--~----- ------· ·------------- none abiding, I Chron. 29. 15. Sec whithet· we have brought our life, and ycr ere w~ 1 Cht. , 9 . 1 s· art, we will down one Itcp lowe1·; upon a !lncl VICW we find neithct Jttbjlm1ce nor }haaow, only a meer nothmg,a'"·e.yvanity: Behold, thou ""ft made my_ dayes as"·' hands breadth 1 and mine age zs nothrng m rcfpctf of thee_; fltrt!ycvery man bvmg tJ altogether vanity, Pfal. 39· 5· . . P[;l ;9 ;· Lo here the nature of our life, it is aj/mtb," leaf, a reed, a ruj/J, "grt<f{e, a fmoa/z., a cloud, a windc, a water) a bubble, a vapo~tr, If, jht~dow, a uotbing. \Vhat mcon w~ to make fuch ado about~ matter.9f notbing? I cannot ch~ofe but wonder at the vanity of men, that run , n dc, to1l , travel , undergo any laoour to n1aintain this life , and what is it when they have their defirc wh'ich they fa much toil for? we live and yet whilil we fpeak this word, perhaps we die. Is this a land of the Jiving, or a ;egion of'thc dead? We that fuck the Air kindle th}s little (park, where is our !landing, but at the gates of death! Pfal. 9· I 3. Where IS our walk, but m t!JC ~:.t~ ~: ;~ jhadow of dwh ? Luke 1. 79· \Vhat IS our manfion-houfe, but the body ofdeath l Rom 7 2~ Rom. 7 • 1.4. What think ye? Is 110t this the region of death,lvhere is nothing bm 'the gate Ao non & R.<c. ofdeath and the ftMdow of death , and the body ofde.ath ? SUre we drcM1 that we live, r<gio 111orm, but fure'it is that we die; or if we live, the belt hold we have is but a leafl: God our ub• ~o·;~ b • chief Lord may beltow what he pleafeth; to the rich man wealth, to the wiftJnan ~~~~::· & 1 1 knowledge , to the good man peace, to all men fomewhat: yet ifyou ask, \Vho is eo• pus' mor· the Lelfor? God. Who is the Lelfee ? Man. What is leafed? This \vorld. Fo'r ti• / what terme ? My life.] This Jacob tells Pharaoh, as the Text tel[s yo·u s Pm iinil eviL haverhe dayes of my life] been. . This is the leafe, and now you have it, let us fee what 1tje you will ma:kc cif it, . It is a bad life fame live; Come (fay they) ar1d let w enjoy the.plcajier<s that are frefenl, Vfe. 1 ; and let'" chetrfally 1t[e the creatures as in youth, let us fill our[elves with coflly .wine i<nd W,ja'.o. 6,1 oyntmcms, and let not the flower of hfe paf{e by u;, \Vhat a life is here? Can it be that plcafures,wine and oyntments fbould have any durance in this vail of mifery? Suppofc thy life a continued fence of pleafures : hadfl: thou Dives fare, Solomms robes, Davids throne , Crcrjiu wealth; livedit thou menyyears without any cares , yet at lafl: comes death, and takes away thy foul in the midfl: of her pleafurcs: alas, what is 311 thy glory, but a fnuffthat goes out in llcnch? Couldell rhou not have made death more wef. come; ifhe had found thee lying on apad offhaw, feeding oncrulls and crumbs? Is not thy pain more grievous , becaufe thou wall: more happy? Do not thy joye~ more afflict thee,then if they had never been? 0 ·deceitful-world,that grievell!f thoti c~olfeft7 and yet to whom thou art bell, they are malt unhappy! . ,_ · o But to fpeak to you who have palfed th~ pikes and pangS' of the New·B(rth; would Vfe, i: you have life indeed , and enjoy that joy oflife which is immortal? then head, revive, watch apd awake from fin : were you fometimes dead in fin ? 0 but now .live in· Chrift, Chrifl is thclife, John 14· 6. Were you fomctimes dumb ill your 'dYing . pangs? 0 but now abide in Chrifl, Chrill is the Word of life,' John r. I. Ate you as Jo~n '4· 6 yet babes in Chrifl:, feeble and but weak through !ifcs infirmities? Why, theh ufe all Jobn '· ' ~ood means, eat and ~e llrong, Chrift is the bread oflife, John 6. 48. Hdei~ b. life John 6. 4 a' ,pdeed, would you not thus hve for ever ? thenbelzroe m God, alid m J e[us Chrij} 'whbm he bath{ent, and thu .s life eternal, .John 17. 3· 0 happy lif~, whic~ mal)y 'i man John 17-J. never dreams of! So much they ffnve to protract this brittle life, which butaddes more.grief, thatthey forget .ChriQ; nay, the~ forget their Creed , which begins:Wi'th true hfe, God,: and ~nds With I.fe never:end111g, Life ev~rlaft~ng. Oth~rs that hope for heaven, fix n~t the~t thoughts on earth; 1fyou be Gods'fetvanfs,lift Uf>'~i)u( l'teafts above, for there 1s life, and the God oflife, the Tree oflife, and the Well bfl:p, the life of.Angels, and the Life evcrillifing. ., • ' ' . One fand is run, and the Text is lelfened ; but as you haye tile lefl{e, fo\,fou may' now expect to know th~ d11te : the l<~~fe is but a.lifr,tht ~o~te !ailsbut d~s( . Dayes.] N Ot weeks~ r:or inoneths, ~or years; or if ayear, the be.ft ~rit,hmetick iito:red.~ce or break ttlnto Dayes: fo we have in it the !aft rranflatioris/Tht <MyeJ of fh~. Year. Here then is the ) Summe, a Year. . . . . . l Fra~ioli, D~tyes. ' ., . , ' F1rll, aYear i in the Spring is the youthful fpring ofo\Jr a:ge, in the Summer, is the aged
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