Ah! Young men, Young men, as you would be useful and serviceable to many, begin to be good betimes, and to lay in, and lay up, and lay out betimes, for the profit and advantage of others. Augustin accounted nothing his own, that he did not communicate to others. The Bee doth store her hive out of all sorts of Flowers, for the common benefit. Tis a base and unworthy spirit, for a man to make himself the centre of all his actions; The very Heathen man could say, that a mans Country, and his friends, and others, challenge a great part of him; And indeed the best way to do our selves good, is to be a doing good to others, the best way to gather, is to scatter; Memorable ⟨p. 133⟩is the story of Pyrhias a Merchant of Ithaca, who at Sea espying an aged man, a Captive in a Pirates ship, took compassion of him, and redeemed him, and bought his Commodities which the Pirate had taken from him, which were certain barrels of pitch; The old man perceiving, that not for any good service he could do him, nor for the gain of that commodity, but merely out of charity and pity he had done this, discovered a great mass of treasure hidden in the pitch; whereby the Merchant in a very short time became very rich, at which very time God made that word good, He that soweth liberally; 1shall reap liberally, and that word, The liberal soul shall be made fat, 2and that word, The liberal deviseth liberal things, 3and by liberal things shall he stand. It is fabled of Midas, that what ever he touched he turned it into Gold, it is certain that a liberal hand, a liberal ⟨p. 134⟩heart turns all into gold, into gain, as Scripture and experience do abundantly evidence: now if you put all these things together, nothing is more evident, than that those that begin to be good betimes, are in the ready way, the high way to be high in heaven, when they shall cease from breathing on earth; and therefore young men as you would be high in heaven, as you would have a great reward, a full reward, a massive weighty Crown, O labour to be good betimes! labour to get acquaintance with the Lord, and an interest in the Lord, in the spring and morning of your days.
Ah! Young men, Young men, as you would be useful and serviceable to many, begin to be good betimes, and to lay in, and lay up, and lay out betimes, for the profit and advantage of others. Augustin accounted nothing his own, that he did not communicate to others. The Bee doth store her hive out of all sorts of Flowers, for the common benefit. Tis a base and unworthy spirit, for a man to make himself the centre of all his actions; The very Heathen man could say, that a mans Countrey, and his friends, and others, challenge a great part of him; And indeed the best way to do our selves good, is to be a doing good to others, the best way to gather, is to scatter; Memorable ⟨p. 133⟩is the story of Pyrhias a Merchant of Ithaca, who at Sea espying an aged man, a Captive in a Pyrates ship, took compassion of him, and redeemed him, and bought his Commodities which the Pyrate had taken from him, which were certain barrels of pitch; The old man perceiving, that not for any good service hee could do him, nor for the gain of that commodity, but meerly out of charity and pitty he had done this, discovered a great mass of treasure hidden in the pitch; whereby the Merchant in a very short time became very rich, at which very time God made that word good, Hee that soweth liberally; 1shall reap liberally, and that word, The liberal soul shall bee made fat, 2and that word, The liberal deviseth liberal things, 3and by liberal things shall he stand. It is fabled of Midas, that what ever he touched he turned it into Gold, it is certain that a liberal hand, a liberal ⟨p. 134⟩heart turns all into gold, into gain, as Scripture and experience do abundantly evidence: now if you put all these things together, nothing is more evident, than that those that begin to be good betimes, are in the ready way, the high way to be high in heaven, when they shall cease from breathing on earth; and therefore young men as you would bee high in heaven, as you would have a great reward, a full reward, a massie weighty Crown, O labour to be good betimes! labour to get acquaintance with the Lord, and an interest in the Lord, in the spring and morning of your days.
- 12 Cor. 9.6
- 2Prov. 11.25
- 3Isa. 32.8
