And so it was the honour of the house of Stephanas, that they were the first-fruits of Achaia, I Cor. xvi. 15. It was their glory that they were the first that received and welcomed the gospel in Achaia. It is a greater honour for a young man to outwrestle sin, Satan, temptation, the world, and lust, than ever Alexander the Great could attain unto. It was Judah his praise and honour, that they were first in fetching home David their king, 2 Sam. xix. 15.
Ah, young men and women ! it will be your eternal praise and hon- our if you shall be before others, if you shall be the first amono- many, who shall know the Lord and seek the Lord ; who shall receive the Lord, and embrace him ; who shall cleave to the Lord, and serve him • who shall honour the Lord, and obey him ; who shall delight in the Lord, and walk with him. The Romans built Virtue's and Honour's temple close together, to shew that the way to honour was by virtue ; and, in- deed, there is no crown to that which goodness sets upon a man's head : all other honour is fading and withering. Acloni-bezek, a mighty prince, is suddenly made fellow-commoner with the dogs, Judges i. 7 • and Nebuchadnezzar, a mighty conqueror, turned a-grazing amono- the oxen, Dan. iv. 28 ; and Herod, reduced from a conceited god to be the most loathsome of men, living carrion, arrested by the vilest of creatures, upon the suit of his affronted Creator, Acts xii. 23 ; and Ha- inan, feasted with the king one day, and made a feast for crows the next, Esth. vii. 10. I might tell you of Bajazet and Belisarius, two of the greatest commanders in the world, and many others, who have sud- denly fallen from the top of worldly honour and felicity, into the o-reat- est contempt and misery, but I shall not at this time. But that honour that arises from men's being gracious betimes, is such honour that the world can neither give nor take ; it is honour, it is a crown that will still be green and flourishing ; it is honour that will bed and board with a man, that will abide with a man under all trials and chano-es, that will to the grave, that will to heaven with a man.
Ah, sirs ! it is no small honour to you, who are in the sprino- and morning of your days, that the Lord hath left upon record several in- stances of his love and delight in young men. He chose David, a younger brother, and passes by his elder brothers, 1 Sam. xvi. 11-13 ; he frowns upon Esau, and passes by his door, and sets his love and de-
206 APPLES OF GOLD. [1 Kings XIV. 13.
light upon Jacob the younger brother, Rom. ix. 12, 13 ; he kindly and lovingly accepts of Abel's person and sacrifice, and rejects both Cain's person and sacrifice, though he was the elder brother, Gen. iv. 3-fi. Among all the disciples, John was the youngest and the most and best beloved, John xiii. 23. There was but one ' young man' that came to Christ, and lie came not aright, Mark x. 19-21 ; and all the good that was in liim was but some moral good, and yet Christ loved him with a love of pity and compassion. The Greek word (ayanuv) signifies, to speak friendly and deal gently with one ; and so did Christ with him, all which should exceedingly encourage young men to be good betimes, to be gracious in the morning of their youth. No way to true honour like this, but,
Motive (2). Secondly, consider, Christ loved poor sinners and gave hi/m&elffor them, when he was in the prime of his age (being supposed to be about thirty and three), and will you put him off with the worst of your time ?
Ah ! young men, young men, Christ gave himself up to death, he made himself an offering for your sins, for your sakes, when he was in the prime and flower of his age -,1 and why then should you put off Christ to an old age ? Did he die for sin in the prime of his age ? and will not you die to sin in the prime of your age ? Did he offer himself for you in the spring and morning of his years ? and will not you offer up yourselves to him in the spring and morning of your years ? Rom. xii. 1, 2. Oh give. not Christ cause to say, I died for you betimes, but you have not lived to me betimes ; I was early in my suffering for you, but you have not been early in your returning to me ; I made haste to complete your redemption, but you have made no haste to make sure your vocation and election, 2 Pet. i. 1 0 ; I stayed not, I lingered not, but soon suffered what I was to suffer, and quickly did what was to be done for your eternal welfare ; but you have stayed .and lingered, like Lot in Sodom, Gen. xix. 1G, and have not done what you might have done in order to your everlasting good. In the primrose of my days, I sweat for you, I wept for you, I bled for you, I hung on the cross for you, I bore the wrath of my Father for you ; but you have not in the primrose of your days sweat under the sense of divine displeasure, nor wept over your sins, nor mourned over me, whom you have so often grieved and pierced, Zech. xii. 10. I could not be quiet nor satisfied till I had put you into a capacity, into a possibility of salvation, and yet you are well enough quieted and satisfied, though you do not know whether ever you shall be saved.
Ah, sirs ! how sad would it be with you, if Jesus Christ should secretly thus expostulate with your consciences in this your day.
Oh ! how terrible would it be with you, if Christ should thus visibly plead against you in his great day. Ah ! young men, young men and women, who but souls much left of God, blinded by Satan, and hardened in sin, 2 Cor. 3, 4, can hear Jesus Christ speaking thus to them : I suffered for sinners betimes, I laid down a ransom for souls betimes, I pacified my Father's wrath betimes, I satisfied my Father's justice hetimes, I merited grace and mercy for sinners betimes, I brought in
1 The sacrifices in the law were young lamhs and young kids, to 6hew that Christ our sacrifice should die and suffer for our sins, iu the flower of his age.
1 Kings XIV. 13.] apples of gold. 207
an everlasting righteousness upon the world betimes, &c. ; I say, who can hear Jesus Christ speaking thus, and his heart not fall in love and league with Christ, and his soul not unite to Christ and resign to Christ, and cleave to Christ, and for ever be one with Christ, except it be such that are for ever left by Christ ? Well, remember this, Quanto pro nobis vilior, tanto nobis charior, the more vile Christ made him- self for us, the more dear he ought to be unto us.