You who form the young
You venerable men, who are more especially called to form the tender minds of youth, to dispel from there the shades of ignorance and error, and train them up to be wise to salvation, are you filled with the Holy Ghost? Are you filled with all those fruits of the Spirit which your important office so indispensably requires? Is your heart whole with God, full of love and zeal to set up his kingdom on earth? Do you continually remind those under your care that the one rational end of all our studies is to know, love, and serve the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent?
Do you press upon them, day by day, that love alone never fails, whereas if there be tongues, they shall fail, or if there be philosophical knowledge, it shall vanish away? And that without love, all learning is but splendid ignorance, pompous folly, vexation of spirit? Has all you teach an actual tendency to the love of God, and of all mankind for his sake? Have you an eye to this end in whatever you prescribe, touching the kind, the manner, and the measure of their studies, desiring and laboring that, wherever the lot of these young soldiers of Christ is cast, they may be so many burning and shining lights, adorning the gospel of Christ in all things?
And permit me to ask, Do you put forth all your strength in the vast work you have undertaken? Do you labor in this with all your might, exerting every faculty of your soul, using every talent which God has lent you, and that to the uttermost of your power?
1771 text
6. Ye venerable men, who are more especially called to form the tender minds of youth, to dispel thence the shades of ignorance and error, and train them up to be wise unto salvation, Are you filled with the Holy Ghost? With all those fruits of the Spirit, which your important office so indispensibly requires? Is your heart whole with God? Full of love and zeal to set up his kingdom on earth? Do you continually remind those under your care, that the one rational end of all our studies, is to know, love, and serve the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent? Do you inculcate upon them, day by day, that love alone never faileth? (Whereas, whether there be tongues, they shall fail, or philosophical knowledge, it shall vanish away:) and that without love, all learning is but splendid ignorance, pompous folly, vexation of spirit. Has all you teach an actual tendency to the love of God, and of all mankind for his sake? Have you an eye to this end in whatever you prescribe, touching the kind, the manner, and the measure of their studies; desiring and labouring, that wherever the lot of these young soldiers of Christ is cast, they may be so many burning and shining lights, adorning the gospel of Christ in all things? And permit me to ask, Do you put forth all your strength in the vast work you have undertaken? Do you labour herein with all your might? Exerting every faculty of your soul? Using every talent which God hath lent you, and that to the uttermost of your power?
About this text
Rendered in modern English, to be read and heard. Open the 1771 text under each part to check the claims and the scripture.
Rendered in modern English. The 1771 panel is his own Pine printing of the Works. It is public domain.
Catalogue & scope
Sermon 4 in the 1771 Works. Saint Mary's, Oxford, 24 August 1744. Acts 4:31.
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. It is not a complete critical edition.