A29676:178
Apples of gold for young men and women, and a crown of glory for…Apples of gold for young men and vvomen, and a crown of glory for…
Apples of gold for young men and women, and a crown of glory for old men and women. Or, The happiness of being good betimes, and the honour of being an old disciple Clearly and fully discovered, and closely, and faithfully applied. Also the young mans objections answered, and the old mans doubts resolved. By Thomas Brooks preacher of the gospel at Margarets new Fishstreet-hill.Apples of gold for young men and vvomen, and a crown of glory for old men and women. Or, The happiness of being good betimes, and the honour of being an old disciple Clearly and fully discovered, and closely, and faithfully applyed. Also the young mans objections answered, and the old mans doubts resolved. By Thomas Brooks preacher of the gospel at Margarets new Fishstreet-hill.
London: printed by R.I. for John Hancock, 1657
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
The third sin of youth is rashness, they many times know little, and fear less, and so are apt rashly to run on, and run out often to their hurt, 1but more often to their hazard. 2Exhort young men to be sober-minded, or discreet. They are apt to be rash, to be hot spurs. As you may see in Rehoboams young Counsellors, who counselled him to tell the people (that groaned under their burdens) that his little finger should be thicker than his Fathers loins, 3and that he would add to their yoke; and that whereas his Father ⟨p. 94⟩had chastised them with whips, he would chastise them with Scorpions; (this rash counsel proved Rehoboams ruin; yea David himself, though a good man, yet being in his warm blood, and young, how sadly was he overtaken with rashness. As the Lord God of Israel liveth, 4(saith he) except thou hadst hastened, and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal, by to morrow light, any that pisseth against the wall. And this he binds with an oath; because the Master was foolishly wilful, the innocent servants must all be woeful. And because Nabal had been niggardly of his bread, David would be prodigal of his blood. Ah how unlike a Christian! yea how below a man doth David carry it, when his blood is up, and he a captive to rashness, and passion. Rashness will admit of naught for reason, but what unreasonable self shall dictate for reason; as sloth seldom ⟨p. 95⟩bringeth actions to good birth, so rashness makes them always abortive, ere well formed. A rash spirit is an ungodlike spirit; a rash spirit is a weak spirit, it is an effeminate spirit. A man of understanding is of an excellent spirit, 5or as the Hebrew will bear, is of a cool spirit, not rash and hot, ready at every turn to put out his soul in wrath. Rashness unmans a man, it will put a man upon things below man-hood. Herostratus (a hot spur) an obscure base fellow did in one night by fire destroy the Temple of Diana at Ephesus, which was two hundred and twenty years in building of all Asia, at the cost of so many Princes, and beautified with the labours and cunning of so many excellent workmen; the truth is, there would be no end should I discover the many sad and great evils that are ushered into the world by that one evil, Rashness, which usually attends