falvation is needlefs; but put him in remembrance that, fince faith is the gift of God and a fruit of the fpirit, and fince the fpirit's most usual time to work is the period of youth, it highly concerns him to listen to the calls of grace, comply with the motions of the fpirit, and engage in the work of his falvation now in this peculiarly acceptable time, left being hardened through the deceitfulness of fin, and through an evil heart of unbelief, he depart from the living God.

Tell him how he muft feek the gift of divine grace. Since faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God, he muft frequently read, diligently hear, and carefully examine this word; attend to the evidences of its truth and the importance of its contents; confider his own immediate concern in its difcoveries; pray for divine direction and illumination; guard against the temptations which would harden him in the practice of his fins and divert him from the care of his foul. Caution him against evil company, dangerous amusements, and the follies, vanities and lufts which are especially incident to his age. ftruct him to feek the favour of his maker immediately, earnestly, conftantly and perfeveringly, and yet to feek it humbly, and with a fenfe of his unworthinefs.

In

Tell him of the fins which, you fee, most easily befet him, and from which, you apprehend, his greatest danger arifes; warn him to avoid them; furnish him with arguments against them; reprefent to him the deftructive influence they will have on his reputation, comfort, intereft, and especially on his foul; fhow him, how they harden the heart, waste the conscience, grieve the spirit, defeat the word, difhonor God, provoke his wrath, and terminate in mifery. Point out to

him the baleful influence of his evil communication and example to corrupt the hearts, viciate the morals, and ruin the fouls of others; hold up to his view the awful judgment of God against those who corrupt the earth with their abominations. The smoke of their torment will afcend forever and ever; and the faints will give glory to God for his righteous judgment.

Tell him of his duty in its various branches; the duty of fear, truft, resignation and obedience which he owes to God; of faith, gratitude and love which he owes to the redeemer; of benevolence, truth, justice, condescension and peaceablenefs, which he owes to mankind; of fobriety, charity, temperance and humility, which he owes to himself. Represent to him the beauty, amiableness and importance of thefe virtues. Whatfoever things are true, juft, pure, honeft, lovely, of good report, virtuous and praiseworthy, bid him think on these things.

Tell him that he muft die. He is apt to put away the thoughts of death. Urge him to confider, that death is as certainly appointed for him, as it was for his ancestors, who are already gone to the grave; that, though he is now in the bloom of youth and vigour of health, he is no more fure of life, than his grandfire who ftoops with age and bends on his ftaff-apply for his awakening the deaths of others, and especially the deaths of the young-press upon him the wife man's exhortation, "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might, for there is no work in the grave, whither thou goeft."

Finally. Tell him of an approaching judgment, at which both small and great must stand before God. Remind him that God will judge the fecrets of all hearts-will disclose the hidden things

of darkness will try every man's work of what fort it is will render to all according to their deeds whether good or evil to them, who by patient continuance in well doing have fought for glory, honour and immortality; eternal life: but to them who have not obeyed the truth, but have obeyed unrighteoufnefs; indignation and wrath. If you fee him, in contempt of all your warnings, ftill refolved to walk in his own ways, and in the fight of his own eyes, bid him remember, that for all these things God will bring him into judg

ment.

These are the fubjects on which you should talk to the young, and to which you should often call their attention.

And now, that I may difcharge a part of my own duty, I turn myself to the young. You have feen that it is the duty of parents, minifters, the aged, and all who regard your happiness, often to speak to you. And furely, if it is our duty to fpeak, it is yours to hear us, when we fpeak. If you will not hear, we may as well be filent. We fhall, indeed, thus deliver our own fouls; but we fhall aggravate the deftruction of yours. Therefore hear inftruction, be wife and refufe it not. Be of a teachable difpofition. Receive our commandments humbly; take our reproofs thankfully; regard our counfels seriously; if you doubt their propriety, examine them honestly, and pro pofe your objections modeftly; if you find them to be juft and pertinent, follow them confcientiously. Confider, weigh and apply the things which have been spoken in your hearing.

There is a God, who made and preferves you: fear and love him with all your hearts; honour and obey him in all your ways. You have immortal fouls, which muft live, and be happy or

miferable, in a future world: make your fouls your first care. You are fallen creatures, tranfgreffors of God's law, and as fuch you are expofed to the wrath of God: awake to a sense of your danger; flee from the wrath to come. A Redeemer has appeared, died and rifen, that he may deliver you from that wrath, and bring you to glory and happiness in heaven-Flee for refuge to him, and lay hold on the hope which he has fet before you.

That you may obtain falvation through him, commit yourselves to him by faith; renounce fin by repentance; feek the grace of the fpirit by prayer and attendance on all appointed means; watch against fin and against the temptations which await you; be not conformed to the world, but prove what is the acceptable will of God; be not weary in well doing, for in due feafon

you will reap, if you faint not. That you may be quickened in your duty and in the work of your falvation, think much on death and the judgment to come. "Hear the conclufion of the whole matter; Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”

SERMON III.

Youth invited to the Lord's Supper.

EXODUS xii, 26, 27.

And it fhall come to pafs, when your children fhall fay unto you, What mean

you by this fervice? that ye fhall fay, It is the facrifice of the Lord's passover, who paffed over the houses of the children of Ifrael in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses.

WHEN God felected the feed of Abra

ham for a people to himself, he prescribed to them the form of worship, which he would accept. Among the various ordinances which he inftituted, a principal one was that of the paffover. The inftitution, occafion and defign of this ordinance are related in the chapter where our text is.

The great Jehovah was now about to deliver his chosen people from their long and grievous oppreffions in Egypt. This deliverance he determined to effect in a manner which should demonftrate his power and fupremacy in diftinction from the pagan divinities. To perpetuate the remembrance of this great falvation, he inftituted the paffover, to be obferved by the Ifraelites on that folemn night, when he fent forth his angel to deftroy all the first-born in the Egyptian houses, and thus fubdued the stubborn spirit of the Egyptian king, to dismiss this afflicted people.