the Disciple whom Jefus loved, John xiii. 23. And this is fuitable to that gracious Promife, which God hath made to encourage all young Persons to ferve him; I love them that love me, and those that feek me early shall find me, Prov. viii. 17.

O Philotheus, let this heavenly Promise excite in you a great Zeal to feek God, and feek him early: For if you do feek, you are fure to find him; you are fure, when you have found him, he shall love you; and you fhall reap all the happy Effects of God's infinite Love, and of an early Piety.

An early Piety! than which nothing will make you a greater Comfort to all your Friends, or a greater Bleffing to the very College where you are bred! Nothing will make you more univerfally esteemed, and beloved by all Men, or more fuccefsful in your Studies! And befides that Peace of Confcience, and the Pleasure of Well-doing, you will at prefent feel, think, if you can, how inconceivable a. Joy it will be to you, when in your elder Years you can reflect on your wellspent Time, and the Innocence of your

Youth!

Youth! how great a Confolation it will be to you on your Death-bed, how eafy it will render your Accounts at the great Day of Judgment! and how much a whole Life, fpent in God's Service, will increase your Glory in Heaven!

God, of his great Mercy, Philotheus, make these and the like Confiderations effectual to create, holy Resolutions in you; and give you Grace to make good Ufe of thefe following Directions, which are defigned to teach you to fear the Lord from your Youth, and are fuited to your particular Age and Condition, in hopes they may the more affect you. God grant they may! Amen. 1 Kings xviii. 12.

Directions in General.

S foon as ever you awake in the

A Morning, good Philotbeus,

ftrive, as much as you can,

to keep all worldly Thoughts out of your Mind, till you have prefented the Firft-fruits of the Day to God,

which

which will be an excellent Preparative to make you spend the rest of it the better: And therefore be fure to fing the Morning and Evening Hymn in your Chamber devoutly, remeinbring that the Pfalmift, upon happy Experience, affures you, That it is a good Thing to tell of the Loving-kindness of the Lord early in the Morning, and of his Truth in the Night-feafon, Pfal. xcii. 1, 2.

When you are ready, look on your Soul as still undress'd, till you have faid your Prayers.

Remember that God, under the Law, ordained a Lamb to be offered up to him every Morning and Evening. A Lamb! which is a fit Emblem of Youth and Innocence. Think then that you are to resemble this Lamb, and be fure every Day to offer up yourfelf a Morning and Evening Sacrifice to God, Exod. xxix. 38, 39.

If you are a Commoner, you may fay your Prayers in your own Chamber; but if you are a Child, or a Chorifter, then, to avoid the Interruptions of the common Chambers, go into the Chapel, between first and fecond Peal

in the Morning Prayers; and fay your Evening Prayers, when you go to Circum.

Now, that every one may have his Duty proportioned to his Capacity, the best way is to diftinguifh two Degrees of young Chriftians in this College; namely, those that are of an Age capable of receiving the Holy Sacrament, and those that are not; and in one of these two Degrees you are to rank yourself.

I

Directions for the Youngest.

F you are very young, good Philatheus, that God's Commands may

not feem grievous to you at your first Setting out, I fhall advife you to no more than your infant Devotion will bear; and that is, to take care to learn your Catechifm without Book, and to learn to understand it; for 'tis impoffible you can ever perform your Duty, unless you firft know what it is; 'tis impoffible you can ever go to Heaven, unless you learn the Way thither : And that you may beg God's daily

B

Bleffing

Bleffing, and his Grace to affift you, learn these two fhort Prayers by Heart, and fay them every Day.

Morning Prayer.

G Lory be to thee, O Lord God, for all the Bleffings I daily receive from

thee, and for thy particular Prefervation and Refreshment of me this Night past.

O Lord, have Mercy upon me, and forgive whatsoever thou haft feen amifs in me this Night; and for the Time to come, give me Grace to fly all youthful Lufts, and to remember thee, my Creator, in the Days of my Youth.

Shower down thy Graces and Bleffings on me, and on all my Relations (on my Father and Mother, on my Brethren and Sifters) on all my Friends, on all my Governors in this Place, and on all my Fellow Scholars, and give thy Angels Charge over us, to protect us all from Sin and Danger.

Lord, blefs me in my Learning this. Day, that I may every Day grow more fit for thy Service: O pardon my Failings; and do more for me, than I can

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