* That is, • mark' in the centre of the ' butt.'-G. J That is, ' negatives.'-G. T John XIV. 2 — G.
THE VANITY OF THE CREATURE. 41
to do this in the greatest privation of all, in matter of death. A man is utterly unwilling, utterly unable. This argues he hath no mind to see death, nor no will to salute it.
A71S. 2. Besides, many men, upon many occasions, will labour to turn aside a man's thoughts this way. Hence it is, that though we say we are mortal, yet we scarce beheve ourselves to be mortal ; but we carry immor- tal hopes and immortal conceits in mortal breasts. Hence it comes to pass, that though we look into the graves of others, yet we little think that our- selves shaU shortly be closed in the grave. Though we see others fall at our right hand and at our left, yet we hardly believe that those eyes of ours must shortly be closed up and stopped, and all our members must be for- saken, and left hfeless as a carcase. These things are far from our thoughts, and therefore it is needful for us to press this oft and oft upon our thoughts, namely, that we are mortal, and that we must away.
Obj. Why, will some man say, how can a man choose but think so, when he hath so many instances of mortaUty every day before his eyes ? He sees rich and poor, young and old, one and another die, and therefore he cannot conceive but that he must die too.
Ans. But yet all this will not do, except a man be assisted by the divine Spirit. This Moses intimates, Ps. xc. 12. They fell in the wilderness by hundreds, nay, by thousands, and yet saith Moses, ' Lord teach us to number our days, &c., and give us wisdom to apply our hearts unto wisdom ;' and to that sense and effect Moses prays. Moses, though he had instances enow of mortality, notwithstanding that he was an excellent man himself, and had to do with the best people that were then in the world, yet he sees reason to pray to God that God would teach them their mortahty, and that God would make them wise, and that they might know how to number their days, and to remember their own estate. If Moses saw reason to put up this petition to God, certainly there is great need for us to do it. We had need pray Moses' prayer, and we had need to prac- tise Moses' practice too.
(1.) First, let us labour to take the sum of our life, what it is in the gross, as he saith in that psalm, ' Our days are threescore years and ten, it may be one may come to fourscore ;' he may arrive to such a number, or there- abouts ; this is the life of man, Ps. xc. 10. And then,
(2.) Secondly, in the nest place, let us consider how much of this time is run out already, how that the fourth part, or the third part, or the half of our days is already expired and [run out. Let us do in this case as an apprentice doth reckon how many years he was bound for, how many he hath served already, and what is behind. Let us do as a traveller would do : So many miles I must go this day, so many are measured already, the remainder must be passed before night. So let us do in this appren- ticeship, in this journey of death. Account what it is, how much of it is spent, how the time slides away in an insensible manner, [how] it steals away.
(3.) Nay, let us in the third place consider hoiv others fall on every hand before us. Present this to thy own thoughts, and say, There dwelt such a gentleman the other day, now he is dead ; there dwelt such a woman, such a neighbour of late, she is now departed ; not long since there dwelt so many in that family, and there are few now left. Thus let us reckon, con- sider how death seizeth upon other men, and then reflect upon thyself. Who knows whose turn may be next ?
(4.) Yea, let us in the last place consider, how death steals on us too by
42 THE VANITY OP THE CREATURE.
degrees, how it takes possession of us. It is ■with us as it is with an house. There falls down a window, and then comes down a piece of a wall, and then a door, &e. ; so it is with a man, death seizeth upon his feet, and then upon his hands. Let us take notice how death steals on us, and say, Death is already in mine eye, I hegin to be dim-sighted : death is already in mine ear, I begin to be thick of hearing ; death is in my limbs and joints, they begin to be lazy, and stiff, and cold, I begin to feel the symp- toms of death upon me already. Let us look oft upon ourselves to this purpose, take notice how nature begins to wither and decay. Let the whiteness of our hairs, the weakness of our joints, the wrinkles in our faces, be so many witnesses against us, as he speaks in that place in Job xvi. 8. Thus we must do, my brethren, to come to settle this in our thoughts, that we are mortal, and when we have once persuaded ourselves of this, then let us make preparation for death. Oh think of it by thyself alone, think what it is to die, think what is concluded* in that short word, think what is thy preparation to it, think what business is about it, think what treads on the heels of it when thou art gone. * It is appointed to men to die once, and after that comes the judgment,' Heb. ix. 27. Consider, I say, by thyself, what it is to die, consider with other folk, with other people. Be ready to speak of it, as Barzillai doth, to mind thyself and others of mor- tality : and more than this, make preparation, set thy house in order, set thy heart in order.