Here is, 1. A weighty question asked. By what means may the next
generation be made better than this? Wherewithal shall a young man
cleanse his way? Cleansing implies that it is polluted. Besides the
original corruption we all brought into the world with us (from which
we are not cleansed unto this day), there are many particular sins
which young people are subject to, by which they defile their way,
youthful lusts (2 Tim. ii. 22); these render their way offensive to God
and disgraceful to themselves. Young men are concerned to cleanse their
way--to get their hearts renewed and their lives reformed, to make
clean, and keep clean, from the corruption that is in the world through
lust, that they may have both a good conscience and a good name. Few
young people do themselves enquire by what means they may recover and
preserve their purity; and therefore David asks the question for them.
2. A satisfactory answer given to this question. Young men may
effectually cleanse their way by taking heed thereto according to the
word of God; and it is the honour of the word of God that it has such
power and is of such use both to particular persons and to communities,
whose happiness lies much in the virtue of their youth. (1.) Young men
must make the word of God their rule, must acquaint themselves with it
and resolve to conform themselves to it; that will do more towards the
cleansing of young men that the laws of princes or the morals of
philosophers. (2.) They must carefully apply that rule and make use of
it; they must take heed to their way, must examine it by the word of
God, as a touchstone and standard, must rectify what is amiss in it by
that regulator and steer by that chart and compass. God's word will not
do without our watchfulness, and a constant regard both to it and to
our way, that we may compare them together. The ruin of young men is
either living at large (or by no rule at all) or choosing to themselves
false rules: let them ponder the path of their feet, and walk by
scripture-rules; so their way shall be clean, and they shall have the
comfort and credit of it here and for ever.