Mankind sensible of this therefore it is often suggested to us in Scripture This Chapter vers 1. says Man that is born of a Woman is of few days Few and evil says Jacob have the days of the years of my Life been after he had lived an hundred and thirty Years Gen. 47. 9. Well then might the Psalmist say If our strength lasts to fourscore years yet it is soon cut off as Psal 90. 10. But we shall have the best and most lively apprehension of the contemptible shortness of human Life if we compare the continuance of that with the duration of some other things There are many of the Creatures made inferiour to us that yet now commonly live much longer than we Naturalists tell us that some forts of Birds commonly live an hundred years when alas not one in many hundreds of us can reach to near that Age. Of some Trees it is said they will live Eight hundred years Many of our own Works abide and continue much longer than we We contrive them for our own advantage and comfort and in a little time leave them we know not to whom We live in Houses we meet in Churches that were built by we know not who we read Books written by men that have been dead perhaps many hundred years ago If we consider the more abiding parts of the Creation how much longer do they last than we whom they were made to serve One generation goes and another comes says the Preacher but the Earth abides for ever The expression does not mean that this Earth shall never be dissolv'd and there are other Scriptures which intimate that it shall but it teaches us that while the Earth abides and has done so for several thousands of years a great many generations of men have successively been upon it For a while it has fed and then devoured them A while they have had a portion here and then resigned it to others and they after a little while have resigned it again to others no man can carry any of these things away with him How many lives has the Course of this one Sun measured and yet the Sun continues to run his Race Above five Thousand years has that bright Creature been a burning and shining Light when alas we are but as of yesterday as Job speaks Job 8. 9. And how much longer after us the Earth and the Sun and the Heavens may last we know not But if they should last much longer as we have reason to think they will not last always there are yet another sort of Beings of a longer duration The Angels which were made above five Thousand years ago shall continue for ever they shall know no end of duration nor alteration of their blest and happy condition Their duration is not transitory their condition is not frail and feeble But in the last place let us consider the infinite and everlasting Duration of the Ever-blessed God He is from everlasting to everlasting as is said Psal 90. 2. He always was and never had beginning always is and shall be and never shall be at an end Oh how justly may we despise considering these things the contemptible shortness of our present Life The Psalmist says to God A thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past Which is as if he should say If we wretched mortals should be continued in this world for a longer time than any of the first men liv'd who liv'd some of them near a thousand years yet this were very little to thy unmeasurable duration The longest Life of man is as inconsiderable to thee as one past day is to us Yea it is as little as a watch in the night he adds as three or four hours spent in sleep And very fitly is this matter exprest yet further to make us duely sensible of it Psal 39. 5. Behold my days are as an hand-breadth The four short Stages of mans life are but each of them as it were the breadth of a finger in their length and yet further Mine age is as nothing before thee The greatest number of our years is so small it is as nothing when compar'd with thy eternal duration Thus we may help our selves duely to apprehend the shortness of our present life 2. Let us consider that this our present Life is very frail and feeble As the Flower is the shortest liv'd part of a plant so 't is usually the weakest the most easily withered and destroyed A cold wind pinches and blasts it a high one tears it in pieces a hot Sun shrivels and withers it a little fly or worm can easily destroy a thing of so delicate and tender a constitution And so frail as this is the life of man There is not the weakest Flower more weak than he the strongest man may be kill'd by a fly or an hair a crum of bread a blast of ill air or a few drops of drink Even the weakest and most contemptible Creature that is can put an end to his days when 't is commissioned by the Providence of God to do so And we are liable to a great many mortal accidents any of which can cut us off in the prime of our years when we are proud of youth and strength As Job says some die in their full strength when their breasts are full of milk and their bones are moistned with morrow Job 21. 23 24. Our greatest strength is but weakness How often has the Sun risen upon a man alive and well and promising himself many days and before his setting has seen him a dead carkass Again We may apprehend the frailty of our present life from hence we all breed in our selves the Causes of death A great many distempers are our mortal bodies liable to and we carry the seeds of them in our selves And we may say there are some diseases which the excess of health and vigour dispose men to some that kill only the young or strong as a consumption or a feaver But that constitution must needs be acknowledged frail which breeds its own destruction and this is the common case of mankind in our present state And yet further will the frailty of this life be presented to us if we consider the unavoidable decays of old age If without accidents and in spite of distempers we pass through childhood and youth and manhood yet in old age nature decaies of its self If nothing else destroy us we shall like the weak flower fade and fall alone The crazy building may be propt a while but it will tumble at last let what will de done to support it And this ought sure to be reckon'd a very frail thing which will fall of it self and perish if it be let alone And much rather yet should we account it so if it will fail and perish notwithstanding the greatest care and the best means that can be used to preserve it And this is the miserable condition of our present life 3.
depart and to be with Christ Which does most plainly shew he expected to Be still and to be more happy after Death than he was here Again this is also plainly suggested by our Saviour in the Parable of the Rich man and Lazarus Luke 16. 19 Verse to the End The Soul of Man then is at his Death disposed to such Abodes as it deserves and is suited to till the time of the General Resurrection of the Bodies of Men and then it shall be united to its own Body again and live with it for ever in a State of endless Happiness or endless Misery Thus much may suffice to shew the Excellency of the Soul of Man from its Nature The Second Head of Proof of this which I shall now speak to is the Capacities of the Soul arising from its Nature It will give us a further apprehension of its Excellency to consider what great and honourable things it is capable of And these I shall speak of under three Heads It is capable of Knowledge of Moral Qualifications and of a most sublime and elevated kind of Happiness 1. It is capable of Knowledge It can know the Creatures about us which are the Objects of our Senses can understand their Nature and Use by vertue of which it has and exercises a Dominion over these things It knows how to apply them to the serving our Necessity and Delight By vertue of this it can make those things which have no use of reason themselves to serve for rational and wise Purposes It can tame the wild and correct the hurtful Creatures It can govern the Strong and by artful application give strength to the weak Ones It often fetches wholesome Food or very effectual Physick out of mortal Poysons The Soul of Man is capable of knowing himself To understand his own Nature in the principles and end of it To know his Ornaments and Disparagements the causes and means of his Happiness or Misery and wherein these do truly consist and lie Man is capable to understand and know very much of the Ever-blessed God the Highest Being to apprehend and meditate upon the most glorious and delightful Perfections of his Infinite Nature He can see the Marks and Characters of these perfections upon the sensible things which is the most excellent Knowledge and the best use of them as the Apostle suggests Rom. 1. 20. The Invisible things of God are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made even his eternal Power and Godhead The Soul of Man renders him capable of knowing the Rules of true Wisdom of that Wisdom which is from above Those Rules which direct us to render our selves acceptable and amiable to God and one another to Become and Honour our selves Those Rules by which the Wise and Holy Angels govern their behaviour and those by which the most Holy God tho in an Infinite Eminency above all his Creatures governs his And surely this Capacity of Knowledge may be lookt upon as a great and honourable Advantage especially that of such a Knowledge as hath been mentioned Knowledge finds the mind of man pleasant and useful Employment which as it is an active and busie thing must have such employment or 't is uneasy and unhappy Knowledge presents us with the Objects of our Happiness and inables us to enjoy them This is the light and brightness and beauty of the Mind Ignorance is dark and deform'd and leaves the Soul unpolisht and ugly Ignorance like darkness is uncomfortable and sad Knowledge like the light is chearing and delightful This improves and raises the activity and freedom of the Mind but ignorance is clogg'd and wretchedly confin'd Of Knowledge then it may be said It is more to be desired than Gold yea than much fine Gold But especially is that true of that Knowledge which the Psalmist speaks it of even that which presents to us the Rules of good living Of which also Solomon speaks thus Happy is the man that findeth wisdom and the man that getteth understanding For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of Silver and the gain thereof than fine Gold She is more precious than Rubies and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared to her Prov. 3. 13 14 15. 2. Another Capacity which greatly recommends the Soul of Man is That it is capable of Moral Qualifications By which word I mean the glorious Vertues of Holiness and Justice Goodness and Mercy Faithfulness and Prudence It is not only capable of knowing the Rules of these Vertues but also of possessing the Vertues themselves and of expressing them in our Actions Our behaviour towards God may be adorn'd with the bright Rays of Faith and Love of Piety and Devotion of Reverence and Humility Our behaviour towards men may all be regulated and adorned with Justice and Charity Meekness and Sincerity Goodness and Mercy None of the other Creatures about us can be possest of such Qualifications A Stone or a Beast cannot be just or good or faithful A Beast does not know what its self does it has not freedom of will does not chuse any of its actions therefore cannot be vertuous or vicious The Soul of Man has in this the Advantage of all the visible World and when 't is endowed with these Vertues at least it is brighter and more glorious than the Sun or Stars These render us like to God himself in the highest manner that a Creature is capable of In these things consisted the best part of the Divine Image in man before the unhappy Fall of our Nature in our first Parents and tho we then lost the things themselves yet we did not lose the capacity of receiving them again And when the Scripture speaks of the renewing or restoring that Image in us again this is said to be done by enduing us with Righteousness and true Holiness These are Excellencies which God ascribes to himself which he glories in and therefore it must be our greatest Advancement and Honour to be partakers of them and it must be accounted an argument of great worth in the Soul of Man to be capable of such Honourable Ornaments 3. It is another Argument of this that the Soul of Man is capable of enjoying a very high and honourable kind of Happiness even the best that any creatures can attain to When the Manna which the Children of Israel were fed with in the Wilderness is called Angel's Food it is intimated that this wonderful Provision did as a figure represent that Mankind are capable of the same Happiness with the glorious Angels and all holy and devoted Souls do in some measure partake of it in this Life By vertue of his Soul is every man even from the Prince to the Beggar capable of a Spiritual and Eternal Felicity As this is a Spirit it has a very high sense of things and a very lively perception of Pleasure or Pain No meer Body or Matter however 't is refin'd or made up into
moment which we have continually provoked we had perisht irrecoverably Oh how great and wonderful is thy Patience and Goodness in continuing and supporting and watching over such provoking Sinners We admire we praise thee for thy Long-suffering towards us and since thou hast given space to do it we repent of all our past Sins we purpose and desire to lead a new and good Life and we humbly sue for thy pardoning Mercy When we with Sorrow and Shame confess our Sins do thou we pray thee forgive our Sins and cleanse us from all Unrighteousness Give us a true and unfeigned Repentance and the Grace to amend our Lives according to thy Holy word Teach us that denying all Ungodliness and worldly Lusts we may live soberly righteously and godly in this present World spending the rest of our Days to thy Honour and Glory In this way make us to seek an Inheritance in the World to come that since we have here no long abode no certain Duration no abiding State we may have a Treasure in Heaven an Inheritance in the next World that fadeth not away Make us so sensible of the short and uncertain condition of this our present Life that our Affections may be wean'd from this World and set upon the things to come teach and inable us so to pass through things Temporal that we finally lose not the things that are Eternal We pray thee let not this day be utterly lost to us but give us Comfort and good Fruit of our Attendances upon thee O Let thy Ordinances be to us the means of a Glorious and Eternal Life Grant us to lie down this Night in Peace while thou makest us to dwell safely Let our waking Thoughts in the Night-season instruct us Give us cause in the Morning to rejoyce in thy Goodness and Lord Comfort this our wretched mortal Life with thy Blessings let us see thy Goodness in the Land of the Living We beseech thee to have mercy upon all Men Grant them to know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent to their eternal Salvation Save thy People O Lord and bless thine heritage govern and lift them up for ever We pray thee Bless these Nations wherein we live be thou as a Wall of Fire round about us and our defence against all thine Enemies and ours O purge and cleanse us from our Sins that we may be meet for the Favours of thy Providence Grant our King and Queen a long and happy Reign over us give them great Prosperity and Peace Direct all our Magistrates so to govern themselves in their several places as may be to thy Glory the good of thy Church among us and to the Safety Honour and Welfare of their Majesties and their Kingdoms Teach all our People duely to fear thee to be subject and obedient to those that are over them in Church or State and to live in brotherly Love and Unity one among another We humbly recommend to thy Goodness O Father of Mercies all that are in any Trouble or Affliction give them Patience and Submission to thee and in due time deliver them We pray thee bless all our Friends and Relations do good to our Enemies and make them to be at Peace with us All this we humbly ask in the Name of Jesus Christ and further whatever he himself hath taught us to pray saying Our Father c. The USEFULNESS of EARLY RELIGION TO Old-Age demonstrated Let us Pray PRevent us O Lord in all our doings with thy most gracious favour and further us with thy continual help that in all our works begun continued and ended in thee we may glorify thy Holy Name and finally by thy Mercy obtain Everlasting Life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen ECCLES 12. 1. Remember now thy Creatour in the days of thy Youth while the Evil days come not nor the years draw nigh when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them NOtwithstanding the great uncertainty of humane Life and though none of us can tell how short his appointed time may be Though we see persons of every Age descend into the Grave some in their early Infancy and some in Youth in their full strength as well as some in an old Age Yea which is very strange though we see that a great many more die young than there are that live to any great Age yet do Mankind commonly promise themselves a long Life on Earth All expect this almost though but few attain it We believe that we may live as long as the oldest Persons that we see or know And this vain Imagination proves a fatal and mischievous snare to a great many For because they may live long as they think they will not trouble themselves betimes to prepare to die though it is as true that they may not live long They set the practice of Religion and the concern of their Souls aside for the present because they shall have as they suppose time enough to mind them hereafter They apply themselves wholly now to the Business and Pleasures of this Life and refer their Reformation and Religion to old Age. And thus while they think they have much time to spend they squander away and lose much from their main concern and with their time they lose Eternity and their Souls too Their time is spent and their Day of Salvation is over before they have secured and wrought out their Salvation And Death snatches many of them away in the midst of their worldly Cares and Pleasures and so they are undone for ever To meet with and cure if it may be this Errour I shall insist a little upon these words of Solomon Wherein he intimates the Unreasonableness and Folly of delaying to repent and be religious till old Age though it be supposed that we may or though it could be certain that we shall live to old Age. We may reckon that the latter part of this verse is a reason and argument to enforce his advice in the former part of it and that his meaning is this Remember now thy Creatour in the days of thy Youth because the latter end of a long Life will be Evil days and such as you shall say I have no pleasure in them To be religious in youth will be the best preparation against the evil days to come and in those days you will need those consolations and advantages which a religious and vertuous Course that has been before them will then afford Many other arguments are commonly insisted upon by those that handle this Text to persuade young Persons to mind Religion and Vertue but I shall set them all aside and insist upon this alone which seems chiefly if not only intended in the Text. To do this with the better success if it may please God I shall divide the following Discourse into three parts 1. To shew what is meant by Remembring our Creatour in the days of our Youth Because 't is usually thought that Youth may