... Begin, ere thou dost older grow,
Thy Saviour and thy God to know,
His Statutes keep, his Word desire;
So shall thy age Respect acquire.

Thy vessel, whilst it yet is new,
In the pure wine of faith imbue:
So shall a sweet perfume attend
Thy virtuous life unto its end.

Deep in thy youthful bosom place
The seeds of ev'ry Christian grace;
Lest the fiend's tares therein shou'd breed,
As 'twas not sown with virtue's seed.

Endeavour soon a bloom to show ;
As forward almonds early blow :
The tree, that flow'rs not in the spring
Will never fruit in autumn bring.

God does from all his sons demand
The earliest produce of the land,
But, with abhorrence and distaste,
Rejects the second, and the last.

To thy Creator therefore strive
The first-fruits of thy strength to give,
And ne'er thy time absurdly spend
To pleasure the infernal fiend.

Give not to him the wine's first run,
The dregs to Christ, when that is done,
Nor with thy strength the tempter please,
Whilst nought remains for God, but lees.

Curs'd is the fool, that gives the foe
The prime of all his life below,
And his Redeemer fain wou'd please
With feeble age, and wan disease.

Beware of sin, whilst yet a child;
Whoe'er admits it, is defil'd,
'Twill to a second nature go,
And worse and worse thou'lt daily grow.

If thou art us'd, whilst young, to vice,
And early dost thy God despise;
When old, to leave it, will be quite
As hard, as 'tis to make black, white.

Give then, whilst young, thy very soul
And body too, without controul,
To serve thy Maker, and to fight
Against the foe with all thy might.

Like Daniel, whilst thou yet art young,
Avoid all liquors that are strong:
To dainty food be not inclin'd,
But fix on God alone thy mind.

Like Samuel learn, whilst but a boy,
To stand before thy God with joy,
And list to what thy gracious Lord
Shall tell thee in his written word.

Like young Josiah tread aright,
Tho' thou shou'dst be no more than eight,
Unto the law, attention give,
Fear God, and as his servant, live.

Like Timothy, the scriptures learn,
E'en from thy youth, and thou'lt discern
That they will make thee wondrous wise,
And to the height of virtue rise.

Like Christ, to church and each Sabbath go
With them, to whom thou life dost owe,
And, when as yet scarce twelve years old,
Debates with learned Doctors hold.

Hear thou the law - the Gospel hear -
And well in mind both of them bear -
Then strive to live exceeding close
Unto the rules, prescrib'd by those.

Thou dost in a drear gloom reside;
Take then God's Word thy feet to guide:
Without the Gospel's Light none yet
Did ever into heaven get.

Though God above thou canst not see,
Yet in his Word he talks with thee,
And shews thee, thence, his sacred will,
Which he enjoins thee to fulfil.

Consult the sacred page, and see,
What is therein commanded thee,
And do, whate'er God wou'd have done;
What he forbids thee, let alone.

Take heed, by thee, that e'en the least
Of God's commands be not transgress'd:
Death for the least offence is due,
God's curse, and endless woes ensue.

For ev'ry crime by mortals done,
Our righteous Judge insists upon
The death of him who did the deed -
Or Christ must suffer in his stead.

Where thou a thousand times hast swerv'd
From God, and death as oft deserv'd -
Repent as oft, and sin no more,
And pardon from thy God implore.

Confess thy sins, both great and small -
Unto thy God confess them all -
And thy past vanities bemoan,
And God will pardon ev'ry one.

Of all thy former sins repent,
And of thy youth in error spent :
If tears thou dost not for them shed,
They'll pull God's judgement on thy head.

Ephraim, 'till of his sins asham'd,
And David, 'till he sore exclaim'd
Against them, cou'd no pardon gain:
Neither shalt thou, 'till then, obtain.

Until to-morrow ne'er delay,
Lest Death shou'd drag thee hence away
This night, asleep, unto thy doom,
When there's for penitence no room.

Myriads of heedless striplings lie
In hell, who were resolv'd to try
Repentance, when old age once came,
But ne'er found leisure to reclaim.

Now, of thy sins repent with sorrow,
We know not who may live to-morrow :
A gift, when offer'd, don't disdain,
Lest thou shou'dst ne'er be ask'd again :

And as thou dost transgress each day,
Each evening for remission pray :
Lest, making water very fast,
The unpump'd ship shou'd sink at last.

When once thou'rt from pollution clean,
Let not thy feet be foul'd agen,
Nor to the mire run with the hog,
Nor to his vomit with the dog :

But strive a different life to lead,
And in the paths of virtue tread,
And wisely aim thy span to spend
In holy fear, unto its end.

Be it thy task, both night and day,
Upon thy knees, to God to pray;
Nor let one sun thy head pass o'er,
Wherein thou dost not God adore:

And thy devotion to assist,
Whereby thou may'st the flesh resist,
The law of God take, for thy guide
His holy Spirit, for thy aid.

The Word of God is mighty strong,
To bring those back, that have gone wrong,
And sense and wisdom to impart
Unto the young and simple heart.

Whate'er the law enjoins thee, do -
Whate'er advice it gives, pursue :-
For if thou shalt the law fulfil,
Thou shalt surpass thy Teacher's skill.

Hold fast, with all thy force, in it,
And to its yoke thy neck submit -
'Twill bring thee honour, grace, regard -
'In keeping it there's great reward.'

If 'tis thy custom, in thy prime,
To pass, in pious sort, thy time,
'Till be thy pleasure and thy joy,
Thy days thus ever to employ.

Honour thy father's God, and he
In kind return will honour thee :
But if thou shou'dst his law neglect,
He with contempt will thee reject.

Respect him in thy younger years,
And he'll respect thy hoary hairs,
And bid the birds thy victuals bear,
E'er thou shou'dst want them, thro' the air.

Thou never to this world wast sent,
Thy carnal senses to content ;
But to adore the Lord most high,
As angels do above the sky.

When from thy bed thou first dost rise
Remember him, who rules the skies,
Nor from thy chamber stir abroad
'Till thou hast first ador'd thy God.

However great thy task may be,
Thy business, or necessity,
To neither of them all attend,
E'er thou hast made thy God thy friend.

No peace, no comfort, no success,
Shall e'er be there, nor happiness,
Where various toils and cares abound,
But no regard for God is found.

Though Daniel highly was employ'd,
And a great monarch's smiles enjoy'd,
Yet in his closet, thrice a day,
He fell upon his knees to pray.

When to thy business thou dost fall,
Let it be great, let it be small,
Entreat of God thy work to bless,
And crown thy labours with success.

As God, of old, his blessings shed
On youthful Joseph's favour'd head;
So will he prosper thee, and thine,
If thou'lt implore his aid divine.

Whate'er thou doth, or good or ill,
Where-e'er thou art, He sees thee still ;
God ev'ry act of thine dost 'spy :
Sin not before his piercing eye!

To others, let each good be done,
Which thou wou'dst to thyself have shown.
To others, no worse measure use,
Than thou thyself from them wou'dst chuse.

Do nothing, howsoever mov'd,
That is not by thy God approv'd:
Do nought, for which thou shame must fear,
When forc'd in judgement to appear.

No God, besides the true God, own,
Serve him with care, and him alone,
Invoke him, magnify him still,
And he'll protect thee from each ill.

Ne'er take thy Maker's name in vain,
But from that fatal sin refrain:
For he shall ne'er be guiltless thought,
Who is addicted to that fault.

In holiness each Sabbath spend,
From the beginning to the end,
And do not the least part allow
Of the Lord's day, to serve the foe.

Be, to thy parents, honour paid,
Give them respect, and ev'ry aid;
So shall thy days be here increas'd,
And thou be in thy children bless'd.

Take heed, lest thou shou'dst disrespect,
Or cast them down - for all expect,
To see the daughter, or the son,
That disobeys their will, undone.

Of foul adultery, beware -
To keep thy vessel pure, take care -
And let not (for the wealth of Rome)
Christ's members a vile whore's become.

Be to thy lawful consort true,
With no one else have ought to do,
Nor of the Spirit's temple dare
To make the fiend's unhallow'd lair.

For heaven's sake, avoid excess,
And the vile sin of drunkenness,
Which to a fiend does man transmute,
Or worse, much worse, than any brute.

Each fellow-creature still, no less
Than thy ownself, love and caress,
And let no harm by thee be done
In thought, word, deed, to any one.

To all the world be strictly just,
And be sincere in all thou dost :
For no man's sake be thou so mad
To do the thing which God forbad.

Still by the laws directions go,
In ev'ry thing thou hast to do :
No work can ever perfect be,
That does not with the law agree.

Reflect, my dear, thou art not sure
Thy life shall, through this day, endure :
As guiltless let it then be past,
As if it were to be thy last.