One Preliminary Lesson.One Praeliminary Lesson.

One Preliminary Lesson.

One Praeliminary Lesson.

And that is this; 'Tis possible for YOUNG People, to be GOOD People. Even a Young man may cleanse his way, if he will will take heed, according to the Word of GOD; and there are some Young men, who do take heed accordingly. Indeed, Our whole Hundred & Nineteenth Psalm here, is the Language of a New Creature; and yet it is commonly conceived that a Young person was the Writer of it; even that very David, who elsewhere could say, as in Psal. 71.5. Thou art my Hope, O Lord God, Thou art my trust from my Youth. 'Tis to be confessed, and as much to be bewailed, that many, yea, that most, Young people, are strangers to real Godliness. The Greeks use the same Name for, A child, and A fool; truly, 'tis not only a rare thing to see a child, that is not morally a fo•l; but the sinful folly of the young usually stick• by them, and cleaves ⟨p. 19⟩to them, till they are Old in sin. As there was one possessed by a Devil, concerning whom in Mark 9.21 Jesus asked his father, how long is it ago, since this came unto him? and he said, of a child. So, there are multitudes of Young people possessed with a Vice; about whom, if it may be asked, How long is it ago since they were under the power of this? it must be answered, Of a child! Oh! how many Children are there, Led captive by Satan at his will! Nevertheless, there are some young people, that come under a more laudable Character; we may speak of them, Those better things which accompany Salvation. There is an execrable proverb A young Saint, and an old Devil; but Erasmus well says, That the Devil invented that Proverb, I am sure the Proverb, is none of Solomons, who says, in Pro. 22.6. Train up a Child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it. There have been Young Hypocrites, that have made Old Devils; there have been young Sinners, that have made Old Devils; but Young Saints will make Old Angels; and, blessed be God, there are such Young Saints in the World. There are young Josephs, who, tho' they want not for courage, yet they durst not sin against God. There are Young Moses's, who prefer Affliction with the People of God, before the Momentany pleasures of sin. There are Young Samuels, who wait