24 @J Funeral Sérrnon. mull, and foforced to yield up our leale of late here; and whether willing or not willing, at leifure, or not at leifure, it is all one to death ; for when that once fummons, we muff render ; when that calls, all bufinefs mull be laid afde, and we muff go : and this, when,or how long hence, or how loon poffibly it may be, we cannot tell, God knows. And does it not concern all of us then to be in at Mops his requeff here ? and to be often pra&ifing this art of fpirirual Arichmetick, and continually counting and numbring up our days ? that fo confidering how many of our days are already Daft and gone from us, we may come the more clearly to perceivehow few are yet left and remaining ; and that everyday weare a drawing nearer to the full term of our lives. And then fee the advantages of luch medications ; they muff needs make us more thoughtful of heaven, more provident for eternity, more indifferent in our hopes and dcfires of a long life here : In a word, more frugal of our time, more wary of fin, more quick at our work ; neither will we dare then (as coo many of us now do) to púr it off from time to time, and call it flit( upon the uncer- tainty of another day, not knowing whether poffibly that may be ours or no. And if it Ihould be,yet fufficit diei malitia ejur : every day hash work enough of its own , and need not be charged and burdened with the bufinefs of ano- ther day. Well, but barely to tell the number of our days is not enough ; for this we know is grown a matter of coude, and is the common talk and glory of ancient people, who yet (we have great reafon ro fear) are not fo fenfìble of the number of their days as is fie; and to be lure, not in the fenfe and meaning of the Text; which looks rather forwards, thenbackwards ; and cunfifls principally in thcfe three a&s. The fluff is, confideratio infirmitatia, a ferious confederation of the frailty and infinity of our natures. The (econd is, tílleditatio brevitatia, an often meditation of the brevity and lhorrnes of our lives. The third is, Recogitatio incertitudinia,a frequent recogitationof the inconflancy and uncertainty of our beings. . I (hall (peak particularly of all three; and firff of the firft : A ferious confede- ration of the frailty and infirmity of our natures : and this doubtlefs is enough co humble every fon of man, whohas nor quite loft his fenfes, and is not refolved :0 cunrradiót the experience of every hour ; for it is a matter, this, for which we need not travel far for proof? and inflances of it : for do but take the fail a &ion which you did, and mark how thong it tapes of the veffel : how much in it do yea now with undone, and how much (were it to do again) (hould youhave other- wife done? and fo it muff needs be,where the veffel is faulty,che liquor willcertainly favour of it : where the root is corrupt and vitiated, the fruit can never have a found and wholefom tafle: and yet jute fo it is with us; the inbred frailty of our natures, do alto caufe neceffary frailties in our civil a&ions, in our ordinary difcourfes, in our religious duties and offices; we cannot difcour(e without frailty, we cannot pray without frailty ; we cannot fee up any a&ion of life,but Hill more or leis (here will be a mixture of frailty in it. And flrould not this makeus very humble? (hould it not quicken us to Thrive againft this natural frailty, as much as may be; and in time to apply our hearts unto wildom, and labour to overcome what we may, and for the (eft to lament and mourn over it ? Well, but this fragilitas' aúionis, this frailty of aéfion, is not all our frailty, there is another frailty equallyneceflary and incident to our natures; and that is fragilitas fubffantia, a frailty of fubftance, or a frailty of impotency and infuf- ficiency to keep up our beings, without continually begging and borrowing fub- fidiary aids and helps from other'creatures. Thus, from one creature we are forced to borrow heat to keep us from freezing, from othersclothes to cover our naked- nefs, from others food tokeep tas from ftarving, from others Phyfick to keep us from
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=