and thought of this make us to confider andremember our latter end, thattime it never to four, thisdaybefore thenext, wemaynot beunprovided for it. Vfre have done with the Context : Now let us take a view of the Text it Pelf. The firth thing that prefcnts it Pelfbefore us, is thematter ofMofeshis Prayer, and that is to teacfi us the true Art ofArithmetick, and make us good Accóuntants in the numbring ofourdayes. T. The dayes that are paft muft be numbred. z. The dayes that are yet to come. As God commanded the feveral mansions and places of abode, where the Ifraelites did make any flay, to be all numbred in a peculiar book entituled for that purpofe, The Book ofNumbers So Godwóuld have us to take a fp'ecial account of all our dayes, and to reckon up,thofe that are part, and thofethat are to come ; to confider how longwe haveliv'd, and how longwehave yet to live. x. Our dayés that are pailmuff be numbred. David recounted the number of his dayes, andfóund them to bewafted to nothing, vanith.'d away like finoke, 7?fat. roz. 3. LAP dayes are confirmed likefinoke. Our years confume and wear away; and every day we rife, we draw nearerand nearer to Corruption.' r. We mull reckon with our felves what is !Pent ofour years, how many are paff and gone ; like a man that runs a race, he looks backand tonfiders how far he bath run already. A good Chriftiancalls to mind the wholecoitrfe of his life, and counts with himfelf how many years aregone over his head, how much time he path loff,and'cannotbe recovered again. z. Wf mull recount with our felves what is over-paff of the goodnefs of our years , :what good we have omitted, how many precious opportunities we have. loft,which we might have employed to Gods Glory,and the furtheranceofour own Salvation. A good Chriftian reckons up every fin that is paft, wherein he fail'd, and came fhortofthe goodhe Might havedone, how he might have amendedwhat was amiff ifhe had not been negligent andcarelefs ; like an exalt Limner, that looks over the Table to fpy out what errors have efcap'd him, and if he find any, he prefently corrals them, before he drawoffhis hand from the Table. The like ought we to do, and take a view ofthe feveral aftions ofour lives, and confider where wehave been petcant, and feek to amend what is defeaive, before we pats out of this world, when it will be too late to caft upour Accounts, and inftead of numbringa few years in this life,we (hall be forc'd tó number up innumerable years ófforrow and ,vief in another world. 'this fer ies [ór the jufl Reproof ofthofe that promife to themfelves many and many years to come, and yet never remember the years that are paff ; theypre_ fume they have time enough to (pare, and yetnever confider howmuch time they have fpent already. The fool in the Cofpel befools himfelfwith the hopeoflonger life, but never makesreckoning of the years that are pall, Laken, t9. Soul, thou h4much goods laid tep for many years. weare good Accountantsfor the world, but notfor,our(elves in what concerns the good ofour Souls. We can count our Money, our Goods, our Lands, but not our Years, which we have mif-fpent in vain : we can reckonup the years ofothers, but not our own; we can eafily (um up the frailties ofour brethren , but we cannot caft up our own ; we know the frailties of other men, but weare ignorant ofour own. Where's the man that brings to his remembrance the fins of hisyears that are paff? who is there among us, that reckons how many Sabbaths he bath profaned, how many vain Oaths he bath uttered, howmany Lies he hath told, how often hebath wrong'd his Neigh- bour-by Deceit, Fraud, Injuftice and Oppreflion, how often he bath abus'd the good Creatures of God through Riot,Excefs and Intemperance ? Howmany foe - verour fins are that wehavecommitted,they are all forgotten ; what is pafl,it is to us as if it were never done. It is not fowith fuch as truly fearGod; they make account ofthe leaff firs, and call to mind day by day themany errors of their lives. Holymen ofGodnever have their fins out of their fight: David had them ever inhis eye, Pfs1. 5r. 3. My fin is everbefore me ; it wasnever out (Aids thoughts, but continually before him;
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=