121 / 514
SEAM:
VII.]
A
HOPEFUL YOUTH,
&C.
1I3
heir
of
heaven,
but
he
valued
his
inheritance
on
earth
much
more
:
He
wished
for the
love
of God, but
would
enjoy and love this world too
;
and
rather
than
renounce
the
pleasantthings
of
this
life, he
would
quit
his
pre-
tences
to
a
life
to come
;
for
he
went
away
grieved
and
full
of
sadness,
at
the direction
which
our
Saviour gave
him,
and
would
not venture the experiment.
He for-
sook
Christ
and heaven, having
great
possessions on
earth.
It
is
not necessary
to
our purpose,
to know
whether,
in
the following years
of
his life, he was
brought to
re-
pentance
and salvation, though it
is
most likely
that
he
never
was
;
for
if
he loved
his
estate and
his
money, so
well
in
his
younger years, that
vice
probably increased
with
his age.
Besides, he
stands
in the
history
of
the
gospel,
as
an
example
of
those
men, who lose
heaven
for
the
love
of
money.
But
howsoever it might
be
after-
ward,
this
is
certain,
that
at
that
time he
was in
the
state of
sin
and
death;
which
is
sufficient to my
present
design.
From the words
of
my
text, set
in
this light,
and
com-
pared
with the issue
of
the whole conversation,
between
Christ and
this
young man,
we
may
derive
this
doc-
trine.
Doct.
Our
Saviour had
some love for a
person
that
preferred
this world to heaven, and neglected
his
salva-
tion.
In
order
to
improve this thought,
we
shall
consider,
I.
What
is
meant
by
the
love
of
our
Saviour to
this
young
man,
and to persons
of
his
character.
II.
What
was
there
in him
that
might
attract
our
Sa-
viour's
love.
III.
What
remarks
may
be
made upon the
sin
and
folly
of
a
person
so
lovely,
and
so
beloved
of
Christ.
IV.
Make
an
address to three sorts
of
persons,
taking
the occasion from the
character of
the person
in my
text.
First,
What
is
meant
by
the love
of
our
Saviour to
this
young
man,
and
how
far
may
lie
be said to
love
a
person
who
is
void
of true
grace,
and
neglects salvation.
Here, I
conceive,
we
are not
to look upon
our Lord
Jesus Christ
as
acting according
to his divinity,
but
only
in
his
human
nature;
for
it
is
evident
that
Christ,
con
-
VOL. I.
1