to live as you are, as young as healthy as you are; and if God thall now come, and call you away by death, what think you will become of you that are not yet reconciled to God? ye will all be fent into hell. But, 2. Tell me, I fay, did you ever refuse to do what your parents, your fathers or your mothers, have commanded you to do? Do you never remember that either your fathers, or your mɑthers, or your mafter, or it may be the minifter from the pulpit, has told you that you fhould do fome things, read, pray, be good scholars, do what your father and mother enjoined you? Well, and have not ye for all that refufed to do it? This is a fin against God; and believe it, dear children, there are fome juft fuch as yourselves burning in hell, for difobeying their parents; and tho' they weep and cry, yet God will never let them out thence. 3. Did never any body reprove you for any thing that ye have done? Did never your father or your mother tell you that fome thing, it may be, fwearing, or lying, or forgetting your prayers, was a fin, and would bring you to hell, if ye did not amend? Well, if they did, was not you angry at them? Would you not have been glad to get away from them that told you fuch things? And did not your heart rise against them? Well, this also is a great fin. And if this be.not pardoned, God will be fure to turn, you into hell for it, Prov. xv. 1. Correction is grievous to him that forfaketh the way, and he that hateth reproof hall die. 4. Tell me, were you ever defirous to be avenged, or in your own language, to have amends of fome that you thought had done you ill? Were not you vexed, thinking how to get even with them, and would not ye have found in your your hearts to have killed them, or to have done them fome mifchief? Well, this is a grievous fin; for God has forbid us to avenge ourselves, Rom. xii. 19. 5. Tell me, did ye never give any body ill language? Did ye never miscal your comrades? when you were angry with your neighbour or companion, did ye not ufe opprobrious or reproaching names? I fear most of you cannot de ny it: Well, this again is another fin. Our Lord has faid, that whofoever fhall call his brother a fool fhall be in danger of hell fire, Matth. v. 22. 6. Were you never glad when you could get out under your father, or mother, or master's eyes, that ye might take your will, and do thefe things that ye durft not do before them? Now, this is downright atheism: you did not believe that God is every where, otherwife you would not have prefumed to do that before him, which ye. durft not do before your parents, See Pfal. xiv. 1. compared with Rom. iii. 10 and 23. 7. Have not you been glad, when the Lord's day was over; or at least, when the preaching was done, that ye might get your liberty? Has it not been a burden to you, to fit fo long in the church? Well, this is a great fin, which was one of the grounds of God's controverfy with his own people, Mal. i. 13. Ifa. xliii. 22. Amos viii. 5. It is to be weary of well-doing against the exprefs command of God, Gal. vi, 9. 8. Tell me, have you not been thinking of o ther things when ye have been in church hearing fermon have ye not been thinking of your sport and pastime? or it may be fpeaking to one another in the time of worthip? This is another fin whereof you have been guilty; and God counts them mockers mockers of him, who draw near with their lips, when their hearts are far away from him, Ifa. xxix. 13. 9. Do you pray to God-morning and evening? I fear there fhall many be found who neglect this: and tell me, dear children, what do you think will become of these who pray not? God counts them forgetters of him; and he fays, that the wicked fhall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. Pfal. ix. 17. 10. Do ye lie or fwear, and fo take God's' name in vain? Did you ever fwear by the name of God in your ordinary talk? Or did ye ever make a lie to excufe or hide a fault? These alfo are fins; and God has faid, that liars and fwearers fhall have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, Rev. xxi. 8. 11. I will only put this one question more to you. Did you never go to your play, when ye fhould have been at your prayers? Now take heed; ye know ye have done fo. Well, what think ye will be the end of thefe who do fo? Because ye will not feek God, he will not fave you; he will reject you, when ye have most need of help. Now, dear children, I have a great refpect to you: fain would I have you faved from hell. It. is because I defire your good, that I have been telling you your fins. I fhall therefore, before I leave you, (1.) Put fome few questions to you for your awakening. (2.) I fhall give you a counsel or two. (3.) I fhall give you fome encouragements to follow the advices given you. First then, I would ask you some few questions; and I beg it of you to take heed how you hear them: And, (1.) tell me, Did ye ever think of death? if you look at a grave when it is open ed, ed, there, inftead of one that had life, that could fpeak, walk, and do all the other things which ye can do; now, ye fee there is nothing but rotten bones, confumed ftinking flefh, which the dogs will fcarce come near, and filthy gore. Well, ye will in a little time be juft in that cafe yourfelves. Ye muft die. No doubt, ye have heard of fome of your companions, or fome other children who have died; and ye cannot tell but ye may die next. (2.) If ye do think of death, What do ye think will become of you, if these fins which ye have done, and of which I have now told you, be not forgiven? Then, without all doubt, you will go to hell. And, O can ye tell what a place hell is? It is a terrible place indeed. It may be, you would think it a terrible thing if any fhould put your finger in the hot fire: and indeed it would be fo. What then do ye think will be the pain which ye fhall fuffer when God will caft you foul and body into hell fire and this will furely be your portion, if ye get not grace. (3.) If once ye be caft into hell, do ye think ever to get out again? I affure you, God has faid ye fhall not. Though ye'weep till your hearts break, God will not hear you. Ye have done with mercy if once ye die in your fins. God's eye will not fpare; his heart will not pity you. Therefore, if ye would escape hell, I fhall tell you, Secondly, What ye muft do, by offering you two or three good counfels. (1.) Whenever ye go home this night, get into fome quiet corner or other, and there betake you to God in prayer. Say with the poor diftreffed publican, Lord, be merciful to me a finner. Say, Lord, thou haft promised a new heart to finners like me; and I have need of it, for my heart is very bad: and fay, fay, Lord, give me Chrift, fave me from my fins for Chrift's fake. Who knows but the Lord, who hears the lions and the ravens when they cry for food, may hear you? (2.) You that can read the Bible or the Catechifm, read them: but take care before ye read, that ye go and pray to God, that he may bless them to you, and make you underftand what you read (3.) Take care that you ne ver lie, fwear, or break the fabbath, or commit again these fins which we were telling you of a little while ago. (4.) Run out of the company of fuch as do lie, fwear, or break the fabbath: for God will deftroy them that keep company with fuch. A companion of fools fhall be destroyed, Prov. xiii. 20. (5.) Wait on them who will inftruct you; and follow the good advices they give you. Walk with the wife, and ye fhall be wife, Prov. xiii. 20. (6.) Be fure that ye pray to God fo foon as ye have got on your cloths in the morning, and before ye caft them off at night. Now, if ye will follow thefe advices, I will, Thirdly, Tell you fome things to encourage you in fo doing. (1.) God has made a promise, that they who begin foon to feek him shall come fpeed. I love them that love me, and they that feek me early fhall find me, Prov. viii. 17. (2.) God has a great liking to fuch as begin to feek him early. He commends them highly; and has left upon record the names of fome young converts; fuch as Abijah, in the house of a wicked Jerobo am, and good Jofiah, whofe early piety is much commended, 2 Chron. xxxiv. 3. In the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to feek after the God of his father David: And this is left upon record, for making others to begin early to feek God. (3.) Jefus Chrift in the days of |