A Prayer and Sermon Delivered To The Youth by WILLIAM SAVERY, 6th month 1st , 1797, at Devonshire-House Meeting, London
Five Sermons and a Prayer, Delivered at the Meetings of the Society of Friends in England, by William Savery. Taken in Short Hand by Job Sibley. Newtown, PA: Printed by William C. Coale, 1804.
This is The Quaker Homiletic Online Anthology, Section 2: The 18th Century.
Holy and blessed Father, thou hast been in all generations the joy and
consolation of thy humble children, who have sought thee in uprightness of
heart. And remembering how rich thou hast been in mercy to us -- how great in
condescension, in days that are past and gone, those whom thou hast prepared in
this assembly are thereby encouraged to look towards thy holy habitation, and to
implore a blessing upon the present congregation now gathered before thee.
Thou hast made us, Oh Father, deeply sensible that all our weak and feeble
efforts for the promoting of thy glory here upon earth, must he unavailing; for,
except thou sanctify the work, except thou art pleased to break the bread and
bless it, thy poor servants never have, nor ever can have, wherewith to distribute
to the multitude.
Oh holy Father, and Shepherd of this flock, we humbly pray thee to command a
holy solemnity, and cause thy powerful voice to be heard in the temple of our
hearts; that so, Oh Father, all that is unworthy to be cherished there - every
displeasing and unholy thought, may be driven out, and made to vanish at thy
glorious and blessed presence.
Thou beholdest us, Oh Lord, surrounded with many infirmities; thou knowest
the coldness, the languor, and the insensibility which often take possession of
our hearts; thou knowest how prone we are to wander from thee, even in our
solemn gathering together; and thou alone art able to prepare thy servants to
offer up unto thee a sacrifice in righteousness, of unmixed love, adoration, and
praise. Therefore, Oh Father, we beseech thee to look down upon the young of
the flock; many of whose hearts thou hast made sensible of thy goodness - who
have eat and drank in thy presence, and in their hearts thou hast mercifully
pleased to teach the holy and blessed precepts of thy law. Oh Lord, thou
beholdest their weakness; thou seest that, in many of them, the remembrance of
thy tender mercies are passed too soon away, like the early dew and the morning
cloud.
We humbly and reverently pray thee, to cause thy all.powerful word more and more to be heard, that it may effect the glorious work which thou hast designed to bless thine heritage with: so that those who are now present, may be sweetly gathered to thee; and that every high thought, every exalted imagination may be humbled in thy presence. May this, Oh Lord, be a day sanctified unto thyself by many: mayst thou feed them with food convenient for them in their different capacities, and according to their different states and conditions.
Oh Father, we pray thee to look down upon those whom, in thine unerring
wisdom, thou hast seen meet to call forth to preach the word of reconciliation to
others. Oh Father, thou knowest we have always need of thee. Oh, do thou go
before us, in all the various services which thou requirest of us, for the
promotion of thy great and glorious cause upon earth. Father, be with us: counsel
and teach us what thou wouldst have us to do. Oh teach us what we are to do or
to suffer, as thou in thy wisdom may seem meet to provide; that in all things thy
name may be glorified, and thy power obeyed: that, whether we are in poverty or
riches -whether we abound or suffer want, we may in all things acknowledge thy
goodness, and adore the dispensation of thy wisdom. Thus, Father, we would
desire to look unto thee, and with one accord(39) confess our own unworthiness
for thy manifold mercies that are past, as well as for recent ones, that we have
received at thy holy hand; and to acknowledge that thou hast been graciously
pleased, from season to season, to cause thy Presence to be known in the
assemblies of thy people.
Oh glorious Father, be not only with thy gathered people and church, which thou
hast so long been pleased to water, and to send them celestial rain from heaven;
but, we humbly pray thee, be with those scattered sheep that may be said to be
up and down in the wilderness, who are without delegated shepherds. Oh holy
and blessed Father, thou hast many thousand sheep that are not of this particular
fold, (John 10:16) and thou seest them in their secret approaches unto thee; thou
knowest their description; thou knowest how much some of them have been
caused to drink the bitter waters of Marah. Oh suffer us, we pray thee, to
intercede on their behalf; that thou, in thy wonted mercy and loving kindness,
mayst remember all thy people, and cause them to drink of the fountain of living
water, and to partake of that bread which cometh down from thee. Oh, do thou
he pleased to bless it to their souls, for their refreshment; that so, Father, those
that sit in solitary places, may rejoice in thee, the Lord; that the widow's heart
may be made to leap for joy in thy presence; that the prayers and tears of these
may ascend up to thee, who rulest in heaven, and in the kingdoms of men; that
so thou mayst continue to be a father to the fatherless, a husband to the widow.
And, we humbly pray thee, in the riches of thy mercy, to turn the nations that are
at war into peace; that so, Oh most glorious Father, the kingdom of thy dear Son,
our glorious and blessed Redeemer, may, more and more, be spreading here
upon earth; that thousands and tens of thousands may draw nigh unto thee; and
that they, with one accord, together with those whom thou hast already gathered
into a sense that thou art good, and worthy to be served, worshipped, and adored
above all, may take the cup of blessing from thy hand, and render up unto thee
glory and honour, thanksgiving and praise, both now and for evermore. Amen.
The Sermon:
In looking round, and casting my eyes upon this assembly, I was ready to say,
surely there are hardly any people who are more loudly called upon, frequently
and solemnly to say within themselves,
"How much owest thou unto my Lord?" (Luke 16:5)
When I compare the abundant blessings, which have been in so distinguishable a
manner poured down upon this part of the Lord's vineyard, with the lot of many
thousands that have come under my observation, in the course of the last nine
months, I cannot but admire the goodness of Providence. You have not only the
comforts but some of you, my young friends, enjoy even the superfluities of this
life. How plentifully and how delightfully are you supplied, from time to time,
and how carefully are you watched over; so that neither summer heat, nor winter
storms are suffered to wound or afflict you: even you, the dear young people of
this place, and of this country, while many thousands, and tens of thousands,
who are equally the objects of redeeming love with you, and for whom the
Saviour of the world suffered and died, are not enjoying, in hardly any degree of
comparison, the same blessings which you enjoy. How many poor, of young and
tender years, have I seen obliged to turn out, morning after morning, wandering,
with the coarsest food and the meanest apparel, over rocks and mountains, with
a few sheep; and who have been obliged to lie down, (not in beds of down, nor
in ceiled houses, you may suppose,) often with only the naked earth for their
bed, and the coarsest of all its productions for their food. And yet, at seasons, I
have seen them enter into houses of worship, where there was no priest: (as they
were destitute of ministers:) they have prostrated themselves in solemn silence,
and, no doubt, (for I am sure I have no doubt of it,) they offered up their
acknowledgments of gratitude to God. The sight of their sufferings has often rent
my heart; and I have said, how much more occasion have many thousands such
as you, day by day, to lift up your hearts, with your hands, to your bounteous
Benefactor, in acknowledgment of his unmerited kindness to you: for, where the
Lord has done many mighty works, and where he has shown himself in an
extraordinary manner, as a bountiful giver of all things richly to enjoy, there is
more required of you and; in proportion to the Lord's favours, remember, we are
to become his debtors. For what hast thou that thou hast not received from him?
Or, who has made thee to differ from another? Is it not the Lord's doings? Is it
not from the condescension of him who ruleth in heaven, and over the kingdoms
of men? Well, my friends, there were a people formerly, whom the Lord had
abundantly distinguished from all the other families of the earth; but many of
these turned their backs upon him, and became an ungrateful people: they forgot
the Lord's mercies; they turned them into wantonness; they rejoiced not in the
gift of his bountiful hand; they did not attribute gratitude to the divine Author of
all. So that the inspired prophet, in the name of the Most High, takes up this
remarkable language concerning this people: "Hear, Oh heavens, and give heed,
Oh earth, saith the Lord: I have nourished and brought up children, and they
have rebelled against me." (Isaiah 1:2.) He not only called heaven and earth to
witness to their ingratitude, but he called the beasts of the field into comparison
with them, in a manner that ought to have made them hide their faces with
confusion and blushing, when he said to them, "The ox knoweth his owner, and
the ass his master's crib; but my people do not know me: Israel does not
consider." (Isaiah 1:3.) The faithful prophets in that day, were often brought into
mourning and lamentation over them: "Oh that my people were wise," said one
of them; "that they knew this, that they would consider their latter end; that they
would remember what will be the final issue of their departure from the living
God." (Deuteronomy 32:29.) Well, my friends, the Lord's arm was again and
again stretched forth to that people to save them; "for, as a father pities his
children, so the Lord pitied those people." (Psalm 103:13.) And I believe, his
pity and compassion are extending now, even to the most ignorant and the most
ungrateful, and he is stretching his arm all the day long. Yet he not only, from
season to season, stretched forth his arm unto them, to receive them; but he also
warned them, that, if they did not keep to him, that, if they turned not away from
those things which offended him -- which they loved more than him, that a day
of despisal should come. "You have I known above all the nations of the earth,
and you I will punish." (Amos 3:2.) Well, friends, it is not often my lot, nor do I
believe it will be at this time my endeavour, to deal out amongst you the terrors
of the law; but it is my endeavour to hold forth an invitation to you, in the love
of the gospel, which I trust I feel amongst you at this time, to query solemnly
with yourselves; not only what you owe to so gracious a benefactor, but also, my
dear young friends, what you shall render to him for all his distinguished mercies
to you. Do you not feel your hearts ready to join in saying, with one accord,
Lord, we are unworthy, and thou seest that we have nothing that we can offer:
prepare thyself the offering.
My young friends, do not, I beseech you, lightly treat the honest labours of those,
who, in obedience to what they believe to be of divine command, have forsaken
their pleasant enjoyments in this life, that they may be made useful instruments
in the hands of the Lord of Hosts, to the inviting and gathering in of many
thousand souls, to turn to him, the Lord, with full purpose of heart. Oh! my
young friends, may the goodness of the Lord towards you, lead you to humble
yourselves. Do you conceive, my young friends, any one of you, that you have
anything to be proud of, because you have been distinguished, from such as I
have been speaking of? No, I trust you have more sense; but I know that the
deceiver is ever near; and would exalt you -- would raise you up, and set you
upon a pinnacle of dangerous honour. Oh! take no delight in these things; for he
will tempt you often to look and admire, and perhaps to long after the glory of
this world: he will take you up to an exceeding high place, and show you the
kingdoms and glory of the world, and he will endeavour to persuade you, as he
did my own soul, to fall down and worship him -- to give up your heart to him,
and all these things will he give you: that he will bring you into admiration in the
world, and he will crown you with earthly glory -- he will favour you with
worldly pleasures, and you shall drink of them to the full; only fall down and
worship him, and give up your heart to him. (See Matthew 4:9, Luke 4:7.) I
know that you are as liable to be deceived as I was, in this manner; therefore,
with sympathetic feeling to you, the language of my travailing spirit for you is,
that the Lord Jesus Christ may be formed in you; that so his power being known
and formed in your hearts, it would break down all the powers of Satan. So that,
when you are tempted to look after those things which would lead your hearts
further into the favour of them, he will grant you power to resist his temptations,
as his temptations ought to be resisted; and if you early receive him sincerely in
your hearts, he will cause the language of your soul to be on such an occasion:
"Get thee behind me, Satan; for thou savourest not of the things which are of
God, but of those which are of men." (Matthew 16:23, Mark 8:33, Luke 4:8.) He
will lead thee into solid, substantial peace and happiness, here and in the life
which is to come. So that, my tender young friends, let me beseech and desire
you in your youth, to choose the paths of light, -- to suffer the Lord's blessed
spirit to lead you into the footsteps of the flock of his peaceful company -- into
the way that they have trod in all generations and in all nations. It will be happy
for you to walk in this way; though this way is often a way of much sorrow, and
the entrance to it a cross to flesh and blood. There may be a great many
tribulations to pass through, before you come to the enjoyment of that peace
which surpasses all understanding. I say, this may be the case; because I know,
from some experience, that there are a vast number of tribulations, and a great
variety of crosses to be met with, in following our own inclinations; and that
Satan is a harder and more cruel master, a thousand times over, than the one I
would wish you to be in obedience to. My young friends, how many have
suffered him to be a hard master. Have you not known him to be a hard
task-master indeed? How has he followed some of you, my young friends of my
own sex, after you have been wandering in the paths of licentiousness, - after
you have been in the paths of folly and wickedness, for a few hours of what the
jovial world calls enjoyment and pleasure? How many bitters are there after one
of these revels, to those that are spending their days and their nights in
wantonness and rioting! If we could draw the midnight curtain when they are left
alone, and if we could be, in the least degree sensible of the feelings that
surround them, after they are brought to think of their latter end, and to advert to
that silent and certain approaching season, when they must bid adieu to all these
things -- I say, if we could look into their breasts at such a season, Oh! we should
there see what a hard task-master many of the sons of licentiousness have been
serving. Thus we see, that, by every consideration worthy of a rational being as
well as of a Christian, (those for whom the glorious and blessed Redeemer of the
world suffered and died,) we are called upon, and you are called upon, my dear
young friends, now in the flower of life, to give up your thoughts and affections
to love and serve God. Above all, gratitude calls upon you: if you love peace and
happiness, this calls upon you; and if you look forward to that solemn day that is
hastening, if you wish to lay down your head upon your pillow with ease and
quietness to the soul when you are about to leave mortality, and when a
thousand worlds could not purchase it for you: all these considerations call upon
you to love and serve God.
Then, my young friends, resolve to make covenant with the Lord. I am confident
you will never find it easier; for every step now is a journey, I am persuaded. But
Satan will assault you; and after he has tried you with one temptation to deceive
you, he will try you with another, and he will vary his temptations. I believe
there is no time of life wherein a true sacrifice is made to the all-bountiful
Creator and giver of every good and perfect gift, but it is accepted. Yet those
who offer up to him in their youth, morning and night; that resign up their
talents, their substance, and all that they have, to him, the the great and glorious
giver, will escape many snares, and will finally, most assuredly, attain a crown
of eternal glory. Oh! you have many talents: there is a field of labour in the cause
of virtue, in the promoting of benevolence, in the happiness of our
fellow-creatures. Your talents are exceedingly large and extensive; and if you
had more talents and more time than any of you will have, and more of the
world's substance to offer on this occasion, I believe, when you come to die, you
will see that the peace of God will then crown it into a gladdening hope that a
glorious immortality was purchased for you.
Many have passed out of this life with that holy serenity of soul: the Lord has
magnified his name in their dying moments. What loud preaching ought it to be
to us, when we have seen this -- when we have heard or read of those who have
put off their mortal tabernacles, and who were like servants waiting for the
coming of the Lord. "Oh," (they have said,) "Lord Jesus come quickly: thy
servant is ready;" (Revelation 22:20) and they have said, like Paul: "I long to be
dissolved, that I may be with Christ; for he is my joy, he is my hope, he is my
everlasting friend." (Phillippians 1:23.) Oh! my precious young friends, prize the
privileges the Lord has granted you day by day; redeem the time as it passes
along; do not suffer a day to pass over you, without offering up something to
God: for if you begin early in this excellent habit of soul, to offer up every day
something to God, I believe, that even the least offering that you can offer with
sincerity, will be accepted; and all you give, will enrich you more and more. It is
the peculiar blessing of those that offer up to God, that all they offer, and all
their sacrifices, enrich them more and more. Above all, let me entreat you to be
continually mindful of how much you owe to the Lord, that, when you lie down
upon your pillow in the evening, you may offer him the tribute of praise and
thanksgiving. Oh! my young friends, I hope you love to turn to God at these
seasons. What! Do not you pray? Do you not offer up praise? Are there any
present that do not? Are there any here, that can pass over day after day, without
seriously reflecting on whom they live, move, and have their being, and on what
they owe to him? If there be any such, let me entreat it of you that you be so no
longer.
Can it be possible to be a Christian without prayer and praise ? No; for as it is the enjoyment of the redeemed and the sanctified spirits in heaven; so, my young friends, we must, in some measure, know it to be the enjoyment of the children of our Heavenly Father, while here upon earth. For if we do not sing the song of Zion and the redeemed upon earth, I do not believe we have reason to hope, we shall be able to join the songs of the redeemed in heaven. Oh! that those who would enjoy what they do, might do what they have to do quickly; for what we do, we must do quickly. No time is to be lost if we would enter into the kingdom of God; (and I believe his blessed kingdom is hastening apace;) - if we would be of his redeemed, and if we would be prepared for the general assembly of saints and angels, cherubims and seraphims, in the kingdom of the Lord and of his Christ -- let us now begin with one accord, and sing praise, glory, and honour, to the Lord God and the Lamb, who lives and reigns for ever and ever.