our preparations for our latter end, and to put us in mind of the days of darkness, which will be many; as the Preacher tells us in the chapter before the text.

Among thefe is the admonition and advice in the words of the text; which do indeed concern those that are young, but yet will afford useful matter of meditation to perfons of all ages and conditions whatfoever; of great thankfulness to almighty God, from those who, by the grace of God, and his bleffing upon a pious education, have entered upon a religious courfe betimes; and of a deep forrow and repentance, to thofe who have neglected and let flip this beft opportunity of their lives, and of taking up a firm refolution of redeeming that loss, as much as is poffible, by their future care and diligence: and to them more especially who are grown old, and have not yet begun this great and neceffary work, it will minister occafion to refolve upon a fpeedy retreat, and, without any further delay, to return to God and their duty, left the opportunity of doing it, which is now almoft quite spent, be loft for ever.

The text contains a duty, which is, to remember our Creator; and a limitation of it more especially to one particular age and time of our life; in the days of our youth not to exclude any other age, but to lay a particular emphafis and weight upon this. Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth; that is, more especially in this age of thy life; to intimate to us, both that this is the fittest season, and that we cannot begin this work too foon.

And this is further illuftrated by the oppofition of it to old age: While the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh of which thou shalt fay, I have no pleafure in them. This is a defcription of old age, the evils whereof are continually growing; and which, in refpect of the cares and griefs, the diftempers and infirmities which ufually attend it, is rather a burden than a pleasure.

In the handling of thefe words, I fhall do these three things.

I. I fhall confider the nature of the act or duty here injoined; and that is, to remember God.

2. I fhall confider what there is in the notion of God

as Creator, which is more particularly apt to awaken and oblige us to the remembrance of him.

3. I fhall confider the limitation of this duty more efpecially to this particular age of our lives, the days of our youth; why we fhould begin this work then, and not put it off to the time of old age.

I. I fhall confider the nature of the act or duty here injoined; which is, to remember cur Creator. For the understanding of which expreflion, and others of the like nature in fcripture, it is to be confidered, that it is very ufual in fcripture, to exprefs religion, and the whole duty of man, by fome eminent act, or principle, or part of religion: fometimes by the knowledge of God, and by faith in him; and very frequently by the fear, and by the love of God; becaufe thefe are the great principles and parts of religion: and fo likewife, though not fo frequently, religion is expreffed by the remem brance of God. Now, remembrance is the actual thought of what we do habitually know. To remember God, is to have him actually in our minds, and, upon all proper occafions, to revive the thoughts of him; and, as David expreffeth it, to fet him always before us: I fet the Lord (fays he) always before me; that is, God was continually prefent to his mind and thoughts.

And, in oppofition to this, we find wicked men in fcripture described by the contrary quality, forgetfulness of God. So they are defcribed in Job, chap. viii. 13. Such are the paths of all that forget God; that is, of the wicked. And the fame defcription David gives of them, Pfal. ix. 17. The wicked (fays he) fhall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. And elsewhere he gives the fame character of a wicked man, Pfal. x. 4. that God is not in all his thoughts.

And the courfe of a religious life is not unfitly expreffed by our remembrance of God. For to remember a perfon or thing, is to call them to mind upon all proper and fitting occafions; to think actually of them, fo as to do that which the remembrance of them does require or prompt us to. To remember a friend, is to be ready upon occafion to do him all good offices: to remember a kindness and benefit, is to be ready to acknowledge and requite it when there is an opportunity:

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to remember an injury, is to be ready to revenge it: and, in a word, to remember any thing, is to be mindful to do that which the memory of fuch a thing doth naturally fuggeft to us.

So that to remember God, is frequently, and in our most serious and retired thoughts, to confider, that there is fuch a being as God is, of all power and perfection, who made us and all other things, and hath given us laws to live by, fuitable to our natures; and will call us to a strict account for our obfervance or violation of them, and accordingly reward or punish us; very often in this world, and to be fure in the other.

It is to revive often in our minds the thoughts of God, and of his infinite perfections, and to live continually under the power and awe of these apprehenfions, that he is infinitely wife and good, holy and juft; that he is always prefent with us, and obferves what we do, and is intimate to our moft fecret thoughts, and will bring every work into judgment, and every fecret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil; as the preacher tells us in the conclufion of this fermon.

The duty then here required of us is, fo foon as we arrive at the ufe of reason, and the exercife of our understandings, to take God into confideration, and to begin a religious course of life betimes; to confecrate the beginning of our days, and the flower and ftrength of of them, to his fervice: whilft our mind is yet foft and tender, and in a great measure free from all other impreffions, to be mindful of the being that is above us; and in all our designs and actions, to take God into confideration, and to do every thing in his fear, and with an eye to his glory. Remember thy Creator; that is, honour, fear, love, obey, and ferve him; and, in a word, do every thing as becomes one that is mindful of God, and hath him continually in his thoughts.

II. I fhall in the next place confider, what there is in the notion of God as our Creator, that is more particu larly apt to awaken and oblige men to the remembrance of God. The text does not barely require us to remember God; but to remember him as the author and founder of our beings: Remember thy Creator. And there is certainly fome particular emphafis in it; fo that God, confidered.

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confidered under the notion of our Creator, is apt to ftrike us with a particular regard and awe of him and that upon a threefold account; as creation is a fenfible demonstration to us, ift, of the being; 2dly, of the power; and, 3dly, of the goodness of God."

1. Of his being. The creation is of all other the moft fenfible and obvious argument of a Deity. Other confiderations may work upon our reafon and underftanding, but this doth, as it were, bring God down to our fenfes. So often as we look up to heaven, or down upon the earth; upon ourselves, or into ourselves; upon the things without us, and round about us; which way foever we turn our eyes, we are encountered with plain evidences of a fuperior being, which made us and all other things: every thing which we behold with our eyes, doth in fome way or other reprefent God to us, and bring him to our minds, fo as we cannot avoid the fight of him if we would. So the Pfalmift tells us, Pfal. xix. 1. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament feweth the work of his hands. And fo likewife St. Paul, Rom. i. 20. The invifible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly feen, being underfood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead.

2. As the creation is a demonftration of God's infinite power. And this confideration is apt to work upon our fear, the moft wakeful paffion of all other in the foul of man: infomuch that the Atheift would fain afcribe the original apprehenfion and belief of a Deity to the natural fears of men: Primus in orbe deos fecit timor : "Fear firft made gods ;" and by this means would fain perfuade us, that it is fo far from being true that God is our Creator, that he is merely the creature of our own vain fear and imagination.

But furely this is very unreasonable. For, if there be a God that made us, there is infinite reafon why we fhould stand in awe of him, and have him always in our mind and thoughts; because he who made us and all other things, if we neglect him, and forget fo great a benefactor, can as eafily make us miferable, or turn us out of being. Therefore remember thy Creator; and defpife or forget him at thy utmost peril.

3. As the creation is a demonstration of the goodness of God to his creatures. This confideration of God. as our Creator, doth naturally fuggeft to our minds, that his goodness brought us into being; and that if being be a benefit, God is the fountain and author of it; that his goodness called us out of nothing, and made us to be what we are; for of his good pleasure we are, and were created. He was under no neceffity of doing it; for he was from eternal ages happy in himself before we were, and would have been fo to all eternity, though we had never been; nor was it poffible he could be un der any obligation to us before we were.

And he is not only our Creator, as he gave us our beings at first; but likewife as we are preferved and continued in life by the fame goodness which firft gave us life and breath; for of his goodness we are, as well as were created.

And can we forget fo great a benefactor, and be unmindful of the God that formed us? Can we chuse but remember the founder of our beings, the great patron and preferver of our lives? And fo foon as we arrive at the use of reason, and discover this great benefactor, to whom we owe our lives, and all the bleffings of them, can we forbear to do homage to him, and to fay with David, O come, let us worship, and fall down and kneel before the Lord our maker: for he is the Lord our God; it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture? I proceed to confi→ der, in the

III. Third and laft place, the reason of the limitation of this duty more especially to this particular age of our lives, Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh when thou shalt fay, I have no pleasure in them. NOW; in the days of thy youth. By which Solomon plainly defigns two things.

1. To engage young perfons to begin this great and neceffary work of religion betimes, and as foon as ever they are capable of taking it into confideration: Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth. And the Son of Sirach much to the fame purpose, fpeaking of one that in good earnest applies his heart to wifdom, defcribes