Use 2

USE. II.

Let us all be now exhorted, that the praise of God, may be duly accounted by us, as the end of our life, in our prayers for it. Let us not shoot beside our mark, or live beside our end. Let us pray that we may live, and let us live that we may praise. It is the most lamentable plight in the world, that a man should spend his life in sinning against God, rather than in praising of Him. But alas, this is the case of multitudes, multitudes among us. How few of us consider it seriously. How few of you that are now before the Lord, ever seriously thought with yourselves, What is the errand that I am come into the world upon? Have you not lived above a score of years in the world, and never yet seriously thought, What is it that God sent me here for? Every man here, I suppose, desires to live; let your prayers express those desires; and say after the Psalmist (Psalm 32:8), My prayer is to the God of my life. But more than so, let those desires be for the sake of your praises; and say after the Psalmist again (Psalm 119:17), Deal bountifully with your servant that I may live and keep your word.

Three things are you to be advised to; yes, four things are to be importunately pressed upon you.

First, mark and prize your opportunities to be praising of God. Every man has his opportunities. Some have an instrument of a thousand strings; but the meanest of us all has an instrument of ten strings, for our God to be praised with. Let every man often enquire, What are my opportunities to glorify God? And let every man always conclude, My opportunities are my treasures.

Secondly, let the word of God direct you in His praises. Be often consulting of that: peace will be on all, and praise will be from all, that walk according to this rule. A Bible — Christians, let that be your counsellor on all occasions. The Psalmist could say (Psalm 119:164), Seven times a day will I praise you O Lord; because of your righteous judgements.

Thirdly, let the rod of God provoke you to His praises. If you cannot bless God for your afflictions, which yet, I think, is a thing attainable; nevertheless, I'm sure you should praise God in your afflictions. Let God gain some glory, and we shall gain some good, by all our sufferings. Take the counsel (Isaiah 34:15), Glorify the Lord in the fires.

To enforce these three things;

Consider that thing which is intimated in the text. The lives of your souls are enwrapped in the praises of God. Says the Psalmist, Let my soul live, and it shall praise you. So I may say, Let your soul praise, and it shall live. A praising soul, is a thriving soul. In this consists life eternal itself, the life of your soul in the third heaven, will be the praise of your God for evermore. Praise God for your life; it is a mercy well worth praise. Praise God by your life; so you will begin heaven upon earth.

But there is a fourth counsel which more immediately concerns that part of the congregation which are of my own age, and have therefore a more peculiar interest in my loves and cares.

'Tis to young people here, that I take leave to say,

Fourthly, begin you now betimes to live to the praise of the everliving God. My brethren, you have not yet begun to live at all, if you have not begun to praise the Lord. You are dead in trespasses and sins; you are stark dead in the rotten, hideous, loathsome graves of your unregeneracy, if you have not yet begun to order your conversation aright, and to ponder, How may I so offer praise as to glorify God? But is not this the deplorable condition of many, many young people here? Conscience do your office! Is not the hour yet to come, is not the day yet to dawn, when that young person (whom you are the officer of God to) did by a hearty covenant bind himself to the serving and the praising of the Lord?

But what mean you, O you inconsiderate youths, to delay the remembering of your Creator so? In the language of the young prophet, whom God sent to the Jews of old, let me say, thus says the Lord, Consider your ways.

Consider the uncertainty of your life which you have to be praising of God withal. As young as you are, you may die before the most aged person here. It has been truly noted, That the old man has death before his face, but the young man has death behind his back. The stroke of death may sooner lay you in the dust, than some whose heads old time has snowed upon. O look, and see, and let your heart shake at the apprehension of it. Your death stands, just behind you there with a horrible pole-ax ready lifted up, saying as the prince of old, Shall I smite them? Shall I smite them? If the great God utter the word, Smite, smite, you are gone beyond all recovery. The blessed God has newly caused me to look into the coffins of two very near and sweet relations, neither of which had ever seen twenty winters in the world; and with a strong hand He then said to me, Go, go tell the young people of Boston, and Charlestown, that this is that which they are all exposed to. Behold I am now come in bitterness and in the heat of my spirit, I am come to warn you of it, that you may die before you are aware of such a dismal change at hand. O do not procrastinate the praises and the virtues which the God of heaven expects from you; put not off until tomorrow; for 'tis the admonition to be now set before you (Proverbs 27:1), Boast not yourself of tomorrow, for you know not what a day may bring forth.

But consider also, the dreadfulness, of a death, ensuing upon a life not spent in the praising of God. O this dying! 'tis a solemn thing, 'tis, a thing by itself: what follows it? But that (Hebrews 9:27), After death judgment. That judgment will be eternal; and if it come upon you before your turning and living to God, it will be very terrible.

Hearken to this awful truth and voice of the Almighty God, and let your heart quiver as under the loudest claps of thunder at it; if you die before your peace be made with God, and your praise be given to Him, 'tis impossible you should escape the vengeance of eternal fire; small chips as well as great logs are horribly burned there — there must you too undergo most exquisite anguishes, for infinitely more than as many millions of ages, as the huge ocean has drops of water in it.

Consider these terrors of the Lord, and immediately set upon His praises.

Now that you would come to these resolutions, before you go from the present exercise! Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn from following after you; but give me leave to press upon you at least this one consideration more.

Consider seriously, how exceeding acceptable it will be to the great God, for such young persons as you, to set upon praising of Him! Your praises, they are very much desired by the Lord, and not a little delightful to Him. He declares My soul desires the first ripe fruit; and He seemed to express as it were some haste, for the first fruits under the law of old. The Lord in a sort longs to see you serving of Him with the first fruits of your age, and of your praise. He says as in Canticles 2:14, Let me hear your voice, for sweet is your voice. The voice of your praises makes a matchless melody in the ears of the God that has called for them. The very chatterings of our infants are pleasant to us; the praises and the devotions of young persons are so to our Father which is in Heaven; and he asks for them with ungainsayable importunities. 'Twas said to a young man in 1 Chronicles 28:9, If you seek the Lord, He will be found of you. Even so, if you (that are a young person) praise the Lord he will be pleased with you. One that owns an orchard full of many fruitful trees, will take a most particular and affectionate notice of a young tree beginning to have some little fruit upon it: our Father is such a husbandman. Young Johns, are they that prove the disciples whom Jesus loves. Young Josiahs will have special comforts in this, and special honors in another world. And, you hearts of adamant, are you not yet overcome to resolve, I will now praise and serve the great God! O let not your answer be, I am almost persuaded; but become altogether so. As 'twas said of him, Behold he prays! thus let it be said of you, Behold he praises! How, how can you be deaf adders before the charms of these considerations?

Lord visit the hitherto-unpersuaded young people here; O make it the day of your power with them; and keep these things in the imagination of the thoughts of their hearts for evermore.

FINIS.