there be more teares then words For then the instructed can discerne that there iâ— love in the instructâ—r It is notable unto this purpose which the Father k hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Chrys Ad Colâ—s Hom. 12. our teares are never seasonable but in our prayers and in our instructions But this in passage only falling upon the point of Correction wherewith instruction is so necessarily joyned and with both meeknesse or teares that there may be good done It is part of the good wives commendation Shee looketh well to the wayes of her houshold l Vers 27. Shee keeps them in good order As shee doth her duty so shee lookes to it that they doe theirs as she is diligent so she will have them to be m 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Clem. Alex. Str. lib. 1. pag 201. she will not suffer an idle person in her house such an one consumeth like a Canker It was Luthers n Minus â—ocâ—t ignavus fâ—r quam sâ—gniâ— minister observation it is of use in higher matters A sloathfull Theefe who hath not the slight of conveyance is not â—imble that way doth lesse hurt then doth a negligent servant And it agreeth well with that wee read Hee that is slothfull in his worke is brother to him that is a great waster o Prov. 18. 9. An idle person is the barrenest piece of earth in the world Remember alwayes that wicked and sloathfull stand together in the same line p Matt. 25. 26. Acts 20 31. So now in this great point of houswifry thou hast heard thy duty which engageth thy Tongue First that it be apt to teach to instruct to warne and that with teares Secondly Thy eyes that they looke well to the wayes of thy houshold that there bee no backe-way of consuming nor bad way of gathering Thirdly Thy hand that it be open and diligent working the thing that is good else wee cannot doe good to others for the present nor in quietnesse and rest depend on a providence for afterwards This is the summe of what was last said And now drawing to a conclusion I will put all together Children and Servants for there is no difference in point of â—are and instruction and so read over once more for that is not said enough which is not learnt enough The chiefe point of thy charge which is this It is not enough to bee vertuous thy selfe but thou must teach others so to be * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Chrys in Ephes Hom. 21. thou must lead others along with thee in the same good way both children and servants and all by thy owne example to walke holily before God Wee cannot else expect they should walke righteously with man If they be unfaithfull in the great matters they cannot be faithfull to thee in small so as thou canst orderly expect a blessing upon them or from their labours If thou sufferest them to steale from the Lords service especially on the Lords day to give unto thy service or their owne pleasures They are Sacriligious to their Master in heaven they cannot be trusty to their Master on earth Therefore here looke well to thy selfe and them Considering still that there is right government where Christs government is set up and maintained * See Chrysost in Gen. cap. 16 â— Where his service hath the prime and most honourable place both in the house and heart then things are done decently and in order Herein indeed is the beauty of society and nothing is more beautifull then a family thus ordered and then Persons so ordering This order in thy family shall gaine thee the commendations which they had whose Praise is in the Gospel that is praise indeed and worth the having it is the praise from God and goodmen And a family so ordered will be the Church in thy house which is the honourable title the Apostle gives to some families in a very bad time And this like a comely Nurcery sends forth hopefull plants to the City and Countrey Church and Common-wealth And as this Nurcery is maintained so are they supplyed for from this fountaine of society two in one house arise families and from them Common-wealths And now we have againe the blocke in our way though we have remooved it before I know well that a family may be so governed as we heard and as it should be It is required that these two in one house should bee one in one house with one soule with one mind with one heart serving the Lord. This blessing and gift from above for a good husband as a good prudent wife are both the gift of God and a speciall favour q Singulari modo Trem. Prov. 19. 14. Chap. 18. 22. my prayer is that thou maist receive But if not thou hast heard thy charge and withall how patient thou must bee under that want Thou must waite when God will give Repentance and use all meanes that may hasten the same as the Common adversary doth our destruction and never dispaireth of it while there is place for hope as the Father sweetly and elegantly shewing the duty of Ministers But it concernes all in these Chrysost de Lazar Conc. 1. â— cases wives especially that the unbeleeving husband may be wonne by the chaste conversation of the wife and so I leave thee now and thy charge in this supposed condition as I would have thee and them under thee found thee sweetly commanding in the Lord and they willingly obeying and in the Lord still I leave thee I say in thy family like a little Common wealth r 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. A good housewife is an excellent ornament in an house she is a grace to her husband and her self In that house all rejoyce children in their mother husband in the wife the wife in children and husband all in God Clem. Alex. Pâ—d lib. 3. cap. 11 p. 183. revâ—rencing thy husband ruling thy Children commanding thy servants and all in and for the Lord which will finde thee worke enough to keepe thee waking in the season for it and to imploy the strength of thy parts and most pretious time and so both thy time and parts will be well spent in so behoovefull a service Now passe on to the last stage of our life which is old-Old-age CHAP. VII Old Age. Two periods thereof pressing to dutie both Comfort in death whence distilled AND now we are come like a ship from out of the maine Sea of the world which lyeth open to stormes and gusts and rideth at Anchor under the Leeside where the passengers may looke out and see their harbour Wee must now doe in the first place as Sea-faring men should doe in such cases they tell what they saw and what they felt even His wonders in the deepe and they declare these workes of the Lord with rejoycing Å¿ Psal 107. 22. So they who are brought safe to this port or stage of time
once death hath made its last conquest over the Body in that very instant Time the soule enters into a condition never to be altered it enters into eternity a gulfe of Time which all the figures in Arithmeticke cannot fill up For when we have reckoned a thousand thousand yeares we Read Drexelius 4. 2. have not the fewer remaining We are swallowed up in the thought of Eternity as a drop in the Ocean It is not possible to finde any bottome there we want a thought to measure it but if we should thinke of it to purpose we should be well advised what we doe or say I know there are some who send their prayers and their praises after Soules departed But all helpes no more then doth the crying after a Bowle rub or runne now throwne out of the hand The hand sets the Bias and gives the bowle an impression and where the strength of that impression ceaseth there the Bowle lyeth all our running aâ—â— calling and crying helpes nothing at all but to evidence clearely as the Anticke and ridiculous trickes of the Bowler so the vanity and unprofitablenesse of our after labours now that the soule is departed For then it is night with the Soule in respect of any further worke the pit is open where there is no praise Then it either rests from his labour or is restlesse in paine There teares are wiped of or else they begin never to have end Weeping for evermore And this I note in passage that when we speake of Death we may be serious It was well answered by a Father to his Sonne who being Crossed in his humor wished hee were dead learne first what it is to live he that so lightly wisheth to dye is as he that flyeth from an yron weapon and a bow of steele striketh him through as Iob speaketh l Job 20. 24. Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord to what end is it for you m Amos 5. 18. â—er 48. 48. 43. 44. The day of the Lord is darknesse and not light as if a man did flee from a Lyon and a Beare meet him c. So the Prophet reprooved those who were dispisers of Gods Words and Workes and scoffed at His judgements It may instruct us to sobriety that we doe not for the avoyding of an inconvenience runne into a mischiefe It is dangerous to live in discontent to dye in it or to wish so to do is much more dangerous We ought to wish rather we may live and to count it a great mercy that we are spared till we can give a better account of our Time and are better fitted to dye Death indeed is the Churches portion and part of her joynture All are yours n Cor. 3. 21. 22 23. and amongst those severall parcels Death is yours and therefore it may be wished for and desired as lawfully as a Childe may desire to goe to bed or to his Father For the nature of Death is changed to the godly It is harmelesse now and hath lost its venome It is a passage to a better place a gate to Glory It is the accomplishment of Mortification and the end of labour Thus death is but not in its owne nature so it is a destroying hostile thing and so to our nature the most terrible of all Terribles And therefore not to be desired till we are assured that both the nature thereof and our nature also is changed And then also our desires must not be immoderate we must not long for it nor rejoyce exceedingly when we can finde the grave o Job 3. 21 22. This argueth too much shortnesse of spirit and some impatience under Gods Hand and more unwillingnesse then becometh to waite upon Him any longer we must patiently waite Gods Time remembring Eternity is a space long enough for God to shew mercy unto His when their faces shall waxe pale no more they shall rest for ever And therefore no matter if yet longer they waite His Time and abide His pleasure though with some griefe and paine to the flesh pleasures at His right Hand for evermore will abundantly recompense what ever pressures are from below But whether we dye sooner or later it is then safe dying when we can yeeld up our spirits as David did and with the same confidence Into thine Hand I commit my Spirit p Psal 31 5. Thou hast redeemed me O Lord God of Truth It is safe casting a mans selfe upon God when he can say as Paul did whose I am and whom I serve q Acts 27. 23. We may then wish for Death when with old Simeon we can with the Armes of faith claspe and embrace Christ the fountaine of life Now lettest Thou thy Servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seene thy Salvation Then there is a peaceable departure when the soule hath such a vision And therefore pray thou and pray againe that the Lord would spare thee yet and yet longer till by a conscionable improvement of life health strength peace ordinances corrections also c. Thou hast got some good assurance certaine and stable That do depart henee is much better for thou shalt be ever with the Lord whose Thou art and whom Thou servest And which is the second lesson do not trifle away time nor delay here in a matter of so great consequence Let me remember here for we cannot think of any thing more to our purpose how the learned Knight complaineth of and convinceth the true unhappinesse of our condition and the dark ignorance which covereth the eyes of our understanding we onely saith he prize pamper and exalt Hist of the World 1 Book chap. 2. sect 3. p. 24. See preface pag. 19. this vassall and slave of Death and forget altogether the imprisoned immortall soul till the soul be going from out of one prison into another for when is it that we seriously think of death when examine we the great account which then we are to give up Never while we have one vanitie left us to spend we plead for titles till our breath fail us digge for riches whiles our strength enableth us exercise malice while we can revenge and then when time hath beaten from us both youth pleasure and health and that Nature it self hateth the house of old age we remember with Iob that we must go the Job 10. 21. and 17. 13. way from whence we shall not return and that our bed is made ready for us in the dark and then I say looking over late into the bottom of our conscience which pleasure and ambition had locked up from us all our lives wee behold therein the fearfull images of our actions past and withall this terrible inscription That God will bring every Eccles 12. 14. work into judgement that man hath done under the Sun But what examples have ever moved us what perswasions reformed us or what threatnings made us afraid we behold other mens Tragedies plaid before us
not in giving him too much ease or feeding him too daintily Let it appeare thou hast laid up store against thy yeares come and now they are come thou canst welcome them and art glad they are come but doe not make too-much of them in giving them too much ease I may warne thee of it againe for Old Age is very craving very importunate that way though they may be importunate If thou yeeldest to a lithernesse and a listnesses whereto Old Age inclineth us very much and so to spare thy body thy activenesse will decay more in one moneth then otherwise it would in twelve It s observable what the Heathen y Nos sumus qui nullis annis vacationem damus canitiem galea premimus c. Senec. de otio sapientis cap. 29. said and it may instruct Christians We allow no vacation to our long tearme of yeares we can put an head-peice upon our hoary scalp We will rest when we are dead life is for action Keep then thy body in breath and in ure with exercise else it will quickly grow unprofitable and a Burden Vse strength and have it it is a sure proverbe and if ever we will use expedition it is then seasonable when gray haires are upon us It is dangerous to burne the Day-light and to trifle out this pretious time The putting off this day and the next and halfe a day cost the poore Levite and his Concubine very deare as we may read Iudges 19. The evening hasteth on a pace and the Sun is neare the setting now put on the more earnestly because night is comming and thou must to Bed in the darke now gather twice as much I meane now pray heare read twice as much For the great Sabbath is comming when thou lookest for ever to Rest for ever to be with the Lord. This Sabbath Day is comming which shall never have night Now gather spirituall Manna thy Homer full twice as much as formerly If in thy youth thou didst by hearing reading conference c. gaine thirty-fold now gaine sixty Now bestirre thy selfe and put to all thy strength for the laying in store of provision in this thy day that thou mayst rejoyce in that great Day the Day of the Lord or the particular Day of thy Death Let it appeare thou art going out by the clearnesse of thy light and that the night is comming by the hasting of thy pace It is strange to consider what old men have done and how fit they have been for the best actions I meane of the minde I know outwards must decay because they kept their minde like a bow so they said alwayes bent I forbeare to put them down here The holy Scripture Heathen Authors our own observation doth reckon up not a few But remember still that there are none recorded in the sacred Register after the terme of life was shortened for old men but their old age was a crown unto them being found in the way of righteousnes z Senibus vita productior à dâ—o â—â—ibuta est in eum finem ut insiginum aliquâ—rum operum in Ecclesiae suae emolumentum â—gâ—na essent Mardochaeus ad liberaudam Ecclesiam sub Artaxerxe vixit annos 198. Jehoshua ut populum è Babylone â—um Esdra Zorobabele reduceret vixit annos 130. Philo Ammianus in breviario temporum Tobit senior ut populi calamitas sub Salmanasaâ—e â—evaret vixit annos 158. Eâ ipâ—â de causa Tobit junior vixit annos 127. Judith ad libeâ—andam patriam sub Holoferne vixit annos 105. Sâ—â—â—us Senensis Bibliothec. lib. 8. They that are planted in Gods house bring forth much fruit in their age He that is fruitlesse in his latter yeares may be much suspected how he spent the former But I am sure there can be little comfort in it It is a sad thing to be an old man in yeares and a childe in understanding To grow like a Leeke greene fresh and lively towards the earth â—â—ag and saplesse upwards towards heaven To have the eye of the body dim and the eye of the soule as dim To have the body bending towards its earth and the spirit no more elevated To have one foot in the grave and the other tending to the place of utter darknesse To have the outward man quite decayed and the inward dead or fainting To be hasting toward the pit and to have the heart within like a stone A dying spirit in a dying body what a woefull conjunction is this I consider thy sex childe and thy charge but whatever it be thou wast never so fit as now thou shouldest be to serve it Now admonition correction instruction counsell all are in season before they might be suspected Now thou hast the advantage of all thy former past dayes and every following day is the disciple of the preceeding day a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pâ—â—d ol od 1 Here is Master after Master and lesson upon lesson thou art a very bad proficient if thou art not now an old Disciple b Acts 21. 16. I shall never examine thee upon this point but be assâ—red He that numbers out thy yeares unto thee will take an account of thee how thou hast spent them what provision thou hast laid up for their coming what store thou hast treasured up against a deare yeare against a time of spending Old-age is like our winter a time of expence we must get and lay up in youth what we must use and lay out in age c Juveni parandum Seni utendum Senec. And here we must use the more diligence because it is not with man in his winter as with the earth the trees and fruits thereon in theirs If they look dead and saplesse in their winter the Sunne will return unto them and renew their face they will spring out again but man decayeth and reneweth not he must not look in a naturall way to renew his youth like an eagle If the Lord hath lengthned out thy span and thread of life unto old-age thou must needs say the Lord hath been gracious and full of patience to thee ward and then thy heart must needs answer Render again praise and obedience to Him that is so good unto thee So thou wouldest expect from thy childe from thy servant so a Prince from his Subject Great favours are great engagements between man and man betwixt God and man much more for He is the fountain and well-head of mercies The mercie which man sheweth is but as a drop derived to us from that fountain Gods mercies are all strong cords to binde unto obedience which ever is the fruit of true thankfulnesse David said very much in a few words against Nabals churlishnesse Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow had in the wildernesse d 1. Sam. 25. 21 So David argued or rather reproved Nabals churlishnesse And had not Abigail seasonably stopped David in his way Nabal had heard more touching his
yet hath learnt so much as hath been said That the Lord giveth wisdome that His word or law instructs to discretion This mans case is not to be despaired of though it be towards the last houre for while breath is within the nostrils for ought we know there is a doore of grace and mercy open But yet this is a very sad and lamentable case For the longer a man walks on in the wayes of ignorance the more unwilling and unable he will be to return and be reformed custome in sinning exercising still more and more tyranny his understanding will be more darkned his judgement more perverted his will more stubborn his memorie more stuffed with sensuall notion his affections will become more rebellious his thoughts more earthly his heart more hardened his conscience more seared And so much considering the season that gray hairs are mingled with the black no time for delay now when before it be long there shall be no more time We must account that the long suffering of the Lord is salvation t 2. Pet. 3. 15. And let the conclusion hereof be an earnest prayer to the God of all grace that as His promise was unto His Church to v Joel 2. 25. restore the yeares that the locusts had eaten the Cankerworm and the Caterpiller So he would restore unto us the yeares which the ignorance of childehood the vanities of youth the negligence of age have consumed There is another period of this age the burden whereof is II. labour and sorrow Barzillai lived to those yeares full fourescore and what saith he I x 2. Sam. 19. cannot taste what I eat or what I drink a question in the sacred tongue is a strong affirmation I heare not the voice of singing wherefore then should thy servant be yet a burden how long have I to live a question we should often put to our selves which would answer all solicitations from the world and flesh and put them to silence how long have I to live That is how very short is the remnant of my mortalitie yet a very little while y 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 10. 37. and I must hence what should I think of now but of my death and of my grave what are pleasures or earthly contentments unto me so feelingly spoke that old man The many decayes infirmities that accompany this age are fully set down by the preacher Eccles 12. Amongst those many one expression there is very full and significant as our English renders it verse 5. The grashopper shall be a burden In the Originall the words imply no more but the curvature of the back which with men of such yeares stands bent like a Grashopper and that makes an old mans gate the more burdensome The words may imply also according to the common construction that every thing even the lightest to an old man is burdensome If he creep up to his bed and down from it though to repaire his decayes yet even this is burdensome even delights to others to him are tiresome he takes no delight in the Grashopper nay it is a burden that is saith Tremellius that pleasant season of the yeer when we heare the Grashopper yeelds no pleasure to him none at all he hath quite lost his taste and relish now in those things which to others are pleasurable c. And yet if the grave meet us not in our way hitherto as commonly it doth before we come so farre and prevent our expectation it is larger in nothing then in the issue of this age and in the account we hope to give up at that time This is our greet folly For how bad stewards soever we have been of our fore-past time yet at this time we hope to lay our reckonings even and so to give up our account with joy Though we have turned from God all our dayes yet we have a sure and certain hope in our conceit that we shall turn unto Him and He will turn unto us at this time when indeed we are not able to turn our selves upon our bed And naturally for it is but Nature seeking its own preservation naturally I say and usually men do make fair offers essayes and promises this way at such a time as this when they see themselves dropping into the grave But we must note as one before us and for our use z B. Andrews on Psal 78. verse 34. that this time is the time when all Hypocrites Atheists tag and rag come in and seek Him For who is it that will not look out for a dwelling when he sees his old house dropping down upon his head Who will not cry out for mercy mercy when he seeth the doore shutting upon him and if he speaks not now he must hold his peace for ever Who will not desire that earnestly to live for ever with the Lord now that he sees he must die So true it is that this is the time when all even the worst of all do seek unto God and will turn unto Him But we must note also that this is not our time nor is it the time when God usually opens unto us 1. It is not our time to seek when we are not in case to seek any thing else It is not our time to turn to Him when we are not able to turne our selves in our bed not our time to rise earely to seek Him so we must if in an ordinary way we look to finde Him when we are not able to rise at all not our time to enquire after Him when breath faileth us and we are not able to speake three words together What ever our words are and â—ow pious soever whatever offers we make towards heaven it will be suspected to be slavish and extorted for feare of the Pale horse and that which follows It is not to be doubted but at such a pinch as this something we would say and something we would do which might do our selves good But what or how can we do to purpose when our strength is gone our spirits spent our senses appaled the shadow of death upon our eyes This time is not our time 2. Nor is it Gods time to heare In the Law the Lord forbad that torne flesh should be offered unto Him it was allotted for the dogs a Exod. 22. 31. Mal. 1. v. 13. But such a like sacrifice are our prayers and our praises at such a time as this as torne flesh broken divided and interrupted they must needs be when our heart within us is as Lead and our sighes beat as thick as a swift pulse The Lord ever refused the torne blind and the lame for a sacrifice It was not beseeming our Governour b Mal. 1. v. 8. a man like our selves In case to Him it was offered he would not accept of the same much lesse will God accept our torn divided sacrifice our refuse our Lees or dregs bottome dotage That which was dogs meat that
which our selves and friends are weary of We had a male in our flock that is we had strength of body and minde and then of that best or male we should have offered unto the Lord But now that our best or male is spent now that we have cast away our precious stock of time and parts upon the service of sinne and Satan how can we now thinke that our torne blinde and lame sacrifice can be accepted how can we think the Lord will accept a corrupt thing against which He hath denounced a curse c Mal. 1. 14. It is not the Lords time He heareth not those persons who d Prov. 28. 9. Prov. 1. turn away their care from hearing his Law we must heare God first if we look that God should heare us at the last If He cryeth and He cannot be heard We shall cry and we shall not be heard for the Lord hath spoken it more then once e Zach. 7. 13. Quid enim justius c. Sal. De Gob. lib. 3. pag. 86. Non aâ—divimus non audimur ibidem All our stretching and crying and howling will be in vain We should have stretched and inclined our eares and have lifted up our voice on high when Gods time and ours was I mean the ordinary time that he hath appointed to be called upon and we are commanded to seek Him in What time is that it is called the Day of Salvation the acceptable Day And when is that time The Apostle answers Now is the accepted time now is the Day of Salvation now this present time f 1 Cor. 6. 2. And it is but a day Time is all the yeare long but your sowing time and your reaping time both these have their seasons Time is all the day long but tide-time hath See first Part. pag. 71. its appointed houre and we observe it as the poore man the stirring of the water Now this present time while the male is in the flock while breath is and strength is while the season is of knocking and opening Now is the time when we must seeke Now the time when God usually opens There is a pretty fiction touching the shell-fish and the Serpent And because it instructs us touching a speciall point of practise we thus read it The Shell-fish and the Serpent sometime lived together and conversed the Shell-fish very harmelesly with the Serpent the Serpent very crookedly with the Shell-fish After many faire means and thereby prevailing nothing the Shell-fish watched his opportunitie and while the Serpent slept gave him a blow on the head which is deadly The Serpent feeling himself wounded to death began to stretch out himself it is the manner of all creatures so to do but most remarkable in the Serpent because he lyeth in a ring and goeth in folds or doubles The Shell-fish observing the Serpent so stretching out and straightning himselfe told him Thou shouldest have done so before Thou shouldest have walked even and straight with Me when we conversed together so it might have benefitted thee but now nothing at all This is a fiction but it tels us our folly in good eatnest and instructs us in a speciall point of wisdome we have this property of the Serpent we are content to walk crookedly all our life in the crooked wayes of sinne and Death our owne wayes and we doubt not but to make all straight and even when we dye But ordinarily it profiteth us not our Thoughts deceive us and that is a fruit of our folly Our wisdome is to set all straight and even before hand to put our soules in order and our feete in straight pathes while there is yet Time this hath been the wisdome of the Saints If we read the sacred Register we shall observe all along That they whose yeares are numbred to be many were fruitfull in their lives and faithfull in their Deaths their Old age was their crowne of glory for it was found in the way of righteousnesse And for that great and waighty worke Their setting their house in order Their making all straight and even This was not a worke to be done then when strength and heart and breath faileth but already done When they came to that point there was no more to be done but to close the eye and fall asleep quietly in the Lord. Remember Lord said that good King when death was in his eye Remember how I have walked in truth g 2 Kin. 20. 3. how I have done the thing which is good in thy sight He assureth and giveth large testimony touching the Time past I have I have It was not large promises concerning the time to come when it was threatned That time should be no more as the manner of the most is I will doe thus and thus hereafter if thou wilt be pleased to spare me now many have said so and so promised and recovered and falne backe strangely to commit greater abominations For that is a Time as the learned Knight noteth h Hist. of the world 2. B. Chap. 3. Sect. 4. pag. 212. When we remember God perforce and when we stand upon no condition with Him It was not what he would doe but what he had done Remember Lord how I have walked how I have done I have sought a good fight I have kept the faith i 2 Tim 4. 6 7. said Paul the Aged when the time of His departure was at hand That is not a time to fight when commonly the heart faints the head is light the backe pained the sides weakned that is the time to have the Crowne put on which we have so long striven after a Time to have our sanctification perfected which before we have heartily laboured in It is not the Time to fight but to overcome and to be more then conquerers I have fought that good fight I have kept the faith When when was Paul such a Champion so valiant for the Truth contending for the Faith and keeping it when was this when his bow abode in strength then he played the Soldier so fighting so contending And hence Pauls ground of confidence Henceforth there is laid up for me a crowne Thus touching the wisdome of the Saints They have understanding of the times And they know what they ought to doe k 1 Chron. 12. 32. that is they doe all in season Two lessons I shall draw hence for the Childs use and instruction and then anend First from hence I would give warning and put in a Caveat against some bold and presumptuous words and for ever hereafter prevent them We heare some and it is ordinary To wish for Death in a Passion before they have well thought of it and prepared for it if we may beleeve them they are well content to dye in a discontent They wish for that which they never before thought of in sobriety and good earnest Know they what they say doe they consider what death is and the consequence of the same when