c,511editationof Depth. 255' when they: defcribethelife;of man they can finde nothing to reft on as vaine enough, whereunto they might coinpare it : fobafe a thing is this life, thaticmay abide any exte- nuation in the world. In regard whereof they haue compared it toa bubble, a llerpe, a vapour, and they came fofarre at the length, that they compared it to a thought, whereof 9. wee know theremay be no fewer then a thoufand inoneday. Efay. 3 8.it is faid,it may be fpent before night. And 2.Cor. S. it is compared toa booth orfhepheards tent,which to e fee doch laftbut a while. Inour dailyand ordinarie prayerChrift admoni(heth vs of this point,when lie teachethvs topray, that weernayliane aportionfor aday, as though our life were (butte up ormay be(butte vp in one day. There are long fpaces , which by a simile. fpeedie courfeare quickely ended ; and therebefhort fpaces,whiclihavinga flow'mooaer spæfbd;t are longingoing : but ifthe (pace befhort, andthe motion fwift,there is no hope ofcon- '4'4a'. '"'t tinnance; and fuels a one is our life. TheIfraeütcs went no further inthirtieyeeres , byf "r' their flowmotion, thenby a fwift paffagethey might haue gone indawn dayes : So that one may beegoing a long tourney in a littletime , anda little iourney a longtime. Our way is fhort, arid forthe manner of our motion in this fhortway, it is compared to aWca- uersfimttle,and toaPofte, and to a fhadowe : to aPoile, nay ,itis notoffo long conci- nuance, fora Pofte leaues a print of hisfleppes behinde him, but a man doth leaiie no im- preffion,heis ail going,and themotion neuerceafeth. The fwifteft thing innature for mo- tionmay ftay,but manslifeBothnotftay:Forthoughatthepraierofie/huatheSunflood ftill,whicli is wonderfull fwift;yetthe timeofmans life floodnot1til,but even thena daies iourney wentforward. Salomonconfidetir.gof manslife,, called itwine, and thenas not thinkingthat a fufficientword,hecarreaed himfelf,andcalled it Tranitieit felfe. But David goingfurtber, Plal. ha.faich, man is lighter thenvamtietoo. If we addethis, that nothing befalsvs allour life long, but it may befallvs anyday, or curryday, we í17a1l confefl'e this rifebow fhort. life is vainc, The calculatingof this-time isgood, but theincreafingof our accountis the taufe ofall mill. Mar.aq.the minionsferuantwas overtaken inhis account,he thoughthe had manydaies to come, which bee had not, beforehis Lord appeared. The Virgins were truelyfoolifh,thatdreamedofaday;which wasdeniedthem. Luk.rz.therich maneuer-Tomember Blot hinafelfe, andwaspreuenced centrarieco hisaccount : It is the vista!complaint ofthe our ¿oyes. , Prophets, that men lay, Theprophecie is deferred, theplague (hall not comey et; andwee fay inour hearts,theBridegrome willnet comeyet,our Lordwil be long in commirg,tlie burchenof the LordThalouerpalievs,and foforth. It is good reafon to remember theprai- er of Mofes, Pfal.9o.a z.that weebegnilenot ourfelues in the cotnpntation, who cryedt, Lordteachvs to numberour days. For numbring ofpeople ])avid is anexample.: for num- bringour money, our fheepe, our lands,and ourfarines, every mancan be an example: Butto number ourdayes is a rarekinde of numbring, it is aftrangeAritbmeticke, what rearegeswe are fallen intowith the Lord,forour timenot fpent tohisglory:this is anútn- bring,wherewithweearevnac uainted. Ohthat wee knewe what it were to .aciount of ¿oyes our time, forelythis I willfay, ifthrewereman worlds in the offeflìonoffumethatarede-kindo .4ri parted,theywould giue .chemvs for onedayorhoure,whihwehaueiáinchplentie,andmeickeRnrb- folittleefteemeof. Well,in thenumbring of ouryeeresweneedetakenogreatpaine ,for Mofrhatk fet it downe to be7o.yeeres. If our life Taft but fo long, a little arithmeticke willcypher it out, andwe knowitis amatter of no great arteto number ouryerres, mien from ourfirftfather tothis age. Aworldly man in this bufineffewould begin toadde and tomultiplie, putting ftillto the timespaftthat which istocorne, and withdrawmgfromPfal.go. time tocome,times pall Butwee mullknow that allthat is paff , istobe fubltratied, and yo.yèeres, tobe countednothing,and the dayes to comeare nottobeadded, for an additionmuff be of a thing exiftent,but the time to come isnot. But keysmakea f ùppoficion of that ce be which is not, that a man may writeof70. yerres, letvs, I lay , fetthat downeas thegroffe femme. Halfeth4t timeis fpent theyfay in fleepe,which thenwemaywell detraafrom the great number,and thenthere remainesbut 35.yeeres. From eliefewe may dedua ig.yeers trove to number in our youth,wherein we arevnfic toglorifie God, or doegood toman, andfotherere- sutdnyo. maines fixteeneyeeres ; andof theftfixteene,to fet downe the dayes of fickneffe,or thofe times which wee finfully Ipende in yeeldingto anger í toour Julies, or toworldlinelfe, wherein
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=