obtain vastly more excellent pleasure than by spending youth in sin and vanity. 

Hereby they may obtain pleasures that are of a more noble and excellent kind, more worthy of the nature of man, and suitable to it; not vile and brutish pleasures, not such as the brute creatures can partake with them in, but delights of a more sublime nature, fit for those that have rational and immortal spirits, and in which they communicate with the heavenly spirits.

Hereby may be obtained pleasures that are more solid and substantial, that ben't like a flash, a blaze, and crackling of thorns, but rather like the constant shining of the sun. 

Hereby may be obtained pleasures that are vastly sweeter, and more exquisitely delighting, and are of a more satisfying nature; that go before light of the highest heavens in the soul; that exceed the pleasures of the vain, sensual youth, as much as gold and pearls do dirt and dung, as the light of the sun does the blaze of the meteors of the night. 

But here I would mention two or three things to show that the pleasures that young people may obtain by such a course, are far better than what are to be obtained in a life of youthful vanity.

First. By embracing religion and virtue, young people may obtain the greatest beauty and most excellent ornaments. One way, in which young people are wont to seek pleasure, is in adorning themselves, in making a fine appearance. Youth is a time wherein nature is in its bloom, and young people are often wont to value themselves in their beauty, and to place their happiness much in outward ornaments.

But by embracing true religion and virtue, they would have the graces of God's Spirit, the beauty and ornaments of angels, and the lovely image of God. 

They might obtain that that would render them far more lovely than the greatest outward beauty possible: they might obtain that beauty that would render them lovely in the eyes of Jesus Christ, and the angels, and all wise men. 

They would have these ornaments of the mind that are of great price, and are more beautiful and glorious a thousand time than the robes of princes.

How highly would many young people esteem their price, if they could well afford to adorn themselves, as some of the great ones of the earth. But if they could, these things would be vile in comparison of the beauty of the graces of God's Spirit, the ornaments [of] Christian humility and love, a childlike spirit towards God, and a spirit of divine love to Christ, and to those that are his. 1 Peter 3:3–4, "Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price."

Second. By walking in the ways of religion and virtue, young people will obtain the sweetest delights of love and friendship. A life of true religion and virtue is a life of divine love, a life of love to God, which love affords greater pleasures far than that of earthly love: a life of love is the sweetest life in the world, but no love affords such pleasures as love to God. 

Divine love is an affection that is of a more sublime and excellent nature than love to an earthly object: it is a purer flame, and the pleasure that it affords is a purer stream.

They that live a life of true religion and virtue, they live a life of love to the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a most dear friendship between him and them. Their souls are espoused to Christ, their hearts are knit to him, and their love has an infinitely more beautiful and lovely object than that of earthly lovers. 

And their love is not despised, but accepted of Christ; they may freely have access to Christ at all times to express their love. Canticles 8:1, "O that thou wert my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! when I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; yea, I should not be despised." 

As those that walk in the ways of religion and virtue do love this glorious person, so they are loved by him. This divine love is always mutual: there is love on both sides.

The love of Christ to them don't fall short of theirs to him, but indeed greatly exceeds it, vastly exceeds the love of any earthly lover. And Christ has given greater manifestations of love to those that love [him] than ever any earthly friend did to the object of his love; for he has died for them, and so has rescued them from eternal destruction, and has purchased for them eternal glory.

Those young people therefore that live a life of love to Christ, they spend their youth the most pleasantly of any persons in the world. 1 Peter 1:7–8, "That your faith might be found to praise and glory at the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ, whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory."

Third. Young people, by walking in ways of religion and virtue, obtain the sweetest gratification of appetite; not of carnal, sensual appetites, but of those that are more excellent, of spiritual and divine appetites, holy desires and inclinations; those that, as they are more excellent in themselves, [are] more suitable to the nature of man, and are far more extensive, so are capable of gratification and enjoyments more exquisite, sweet, and delighting. 

They that truly embrace religion and virtue, there are infused into them new appetites after heavenly enjoyments.

And they that walk in a way of holiness, do obtain in this world the gratifications of those spiritual appetites in a degree for the discoveries of God's glory, and the views of Christ's beauty, and in the incomes of the holy spirit, whereby the soul is filled with joy of the Holy Ghost. 

They feed on angel's food, on the bread which came down from heaven and have the foretastes of heaven's dainties.4

Fourth. Those young people that walk {in the ways of religion and virtue} have the pleasantest company. Young people commonly seek pleasure in company, and oftentimes spend much of their time in mirth among their companions; but none have such delightful company as those that live in the exercise of religion, and virtue, and holiness, for they have their conversation in heaven (Philippians 3:20). 

The Lord Jesus Christ is become a friend and companion. Oftentimes when they are alone and seem to the world to spend their time solitarily, they indeed have company enough. It is their delight to withdraw from all the world, the more freely and intimately to converse with Jesus Christ. 

As one that has a dear friend that he greatly sets his affection upon, he won't much want other company: it will be a pleasure to him to be withdrawn from others, the more fully and freely to enjoy his company.

The Father and the Son come to seek young people as walk and make their abode with them, and manifest themselves to them (John 14:21–23). They have an intercourse with heaven by meditation, and prayer, and other duties of religion. They with a spiritual eye do see Christ, and have access to him to converse; and Christ by his spirit communicates himself to them, so that there is a spiritual converse between them and Christ Jesus. 

And must not this needs be the pleasantest and the happiest company? 

Is not the God that made us, able to give us more pleasure in intercourse with himself than we have in conversation with a worm of the dust?

Thus young people, by walking {in the ways of religion and virtue}, obtain pleasure of the excellent kind. I come now,

II. To show that walking in ways of {religion and virtue}, don't hinder young people's enjoying pleasure in outward enjoyments, but promotes it. 

It not only gives them a far more excellent kind of pleasure, a more sweet and satisfying delight than the world can afford, but neither doth it rob young people of the enjoyment of pleasure in outward things, but helps it. 

Here,

First. Religion don't forbid the use of outward enjoyments but only the abuse of 'em. It don't forbid the enjoyment of outward good things, for they were made to be received with thanksgiving, but only forbids the vicious and irregular manner of enjoying them. The senses and animal appetites may be gratified in a manner religion allows of. 

Second. Outward enjoyments are much sweeter, and really afford more pleasure, when regularly used than when abused. Temporal good things are never so sweet, they are never taken with so good a relish, as when they are taken with innocency, and in the way of virtue. 

Vice destroys the sweetness of outward enjoyments; it mixes bitterness with them: as they go beyond the bonds of temperance and moderation in the enjoyment of them, so much is abated from the relish of them.

Vice mixes a bitterness in enjoyments, and causes a sting to be with the honey. When we enjoy outward good things with innocence, and agreeably to the rules of God's Word, we then enjoy them with peace in our minds; but when they are viciously used, the pleasure is attended with inward remorse. Such an one has not the approbation of his own conscience in what he enjoys: in order to his having any quietness, he must stupefy himself, and suppress the exercises of reason, and keep himself from reflecting; otherwise he can enjoy his pleasures with no peace.

Besides, when a person that walks in the ways of holiness hath the pleasure of outward enjoyments, he hath this to give a sweetness and relish, that he hath it as the fruit of the love of God. I am come now to the

III. [Third] thing proposed, which is to show that the exercise of virtue and religion makes youth the pleasanter in all the circumstances and concerns of it. Herein it has greatly the advantage of a course of youthful vanity, for the pleasure of that is exceeding unsteady and inconstant: it serves them only for a moment.

Here, particularly,

First. Young people's exercise of religion {and virtue}, would sweeten both their company and their solitude.

[1.] It would sweeten their company. It would render it more pleasant and entertaining. There is nothing got by extravagance and lewdness in company: company is not the pleasanter for it. Vain and vicious mirth, it does company no good: it neither adorns it nor enlivens it. How needless and to what purpose is it? Ecclesiastes 2:2, "I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?" Young people do the devil all that service gratis. They get nothing by it for the present: they undo themselves, without so much as getting any present pleasure by it.

Their company would be abundantly sweeter, if they were virtuous in company. It would be more rational, more becoming reasonable creatures: their own reason would approve of it. They would be glad when they reflected and thought of it: everyone's mind would approve of it.

It is a strange notion that many young people have, that company will be the worse for being virtuous. Vice is the most useless thing in the world in company: it does no good in any way: they may have free conversation without it, they may please and divert one another without it. 

And virtue would sweeten all that is said and done: it would make everyone the more pleasant company, one to another: it would supply 'em with the most pleasant and entertaining subjects of conversation.5

[2.] The exercise of {religion and virtue} would also sweeten solitude. Oftentimes those that live viciously and appear very merry in company, are afraid of solitude. They don't love to be much in retirement; for they have nothing to entertain 'em alone. 

And when they are alone, reason and conscience is more apt to be in exercise, which greatly disturbs their peace. But those young people that walk {in religion and virtue} have wherein to rejoice, and to entertain their mind, both alone and in company. 'Tis pleasant to them oftentimes to be alone; for then they have the better opportunity to fix their minds on divine objects, to withdraw their thoughts from worldly things, and the more uninterruptedly to delight themselves in divine contemplations, and holy exercise and converse with God. Christ calls forth such young persons from the company and noise of the world in such language as that.

Second. It sweetens both business and diversion. To walk in {the ways of religion and virtue}, is the way to have the sensible presence of God, and the light of his countenance, and testimony of his favor, which is enough to sweeten everything to them.

If a person has good evidence of that, that his sins are forgiven, and that he is at peace with God, and is the object of God's love, and has within him the testimony of a good conscience; this is enough to give quietness and cheerfulness, wherever he is, and whatever he is about. 

'Tis enough to make hard labor easy, and he may well do whatsoever he doth cheerfully that does to the Lord, and not to men (Ephesians 6:7). The exercise of religion would even sweeten young people's diversions, as it would regulate them according to the rules of wisdom and virtue, and would direct 'em to suitable and worthy ends, and make them subservient to excellent purposes.

As has been already said of earthly enjoyments and company, so it is true diversions, that they are abundantly sweetest, when virtue moderates and guides them.

Third. It sweetens what is present, and also the thoughts of what is to come. When young people spend their youth in sin and vanity, it gives 'em no pleasure but in what is present. It has a tendency to make the prospect of that which is future terrible. And therefore such young people are not wont to think much of what is future; hate such thoughts [as] are uncomfortable to 'em, and therefore shut them out what they can.

But when young people walk {in the ways of religion and virtue}, it not only gives them abundantly the most pleasant enjoyment of the present time, but renders the prospect of what is to come comfortable and joyful. 

They that spend their youth in the exercise of religion {and virtue}, they may think of old age with comfort, if they should live to it: and they may think of death with comfort, and may think of eternity with unspeakable joy. 

We are born for an eternal duration. 

Those that are now young, and have had their beings but a little, which they are to have their beings to all eternity, and religion will give young people rational comfort and joy, let them look as far forward as they will, in this endless duration.

And those things that are most terrible to wicked young people, viz. death, judgment, and eternity, may well be, and often are, the most comfortable and joyful of all things to them.

APPLICATION.

Use of [Exh.] I would improve this doctrine earnestly to exhort young {people}, to embrace religion and virtue, and walk in the ways thereof. 

I am confident there are none of you, if you have given attention to what I have said, and considered it as I went along, but that your reason has given its suffrage to the truth of it. If you han't yet made trial, and so never have experienced the pleasures of a life of piety, yet if you have seriously thought of the matter, you can't but conclude that it must needs be the most comfortable and pleasant life. 

And I dare appeal to the most vicious youth in the congregation, or other persons that are past their youth, and have spent [it] in vice, if they give their judgment with consideration, whether or no you can really judge that you have enjoyed yourself the better, and have had more comfort in the world than you would have had, if you had walked in virtuous ways, and ever had been strict to the rules of virtue.

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