Youth For Pleasure, Age For Business, and Old Age For Religion

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Grant

Puritan Board Graduate
I have a couple men in my life, whom I try to be a Christian friend and witness to that share this line of reasoning. English Congregationalist Preacher John Angell James points out the folly of this kind of thinking in the below quote from a sermon he preached in Carrs Lane Meeting House (1785 -1859):

It is implied in this address, that young men are much addicted to sensual pleasure. This has been the case with every generation and in every country—and it is too common not only for the young themselves—but even for their seniors and their sires to justify or palliate their wicked excesses. We frequently hear the abominable adage, "Youth for pleasure, manhood for business, and old age for religion." It is not possible for language to utter, or mind to conceive, a more gross or shocking insult to God than this!—which is in effect saying, "when I can no longer enjoy my lusts, or pursue my gains—then I will carry to God a body and soul worn out in the service of sin, Satan, and the world!" The monstrous wickedness and horrid impiety of this idea is enough, one would think, when put clearly to him, to shock and terrify the most confirmed and careless sinner in existence.
 
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I have a couple men in my life, whom I try to be a Christian friend and witness to that share this line of reasoning. English Congregationalist Preacher John Angell James points out the folly of this kind of thinking in the below quote from a sermon he preached in Carrs Lane Meeting House (1785 -1859):

Though Paul did say the things of the world were growing dimmer as he aged. Growing older and wiser is a blessing, and I also understand what angle James said in his sermon. Maybe he was a young man when he preached this. ;)
 
Now this is a little soap box of mine...
As men get older, their testosterone levels drop. Subsequently they become less aggressive, their libido drops, they sometimes get more emotional, etc.
  1. This can be a physiological reason for the adage of the OP
  2. Can this possibly be the Lord's way to make old men more susceptible to the Gospel?
  3. Can this be confused with increased sanctification?
  4. Should we be replacing testosterone levels?
 
I think it was Luther that said (paraphrase) a young man is tempted to lust, a grown man with ambition and an old man with regret.
Then we can say:
"Youth for pleasure (lust), manhood for business (ambition), and old age for religion (regret???)."
 
I may not be getting it exactly right, but I recall that there is an old French saying that goes something like this: "When women get too old for men, they turn to God."
 
I think that most people won't state it so baldly, but I once had a college roommate who was an international student. He said he'd worry about religion when he got much older.

I wasn't really a Christian at the time, so I don't remember what the context of the conversation was. I wasn't interested myself. Maybe it had to do with a girl who was religious or from a religious family.
 
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