An exposition with practical observations continued upon the thirty second, the thirty third, and…An exposition with practicall observations continued upon the thirty second, the thirty third, and…

Young men should show respect and wait upon their Elders.

Young men should shew respect and waite upon their Elders.

The Apostle would not have Timothy slighted, though young, (1 Tim. 4.12.) Let no man despise thy youth; He chargeth the people not to despise Timothy because young; and he chargeth Timothy to carry it so, that none might have the show of a cause to despise him though young; Let no man despise thy youth; let not those that seek occasion find it. Now, as young men, especially young Ministers should be so holy and grave in their conversation, as not to draw disrespect or contempt upon themselves, and as no man ought to despise the young merely because they are young; so all men ought to honour old age. The old Law was express for it (Levit. 19.32.) Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God, I am the Lord. See, how these two are joined together, Thou shalt honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God; As if he had said, honour old men in the fear of God, or show fear to God in the reverence and honour which thou givest to old men, who having lived a long time or many days in the ⟨p. 38⟩world, bear at least a shadow of the eternity of God who is The ancient of days, who lives and abides for ever. There is a two-fold stamp of God upon old men, more then upon other men. First their very age hath a stamp of God upon it, for though all ages put together, are not a moment to eternity, yet, as to our computation and reckoning, old age bears the fairest image of eternity: Secondly, old men bear a resemblance of God in their wisdom, ('tis to be supposed that the oldest are wilest, as Elihu speaks v. 7.) So then old men are to be reverenced not only for their precedence in time, but for their experience, wisdom, knowledge and prudence,¹