Thirdly, Suppose all this, that you could have a Lease of your lives, and you could be assured, that when you come to old age, your hearts should not be hardened; yet consider this, that the more sinful and evil the days of your youth have been, the more disquietness of mind, and horror of conscience will this breed in you when you are old, though you shall be called, and converted by Jesus Christ. Job. 13.24.25, 26. Thou •idest thy face, thou holdest me as thy Enemy. Thou dost drive me as a leaf to and fro, and thou dost pursue me like dry stubb•e. Now why doth Job complain thus? Mark the next words, For th•u writest bitter things against me, and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth. Job, when he was a young man, it seem•, he was a wicked man, and had many sins in his youth, and this in his old age made him cry out, and say, that God took him for his Enemy, and that God brake him like a leaf driven with the wind. O beloved, the sins of your youth, though you should be Jobs, converted, yet they will bring great disquietness, and great horror, when you come to age; the lusts of youth, and the vanities of youth, and the sensual pleasures of your youthful days, they will lay a foundation of sorrow, when you come to grey hairs, to be near your graves; so Job 20.11. And therefore, put the case you should repent, and should be called when you are old, you have no cause to put off the call of Jesus Christ, seeing sins of youth will fill you with horror and disquietness of mind. Hence it is, that David, after he was called by the power of the word, cries out, Psal. 25. Lord, remember not the sins of my youth; that gravelled and galled his conscience,1 the sins of his youth before his call. It is the speech of an Author, that to look on the pleasurable vanities and contents of youth, this will become an heavy burden, and bitter vexation to old age. Beloved, the more evil you run out into in your youthful days, the greater and deeper foundation of disquietness and sorrow you lay in your souls in your latter days, though you should be called by Jesus Christ.
Thirdly, Suppose al this, that you could have a Lease of your lives, and you could be assured, that when you come to old age, your hearts should not be hardened; yet consider this, that the more sinful and evil the daies of your youth have been, the more disquietnesse of minde, and horror of conscience will this breed in you when you are old, though you shal be called, and converted by Jesus Christ. Job. 13.24.25, 26. Thou •idest thy face, thou holdest me as thy Enemy. Thou dost drive me as a leaf to and fro, and thou dost pursue me like dry stubb•e. Now why doth Job complain thus? Mark the next words, For th•u writest bitter things against me, and makest me to possesse the iniquities of my youth. Job, when he was a young man, it seem•, he was a wicked man, and had many sins in his youth, and this in his old age made him cry out, and say, that God took him for his Enemy, and that God brake him like a leafe driven with the wind. O beloved, the sins of your youth, though you should be Jobs, converted, yet they wil bring great disquietnesse, and great horro•, when you come to age; the lusts of youth, and the vanities of youth, and the sensual pleasures of your youthful daies, they wil lay a foundation of sorrow, when you come to gray hairs, to be neare your graves; so Job 20.11. And therefore, put the case you should repent, and should be called when you are old, you have no cause to put off the cal of Jesus Christ, seeing sins of youth wil fill you with horror and disquietnesse of minde. Hence it is, that David, after he was call'd by the power of the word, cries out, Psal. 25. Lord, remember not the sins of my youth; that gravelled and gall'd his conscience,1 the sins of his youth before his cal. It is the speech of an Author, that to look on the pleasurable vanities and contents of youth, this wil become an heavy burden, and bitter vexation to old age. Beloved, the more evil you run out into in your youthful daies, the greater and deeper foundation of disquietnesse and sorrow you lay in your souls in your latter daies, though you should be called by Jesus Christ.
- 1Quae fue••nt inania j•ventutis ••udia, haec u•t acerba senect•••s gravamina.
