houses and their souls in order,and them." There is no virtue I believe, so commonly and visibly rewarded in this life, as filial obedience and respect to parents. Nor on the contrary, is there any sin, so commonly and visibly punished in this life, as disobedience and disrespect to parents. "The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it." Parents on account of their age, their authority, their protection, their tender affection, and anxious cares for their children, lay them under sacred obligations to pay them filial love, obedience, and respect. The mutual relation between parents and children, is very intimate, and their mutual affections ought to be sincere and lasting; and they are almost always so, on the side of parents, but not always so on the side of children. It is a rare thing indeed, that parents despise, or desert their children under any circumstances whatever; but it is too often seen, that children will disown, or neglect, or despise, or desert their parents, and especially in old age, and in circumstances of sickness, poverty and distress. It is for this reason, probably, that God has more strictly and repeatedly charged children to love, reverence, and obey their parents, than he has charged parents to love and regard the interest and happiness of their children. God guards human nature by his com、 weakest side. He moral obligations to God and to themselves. And is it not a blemish in the character of rational creatures, to act irrationally? mands, on its towards their parents. According- This blemish is more visible and ly he lays the stronger obligations on children to be kind, tender, obedient, and respectful to their parents, especially if they are infirm, poor, afflicted, and bowing under the weight of old age. 3. As piety is the peculiar ornament of old people, so the want of it is a peculiar blemish in their character. Childhood and youth are vanity. Manhood is enterprising and aspiring. The want of piety in these stages of life is so common, that it is but little noticed. In the next and more serious stages of life, after men have seen the vanities of the world, experienced the reverses of fortune, and found themselves failing in corporeal and intellect ual vigour and activity, and hastening towards old age,if they have not reached it, common sense says it is time for them to seek and secure the one thing needful. And if they then neglect to embrace and practice religion, it is a visible blemish in their character. It argues a vain mind, a hard heart, a stupid conscience, and an unwise disregard to their future and eternal happiness. It demonstrates, that they are, in the sense of Scripture, fools. They have eyes, but they see not. They have ears, but they hear not. They have hearts, but they feel not their more reproachful in aged, than in other sinners. They have had line upon line, and precept upon precept of their duty, their dan ger, and their guilt. They canpot say, that the world has allowed them, as it has allowed young people, to neglect religion. Permit me to hold up to view a fath er who is fifty, or sixty or seventy, or nearly eighty years old,and who has remained graceless and prayerless, until he is just dropping into the grave. Is not the want of piety in such a person a great blemish in his character, whether he be rich or poor, learned or unlearned? See another man, who has passed through all the different stages of life, arrived at the last, and who is still profane, intemperate, stupid, prayerless, and tottering over the grave. Is not the want of piety a great blemish in his character? All young people wonder at old sinners, whether they are openly vicious, or not. Let every singer look at his character, and then at his age. What are you? and where are you? Are you impenitent sinners? And are you on the brink of eternity? Is it not time for not a few to ask themselves such pertinent, solemn, and interesting questions? Are not many of you, before you are a and ware, old people? And are you not exhibiting the want of piety, before the eyes of the world, which spreads a blemish over all your natural excellencies ? 4. Since piety is a peculiar or nament to old people, it is very unwise to neglect obtaining it early in life. Piety is a beauty in the young, as well as in the old. It lays the only solid and permanent foundation for peace, happiness, and usefulness in every stage of life. None become truly happy, and virtuously useful, before they become pious. They must give their hearts before they give their lives to God. They are by nature, totally destitute of holiness, and under the entire dominion of a depraved, selfish, sinful heart, and unfit for any duty towards God and man. They are dead in trespasses and sins. They must repent, become reconciled to God, and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and walk in the way of righteousness, in order to become truly pious. This is a duty which they have no right to neglect, and which it is their wisdom Immediately to perform. Those who have worn the ornament of piety in old age, have generally become pious in their early days. Joseph was a pious youth. Moses was a pious youth. David was a pious youth. Samuel was a pious youth. Timothy was a pious youth. It seems that most of those, who have ever become pious, have become pious in the morning of life. It is not only sinful, but hazardous for the young to put off the concerns of their souls to the decline of life and old age. It is uncertain whether their lives will be spared; and if they are spared, the longer they delay, the more their consciences will be stupified, the more their hearts will be attached to the world, and alienated from God, and opposed to every thing of a holy and religious nature. This you may learn from your own unhappy experience, and from the conduct of those more advanced in life. If you wait for a more convenient season, you will probably continue to wait, to wait, to wait, till God will wait no longer, and put you beyond the reach of mercy. You may now think, that the want of piety is no blemish in your character, but sooner than you expect, it may be so. Though you are now young, you will soon be old, and feel the infirmities, burdens, and accumulated evils of old age; which, without piety, may sink you in gloom, despondence, and incurable wretchedness. Can you bear the thought of losing your health, strength,and activity, and becoming blind, or deaf, or decripit, or helpless, without the supports and consolations of piety? It most seriously concerns you now in the vigour of your days, to remember your Creator, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou wilt say, I have no pleasure in them. Though you may escape sickness, accidents, disappointments, bereavements, and many infirmities, burdens, and trials, which others meet with in the course of life, yet you cannot escape old age, or death. Time will strip you of every thing unless you choose that good part which cannot be taken from you. 5. If piety be a peculiar ornament to old people; then aged saints have great reason to be thankful to God for what he has done for them. They were once young, vain, stupid, thoughtless, prayerless; but God in sovereign mercy arrested their attention, fastened conviction on their conscience, and turned them from darkness to light and from sin to holiness, while he left others of the same age and of the same character to pursue their course to a wretched old age, or cut them down in the morning of life and sent them into a miserable eternity. Such distinguishing mercies call for distinguishing gratitude and praise. Aged saints cannot look upon their past lives before and after they received the grace of God in truth, without seeing, that it has been of the Lord's mercies that they have not been consumed, and fixed in a state of everlasting alienation and separation from God and from all good. David in his old age, had such humiliating views of himself, and such grateful views of the special and distinguishing grace of God towards him. This is his humble and grate ful language. "Thou art my hope, O Lord God: thou art my trust from my youth. By thee have I been holden up from the womb; thou art he that took me out of my mother's bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee. I am as a wonder unto many: but thou art my strong refuge. Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honor all the day.Cast me not off in the time of old age, forsake me not when my strength faileth." Aged saints ought to renounce the world and become dead to the vain and trifling scenes and objects and pursuits of this momentary life, and spend the residue of their days in praise, retirement, and devotion. All things conspire to make them serious, devout, and grateful. The trials they have experienced, the blessings they have enjoyed, the dangers they have escaped, the decays of nature, and their increasing infirmities of body and mind, as well as the the near prospects of eternity, drive them to God and religion for consolation and support. This has been the manner in which aged saints have spent their last days. Good old Barzillai, though rich and affluent and invited to join in the splendid entertainments of a Prince's court, declined the royal invitation, and rather choose to retire to domestic solitude and devotion. And who can say he acted out of character or made unwise choice. Simeon the aged, the just, and the devout, patiently and prayerfully waited yet all his tender ties to the world for the consolation of Israel, and . for his own speedy and joyful departure out of the world. And the pious Anna spent the last days of her very long life in devout and religious exercises, to prepare her self for death and eternity. Such examples deserve the imitation of all aged christians, whose characters, professions and peculiar circumstances imperiously call upon them to wait submissively and prayerfully for their appointed change. 6. It appears from what has been said, that aged saints ought to be willing to die. They have enjoyed much good, suffered many trials, lost nearly all their former relatives and friends, are left alone in the world, and all things tend to draw their attention to death and eternity; and they have no plea to make for the protraction of life. There was a time in life, when David could pray to God and say, "Take me not away in the midst of my days." Every aged christian has more reason to say to God. "I would not live alway; Lord now lettest thy servant depart in peace according to thy word." Death in itself is the king of terrors, and opens into an unseen and untried state of existence, which the most devout and aged christian may well contemplate with solemnity and awe, and tremble to launch into the boundless ocean of eternity. And though he is weary of the evils of life; are not entirely dissolved. He has persons and objects, and interests to leave, which he ought to regard with pious solicitude and concern. He may be in a strait betwixt two, a desire to live, and a desire to die. But in his old age when his exertions and usefulness are failing, he ought to have a prevailing, though submissive desire to die. It argues too great attachment to the world, and too little preparation for death, in aged christians not to be willing to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. It becomes them no longer to mix with the world, but to retire in solitude, and prepare their unprepared hearts for the solemn scenes before them. God has carried them even to old age to give them an opportunity to perform the great and last act on the stage of life to the honor of religion, and for the consolation and benefit of those whom they leave behind. 7. The peculiar character and situation of aged christians call for their serious and particular attention to every instance of mortality, whether of the young or of the old. When they see others cut down in the morning of life, or in the midst of their days, enjoyments and hopes, their death calls upon them to recognize, with peculiar gratitude, the mercy of God in preserving their lives in the midst of the arrows of death, which have been constantly flying |