their redeemer, and the Holy Ghoft their fanctifier, which comprehends in it the whole of religion. The reafons enforcing the duty of the text fhall be the principal obje&t of your attention, and no more shall be said about the duty itself, than merely to afcertain the nature of it in general. It moft evidently involves in it the following particulars.

First, that you ever bear fully in your mind that there is a God, glorious in the perfons of Godhead and in all his attri. butes. You muft furely feel he is your fupreme and rightful fovereign. You did not give yourselves existence by your own will or power. All the being and faculties you poffefs are from God. You must then be wholly God's. He has a more abfolute property in you, and a more unlimited claim upon you and your fervices, than it is poflible you should have upon any thing you call your own. Therefore he has an indifputable right to give you laws, and prescribe your duty towards himself, and towards all the creatures with which you stand connected.

Secondly, another thing involved in the remembrance of your Creator, is that you owe him duty and affection to the utmost of your power. This is a debt due to him, for what he is in himself, and from your relation to him. Is God your Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier? Can any love be denied, or any duty fuppreffed which he requires? Reafon, confcience, and all that is in man, especially the whole foul of youth must acknowledge, that we are wholly the Lord's. Every young Ferfon in my audience, is filently faying in his heart, “I am his, I am wholly his, created by his power and preferved by his goodness."

Thirdly, this reflection implies in it a feeling fenfe of your abfolute dependence upon him for the life that now is and for that which is to come. The streams of this world wax into

'rivers before youth, of which many drink but are never fatiffied. Youth in this world wish to have happiness under their controul, but foon their thow of independency on God will be over, and fipping at created cilterns muft fail. They muft feel, or they will feel comfort no more, "That from him "fprings fulness of joy." If, my precious youth, you plunge into the ocean of iniquity, you are loft, you are damned forever.

Fourthly, this remembrance implies a folemn enquiry how you stand with your creator, your Saviour and your God. Is it peace or war, friendship or enmity? My dear young friends, you know not the import of this enquiry. Have you repented of fin, fled to the blood of Jefus for deliverence-are you humbled for original and actual tranfgreffion, and are the wonders of divine mercy all the ground of your hope? Attend to the character of God, his holy law, the exceeding great evil of fin, and the only method of recovery through the atoning merits of Jefus Chrift. The wafhing of the blood of the Redeemer is as necessary for the young as the old. By this blood you must be cleanfed, and in the faith of it, you must hop for eternal life. Would to God, the fcriptural declarations refpecting thefe important matters might be effectually impressed on every young and tender mind. However few your years, these are the effential terms of eternal life, you must repent and believe the Gofpel. All men are commanded every where to repent, the young as well as the old, the youth in all the flower of "his bloom, as well as the man of grey hairs." There is no exception here, all must repent or perish. Our Lord's decifion is, "Except ye repent, ye fhall all likewife perifh." So likewife faith enters into the effence of falvation. Eternal life by the conftitution of heaven, is infallibly chained to faith, and eternal damnation to unbelif and impenitence. The fum of all religion which our Lord delivered to his difciples, when he fent them forth to preach the gospel to every creature, is this, "He that believeth and is baptifed ball be faved," but

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how tremendously awful is the reverfe part of their commiffion? Who can pronounce it without horror. It should ftrike terror into every foul, "He that be"lieveth not fhall be damned." Wherefore let the counfel in the text be powerfully felt by every youthful mind, as a matter of the first and highest importance. "Remember thy Cre"ators in the days of thy youth." Remember the character of the Lord of univerfal nature; he is not a man, he is not a weak and impotent creature, but the Creator of the ends of the earth, whofe arm is full of power; his look fhakes the earth to its center; his anger makes the pillars of heaven to tremble; the hills melt and the mountains escape from before him. Wherefore my beloved children, "Acquaint yourselves "with him and be at peace, and thereby good fhall come un"to you."

I proceed to the fecond part of this difcourfe, to endea vour to inforce the duty on every young and tender mind. It is impoffible in the range of a narrow difcourfe to pass the limits of our text. The field of reafon and the extent of reve lation upon this fubject, the life of a Mathufalah could not exhibit.

First, the ftate of your birth is recommended to your confideration; that you have come into the world, fhapen in fin, and brought forth in iniquity, and your first entrance into existence is under the character of children of wrath. It is an awful thought for recollection, that you are by nature guilty and obnoxious in the fight of unstained purity. This is the fundamental reafon of circumcifion, baptifm and the dedica tion of children to God. The declaration of heaven is on the one hand, "That by one man's difobedience many were made ❝ finners. That the judgment came upon all men to con"demnation; all are under the curfe," and the demands of juftice refts upon the children who have never finned after the fimilitude of Adam's tranfgreffion, as well as others. And on

the other hand, all muft repent, from the youngest to the oldeft, and turn unto God in the way appointed.

Secondly, the remembrance in the text, feems to imply a natural difpofition of unmindfulness of God. Were we born with a right temper, it would be as natural to love God, obey his commands and avoid what he forbids, as to exhibit defire for food and drink. That our first appearances of action are not to love and ferve God, are certain evidences, that our natural propenfities are wrong, wherefore upon this fuppofition we are called upon to remember our Creator while we are young. And this remembrance implies every temper, exercise and duty which constitutes real piety and true reli gion. Wherefore, let children and youth who would wish for happiness and the favour of God comply with this divine. counfel.

Thirdly, remember, while you continue in your native and wicked temper, God cannot be your friend, but enemy. "He is angry with the wicked every day. If they turn not, he will whet his fword, he hath bent his bow, and made it rea"dy." Therefore you are liable, however young, while remaining impenitent and unbelieving to be turned into hell with all that forget God. While this is your character, nothing keeps you from this awful doom, but the wonderful pa tience and forbearance of God. He moft furely has power enough and provocation enough to fend you to perdition every moment you remain out of Chrift. There is the greatest reafon therefore that you should remember your Creator in the days of your youth.

You know not, my dear friends, but that you may die young. You have no more fecurity for life, than the most aged perfon loit ering under the burden of many years and in. firmities. This is a truth the young can hardly be perfuaded to feel or believe. Nay, the very ftrength of your conftitu

As tion and heat of blood expofes you to many fatal difeafes. many die in youth as in other periods of life. God may take away your breath every day and every hour juft at his pleafure. Now as this is the fituation of every individual, what an argument of irresistible force is it to induce you to remember your Creator and your fouls in the days of your youth.

If you are not disposed to attend to religion now, there can be no future period of life, in which, if left to yourselves, you will be more, or even fo much inclined to this duty. If mo tives and arguments can have any influence, these are as strong and powerful now, as they can be at any time hereafter. The reafons drawn from the uncertainty of life-the commanding authority of God-the precioufnefs of the foul-the importance of falvation; and your own intereft, are all as weighty and forcible now, as they ever will or can be. These can never increase. But it is an awful and alarming fact, that your indifpofition to attend to religion increases daily through every period of life. Your years grow not fafter than the hardness of heart, blindnefs of mind, and ftupidity of confcience. This arifes from various caufes. From the native alienation of the foul from God; the longer it continues unreftrained, the ftronger it becomes. It arifes alfo from the force of fenfual pleasures and from the nature of a worldly temper. The more fuch pleasures are indulged, the greater power they acquire. The longer our attachments to the world are indulged, the greater the difficulty to renounce them. This fatal temper likewife gains ftrength from the delufive and fascinating hopes of a more convenient feafon for engaging in religion. This prefumption is always of a growing nature. The longer we put off the concerns of our fouls, the motives for fo doing accumu late, till death clofes the fcene and all is loft forever. Hence collecting all confiderations into one view, youth will never have a more convenient opportunity or a better difpofition for the remembrance of your Creator, if left to yourselves, than the prefent. "Now is the accepted time, now is the day, of