GOOD instructions For all young men and Maids.  
Being the substance of an excellent Sermon preached at St. Stevens Colmanstreet, the 8. day of March, 1642.  
At the earnest request of divers young men and Apprentices at a solemn Thanksgiving and celebration of a Fast.  
By that most worthy DIVINE Mr. Samuel Burrowes.  
The Text being Psal. 148. 12. 13.  
Young men and maids, old men and children, praise ye the name of the Lord.  
Published for the general good by me R. H.  
Printed at London for T. B. and are to be sold at his shop in the Old Baily. 1642.   

Good Instructions for all young men and Maids.  Psal. 148. 12. 13. Young men and maids, old men and children, praise ye the name of the Lord. 
HEre is a psalm fully made up of praise: and it being a day of praise, I frame my meditations only to praise this day. It is not long since I knew of it, and then being asked by these godly young men for this Oration, I had no power to deny them. And besides, I conceive that it is matter of great praise to see so many young ones to desire a day of praise, and to set it apart to God alone. This mercy doth deserve a day of praise. And besides, I would not be willing to quench the least spark that is kindled in any one that is here. And besides this, I do hear they are very well given, and that they do much frequent the Fasts and our Humiliations, and do not give themselves to profaneness, as others. And these were the reasons that I could not deny their requests, and the reasons that made me choose this Text.  
Well then, this psalm is a song of praise. From hence learn this choice point:  

Doct. 1.  
That in the consorts of all Creatures praising God, young men praising him do make sweet melody in his ears, and God taketh most delight in it.   

Reason 1.  
The first reason of this point is this: The praises of the young ones are joined to the joys of heaven: for out of the mouths of babes and suckling's God hath ordained praise. See Matth. 21. 15. 16. that place is very remarkable. For first see there how the children cried Hosannah, when Christ came to whip out the buyers and sellers out of the Temple. Mark, so it was with us. For we had buyers and sellers in our Temples, that bought and sold men's consciences at their will. They were earthly buyers, but they are whipped out: and now the children are crying Hosannah; and I verily believe that this day was partly kept for the whipping out of those our buyers. Many worthy Divines have observed that it was a great miracle that Christ did to whip out those sellers, seeing they knew him to be a poor man son, the son of Joseph. But you may see there they were sore displeased, even as our Scribes are at this present.   

Reason 2.  
The second reason is this, God hath purchased their praise. When the young men shall praise God, what a shame will it be to our old men? but no marvel, for God hath purchased their praise. There was a young man that came to Christ, and he loved him: and that may encourage you to come to Christ. For I say, all you that are here this day with an upright heart, Christ doth come and look on you, and love you dearly. Oh he loveth your first fruits. And that you may see he loveth your first fruits, see in the 7. of Micah, vers. 1. that place doth allude to our purpose. God doth love the first fruits of young men, even as our Ladies do love the first fruit of the earth, as Cherries, and such like. God is much delighted in your first fruits. See Hosea 9 10. God doth delight in budding fruits. See for proof in Levit. 2. 15. and in Deut. 26. 6, 7. and in Deut. 19 14. and in Nehemiah 10. 35. and in Exod. 15. 13. and in Deut. 8. 4. and Levit. 2. 4. These are the several places that may be seen, that God will have the first fruits. God will not have young men to stay and say they are not able to serve him: no he will be are with them and their weaknesses: you must come in: God will not have you stay, till you be full ripe: but will have you come in, in green care. But some may say what should young men go to God yet for; let them stay till they have more wit: but I say, God he doth call them, and not only that, but he stands much upon it, because it pleaseth him well: and besides, God doth not only call for our first fruits, but for the first of our first fruits, as in 23 of Exod. and 19 Some may say God shall have young days, and I will serve him: but it shall be when I am out of my time or when I am free: but I say it must be whilst thou art a prentice, whilst thou art 78 or 10 years old: do not deferte it: again as you must come to God in your young years; see then how you must come. You must come soberly, be sure of that: as in the 13 of Exod. and so in the 18 of Numb. and 26: and again, there must be a day set apart to do it in as in the last place you may see it plain. It is not a thing to be slighted, but to be much regarded.  
You must set a time apart to meet the Lord: as this day you have a great time and opportunity: and when you go home, go to God and say as in the 26. of Deut. and 4. go and tell God that you have been seeking his promises that he made to your forefathers and that you have found that they are fulfilled, and you have been praising his name this day: and go and tell God thou hast a poor father and mother in the country that is in the Egyptian darkness, and in blindness, and bless God that thou art otherwise this day: but let this be by thyself all alone: again, when you do offer up your first fruits, do it cheerfully, willingly and reverently.   

Reason 3.  
The third reason is this, that when grace doth fully meet with a sweet nature; when the sweetness of grace doth meet with the sweetness of nature, than doth arise a deal of glory to God: for grace is most sweet to a soul that is not full of bitterness; truly there is a great deal of pity to be had of one that hath a sweet nature and no grace added to it, but I have greater hopes of you.   

Reason 4.  
But for the fourth reason, and that is this, that the time of youth is the fittest and most choicest time for to give God your hearts in; and to that purpose, see Eccl. 12. 1. Christ doth come a wooing to you this day to come to him, because it is the fittest time for him, for now you are strong and quick and full fed: remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth.   

Reason 5.  
There doth a great deal of honour rise to God by the truth of grace in them: grace manifested fully: a cloth can never be so well died in the cloth as it is in the wool, just so with us. I remember a story of Hannibal, who was a mighty enemy of Rome, and why was it but because his father made him swear when he was nine years old that he should be her utter enemy, and he remembering that his young oath, made him to keep it so strictly: So let us do in this case in this our day, and so perform them all our days.   

Reason 6.  
But a sixt reason, God doth see them very eminent in their youth, it is like to be the better harvest when the seed is sown betimes: there was never no notorious men for God in all the Scriptures, but those that did begin betimes, as Joseph, and David, and Daniel: an old man may come to heaven but not be eminent for God's glory as you young men may be: just like a young tree in the setting; a young plant may meet with many rubs and many a shake, but if it be not pulled up it will grow still: So you young men may have the devil come and shake and trouble you, but not pull you up: If so, than thou Mayst come to be a flourishing tree.   

Reason 7.  
But a seventh reason why God doth take delight in young men is this: that by the working of grace in you, it doth encourage old men: it may be thou hast a father or mother or master that is in blindness, it may make them look about them to see thee so gracious, it may make them say, Lord my son or daughter can discourse of heaven and knoweth that that I never knew in all my life, and I am thus old and am yet blind and in ignorance, and this may be another reason.   

Reason 8.  
But another reason why God would have you come to him, because thereby there will be a world of sin prevented: which if that we should go on in sinning, we might justly be called young boys and children, and old and ancient sinners: but if we serve God while we are young, than all drunkenness, and swearing, and Sabbath breaking, and lying, is all prevented: but if we go on in sin than we may at length bear the reproach of our youth, as it was with Ephraim. A natural aged man's bones is filled with sin, so that if you would come and ask an old man what he would have, I will warrant you he will cry out to be delivered from the sins of his youth, of his prenticeship: oh then a world to have them away!   

Reason 9  
But an other reason, there will be a great hope of a succession of godly ones for after ages; God taketh delight, that you should come in because thereby there might be a continuance of his name from one Generation to another: see in Psal. 72. 11. 17: The Lord doth love a land when he seeth a many Towers up: even as a gardener loyeth to see his garden furnished with dainty flowers: I am persuaded the Lord hath amany flowers that is growing in this City and in this land; this being an other reason why God would have you come in to him in your young days.   

Reason 10.  
But for another reason and that is this, that in a young man's coming to God, there is the great power of God seen in their self-denial, for there is a world of self-denial in it: if we consider how all manner of pleasure doth invite them, and they to deny it: it is a great kindness they offer to God to deny all for him, see Jeremiah 2. 2. for any man to leave all to go to God it is such a thing as God will thank thee for, and it is a great self denial: so in the first Epistle of John 2. 14. having showed you the reasons of the point why God taketh such delight in young ones; now let me give you some encouragements to this work at this time.   

encouragement 1.  
Hast thou given, or wilt thou from this time give thy heart to God, and tender thy first fruits, then happy and blessed art thou, and thou art the great hopes of our labours? and you are great encouragers of us to go into our studies, because we see there is a young generation that will receive it of us.   

encouragement 2.  
Again, you in your going to God will be a great help and encouragement to other parishes.   

encouragement 3.  
Again you are here this day praising God, bless God for it: for you might have been now a swearing and drinking amongst the wicked of the world: therefore be encouraged at this your happiness, and bless God for it.   

encouragement 4.  
But besides young men: hath God given any of you good Parents or Masters that taketh care for your good education, then be encouraged by these mercies to the work? I remember a story of Austin that he saith his mother was more troubled at the second birth of her son, then at the first. Oh mothers, is it so with you for your children? consider, will it not be a glorious thing, to have the fruit of thy womb to come and have a crown of glory on, and sit the next to Christ in heaven?   

Objection 1.  
But some may say, what shall I do if I have wicked Parents, or if my Master be wicked, or the like? for answer, let me persuade thee to be encouraged, and bless God that thou art pulled out of the devil's hands: it is no matter if thou be singular, and if thou dost light in a wicked family, labour to bring them home to God.   

encouragement 5.  
Again, thou Mayest be taken away, whilst thou art young and green; therefore let this move thee to make fast work whilst thou Mayest, and then if God come to cut thee off, than thou Mayest become a young branch fit to adorn heaven: if God call thee to work in the morning of thy days, fall to work, and then if God call thee away about 9 or 10. a clock in the morning it is no matter, thou shalt be sure of thy wages, be not fearful of that, nor be not discouraged to think of a hard winter, but go forward still, and know that the choicest flower may meet with some winter, but after a while it will be past, and then thou mayst become a glorious flower: when as a wicked man in the same winter shall be so crushed as he shall never rise again.   

encouragement 6.  
Again to encourage you: you may see how Christ doth love you in giving such a charge to his Ministers as he did to Peter three times together, feed my sheep, as in the last of John.   

Objection 2.  
But some of you young men may ask me what shall we praise God for this day, seeing we are met to praise God: I tell you bless God that you are alive this day to enjoy such an opportunity as this day is: and praise God that you have a heart to praise God, and praise God for the green mercies we daily hope for: praise God for our sensible mercies that we plainly see: for a while ago we could hardly see the mercies of God with us, only by a narrow way, but now we may see them plainly, therefore praise God.  
Again, let us praise God, because God is going to make Jerusalem a praise on the earth, and be sure you young men praise God, because you may see it in your days: you may see Christ reign: nay you may be great instruments of bringing the same glory, see Isal. 8. 2. and there you may see that out of the mouths of babes, God will still the enemies and avenger: and we by experience may so speak this day: for our enemy's mouths are stopped this day, at this our day of praise.  
Again, praise God that you are here this day, and not amongst the Idols or mass, to the which we were very near crept: we were under hard taskmasters, but now bless God they are under us.  
But now for some directions to you all, and so to end.  
1. First then be truly humbled for this your duty this day, and do not rest in it, as to think you did better than many a one did, not so I pray you, but be humble.  
2. Secondly, be not puffed up, for Paul he would not have a Minister to be a novice, because of being puffed up, for it is a rare thing to have a gracious heart and an humble heart together: that is it the world would fain see in you to be proud and stout, but I pray you deceive them all in the 〈…〉, young men are bid to be sober minded, so be you all that are here this day.  
3. Again, be sure you do not neglect your calling. I would not have the men of the world to have that claw against you, but I would have you all so behave yourselves after this day, as your Fathers, or Masters should say, you were mended in all your actions and words and behaviour wonderfully, and that they should say you have been the better since you came amongst these Puritans, and that they will never hinder you from going among them more: I would have them say that from this very day you have been gracious.  
4. Again, be sure thou art freed from the lusts of the flesh, for that will be stealing on thee do what thou canst; it may be this very night if thou takest not heed.  
5 again, do all that you do orderly, not tumultuously, as I here in some measure you do.  
6. Look in the first Epistle of John 5. 21. there John bids you keep from Idols: so do I persuade you all, for we are inclining to that sin.  
7. Lastly, you young men that are here this day, have much engaged yourselves to God, and if any of you should now turn away from God and walk stubbornly and scornfully, I tell you whosoever you be, the curse of God will follow you; and if you see any that do fall away, be sure you labour to get them in again: but if there be any such here as will not be wrought upon by fair means, nor foul; I tell thee, it were better for thee that thou wert dashed in pieces in this place, before ever thou dost go out from hence, to scandalize this holy profession, and way of godliness.   
FINIS.