f[al ) O. o J Cbron. 2J 1 2 Chrgn. a1,8 Mttttb. t.I Lu~e f, s J ob 8. 9 r. Vfe 2 . Vfe Mat. oo. 6 lu~9·4• .Mallh. 6. 12 · jl.,tfts Rcare. tome a little nearer our felves, in M ofes time we find this little time halfed again, he brings fcvenfcore to feventy; Theda)'es (faith he) tf <ltr agearcrl,rccfcorc)'cars and ten, and though men be f ojh-ong that t~cy come tojomfcoreytars, )'Ct u thwr Jlrength then bHt labour aadf urrow, JoJoon paJJe:h fl away, ana we aregone, Pfal. 90. 1 o. Here is halfs of halfs, and if we half it a wht!e, fure we lhall halfaway all our time: nay, we have a cull:omc goes a little further, and tells us of a number a great deallhorter we arc fallen from feventie to feven, in lifes !cafes made by us. Nay, ;vliat fpcak I'of years, when my text breaks them all mto dayes 1 Few and evzl have the aayes been fo our for– mer tranflation, without any addition ofyeares at all : and (if you mark i~) our life in Scripture is more often termed d")''S thanyears : The book of Chronicles, which writes of mens lives, arc called according to the inter-pretation, JVords of da)'Cs : to this pur– pofeweread, Davidwasold, aJ"idfullofdayes, I Chron. 23 . I. and buhedayesof Jehoram, Edam rebelled, 2 Chrcn. 21. 8. So in the New Tell:amcnt, In thedayes of Herod theKing, Matth. 2. I. and, In the dayes of H erod the King of Judnh, Luke 1. 5. In a word, thus Job fpeaks of us, our life is bm dayes, our dayes but aJhadow. . We k._now "othing (faith Job) and why fo? 011r dayes upo11 earth are but a jh 11 d,w: Job 8. 9. . • Lo here the length of our little life, it is not for ever; no, Adam loll: that eftate and he that lived longeft after Adam, came lhort of the number of a thoufandye~rs: nay, that was ha/fed to fomewhat leffc than jiveh;mdred, and that again ha!fed to little more than two h~ttidred; Jacob yet haif s it again to a matter pffevwfcort,and M <f n halfs that again to feventie, or a little more: nay, our time brings it from fevemieto[even: nay, Jacob yet brings it from pars to dayes, Few and evil have thedayes] oftheyear] ofmy life bun. . Teach us, 0 Lord, to twmber our dayes, that !f' may apply our heart! unto »ijdom, Pfal. 90. 12. M ofes Arlthmetick is worthy your meditation; learn ot him to number pray to God'your teacher, think every evening there is one day of your number gone: and every morning there ts another day of mifety cbmingon, evening and morning meditate ·on Gods mercy, and your own mifery. Thus if you number your dayu, yo!lihall have the Ieffe to account for at that day, when God lhall call you to a final reckoning. But miferable men, who are not yet born again, their dayeJ run on without any me- · ditation in this kindc : What think they of, but of long dayes, and manyyears.' And were all their daycs as long as the day ofJojhua, when the Sun Il:ood fiill in the midft of Heaven, yet it will be night at !aft, and their Sun lhall fet like others. True, God may give fome a liberal time, but what enemies arc they to rhemfel.ves, ;hat of all their dayesallow themfelves not one? If any man long after life, and tofeegood daps, let him rrfrain his tongue from evil, and hi< lips that they fpeaz noguile. How live they that would needs live long, and follow no rules of piety? many can poll off their converfion from day today,fending Religion afore them to thirtie,and then putting it offto fourty, and not plcafed yet to overtake it, promifc it entertainment at threefcorc; atlafi death comes, and allows not one hol!r: In youth thefe men refolvc to refcrvc the time of age to ferve God in; in age they· lhuffie it off to fickneffe; when licknefs tomes, care to difpofe their goods, loathneffe to die,hope to ebpe, martyrs that good thought. 0 miferable men ! if you have but -the Lettje of a farmc for twenty years; you make ufe of the time, and gather profit; but in this preciom farm ef time, you are fo ill husbands, that your leafe comes out before'you are one penny worth ofgrace the richer by it. Why jlandye herf all the day idle 1 there arc but a Jnv hours or dayes that ye have 'to live; at !all: 'omes the night of death, that willlhut up your eyes in flecp till the day of doom. You fee now the term of our Leafe, our life !all:s but Da)'ts.] And although we live manydayn, yet inthu thy day, faith Chrift; and,Give"' ~h!s day c~trdaily bread, fay we , as ifnoday could be called thy day but thu Jay : tf there be any more, we lhall foon number them; my te&t tells you they are not many,butfew ; Few "nd evil have the dayes of my life been. Few.] OUr Leafe is a Life, our Life is but Dayes, our Dayu are but Few. The Phcr~ix, the Elephant, and the Lion fulfil their hundreds; but man dieth when he thtnks · hts
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