For reality of this remembrance by making a fuitable return for fuch invaluable favours. even in the most familiar forms of speaking, to remember a kindness is to requite it; and the only return that a creature can make to his Creator, is an uniform obedience to his will, and a punctual obfervance of all his laws. But that which the text more particularly recommends to the young man, is the remembrance of God as his Creator, not only because the communication of existence of courfe includes every other bleffing, but because this confideration is more peculiarly adapted to the circumstances of thofe to whom the precept is addreffed. For if even when life is become familiar to us, when we have tafted its forrows as well as its joys, the remembrance of our Creator is yet apt fometimes to excite the warmeft returns of gratitude and devotion, howought this reflection to work on the hearts of those who are, as it were, fresh from the hands of their Maker, and unacquainted with every thing in life but its bleffings? How can the young man forbear breaking out with the royal pfalmift into that paffionate overflowing of a grateful heart; "Praise the Lord, O my 3 ແ "O my foul, and all that is within me praise "his holy name. Praife the Lord, O my foul, "and forget not all his benefits: who forI giveth all thy fins, and healeth all thine infirmities; who faveth thy life from deftruc❝tion, and crowneth thee with mercy and loving kindness; who fatisfieth thy mouth "with good things, making thee young and lufty as an eagle *." One would imagine, indeed, that instead of thinking it could ever be too foon, men fhould rather fear it would be always full late, to remember their Creator, and that life itself would be fhort enough for making returns to his unbounded mercies; yet fuch is the strange perverseness, shall I call it, or thoughtleffness of youth, that the goodnefs of God generally produces a quite contrary effect; and that profusion of happiness, which ought to bind them for ever to his fervice, is the very thing that fupplants him in their affections, and banishes the remembrance of him from their minds. Their pleasures and pursuits follow fo close upon one another, as to leave no room for any ferious reflections to intervene; or if, by chance, any religious * Pfalm ciii. v. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. thought thought intrude upon the series of their joys, they inftantly difmifs the unbidden, unwelcome guest, with the answer of Felix to Paul; "Go thy way for this time, when we have a "convenient feafon we will fend for thee." But let not the young man flatter himself that season is so convenient as the present, or any that God will be content with the dregs of life, and the refufe of his years; let him not foolishly imagine, that after having spent his beft days in the fervice of fin, the wretched remains of them are an offering fit for his Creator; or that a foul polluted with guilt, and a body emaciated with difeafe, will be accepted at the altar of the Almighty. No; he demands the first and faireft of all our days, the firft and pureft motions of the heart; the firft fruits "of that vineyard which his right 66 ALA hand hath planted, and of the branch that "he made so strong for himself*." *༞་། · It can be, indeed, but little proof of our loyalty not to rebel against our Sovereign, when we have not ftrength to take up arms, and there are no temptations to make us fwerve from our allegiance; but if, when we Pfalm lxxx. v. 15 arg are in our full ftrength and vigour; when the danger is near, and the enemy at the gate, trying every method to fubdue our virtue, and corrupt our fidelity; if we then withstand in the evil day, reject his offers, repel his violence, elude his stratagems, and baffle all his attempts, we shall then, indeed, show ourselves good fubjects and faithful foldiers of our heavenly Master; we shall have fought the good fight of faith, and when death fhall release us from our station, may humbly hope to receive, through the merits of our Redeemer, the wages of our Chriftian warfare; not those perishable crowns, and that vifionary immortality, which are the poor rewards of earthly heroes, but a crown of glory that fadeth not away, a real immortality of happiness in Heaven. But this confideration more properly belongs to the second head, under which I propofed to confider fome of the principal advantages arifing from a course of early piety. II. And firft; he who remembers his Creator in the days of his youth, may depend upon it, that his Creator will not forget him all the days of his life. A religious young perfon 6 perfon is, above all others, peculiarly acceptable to the Almighty; an object upon which he looks down with an eye of uncommon favour and approbation. There cannot, indeed, be conceived a fpectacle more great and lovely, than to fee a young man ftruggling with the temptations of the world, the tyranny of cuftom, the folicitations of evil company, and the ftrength of evil paffions. To fee him not "meanly following a multitude to do evil," but bravely ftemming the popular torrent; and whilft thofe around him deviate either on the one hand into the beaten road of vice, or on the other into the endless mazes of gaiety and folly; to fee him left ftanding alone with virtue in the midft, and daring to be fingularly good. To fee the vigour of his understanding not funk in fenfuality, or diffipated in trifles, but rifing to the nobleft pursuits after truth and virtue; and the alacrity of his fpirits not exhausted in the wild fallies of intemperate mirth, in ruining his own and others innocence, and disturbing the peace and order of fociety; but exerting itself in the most lively difplay of every generous and focial duty, in giving life to his devotions, and atchieving the conqueft |