Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	age_n	life_n	old_a	5,148	5	5.6715	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45553	A looking-glasse of hvmane frailty set before us in a sermon preached at the funerals of Mris. Anne Calquit, late wife of Mr. Nicholas Calquit, draper, who died on the 7. day of April 1659 and was interr'd the 19. of the said month, at the parish church of Alhallows the Less in Thames Street / by Nath. Hardy ...	Hardy, Nathaniel, 1618-1670.	1654 (1654)	Wing H729; ESTC R333	18,668	40

the severall clauses and accordingly I shall begin with the particular exemplification and that As it is set down absolutely in those words Thou hast made my dayes as an hands bredth wherein the Psalmist layeth downe a double assertion the one concerning himselfe My dayes are as an hands bredth the other concerning God Thou hast made 1. David affirmeth his dayes to be as an hands bredth by which metaphor I conceive two things are intended 1. An hands bredth is a determinate measure The time of life is set The Vulgar Latine reads it mensurabiles dayes which may be measured that argueth Tempus finitum that this life is finite our dayes are both numerabiles and mensurabiles such as may be numbred and measured as being finite But dies palmares which is the true reading of the originall goeth further in that his dayes are said to be as an hands bredth it noteth not only Tempus finitum but definitum such a time as shall end but the end whereof is fixed so true is that of Job Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth 2. Chiefly an hands bredth is a short measure and so is the time of life St. Hierome understands it so and therefore reads it expresly breves Indeed both the words here used serve to illustrate this truth 1. The Psalmist doth not say my years or my months are as an hands bredth but my dayes which next to hours is the shortest dimension of time Those sacred Annals the Books of Chronicles are called in the Hebrew words of dayes for this reason probably to intimate the short lives of the Kings of Israel and Judah which are there recorded The truth is the singular number may serve to represent mans life which is but one day the prosperous life a Sun-shining the afflicted a rainy day the long life a summers and the short a winters day some have only a morn and breakefast others stay till noon and dine the eldest live but till evening and sup in this world all must go to bed in the grave when the night of death commeth 2. But that which is principally intended is the measure of those dayes which is not an ell or a yard or a cubit the length of an arm or an elbow no nor yet the length but only the bredth of an hand nor is this affirmed of one particular day by it selfe but of all his dayes together the whole time of his life Thus as Parrhasius when he had drawn Cyclops asleep on a little table the placeth Satyres about him measuring his thumb with a long stalk to expresse the greatnesse of his stature so here the Psalmist to set forth the shortnesse of his life brings in God as it were measuring it with an hands bredth That you may yet more fully discern the fitnesse of the resemblance it will not be amiss to observe a distinction of a double handbredth The one greater which is the whole space between the top of the thumb and the little finger when the hand is expanded it is in account near twelve inches and is called a span The other lesser which is only the bredth of the four fingers and those not distant from but closed one to the other The former of these is by the Greek called {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} and that is the word here used by Symmachus the later is called {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} and that is the word used by the Seventy Indeed in some copies it is {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} old dayes which may admit of a good construction to this purpose as old garments are quickly worn out so are our dayes But doublesse the best reading as agreeing with the Hebrew is {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} which signifieth the lesser hands bredth so that what Anacharsis said of Sea-men is upon this account true of all men there is but the space of four fingers between them and death Indeed this metaphor may very justly take in the whole latitude of life which men attain in this world the four fingers bredth representing the four ages of man to wit Childhood Youth Manhood Old age the life of a childe is scarce an inch of an old man but a span of the one it may be said his dayes are but a fingers bredth and of the other it can but be said his dayes are as an hands bredth 2. Having taken this view of dies palmares the measure of our dayes which is an handbredth it will be requisite to consider the Tuposuisti who it is that hath made our dayes such and the foregoing verse informeth us that it is Jehovah the Lord to whom David directeth there his prayer and here his complaint My times saith this holy man elsewhere to God are in thy hands that is at his dispose so much Abraham intended by the phrase when he saith to Sarah concerning Hagar behold thy maid is in thy hands do with her as pleaseth thee Thus were Davids times in Gods hands to appoint the continuance of them according to the pleasure of his own will yea Job speaking of man indefinitely saith his dayes are determined the number of his months are with thee thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot passe He that hath set bounds to the Sea hither to it shall go and no further hath appointed limits to mans life Thus long he shall live and no longer Our Saviour said to his Disciples the hairs of your head are numbred and surely then the dayes of our life are numbred and if the sparrow fall not to the ground much lesse doth a man without the Father by whose providence all things are ordered and consequently all mans dayes are appointed so true is this of the Psalmist Thou hast made my dayes as an hands bredth To close up this with a double meditation 1. Since God hath made our dayes as an hands bredth let us be content they should be so not murmuring at the brevity either of our own or others lives we are apt with Jonah to say we do well to be angry when like his gourd our life or the life of any of our friends quickly withereth but this holy mans practice is far better and ought to be our pattern who saith in this Psalm I was dumb and opened not my mouth because thou didst it The more to enforce this lesson of contentation in this respect upon us consider 1. It is not in thy power to make them longer no not an hairs bredth then this hands bredth which of you saith our Saviour by taking thought can add one cubit to his stature I may add or one day to his life Indeed a prudent care of prolonging our dayes is commendable as because God requireth it so because the time how long we shall live is unknown to us but an impatient anxiety in respect of life's shortnesse is foolish since it maketh our life