that St. John, the youngest of all the Difciples, is the only Perfon of all the Twelve, who was permitted to lean on our Saviour's Bofom, at the laft Supper, as deareft to him in Affection, and who is emphatically called the Difciple whom Jefus loved, John xiii. 23. And this is fuitable to that gracious Promife which God hath made to encourage all young Perfons to ferve him; I love them that love me, and they that seek me early fhall find me, Prov. viii. 7.

O Philotheus, let this Heavenly Promise excite in you a great Zeal to feek God, and feek him early; for if you do feek, you are fure to find him; you are fure, when you have found him, he will love you; and you shall reap all the happy Ef fects of God's infinite Love, and of an early Piety.

An early Piety! than which nothing will make you a greater Comfort to all your Friends, or a greater Bleffing to the very College where you are bred! Nothing will make you more univerfally efteem'd, and

be

belov'd by all Men, or more fucceffful in your Studies! And befides that Peace of Confcience, and the Pleafure of Well-doing, you will at prefent feel, think, if you can, how y inconceivable a Joy it will be to you, when, in your elder Years, you can reflect on your well-fpent Time, and the Innocence of your Youth? how great a Confolation it will be to you on your Death-Bed? how eafy it will render your Accompts at the great Day of Judgment? and how much a whole Life fpent in God's Service, will increafe your Glory in Heaven?

God of his great Mercy, Philo theus, make thefe and the like Confiderations effectual to create holy Refolutions in you, and give your Grace to make good ufe of thefe following Directions, which are defign'd to teach you to fear the Lord from your Youth, and are fuited to your particular. Age and Condition, in hopes they may the more affect you. God grant they may, Amen. 1 Kings

xviii. 12,

Directions:

Directions in General.

S foon as ever you awake in the Morning, good Philotheus, ftrive as much as you can, to keep all worldly Thoughts out of your Mind, till you have prefented the first Fruits of the Day to God which will be an excellent Preparative to make you spend the Reft of it the better; and therefore be fure to fing the Morning and Evening Hymn in your Chamber des voutly, remembring that the Pfalmift, upon happy Experience, affures you, That it is a good Thing to tell of the Loving-kindnefs of the Lord early in the Morning, and of his Truth in the Night Seafon, Pfal. xcii.

1, 2

When you are ready, look on your Soul as ftill undrefs'd, till you have faid your Prayers.

Remember that God, under the Law, ordained a Lamb to be offered

up

up to him every Morning and Evening. A Lamb! which is a fit Emblem of Youth and Innocence ! Think then that you are to refemble this Lamb, and be fure every Day to offer up your felf a Morning and Evening Sacrifice to God, Exod. xxix. 38, 39.

If you are a Commoner, you may fay your Prayers in your own Chamber; but if you are a Child, or a Chorifter, then, to avoid the Interruptions of the common Chambers, go into the Chapel, between firft and fecond Peal in the Morning, to fay your Morning Prayers, and fay your Evening Prayers when you go Circum.

Now that every one may have this Duty proportion'd to his Capacity, the beft Way is to diftinguish two Degrees of young Chriftians in this College, namely, thofe that afe of an Age capable of receiving the Holy Sacrament, and thofe that are not and in one of these two Degrees you are to rank

your felf.

Directions

************

I

Directions for the Youngest. F you are very young, good Philotheus, that God's Com mands may not seem grievous to you at your firft fetting out, I fhall advife you to no more than your Infant Devotion will bear, and that is, to take care to learn your Catechifm without Book, and to learn to underftand it; for 'tis impoffible you can ever perform your Duty, unless you first know what it is; 'tis impoffible you can ever go to Heaven, unlefs you learn the Way thither: And that you may beg God's daily Bleffing, and his Grace to affift you, learn these two short Prayers by heart, and say them every Day.

Morning Prayer.

Glory be to thee, O Lord God,

for all the Bleffings I daily re

ceive from thee, and for thy particular Prefervation and Refreshment of me this Night paft