An Address to Young People: Excuses for the Neglect of Religion (1)

The great principles of human nature, though modified in their operation by circumstances, are substantially the same in all ages. Hence there is a considerable degree of uniformity in the manner in which the gospel is treated, at different periods and by all classes. When the invitation was sent abroad by the man who had made a feast, instead of being cordially and thankfully accepted, the servants returned, charged with the most flimsy and foolish apologies. When the apostles went forth and preached the gospel to the Jewish nation, here again there were reasons, or rather excuses, offered for not accepting it; and they were even more preposterous than those by which they were represented in the parable. And so too when the servants of the Lord Jesus in the present day go forth proclaiming a universal invitation to the gospel feast, telling sinners of the rich provision made for them and of the expense at which it has been made, oh how often are they virtually answered in the language which you have just heard — “I pray thee have me excused.”

Lend me your attention then, my young friends, while from this passage I endeavor to show you how perfectly futile are the excuses with which, from time to time, you are putting off the claims of religion. I am aware that most of the excuses which I shall note are urged by others as well as youth; but while I would commend the subject to the serious consideration of all, I desire that you especially would ponder it with earnest attention and self-application.

What then, my young friends, are some of the excuses by which you are attempting to keep conscience quiet in the neglect of religion?

1. The first which I shall note is, that it is impossible, amidst all the conflicting opinions which exist on the subject of religion, to ascertain what religion is; and hence it is inferred that they are the most prudent who trouble themselves with it the least.

That there are different opinions in respect to religion admits not of question. The world is full of contradictory speculations on this subject; and some of the grossest absurdities which the human mind ever conceived have been found in systems of doctrine professedly derived from the Word of God. If indeed you were required to frame a system of truth for yourself, out of materials supplied by the various systems of religion in the world, without recourse to higher authority, you might well complain that it was an unreasonable and embarrassing requisition; and that your best efforts to come at the truth must result in nothing better than conjecture. But no such task is imposed upon you. You have access to the very fountain of divine knowledge: you are not only permitted, but required, to search the Scriptures for yourself, using the writings of uninspired men only as helps to enable you to ascertain the mind of the Spirit. And you cannot plead as an apology for neglecting to search the Scriptures, that there is any lack of explicitness in respect to the great truths which they reveal. The Bible was designed equally for all, and of course for the poor and illiterate, who constitute a large part of mankind. And to suppose that its leading doctrines are hidden under a mass of obscure and technical phraseology, were to charge the adorable Author of this revelation with trifling with the wants of His creatures. What then, my young friend, becomes of your excuse for neglecting religion, that you cannot ascertain what religion is? Open your Bible, and you will there find what it is, written in letters of light—all its great doctrines and precepts so perfectly intelligible, that the most simple and unlettered need not mistake them.

But suppose we admit that there are some things in the Bible which are hard to be understood — and to a certain extent no doubt this is true — but is this a reason why you should reject or disregard what is plain? Does the fact that you may not easily comprehend all the reasonings of Paul on the doctrine of justification, or all the allusions of the inspired writers to the then existing state of things, furnish any apology for your neglecting those plain precepts which require you to repent of your sins and exercise faith in the atonement of Christ? Before you plead the obscurity of the Bible as a ground for neglecting religion, you must, to be consistent, show yourself ready to receive the truths which you cannot but acknowledge are clearly revealed; and be ready to practice the duties which you cannot fail to perceive are explicitly enjoined.

Say not then any longer, my young friend, that you do not know what religion is. If you do not know, rely on it, it is your own fault. In giving you the revelation of His Son, God has not been mocking your necessities by saying one thing and meaning another. Will such an excuse as this stand the test of the final day? Is there one among you who would not shudder at the thought of standing before the omniscient Judge with such an apology?

Rev. William B. Sprague (1795-1876) was a well-known Calvinistic, Presbyterian pastor who served at West Springfield, Massachusetts for ten years and at Albany, New York for forty years. He published 165 sermons and fourteen books, several of which were written for young people. This address is taken from his Lectures to Young People, recently reprinted by Sprinkle Publications, P.O. Box 1094, Harrisonburg, VA 22801.

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