zS6 endeditatton f Death. wherein weeare asvnprofitablyoccupied , as though weewerenot, halfe of thenumber wouldbe cutoff, and foweMouldJeauebutfeuenor eight yeeres. But nowwe haue the fumine, fromwhence we might take out , butnot that timeout,which is paft wee know, Peeing nowit is nothing ; what is tocome, weeknow not , and itcannot beadded,rme is butfhort, and thereforegreat needewee haueof God his fpiriteto teach vs. To this wee -know,howfuddenly deathBothtakefromvs time to come, lobschildren in the middeftof theirbanketwere ffricken dead ; IJhbofheth died beforenight could comeupon him , nei- Sadaine death. tber baththe ftrongeft finer any firer charter of his life. The heftway thento reckena. right, isto make the number, whichwemaytakeout, andthat which we would lubftra¢f, all one,and that is none. If in the way weImply finde fomething, weemaytake it for our aduantage, and fee that we vfeit to Godhis glory. For thisbeing fet downe,that ourdales paft arenone,and the dayes to comenone neither.: fo thatnodates paftor tocome canbe our fife isbut counted part of our life,and confequently hauenonebut the prelim time', which is very thzprefent little,and aslittleas athought,vnlelfewe could haue aleafeof our life, asEzekiáhinfome time . fort hadof his by Efay, wherein bee hadvery ilifuccefe. And fo findingour time tobee none, wee (hallbe moft bent to labourto attame towifedome. And here wemull vnder- ftand , whatmanner of wifedome this skill of counting bringsvs : there iswifedomeof health, andthertiswifedomeof fickneffe,and this is it, which we fhalliearne. And what Wifedome. isthat wifedome? furelybyacontinuall thinking , thatdeath is nigh, and periwadingour fifties that death is within a minute , what no law,,prince,prifon, parents or punifhment Death. coulddo,that death wil eafilydifpatch. Bythis theythatbefore had no delightAl theword, ifonce they take thisaccount, that euerydaythey thinke they draw their lait breath, the word will be full of comfortto them. And then the meditation of death working above the hope of long life, thewifedome of fickenel;ewil befound to beaboue the wifedomeof health. In this cafe men willglue counfel,that beforecould take none and this is that wif- domeof the pointofdeath,and nothing can teachvs better.We fee the effdh ofthis inE- zekias,when thetalieof hisdayes was left him,we fee Isis meditation,whichwas fuels as the holyGhoft bath pitkinperpetual record,we fee hisbehauiour'aloft worthieour meditati- ons. Neither is this inEzekab onely a wel difpofed may, but eursi in the wicked,asBaalta- JhaJiar,whofeingthe number of his daies,& that hewasfoundtoo light,begun to quake, and hisknees did shake prelently, andfo began to bewife. Thuswee feean effebiboth in thewicked and in the godly, of thismeditation moft neceffarie. Thereadieft z The readieft way toobtaine life is to be content, either to lineor die, andto commit waytoproóang ourfeluestotheLord, knowingthatnothingeuerperslhed ,whichwascommittedtohim. life. Let vs becontent with the vfe of hfe,whichthe Lord giuethvs torepent in,and account it a greatbenefice, that the Lordgrantethvs agreat timeofrepentance,knowmg that it isa greater benefit,to be a lining dog,then a dead lion:for whilewehue, there is aplace forre- pentance,but after deaththere is pone: Andthereforethofethat account it nota benefit to liue,arevnworthy of life,or any benefit therein: all thefethings müft ferne to teachvspa- tience, and to refraine our murmuring nature,whenfoeuer byany temptation our fiefs is prouoked thereunto. 3 As it is a mainepointof wifedome to learneto die,fotherebemany vnderrulespro- zero the med - reeding from this. Firft,it helped) our procraüinating andputting offof theeuillday,and cationofdeath our kind ofrepentance,which is euer in purpofes and promsfes, & neuer in praélife&per- isproftable. formance. Vè lee that messin their iourney,cf they rhinkethey isaue day enougit they are r flack inough:butif they fee they bane but little day,fothat they beginto number,theyply simité. themfelues. Wherefore teeingtime goeth away,whenwe laynohold on it,yea whenmolt Pure hold that can be is laid on, wemutt labour forIheauenly wifdom, and a compendious Faintingof rule thereunto is tonumberour dayes. There isanotber thing, andatis like thegreatDra- heartiis aj/titti- gon in theReuelaeion,it bath drawen awayand deceivedthe third part of the world, and o8,the maedtta - that is wantof wind and faintingofheart in affliéiion, to theremedying whereof it is good tïonof deatha toconfider,that aswefufferdaily,fowearedyingdaily, gthatwhrchthewoddatAibieds, prefcrtfo to i a- isdrawie to corruption, which fha11 exempt vs from their tyrannie. Andherein wetake ,gatnft tt. P P _ our mortahtie for-anaduantage againft them, that Peeing we are fubieéi to fo many eu
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=