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injury, than to revenge it; to love enemies, than to hate them. Yea, the seeming pleasures of sin, which are but for a season, carry a sting in them, and are so many keen torments, compared with the sweetness there is in the ways of God. All the generation of God's children can witness to the truth of these things. Therefore remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth; and so begin early to be happy. Besides,

2. Great and many are the superadded privileges you will be entitled unto, if you indeed become religious betimes. Your sins shall be forgiven for ever. God almighty will become your everlasting friend. You shall be taken into the family of God, and he will be your father: Christ will be your Saviour. The Holy Spirit will be your sanctifier. He that governs the whole world, will be your powerful guardian and protector. His eye will be over you for good. He will give you as much of the good things of this world as he thinks best; and will teach you to choose, that he should be your continual carver. He will make all things work together for your good: He will train you up for eternal glory; and at last bring you to his heavenly kingdom. Instead of being in the guilty, destitute, and forlorn state of nature, you shall even while in this world have a God to go to; an almighty all-sufficient, infinitely glorious, infinitely gracious God and Father, to go to; to go to under all spiritual distresses, and under all outward trials: to go to in sickness, and when you come to die. And after death, guardian angels will convey your souls to the world of the blessed. And Christ will own you as his members, before all the heavenly host. And God will openly acknowledge you for his children. All the inhabitants of heaven will congratulate your arrival there, and rejoice over you as joint-heirs with them of eternal glory. And here shall you be everlastingly and perfectly blessed, in the open vision and full fruition of God and the Lamb.

If therefore you desire heavenly blessedness, and have any relish for divine pleasure, if you have a heart to be divinely happy, in time and to eternity; O hearken, this day, to the counsel in our text, Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth. But if you have no relish for spiritual and heavenly blessings, no regard to God, nor care of your souls, and cannot

be persuaded by any argument whatsoever; if you are entirely attached to the flesh and the world, and resolutely set in your ways of sin and vanity; see, hell is before you; understand what you do; and consider what will be your end!

Alas! such is the temper of mankind, that no arguments, as of themselves, will effectually divorce them from their lusts and turn them to God, and to real religion. Their alienation from the life of God, their enmity to his holy law and Gospel, is unconquerable, by any but a special divine influence, (Rom. viii. 7. 1 Cor. iii. 6, 7.) And since this is the case, it is infinitely fit, in the nature of things, that the great Governor of the world, if he does save any of this guilty rebellious race, should be at liberty to save whom he pleases. He has declared himself reconcilable to any that will return to him through Jesus Christ. But since none will be persuaded to this, since none will do this, if they can help it, he is certainly now at liberty; he may let sinners take their course and go on to perdition, if he pleases: or, he may have mercy on whom he will have mercy. O see your entire dependance on sovereign mercy for salvation; and be looking diligently lest you fail of the grace of God, by resisting the holy Spirit, and wilfully indulging unbelief and impenitence.

Young people fondly flatter themselves, that hereafter they shall have a better time, and then they will repent, then they will believe and obey the Gospel and so they quiet their consciences for the present, and securely give way to delays from time to time. But, alas! they understand not what it means to remember their Creator, or become truly religious; nor how averse to it they are, as of themselves: nor do they consider, that this very temper of mind, which makes them unwilling to turn to God now, will always do so, if sovereign grace do not over-rule and prevent it. They imagine not how the case really stands; nor do they once glance at half the misery and danger attending their condition. But O the safety and blessedness of such as are early seized by divine grace, and brought to an early acquaintance with God in Christ! Who know the things of their peace, and choose the good part; who taste the sweetness of religion now, and are training up for erernal glory in the world to come! O the

happy condition such of you are in! Adore sovereign and distinguishing mercy; be deeply sensible of your obligations to God; sing the praises of redeeming love; and let all your days be devoted to him who has called you by his grace, who hath delivered you from the power of darkness, and translated you into the kingdom of his dear Son; to whom be dominion and glory for ever. AMEN.

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AT A MEETING OF THE CONSOCIATION OF LITCHFIELD COUNTY, IN SAID TOWN, MAY 30, 1753.

Numb. xiv. 9. Rebel ye not against the LORD.

Jer. xliv. 4. Oh, do not this abominable thing which I hate.

Mal. i. 14. I am a great KING, saith the LORD of hosts, and my name is MREADFUL among the heathen.

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