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Firft, not w mtlfUrt: God by dur lcn£thcs, I A. one footC is in ic. /\~:~~this is 1wt ;1l:iOS i:onc.ti: nor ro tic him to our rules; bm to cflccm of his I alotiC, btlt Gods Ow1;Cil~dgcn.cm, ,sho ~s \\'C pO\.\ cr~md might as ~,.,·c (:.·c it dc[erucs : and to fee here, <;:;.!Is ::1.11 oid m::~;~ ot.<good tU de-ad : :Jf!d cmcrtainc high and honourable rhou~hts of t.h:n :aot fOrhi.Jch in rcg:ad, th:n he 1sjirn:co die 1 \ him and his Mai•the, "ho c211 rearc yp \o grclt as rha< hcc is ~;cm ir : Thcrdorc as cucry m~n./ ' ll1orl:,§s, vpon 10 poor~fo:t1;dario;u. . young or oldc; is ro m:.1kc readic; bctauiC his' s~.·condlv, not to dc!j)airc ofPl.J,r fclncs, or time is ''nknownc, and no ma11 is furc, rh:u he ! our cll:ucs; ~hough \\'C tbinkc our (dues neucr J)1~li !i\.ic (l) o~ old, :l;~d a~ the Pfl1mitt finget_h, 1 [o wcakc, 10 poorc 1 fOlido:e, either in fou\e or Ettaic7lNZ11i1J his.6e~1· c/fatc ~~ a!to~((,e~he:vmut;e :' . 1 r bodie: but CO remember him, th3t ofoqemade Pf.1L~9·?· So clpc·cially l:e to vvhotn Cod h~th . m:t!timdc.r to ~Hingom. Therefore \•vhq-1 thou · becne 10 gr~cious, as to kt hi1~1iCc Old agc,hc 1 art brought nenn 10 low, either in !Oule or bofhould thinke ofnothing buc illS endc,and pn:.:: 1 die, by any miferics either inward .or oprw~r<l; p:lrc'euery day todie in the Lord. His'gray hairs, faim nor, fmr goc[vrwo1rd m·t-heJl:rdng-tbof the his wrinkled skin, his \\'ithcred face, his ill flo..: Lord rhy God. P01.rricubrly: lf God hauc affiimack, his ·wcakc mrmOrie, his crooJ.~cd bodic, Ctcd thee with poucr.ty,thartbou h;1uc IlOthing j and the manifdl and nloH fen!i.blcalttTation & to hegin with:tll: or for thy foulc; i.s thy kn.ow- B dtrcay of his whole dhnc ofmindc and bodie, ledge in religion finall , tby mcanes poorc, thy {hould hourcly all crie in his cares, I amh.lLfe feeling ofGods fauour but weak?yct faint not, dead , 1 will therefore prepare t" die in ,IIJc but lay f3fi hold on Gods·pO\'.!Cr and promife, Lord. vfC carefully the holy mc:mes God hath ordaiIt is therefore a mifcrable fight ro fee, th:n ned,rcmembring and relying on hirn,whomtlde thofCwho ofall men !hould b~mofiwilling to" ! mi/liomgrolVt>OUt~fo;-;e: and a{fure thy IClfC, as die 1 arc: fOr the moit p:tn mail dcfirous to Jiue. lob faith, Though tl!] begin,,ings bee fmaO,yer rhy And rhofe Viho Owuld be ,moll ready to dy,are latter cnd.r{lut.ltgrcatlj'increll{e. 1 gencr2lly moH ignorant, moll couctous, and Secondiy, obfcrue here how old pcrfqns:uc their heans moH ofall wedded to the earth, & called halfc dead, orasgoodMdead; and rhat is earthly rhings. trui:: ofehemmany w:1.yes. Secondly, oldeperfons muil here lcarnc S. Firft, rheir ycarcs and dayes iimitted them, Pauls1dfon: 2 .Cor.4.16. That as the omwtmj arc as r;ood as gone. For, fuppofc a man Jhould manp~rifherf;,fo the inwardm:m .. may bee ;·enewcd be as fure to liuc =tn 1oo. ycares, as the{tt;me is daily. Jhe outW~lid Jn3n is the b9die; the into run all the day long h1s courfc, and at night ward inan is the foulc ~md the grace of God in to go dovvne:Yet as when the frmpc isp<~H the it. They ,m!{t therefore labour, thqt as the height, and drawing downward, V\:C fay it go- C llren.gth oftheir bodic_s decay 1 fO the grace of eth tan downc, and.thc day hallc~h away; So God in thcir~foules may quicken and reuiue. when a man is_pa!t .his middle age, when thd But alas, the common praCbfe is comrarie. For funne ofhis life is p:Jfl the noonHeede, hee deold men hauegcneral!y fo mifpent their youth, clineth daily, and draweth faH away, and the and in their'blde oge arc partly [p backeward, uight ofhis life apptoachcth,with haH & much partly fo vnfitiO learn religion, that when they hOrror,vnldfc he preucnt it. come w their death~beds , they are ch1=n t~ be Secondly, thcidhcngth and vitall powers, Chtttechi[edin the very principles ofr-<;ligiop;fO by whlch their1ifc is col~tinued,and their fouls as whc;n"thc bodie is halfC dead, religion hath and bodies kept toge.tber., arc fo much.weak~- no bd.9g in them; and when the bodic is a dy.. ncd,-that·thcy arc almolth:tingniJhcd: whereing, rcligio.n 2nd grace fcarcc begin to liuy ·j 11 by it comes to paffc;-anoldc man may.feclc a tl1qn: (uch men caH all vpon a dcfpcratc point. I manifdl: defeCt in .:t.ll p.o\-\"ers of mindc :J.nd ·But let th~nJ th::~.t defir: a io,-full departure, bodie.! 't , · 1. i' thinkc oftheft: things atoreh::md: and as_yqrs· Thirdly}fickeneffes,or difcafcsgrowc vpon , dro:w\' on, ::~nctfo drawe life to bis cpJc;, and. the olde age: and as tbeidlrcngrh failetb , fo the D bodic, ro the graue ; fo let them weane \hr:ir force ofdifeafes is redoubled on them:& looke hcatts from the world, 1':,: liftt!iqJl vp to (;Qr), \.\·hat difcfes ha.uc1urked in their bodies which atJd fo fpcnd thctr laH dayp in getting know:. t:ither naturally vverc brcd.in them,or acciclcnJedge, and in feruing God ; that when their tally taken, they nowdhewcrhcmfeh:.cs,G::-o\e bodies are weakeft& firte(t for<he cmh, rheir fcrifibly; an.d the. w~t::~.ker a.m3n IS, the Hrongcr iOulcs may be the holycfl anti riBrfi for. hcail~p. is his Gckcndk In thefe thrcc-rc!pdh, an old 'fo fuch H!\lll 1l1J1! ir uc:urr be difr;omfon ro·fcc man or woman is asgood .tU dead. their bodies 11alfc dead,'' hen fOr recompctuc The vfe hereof isprofirablc; ,, ' · ," dwreofihcy:linlle their foules halfe in heaucn, Firlt, they mul1·thcrefore be aduifc..d tO. preT hus we fee theroote orfoundationofr-his po.Rc_- pttre thcmfcltu.r for deAth. Encry tm\n.i-s·I'o preritic, how pooraand wcake it \<Vas. No1.v let vs I pare , I confeffe: then if cm'ry man .,~c(pcciaHy come to the grcatne!fc of'it.· , they thaLb~ olde: The yong rnan nr::ty.dic, the TbacoffPr::mg Mmany in ff..t!mber, O·c. I oldc man mull die; the yor:gcH·cannot liuc alThis onc.oJ·docouplc, A!wr..ham anrlSetrtt/;, . "vo.ics, the oldc man cannotliu<:',long-:,thc aged arc-h1:tdc by gods po\-\'s.r the fi\ rh.q and mother ; n_:1~grau~:~~~:_n~:~dc alreGdiC'",tind his of many nationS : and he and fhe, ofwhom r.hc I --·· ----~--------r---------_:l:.;i:.;4:r______ · - '-· ____::"~'o~r~ld:.c_ __.:__: '
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