Jeremiah 3:4 Will you not from this time cry to me, My father, you are the guide of my youth? I. YOUTH NEEDS A GUIDE. 1. We are expressly assured by the prophet, "That the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." And if this be true of old travellers who have long been moving Zion-ward, how much more of those who are only beginning to start! 2. There is one kind of knowledge in which the young must be deficient — that which is derived from trial, and which we call experience. 3. Now, too, the passions and appetites begin to rage in their violence. These becloud the understanding, and prevent reflection; and rendering them averse to reproof and impatient of control, urge them on, and plunge them into a thousand improprieties and embarrassments. II. GOD IS READY TO BECOME YOUR LEADER, and it is your duty and privilege to place yourselves under His direction. He is infinitely wise, and cannot lead you astray. He has conducted millions; and "the wayfaring man, though a fool, has not erred" under His direction. He is infinitely powerful. He can support you under the heaviest burdens, deliver you from every adversary, and "make all things work together for your good." He is infinitely kind. He will bear with your infirmities, and sympathise with you in all your troubles. And He is infinitely faithful: not a word shall fail of all that He has spoken. III. HOW YOU ARE TO ENGAGE HIS ATTENTION. "Cry unto" Him. This familiar expression intends prayer and supplication; and it prevents you from using as an excuse for the omission of the duty — that you are not masters of words, and cannot deliver yourselves in proper language. For what is prayer? Is it not the desire of the heart towards God? If you cannot pray — cannot you cry unto Him? IV. THERE ARE PARTICULAR SEASONS IN WHICH HE EXPECTS TO BE SOUGHT AFTER BY THE YOUNG, and from which He dates the expostulation — "Wilt thou not from this time," etc. 1. When they leave the house of their friends, and the wing of their relations. 2. When bereaved of their parents. 3. At the commencement of a new period of life. 4. When the young see friends or companions carried off by a premature death. 5. At times of peculiar convictions and impressions. (W. Jay.) Parallel Verses KJV: Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth?WEB: Will you not from this time cry to me, 'My Father, you are the guide of my youth?' |
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