Many a hopeful young man hath been undone temporally and undone eternally, by hearkening to those evil counsellors.
Carnal reason is an enemy, yea, an utter enemy, nay, it is not only an utter enemy, but it is enmity, yea, enmities, Rom. viii. 7.1 An enemy may be reconciled, but enmity can never be reconciled. Carnal reason is not only averse, but it is utterly averse to all goodness; it builds strongholds and syllogisms against the most glorious gospel truths, and accounts the precious things of Christ as a strange thing. Carnal reason will make God and gospel do homage to it. When carnal reason is in the throne, Christ and his truths must all bow or be judged before its bar.
Ah ! young men, young men, as ever you would be good betimes, stop your ears against all carnal reasonings within you. Carnal reason judges the choicest things of the gospel to be mere foolishness, 1 Cor. i. 23. It is purblind, and cannot see how to make a right judgment of Christ, his word, his ways, and yet will control all.
If you are resolved to be still scholars to this master, then you must resolve to be unhappy here and miserable hereafter. But it is safer and better for you to imitate those young men, who in the morning of their days have graciously, wisely, and resolutely withstood those evil counsellors, carnal reason, flesh and blood ; Joseph and Moses, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, all these in the primrose of their youth were good at turning the deaf ear to carnal counsel and carnal counsellors, Gen. xxxix. 7-11, &c ; Heb. xi. 24-26 ; Dan. i.
Cassianus reports of a young man that had given himself up to a Christian life, and his parents misliking that way, they wrote letters to him to persuade him from it ; and when he knew there were letters come from them, he would not open them, but threw them into the fire. This example is worth a following.
Another famous example you have in the story of King Edward the Sixth, when Cranmer and Ridley came to him, and were very earnest to have him give way to his sister the Lady Mary to have mass. He stood out and pleaded the case with them, that it was a sin against God, and provoking to the eyes of his glory, &c, but they still continued to use many carnal arguments to persuade the king, who was but a child about fifteen years of age, but he withstood them a great while ; but at length when he saw he could not prevail with all his pleading against those brave men, but that they still continued their suit, he burst out into bitter weeping and sobbing, desiring them to desist. The motioners seeing his zeal and constancy, went as fast as he, and being overcome, they went away and told one that the king had more divinity in his little finger, than they had in all their bodies.
Ah ! young men, it will be your safety and your glory to write after this princely copy, when you are surrounded with carnal reason and carnal counsellors, &c.
1 Cicero, a heathen, could say, that man would not be so wicked, and do so wickedly, were it not for his reason.
1 Kings XIV. 13.] apples of gold. 233
Direction (6). Sixthly and lastly, If you would be good betimes, then take heed of comparing yourselves with those that are worse than yourselves.
Young men are very apt to compare themselves with those that are worse than themselves, and this proves a snare unto them, yea, often- times their bane, their ruin, John ix. 39, 40, as it did the young pha- risee in the Gospel, who pleaded his negative righteousness ; he was not as other men are, ' extortioners, unjust, adulterers,' and stood on his com- parative goodness, ' nor as this publican ;' he stands not only upon his comparisons, but upon his disparisons, being blind at home, and too quick-sighted abroad ; he contemneth and condemneth this poor pub- lican, who was better than himself, Luke xviii. 11-14, x making good that saying of Seneca, ' The nature of man,' saith he, ' is very apt, utimur perspicillis magis quam speculis, to use spectacles to behold other men's faults, rather than looking-glasses to behold our own.' Such pha- risees do justly incur the censure which that sour philosopher passed upon grammarians, that they were better acquainted with the evil of Ulysses than with their own.2
Ah ! young man, young man, you know, he that drinks poison, though he drinks not so much as another, and be that commits treason, though not so great, so high treason as another, shall yet as certainly be poisoned, and hanged, as he that hath drunk a greater quantity of poison, and committed higher acts of treason.3
Sirs ! do not delude and befool your own souls ; if you are not as wicked as others, you shall not be as much tormented as others, but yet you shall be as certainly damned as others ; you shall as certain to hell as others ; you shall as sure be shut out for ever from God, Christ, saints, angels, and all the treasures, pleasures, and glories of heaven, as others, except it be prevented by timely repentance on your side, and pardoning mercy on God's. Wilt thou count it madness, 0 young man ! in him that is sick, to reason thus ? I am not so sick as such and such, and therefore I will not send to the physician ; and in the wounded man to say, I am not so desperately wounded as such and such, and therefore I will not send to the chirurgeon ; and in the traitor to say, I am not guilty of so many foul and heinous treasons as such and such, and therefore I will not look after a pardon ; and in the necessitous man to say, I am not so hard put to it as such and such, and therefore I will not welcome a hand of charity ? And wilt thou not count it the greatest madness in the world for thee to put off thy repentance, and thy returning to the Lord in the spring and morning of thy youth, be- cause that thou art not as sinful, as wicked as such and such. If to have a softer bed, a milder punishment in hell than others, will satisfy thee, then go on ; but if thou art afraid of the worm that never dies, and of the fire that never goes out, being like that stone in Arcadia, which being once kindled could not be quenched, oh, then, begin to be good betimes ! Oh seek and serve the Lord in the spring and morning of your days !
1 Thales, one of the seven sages, being asked what was the easiest thing in the world to do? answered, to know other men's faults, and none of our own.
2 Diogenes apud Laertium. lib. vi.
3 Mat. xi. 22-25. As in heaven, one is more glorious than another, so in hell, one shall be more miserable than another. — Aug\ustine\.
23 1- APPLES OF GOLD. [1 KlNGS XIV. 13.