The instruction of youth in Christian piety taken out of the sacred Scriptures, and Holy Fathers; divided into five parts. With a very profitable instruction for meditation, or mental prayer. By Charles Gobinet, Doctor of Divinity, of the House and Society of Sorbon, principal of the College of Plessis-Sorbon. The last edition in French, now render'd into English.

CHAP. V.

That they who Consecrate not themselves to God in their Youth, offer him a most hei∣nous Injury.

THIS Truth evidently follows out of the Two former; for if it be true as we have manifested, That God desires and demands particularly the Service of young People, and hath an extream Love for that Age, on which he bestows very singular Favours to assist it, and invite it to his Service; It follows, That to refuse him the Service he desires, and requires with so much Justice, and not to answer the Love he testifies to Youth by so many Favours and Benefits, is to offer him a most heinous and enormous Affront. But be∣cause this Verity is of such Consequence, that it can never be sufficiently inculcated, I shall make you see it more distinctly by the Three following Considerations, which I beseech you to Examine well.

First, Not to Consecrate the Time of Youth to the Service of God, is to take away a certain and assured Time, which you may give him, to reserve him an un∣certain, which you are not sure to have, and which is not in your power, viz. the Time to come. This is the First Degree of the Injury you offer to God. You pro∣mise God to Serve him when you are older. Who hath told you that you shall live a

long time? If you are not certain to be alive to Morrow, how are you sure to live Ten Years hence? There are more who die before Twenty or Twenty five Years of Age, than after. Now if you have no assurance to live a long time, is it not a great Injury you do to God, to promise him the Time to come, which you have not, nor is in your power, and refuse him the Time present, which you enjoy? What think you, Theotime, do's not he de∣ride God, who acts in this manner? and doth he not evidently manifest that he hath no true Will to Serve him, deferring to Consecrate himself to him in a Time which perhaps may never come?

Secondly, You not only reserve an un∣certain Time for God, but take away the better to give him the worse. For refu∣sing to Serve God, and apply your self to Vertue in your Youth, which is, as we said before, ordinarily less deprav'd by Vice, and most favour'd by Kindnesses from God, you reserve to your self a Time wherein all things conspire to hinder you, and render you unfit for Good, and the Exercise of Vertue. The Inconveniences of the Body which daily are caus'd, the Inve∣terate Vicious Habits wherein you will be Engag'd, the Perplexity of Worldly Af∣fairs, the Solicitude of Temporal Things, the Spirit and Maxims of the World, which you have Embraced. The World, which (as S. John says) is entirely plung'd in Vice and Corruption, which breaths

after nothing but Pleasures, Covetousness, Pride, and has no more thought of Salva∣tion and Eternity, than if there were no such thing at all.

All these things will bring an incredi∣ble Impediment to your Salvation, and will absolutely divert you from the Ser∣vice of God, if you prevent not them in good time, by applying your self in your Youth to the Flight of Sin, and to the Pra∣ctice of Vertue. Judge then of the Inju∣ry you do to God, deferring to Serve him in a Time where you shall have so ma∣ny Hindrances, and not resolving to Serve him another where you have so many Means and Advantages. Doubtless this is a grievous Injury; Yet this is not all, take notice of that which follows.

That which fully concludes the Enor∣mity of the Injury offer'd to God, is, That not intending to Serve him in your Youth, you will give him nothing but the remainder of Sin, delaying to Serve him till after you have pass'd your Time mer∣rily in your Youth, satisfy'd all your Pas∣sions, and follow'd the wicked Inclinations of your Age; So that the Time you re∣serve, is but the remnant of what you have employ'd in Sin, and Service of the Devil.

Do you comprehend, Theotime, the heinousness of this Injury, and the Indig∣nity with which you treat your God, and your Creator? Your Soul is made to be the Temple and Dwelling of God, and you will not allow it him, till after you

have a long time prostituted it to the Devil for his Retiring-place, and after you have defil'd it with a vast number of Crimes. All your Life ought to be Consecrated to the Service of God, and you will Employ the first and better Part in the Service of the Devil, reserving to God only that which would be no more useful to Sin. Can there be an Indignity equal to this? What would you say of a Man that would Serve up to the Table of a Prince, nothing but the Remainders and Scraps of Dogs, and Swines-meat? This you would say were horrible; and have not you a hor∣ror for the same thing, which you per∣form far more criminally towards God, keeping for his Service only the Remain∣ders of your Passions, which you have brutishly satisfy'd during your Youth? Is not this a horrible Affront you offer to God? If God complain'd so much of those of the Old Law, because they Of∣fer'd upon his Altar profane and unclean Bread; what Complaints will he not make of you, who shall Offer unto him only the Remnant of your Life, defil'd with all sort of Impurity? If he lays a Curse upon him who retains the better Part for himself, and Presents the worst to him in Sacrifice; Cursed (says he) is the Deceiver, who chuseth the Lame to make an Offering of it to God; What Maledicti∣ons ought not you to stand in dread of, you who not only Sacrifice to him the worst, but make it your Design to give

him nothing but the remainder of what hath serv'd to the Pleasure and Disorder of your Youth? I would to God we had not seen so many Effects of this Curse of God upon many young People, as we take no∣tice of every Day, by dreadful Accidents, sudden Deaths, rejecting of God, obdu∣rateness in Vice, and many other Misfor∣tunes, which are the Effects of Thy just Choler, O Almighty God! by which Thou daily Punishest those who offer Thee this Injury, who forget Thee in their Youth to follow their wicked Inclinations, and who would not Serve Thee but after they had Serv'd Sin, their Passions, and the Devil.

Notes

• Fifth Conside∣ration to Serve God in Youth.
• The Injury that is done to God by not Serving him in that Age
• First Reason of this Injury.
• Second Reason.
• Totus mun∣dus in malig∣no positus. 1 Joh. 5.
• Third Reason.
• Nescitis, quia Templum Dei estis, & Spiri∣tus Dei habi∣tat in vobis. 1 Cor. 3.
• Offertis super altari meo pa∣nem pollu∣tum. Mal. 1.
• Maledictus dolosus qui habet in gre∣ge suo mascu∣lum, & votum faciens immo∣lat debile Do∣mino. Ibid.