SERMON IV.

Early Piety the Comfort of Old Age.

A Sermon to Young People.

PSALM 1xxi. 5.

For thou art my hope, O Lord God: Thou art my truft from my youth.

My young friends, I may venture to fay, there is not one of you, but who wishes to live to old age. And if you defire many days, certainly you defire to fee good in them all, even in the laft of them. It is not a painful and difconfolate, but a pleasant and cheerful old age, which you defire. I cannot promife you long life, continu ed health, or great riches; nor can I affure you, that your declining years will be free from bodily pains and worldly afflictions. But I can tell you, how old age, if you should arrive to it, may be very comfortable; yea, more fo than your youth. For inftruction in this matter I will refer you to the experience of an aged man, whose words I just now read to you. They are the words of David; and words which he wrote, when he was

old and grey headed, and when he suffered great and fore troubles. In this condition, and in this period of life, his chief comfort arose from a recollection of that courfe of humble piety, which commenced in early life. "Be thou my strong habitation, to which I may continually refortfor thou art my hope, O Lord; thou art my trust from my youth." Imitate his example; and whatever may be your outward condition, you will experience his comforts.

"Truft in God" fuppofes a full belief of his exiftence, perfections and government. This belief is the first principle of all religion. "He that cometh to God, muft believe that he is, and that he is the rewarder of them who diligently feek him."

It implies alfo a knowledge of those gracious promises, which he has made to thofe of our race and in our condition. A general knowledge of his character gives an affurance, that he will never injure us; but without a particular discovery of his kind intentions toward us, we can feel no affurance of pofitive good. For divine goodness is free; it is under no obligations, and fubject to no demands; but is exercifed under the direction of fovereign wisdom. And, befure, fallen and guilty creatures, fuch as we are, can ground their hope of future happiness on nothing lefs than the promife of God, because it is manifeft that fuch creatures deserve punishment; and whether this punishment may, on any terms, be remitted, none can tell, without a declaration from God himself.

God's promises are conditional; and we become interested in the bleffings promised only by a compliance with the conditions required. Truft in God therefore implies a fubmiffion of heart, and a conformity of life to thofe rules of duty, which he has prescribed. We are required" to truft in

VOL. V.

God and do good"-" to commit ourselves to him in well doing"-" to reft in the Lord, and wait patiently for him." If we look for good, without applying the means to obtain it; if we expect the bounties of providence without diligence in our calling; prefervation from evil without circumfpection in our walk; the forgiveness of our fins without repentance toward God; the prefence of God's grace without calling on his name; or the final falvation of our fouls without a patient continuance in well doing; our pretended truft in God is nothing better than prefumption, infult and mockery.

David fays, "Thou art my truft from my youth." He profeffes to have made religion his deliberate choice, the will of God the rule of his conduct, and hope in God the comfort of his foul, in that early period of life, which too often paffes away in trifling and vanity.

David's hiftory verifies his profeffion. He was but a youth, when he went forth to the conflict with the giant of Gath, who bade defiance to the armies of the living God. The king of Ifrael judged him too young for fuch an encounter. "Thou art not able," fays he, "to fight with this Philiftine, for thou art a youth, and he a man of war from his youth." But David was ftrong in faith, and his faith he ftrengthened by recurrence to paft experience of God's merciful protection in times of danger. He anfwers the king, "Thy fervant kept his father's fheep in the wildernefs; and there came a lion and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock. And I went after him; and when he arofe against me, I caught him by the beard and flew him. The Lord, who delivered me out of the paw of the hon and of the bear, fhall deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine; and he shall be as one of those.",

As David began a life of piety in youth, fo he continued it to old age. He fays, "O God, thou art my trust from my youth-Thou haft taught me from my youth, and hitherto I have declared thy wonderous works." The religious knowledge, and the pious principles, which he had early embi bed, governed his conduct in all the fubfequent ftages of his life.

In his history we find imperfections, and one inftance of grofs and complicated iniquity; but not any habitual vice. His great tranfgreffion was followed with a profeffion of deep repentancehis imperfections were occafions of godly forrow -his infirmities called up his daily vigilance. Repentance with him was not a tranfient exercise, but an habitual temper. Hence he prays, "Remember not against me the fins of my youth; but according to thy mercy remember me for thy goodness fake, O Lord."" Who can understand his errors? Cleanfe thou me from fecret faults: keep back thy fervant alfo from prefumptuous fins; then shall I be innocent from the great trans greffion." Confcious of remaining corruptions, "he laid God's judgments before him, and watched to keep himself from his own iniquity". from the fin which moft easily befet him. Senfible of his liableness to err, "he thought on his ways ;" and when he found himself going astray, he ftopt, and "turned his feet into God's teftimonies; and he made hafte and delayed not to' keep the commandments of God." Diftrufting his own wisdom and ftability, he held his ears at tentive to reproof, and his mind open to conviction. "Let the righteous fmite me," fays he, "it fhall be a kindness; and let him reprove me, it fhall be an excellent oil, which fhall not break my head."

When the prophet expoftulated with him for his great tranfgreffion, he difcovered no refentment at the freedom, which his monitor used with him; but humbly received, and honeftly applied the rebuke, and penitently confeffed, " I have finned against the Lord." David did this thing fecretly, and might imagine, that it remained a fecret ftill. What inward exercises of penitence preceded the prophet's reproof, we cannot fay. Now, for the firft time, he was explicitly admonifhed; now he found that his iniquity was no longer to be concealed; now he confeffed his guilt, and declared his repentance before men.

In all his life he was diftinguifhed by a devout fpirit; by a humble fubmiffion to divine correc tions; by a wife improvement of various afflictions; by a conftant obfervance of the ways of providence; by a faithful attendance on the worfhip of the fanctuary; by a conscientious performance of domestic duties; and by a thankful acknowledgment of mercies and deliverances. Few men appear to have walked through life in fuch an intimate communion with God, and under fuch an impreffive fenfe of God's prefence and government, as this good man, who, from his youth, had chofen God for his hope and truft.

This early choice of religion was a spring of comfort to him in his declining years. In a time of affliction he prays, "Deliver me, O my God, for thou art my truft from my youth. By thee have I been holden up from my childhood. My praise fhall be continually of thee."

In David's example we are taught, "that early piety lays the fureft foundation for comfort in old age.

This is a truth, in which you, who are now young, are deeply concerned, and which you