future joys, or resting too confidently in joys possessed, when for aught that we know, the decree may have already gone forth, "This year," this month, this very day, " shall thou die*?"]
Let us learn from this subject,
1. To have a direct reference to God in all thingsb —
[God will govern all things, whether we acknowledge him or not: and, if we refer all to him, he will govern all things for our good. Not a hair of our head shall fall to the ground without his special permission.]
2. To be moderate in our anticipations of earthly- bliss —
[What a lesson is taught us by the fate of him who said to his soul, " Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years ; eat, drink, and be merry." The reply of God to him was, " Thou fool, this night shall thy soul be required of thee." The true way to avoid disappointment from earthly things, is, to regard them as vanity and vexation of spirit, and to be contented with such a measure of them as God sees to be best for us.]
3. To bend all our attention to the concerns of eternity —
[These will never disappoint our hopes : we shall never seek eternal happiness in vain. Our desires in reference to them cannot be too large, nor our expectations from them too sanguine. Who, on coming to our blessed Saviour, was ever cast out ? In what instance did the blood of Christ ever prove insufficient to justify, or his grace to save? As for life, the cutting short of that will not deprive us of any blessing which we have ever sought: on the contrary, it will bring us to the speedier possession of all good. We must indeed, in spiritual as well as carnal things, place our hope in God alone ; because God alone can " give us either to will or to do ;" and in the bestowment of his blessings he will consult only " his own will and pleasure :" but if we look steadfastly to him, and rely confidently on him alone, " we shall not be ashamed or con- founded world without end."]
a Here any instances of hopes disappointed by sudden death may be referred to. t> ver. 15, 16.