weaker Christians That you both may grow in Grace and especially in the Life of Believing and be found still in the exercise of those good Works as the Lord shall enable you of Gospel Hospitality of entertaining Prophers and Saints though strangers and exiles with your liberality and bounty to the poor Saints and People of God and that under that very consideration and denomination without more private and narrow respects that you with all your faults and you with all your fears may be presented blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and When your little time is expired in this troublesome restless Earth whereas a Man uncannot find a place to set his foot easily be safely landed in unconceivable and immense Eternity shal be the constant Prayer vvhilst time lasts of Your Faithful true Friend in Him that is true T. H. To my loving Friends the Members and Hearers of that Congregation which I stand related to as Minister Dearly beloved Friends IT would seem strange if I should leave you out in this affair since what is here published was Preached among you and they were your Sermons in the Preaching I have not much to Communicate to you in this manner having so many sfeasons of speaking to you blessed be God or the continuance of them only meeting with this fair opportunity I cannot but make mention of that Universal and continued Affection I have met with from you since the Lord by his Providence brought me among you I cannot likewise but take notice to the praise of our Lord and your incouragement of that union Love and moderation there is among you notwithstanding some difference in apprehension your soundness and stedfastness in the Faith of the Gospel your zeal and Love to the Name Honour Offices and standing Ordinances of the Lord Jesus in this Age wherein he hath so many sorts of Enemies appearing against him your peaceable dispositions together with your readiness to suffer for rather than run from the discharge of your Duties and Consciences towards God when Persecution and trouble threatned you c. Let me exhort you to Bless the Lord for and improve your present liberty pray that those whom the Lord hath made to see it their interest not to fall out with Religion may come to see it their chief concern to fall in with it prepare for worse times and endeavour to see your own sins to be the procuring cause of them make trial what influence the right measuring and spending of time will have upon the power of Godliness which is so much decayed Be careful to grow in Grace and go on as it is your true desire to strengthen Christianity yet more in its more principal and vital parts keeping up Communion with God in serious meditation and servant Prayer giving Religion an honourable and chief respect in your Families daily renewing Acts of Faith and Repentance watching carefully over the Tongue looking well to the Hand 's that they over-reach not nor withhold more than is meet to the feet and conversations that they be preserved without grieving and offending slips and falls c. Finally pray for me earnestly that I may approve my self a Work-man that need not be ashamed If you would feel my Sermons let me feel your Prayers and be helpt by them I shall conclude with that needful admonition Revel 16.15 From which I have lately Discoursed largely to you Behold I come as a thief blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his Garments lest he walk naked and men see his shame That you may stand compleat in all the will of God and be kept by his Power through Faith unto Salvation is the constant prayer and through Divine assistance shall be the Hearty Endeavour of Your faithful though unworthy Servant in the Work of the Gospel T. H. To Young Men. THis little piece may be of use to you to carry in your pockets and read a few lines in it every day you that think your time is before you may yet have out-lived and left your season behind you You have had many powerful Sermons Preached to you many excellent Treatises dedicated to you many servent Prayers put up to the Lord on your behalf many loud calls and grave admonitions from God your Parents Masters and Relations and if you could but see your time to be pretious it would make all effectual for the welfare of your Souls and Bodies your true Honour here and Glory hereafter Are not you found sometimes in the practice of some things for which the Lord of time never created any time save a reckoning time can you rationally conceive that God ever made any time for Idleness for Drinking for Gaming for vain sporting and pleasure for dancing for frothy or filthy communication for unruly passions or any uncomely behaviour I shall only recommend those two known words of Solomon Rejoice at your utmost peril and Remember for your unspeakable benefit The Lord help you to give to him your early and morning time and strength he will take it kindly and reward you Honourably Farewel A PREFACE TO THE READER Christian Reader IF the shortness swiftness and importance of time were well weighed what a change should we see in the World That Men may make truer and better measures of it than they have done is the honest design of this small Treatise I have sometimes thought that if persons would consider their words before they speak them and view their Actions before they do them and value their time before they lay it out what examplary Christians would they be found Thou wilt find herein some account of that expression of Job Man that is born of a Woman is of few dayes and full of trouble some discoveries of that large influence the right numbring of our dayes has upon true Godliness in all the parts of it the Discourse is calculated in an special manner for such sincere Souls as more affect matter than phrase who desire to know only that they may practise and place happiness not in speaking hearings or knowing but in doing and therefore I have gone in a plain and familiar way consulting the weakest capacities What good fruit should we bring forth if we laid this ground that the pleasures of sin and worldly grievances are but for a season what good seed would be sown for our Eternal welfare and being in the World to come I could tell thee of strange effects which the true consideration of the transitoriness of this Life the certainty of Death together with the duration of Eternity hath had upon Men to put them upon laying up a good foundation for time to come I would take the liberty to recommend unto thee one or two passages of a story made use of by an eminent Minister long since with God which together with some other remarkable observation and hints of his which I have quoted in the following work were communicated to me by a good
Bowels and causes me to make Faces and groan and cry out What is the Sins name what do you call that Iniquity of mine that has laid me under this great distress is not the name of it Self-Love Back-sliding falling from the Fear of God decay of love to God unprofitablness under the means I have heard that such kind of seed does use to bring forth Friut with such a taste or may not the Name of it be Love of the World Covetousnes or may it not be Idolatry have not I set up something or other in my Affections and esteem above God have not I made an Idol of some comfort for I hava read that God is very jealous of his Glory and cannot endure that any thing should be in the throne of the Heart equal to him much less above him and upon this account I have know a him sometime Kill a Child in the Mothers bosom a Wife in the Husbands bosom an Husband in the Wifes bosom to the amazement and astonishment and even overwhelming of the survivor and all this because he was robbed of that love he ought to have had and he will not give his Glory to another if the living have been the Idol the Dead shall he thy punishment Those that have trusted in their Wealth and the abundance of their Riches that have pleased and prided themselves in them he has all on a sudden sent his Serjeants and distreined and recovered all from them by Fire or Water or Thieves or that little moth his secret curse and blasting those that have lived carelesly and wantonly he has brought them to Pinching Peverty some the Lord paies with ready Money and lets them see their Fruit assooh as ever they have sown their seed let me not think therefore to want my troubles daily while I am committing sin daily there is none that lives and sinneth not the Righteous Man falls seven times a day into sin and let him not wonder if he get as many hurts as falls Moses and Aaron were Men as holy as the most yet what sais the Psalmist Thou wast a God that forgavest them though thou tookest vengeance on all their inventions they had their crooked Affections their daily Infirmities their continued Irregularities for which the Lord thought fit to give them daily correction and chastifement and this was consistent enough with his forgiving them for therefore they were chastned that they might not be condemned with the World and so instead of a daily correction have incurred Eternal destruction To conclude this wonder not at Suffering whilst you see sinning They that Plow Iniquity and sow Wickedness reap the same if you see the Corn come up in rank clusters you conclude the seed has fallen too plentifully there Reason 2. The Lord fills our dayes with trouble for Discipline and the Exercise of Grace if the Sea was not rough Grace would be becalmed there would be no motion Faith Hope Self-denial Mortification c. cannot live but in hard and rough and stormy Weather the more tempeltuous the Sea is the better Faith works Faith has but little employment where there is much enjoyment No Grace honours God so much as Faith doth and the exercise of it and nothing gives Faith that exercise as trouble doth The Ships are safest in the Harbour and the Seamen quiet and out of danger in their Beds at home But there is nothing to be gotten and they may starve at home unless they venture forth to Sea How canst thou trust God when thy Cupboard is full thy Barns and Garners full it's true thou mayest and ought to exercise Faith then in acknowledging God and depending upon the goodness and blessing of God in the enjoyment of them and using them in his fear but the exercise of Faith is much more difficult and much less visible in such a condition Faith that is seen is not Faith till the Stream be dryed up thou canst not so well take thy fill of the Fountain When the water in the Bottle is spent then the Well is best seen and discovered see Hab. 3.17 18. No such rejoying in God as when we have nothing else to rejoyce in no such Grape as the Wilderness-Grape God tastes the sweetest when the World is the most bitter so Repentance and Mortification will go on the most prosperously when the occasions and means and supports of Lust and Corruption are removed Sensuality is sooner curbed by want than by plenty and Pride better checkt by disgrace than Honours and a wandring vain perverse Spirit sooner brought down by sickness and pain than by health and the love of the World delight in it designs for it are more easily mortified by continual losses and crosses and fastings than by successes encrease and prosperous returns we shall more readily be brought to believe on God alone when we can see nothing but him the life of Sense and the life of Faith are quite contrary the one to the other Take a Christian that hath lived in a quiet serene calm and undisturbed condition for some years never meeting with any considerable trouble Take another that hath still been exercised with variety of afflictions almost never without some great distress upon him in one kind or another let them both have been under the same means of Grace and advantages in that kind compare these two Christians together and you will find how much the Weather-beaten Saint will excel the other in Liveliness Fervency Zeal Faith Humility yea even in a Spirit and expressions of thankfulness there will be no compare between them Prosperity is clogging Adversity is cleansing it 's an harder matter to endure than to enjoy any one can lie upon a Feather-bed but every One cannot lie under an Hedg it 's more easie to love a Child than part with a Child to seek and possess than part with an estate to love a good Wife or Husband than to bury them all Honourable things are difficult things difficilia quae pulcra Wisdom is Honourable the experienced man is the Wise Man and he cannot be an experienced man that was never tried but in one conditions he that has travelled through all quarters that there is scarce a Country but he has been in hardly an Affliction but he has been under that 's the Man that 's Company for a Prince it 's worth sitting by such a Man to hear him discourse of his travels how he passed from one Region to another from one condition to another how loth he was to enter into it with what amazement he was received into it with what difficulty distress and anxiety of Spirit he passed on under it how many times he had almost fainted how wonderfully good and kind the Lord was to him how seasonably supports and supplies came in once and again what ebbings and flowings he passed through how when he vehemently cried out save me Master I perish presently the Lord Jesus appeared and said be not afraid it
old puritan one of his hearers One story relates the conversion of King Edwink about the year 600 together with his Kingdom which contained especially Yorkshire Thus a wise Courtier of his when he heard of a Christ that promiseth Eternal happiness was preached unto him reasoned with him This present life of our's O King sayes he in regard of the uncertain time that was before us and shall be after us is but like the flying of a Bird here through your entry in at one door and presently out at another whilst you and your Nobles in a stormy blustering day sit warm here about your Hall-fire the poor bird for small moment of time whilst she was in your entry felt not the cold and stormy weather but that was for a very short moment and presently she did but as it were dart through from storm to storm so this present life of our's is but a very short thing but a Bird's flight through your entry what went before and what follows after we utterly know not and therefore if this new Doctrine bring us any more certainty and after a short flight through this entry can tell us how and where we shall live happy for ever by all means let us imbrace it this was a great motive to his conversion as also of his People The other passage is of the Son of an Heathen Emperour whom his Father for fear he should turn Christian laboured by all means to keep from entertaining a thought of future happiness or of Death or of the shortness of this Worldl's pleasures lest hereby he should be driven to embrace the Christian Religion that promiseth after this Life an Happiness Inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in Heaven for us The Emperour that his Son should never think of any such future happiness cansed him to be brought up in a most Glorious Palace and attended there with gallant attendants fresh and comely and youthful and that he should never see nor ' bear of the miseries of this Life as Death old Age Sickness Poverty c. to the end that he should think of nothing but the present happiness afterwards the young Man desiring to recreate himself with going abroad his Father appointed that the officers should take order that all things irksome and unpleasant should be removed out of the way and that there should be nothing but Song and Musick and Danceing and delightful sights in his way but upon a time through the negligence of his Officers he espyed an old decayed writhen Man ready to drop into his Grave whereupon being somewhat moved he demanded what would become of that Miserable Creature Answer was returned that he should shortly Die and be Buried in the Earth and what shall all Men Die likewise saies he or some only nay all say they all must Die and within how many Years Eighty or an hundred at most and when he had heard this it would never out of his thoughts but still he was mourning out these Words and what shall Death also seize within such a time upon me shall I within such a time bid sarewel to all my pleasures why then Laughter than art mad and Mirth what dost thou and why should Madness be in my Heart whilst I live and after that go to the Dead and then to have a Living Dog to be better than I a Dead Lyon and thus his troubled Heart coursed him with these thoughts and would never let him res till Christianity brought him to a lively hope of that other Happiness Now it were good as this made him of a pagan a Christian so our Hearts would course us thus to make same of us that are Christians only in shew to be Christians in Power and to be Sanctified by the Spirit of Regeneration that when we fail we may be received into Everlasting Habitations what a Madness is it counted in the foot in the Gospel to say Soul set up thy Rest when he was removed before he bad well warmed his seat One of the Ancients tells a Story of one whom the World did strive as it were to make Happy he had an Healthful Body he had pleasant Friends fruitful Grounds good Succes s in all things and what else might make for his pleasure and yet was miserable because he feared still left all these might quickly have an end now he was well but he could not tell whether he might not be Sick ere to morrow now his Friends were Faithful but c. The Sea is not to be trusted no not when it smiles upon us in a moment it is all in a Storm and the same Day Ships are swallowed up there where they played at Anthor before How much does it concern us to learn the meaning of that Eccles 7.2 It is better to go to the House of Mourning than to the House of Feasting for that is the End of all Men namely Death and the Living will lay it to Heart At the sight of the Spectacle of Mortality we will happily begin to consider how vain all the Hopes and Purposes and Desires of Men here are that now at Death will have an End and thereupon begin to think of some more solid and enduring Heppines how shuld we Prize the Gospel our Religion that teach us how in this small pittance of time we may make good Provision for an Eternal and Everlasing state how should our Faith and Repentance and Holy Meditation and Communion with God and Heavenly Mindedness be furthered by this and whatever it is that hath a tendency to our well-being in the World that is to come which shall never have an End Consult Heb. 11.8 9 10. In the 32. of Ezekiel there are reckoned up the flourishing and mighty Kings and Kingdoms of the Earth Egypt and Elam c. and still it is added and expressed of them that though they cause their terrour in the Land of the living yet they are gone into the Nethermost Parts of the Earth though by our Greatness and Riches we may cause a little envy in the World by our Parts of body or mind beauty wit strength or policy cause a little admiration in the land of the living yet one Day ere long we shall go down into the nethermost parts of the Earth It 's said in the 27 ver of that Chapter That the mighty Men are laid in their Graves and their Swords Under their Heads the phrase as a Learned Man observes is borrowed from the Heathenish manner of burying their Warriours and great Worthies with their Weapons or Conquering Swords under their Heads the Wealthy ones that buy and sell and get gain shall be laid in the Grave with their Bags and Bonds and Evidences under their Heads they that Glory in Titles of Honour shall be laid in their Grave with their Coats and Scutcheons laid under their Heads the fair and beauteous that now rejoice in their fresh and lovely complexions shall
is I this dispensation has Love in it it is for thy good it wil not hurt thee be not so afrighted not an hair of thy Head shall perish by thy affliction thou shall lose nothing but what would have done thee harm to have kept how afterwards the Lord quieted composed and satisfied his Soul made him see how much need there was of such a severe Providence such a sharp Passage such a bitter Dispensation as also how much Love and Goodness there was in it which at first sight carried so much of the Face of enmity disturbance and destruction so that he comes to say this Affliction this Loss this great Trial though I thought at first I could not have born it yet I now see I could not have been without it as he said once I had been undone if I had not been undone I had perished if I had not perished and lastly how he no sooner had got through one Affliction but the Lord brought him to the borders of another he was no sooner Landed and safe in his Harbour but God bids him prepare for another Voy age in those dayes was Hezekiah seek unto Death see Isa 38.1 comp with 3 last verses of 37. cha To hear him tell you how gladly now he would have taken a little rest and was thinking surely he should now meet with no more Troubles so dismal when presently another messenger came to tell him that the Lord did intend to try him again the first chapter of Job did not conclude his combate and bid him make ready for a new on-set either in the same or another kind how he treated the Messenger and spake wisely and kindly unto him in such language as this it is but lately that my Lord laid an heavy and an amazing Affliction upon me it found me much unready and unprepared I did storm and rage at it I was as a Bullock unaccustomed to the Yoke I was cast down and dejected I did murmur and repine many an hard thoght had I of my maker and several unhandsom and unbecoming expressions came from me some that favoured of despair Oh I shall never have a comfortable day more my good dayes are gone better for me that I had never been Born than to live to see this Trouble why does the Lord let me live why does he not destroy me it would be an happiness for me if some would come and take a Knife and cut my throat its happy for them that are Dead they endure no such tormenting pain they sustain no such losses they know not tht meaning of such piercing Heart-breaking Sorrows c. But it plesed the Lord by degrees to bring me to more sober expressions he began to convince me that I had deserved a great dealmore it is a wonder I was out of Hell he set my sins in order before mine eyes and then I saw that he had Puhished me less than mine Iniquities did deserve that if I had my Due I should be in Endless Easeless and Remediless Torment and then I came to acknowledg him his Justice his Mercy and to fall down at his Feet he then began to speak some comfortable Words to me to give me a little reviving a little Faith and Hope in himself and to let me see his end and design ih Afflicting me he shewed me my work and my transgressions wherein I had exceeded he opened my ear to Discipline and commanded me to depart from Iniquity and now he has recovered me and made me to live in his sight if it be his pleasure to bring me into the fire again I know it is for the purging away of my Iniquity I desire I may not dishonour him and then let him do with me what he pleases I hope he will lay no more upon me than he will enable me to bear and then his will be done thus you see what great experience is to be got by Affliction how needful it is for the exercise of Grace Reason third The Lord fills our day with trouble for distinction sake that we may know Earth from Heaven and God from the Creature To Know the meaning of that text there remaineth therefore a rest for the People of God if it were not so we should be apt to say it is good being here There are two things the World is hardly brought to Believe First That quietness and peace and rest cannot be obtained here And Secondly That it is to be enjoyed hereafter and in himself Now it is impossible that we should ever meet with any full contentive good under Heaven if one could show me that which the Tempter shewed our Saviour even all the Kingdoms of the World and the Glory of them they are too beggarly a good to give content excellently to this purpose one of the Antients O Lord saies he thou hast made us for thy self and our Hearts cannot be at quiet till they come to rest in thy self I tumble and toss this way and that way upon Back and Belly this side and that side and every way to get a little ease and yet I find every thing to be hard and God is the only true Rest No satisfaction to he had from any thing here below look but upon the several Conditions of Men in City Court and Country and see if every one would not be a little higher a little Richer and a little bettered in estate or else what means their endless carking and caring what means so many hands working and Heads hammering about this thing and that thing there is not the veriest frock and apron but by little and little it would hirstle up to the Rob and Purple not the poorest Friars cowle but by step and step have at the Popes mitre This unsatisfied desiring of one thing after another which Is very troublesome and grieving the Preacher elegantly calls the walking of the desire better saies he is the sight of the Eyes that is the comfortable beholding and enjoying these things we have then the walking of the desire the rambling of it after the things we have not or as some render it the walking Soul a walking Soul is very uncomfortable to be haunted night and day with a Spirit of greediness and unsatisfiedness to have its company going out and coming in lying down and rising up nay to have disturbing and troublesome dreams too The Lord never intended that the world should be a quiet place do you know any place upon Earth that a man may go to have one day of rest and freedom from care and trouble within and without I would go many miles to see that place and enjoy such a Day he that kept the key of such a place would quickly heap up Treasures what flocking would there be thither from all quarters of all sorts of People you would see great numbers of Great-one and Noble-men posting thither The Apostle dehorts us from seeking things that are upon the Earth the reason is
how with safety to turn private man complained that fortune had set him a Cock-height and then took away the ladder that he could not come down when he would And above all Solomon that had so flourishing a Kingdom as the best and sought good so accurately and universally what might be that good for the Sons of Men which they would so fain lay hold of under the sun and what can the man do that comes after the King yet after all this search the sum is this all is vanity and vexation this is proof enough of my Doctrine if I had no other He went about to cause his Heart to despair of all the labour which he took under the Sun King's Palaces say that peace and quietness is not in them the Crown and Purple say they have not heard of it but on the contrary trouble and vexation and anguish and sorrow and enough of it why should we then not think that it is no-where to be found if great Men that have so many fences against Affliction cannot escape how shall poor infirm naked Men avoid the dint of it I remember an answer of one Apollonius Thyaneus to one who asked him whether he believed the story of the Cup made of an Unicorns-horn that he who should drink out of it should be priviledged from all Diseases wounds and poisons I will believe it saies he if I shall know that the King of the Country where the Unicorn lives shall be immortal and escape Death he thought if any then the King would procure that Cup and enjoy the Benefit so if there be any that could free their Dayes from trouble or so much trouble as others may have King 's and Great-ones would surely hit on it but we find it is quite otherwise The Doctrine standing thus clear with the grounds and reasons of it I come now to draw some Inferences from it Vse 1. In the first place I note this that every man thinks he has trouble enough and would not willingly bear more than he has take any man in the World and come to him what day you will chuse and what time of the day you will and say to him Sir do you want any trouble no saies he I have trouble enough if it be a duty I must take it though troublesome but cares and crosses I want none come to the King and say Sir do you want any trouble he will tell you he has enough of his own the Crown of gold has thorns in it every man you meet with if you would sit down and hear him he will give you a large catalogue of his griefs and tell you either of some inward trouble from the fear and sense of the wrath of God from the temptations and bufferings and assaults suggestions and injections of the wicked one or else arising from the corruption and deceitfulness of his own Heart or he will acquaint you with some outward trouble full of discontent it may be from Superiors by putting up many a wrong and injury at their hands from inferiours by back-biting slander and detraction from equals by much unsociable fallings out or being in every thing our rivals or emulous copemates to give us the check at every turn from Friends by unkind falling away or treacherous disclosing of secrets or failing in the time of need like Jobs friends For now ye are nothing saies he ye see my casting down are afraid My Brethren have dealt deceitfully with me as a brook and as the stream of brooks they pass away From enemies also by doing us as we look for no other all the despite they can from Wife or Husband by many frowns or unkind fits between them from servauts by common negligence and unfaithfulness c. And as from all sorts of People so in all sorts of conditions in the married estate discontents sometimes for want of Children but much more for having unthriving Children and little less from having good and hopeful ones sometimes untimely taken away or that they must leave such to the wide World without leaving any thing to such pretty Babes The married body hath discontents in being put to care for others and the single person is not without it that he hath none to care for him Masters complain of bad Servants and Servants think that Masters are very cross and froward see the Apostle Paul's Catalogue of his Troubles 2 Cor. 11.23 c. There is trouble in getting the World trouble in keeping it and trouble in parting with it I shall conclude this with that of the Wise-Man who spoke by experience and there 's nothing like it What hath Man of all his labour and of the vexation of his Heart wherein he hath laboured under the sun For all his dayes are Sorrow and his travel grief yea his Heart taketh not rest in the Night This is also vanity Vse 2. I note the goodness of God that seeing the day hath trouble enough he has so ordered it that trouble is but for a day if many dayes and many troubles met together it would be sad it s well that Dayes of trouble and extream misery are shortened In Hell there is a Life without end and trouble without end seeing it is sharp it is a comfort it is so short Vse 3. I note the great difference between this life and the Life to come many Dayes and full of joy for few Dayes and full of troubles In thy Presence is fulness of joy at thy right Hand are pleasures for evermore Vse 4. The great mistake of promising a better morrow if you have not the same trouble to morrow which you had to day you shall have another in the room of it and full as bad to morrow may not be and if it be it will not be better it is looked upon as great vanity and wickedness in them that said to Morrow shall be as this day and much more abundant Vse 5. The great Mercy of God that has been pleased to order suitable support and sufficient supply for the day As thy day is so shall thy strength be Vse 6. There is comfort in this that we canot expect a worse morrow more than enough cannot be fear of a worse makes this the worst The Lord will lay no more upon you than he will enable you to bear if thou shalt have burthen enough for thy bearing so thou wilt have strength enough for thy burden if thou hast but little trouble thou has but little strength and the burden is enough for thy strength so if thou hast great troubles thou hast proportionable strength and so the strength is enough for the burden To conclude this Text my care will not make to morrow's trouble less and therefore why should it make this day's trouble more I am resolved to part with a great many thoughts and cares which have been very chargeable to maintain have eaten up my strength and comfort and I have got
of the Spirit after them that they fell not a whit short of Heaven what wrestling was there then of Faith what strugling then of hope what working and striving of patience then thou came to know effectually the meaning of those Scriptures Hope maketh not ashamed we are saved by hope in patience possess ye your Souls thou then felt more charity more bowels more compassion more fellows-feeling of others troubles then thou came to know better the meaning of that Text which perhaps in thy fair Dayes thou never considered so much Remember them that are in Adversity as being your selves also in the Body having paslible weak Bodies subject to all the like miseries which you see in others and what the Preacher intended when he exhorts to give a portion to seven and also to eight for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the Earth whether such evil may not be in the World that may bring thee to like need How was thou then weaned from the world how didst thou contemn it the pleasures honours and riches of it thou did experience the mutable and tranfitoty Nature of them thou gave earnest heed to our Saviour's Counsel Lay not up for your selves treasures on Earth where moth and rust corrupt and where thieves break through and steal but lay up for your selves treasures in Heaven where neither moth nor rust can corrupt nor thieves dig through and steal and then thou conned over the Apostle Pauls hard lesson and got it pretty perfect That they that had Wives should be a though they had none they that rejoice as though they rejoiced not they that buy as though they possessed not for the fashion of this World passeth away Thus though there was a decay upon thy outward-man by reason of Affliction yet the inward man was renewed day by day those dayes which helped thee nearer Heaven and made thee more fit and more willing to die were good dayes now painful and tormenting so ever they were in the passing through them and those dayes which delighted thy fleshly desires and carnal part which were very pleasant to the outward-man but did make thee neglect duty or slubber it over did deaden thy Spirit in it and caused a decay in thy zeal and Love and delight in God and made thee less mindful of the great concerns of thy pretious Soul those dayes though seemingly happy and blessed in their spending were not so good dayes be careful therefore of reckoning and numbring right about your conditions and out ward states and beings in the World and mourn over the disorder thou hast put thy self into by not placing thy condition right and placing thy self aright in it but by bustling and quarrelling at some times with thy state and thy over pleasedness again another time with it Thou hast been still disturbing and doing harm both to thy self and others what hard and loud words have passed between thee and thy adverse state have hot some over-heard thee saying that thou thought no Bodies condition was worse than thine none so straitned none so perplexed what sickness thou didst undergo what pain thou went through what poverty and pinching thou endured what crosses every way thou met with and wishing thou had had not been born or that thou might quickly die and be removed out of this troublesome World or that God would but be so kind to thee that thou might but live as such and such do though their conditions are not looked on as the best c And to answer this chiding temper has not that witness for God in thy own Conscience and of his kindness to thee in every condition made this smart reply Oh what a murmuring unbeleeving Creature art thou What nothing but complaints look about thee canst thou find nothing to thank God for is thy case so bad that all comfort is shut out of it thou art out of Hell which thou deserves every moment that 's a Mercy art not thou in health many would give thousands to enjoy as much of that as thou dost art thou harbourless knows not where to have a lodging to night that 's the condition of many a good Soul where cruelty and persecution Reigns art thou hungry and knows not where to get bread this day it's a great Mercy to have bread for the day and a greater to be able to beg and believe on God for bread for the day a lesson which I heard a worthy Minister say the Lord had taught him and an high piece of Learning it is The Apostle knew what he said and that it was a great degree he had attained to when he professed I have learned in the things wherein I am therewith to be self-sufficient there is a kind of self-sufficiency in every good contented mind he is rich not that has much but that does not desire much Art thou thirsty and knows not where to get some good water art thou cold and knows not where to get a covering to keep thee warm But for thy Spiritual estate art thou tempted so was Christ who was in all points tempted likeas we are that we might come boldly to the Throne of Grace that we may obtain Mercy and find grace to help in time of need and has promised that he will not suffer you to be tempted above what you are able and is it your misery that you are called to follow the Captain of your Salvation in the honourable path of suffering the highway to peace and rest and Glory Art thou under the tidings of his love did not the Lord Jesus cry out my God my God why hast thou forsaken me Art thou unwilling that the Lord should make a trial of thy Love and faithfulness to him whether thou will abide for him and that by endear himself more to thee and prepare thee for fuller manifestations and them for thee Dost thou complain of an hard unbelieving Heart its a mercy thou feels it to be so how many hard Hearts in the World that are not felt they that can say and cry out save us Master we perish shall never sink if there be sense there is life though that life may be a very sickly Life thy condition is sase though it it may be very uneasie where there is the root of the matter where there is the living substance if circumstances be a little troublesome it may be born better a little crying here than weeping and wailing hereafter pains and pangs and gripings here are kindly and not at all dangerous To conclude this wilt thou for the future keep a better account of thy condition wilt thou number and place the Providences of God towards thee in better order this right reckoning will reconcile thee to all the difpensations of God and make you long Friends this will be your Wisdom and this is your way to true Wisdom and so much for this Ufe of Lamentation and Humiliation It is much to be bewailed and that because
of bad consequences that Christians do not number their dayes their duties and their dispensations better The exercise of such Wisdom as this How lovely would make Professors to look and how peaceably would it make them live it would make Religion look very beautifully and put an attractive and alluring vertue into the Conversations of Men but we may cry out of our folly our Childishness our weakness of judgment in the things of God our walking by sense and reckoning by that and leaving out Faith without which there is nothing but disorder it is that which sets all right puts every thing in its proper place and keeps Time and Eternity in their due conjunction distinction and necessary aspects one upon another I now come to the 2. Vse An Use of exhortation that we would learn this blessed Art of numbring our daies this Christian Arithmetick I shall indeavour to lay down some Rules of direction for our better numbring of them Rule 1. Of Arithmetick number the dayes that you have past and what of that 1. How many they have been some of you have passed a great many Dayes and Weeks and Months and Years it is a long time you have been in this World are you yet weary of it how many dayes would you live longer and how would you imploy those dayes or do you consider that you cannot live alwayes 2. How many changes you have seen and passed through in those dayes How many conditions and places you have been in how many removes you have made what tossings to and fro how many ups and downs what observations you made in your passage how much your paths you have walked in resemble the journeyings of the Israelites in the Wilderness how that which is is that which has been and there is no new thing under the Sun how many in thy time have come into the World and grown up and grown old and gone out of the World some at one age some at another and very many that lived never to see thy years how many Friends and intimate acquaintance thou hast buried with whom thou hast Eat and Drunk and Lodged and now thou walkest over their Graves how many relations of thine have left this World Husband or Wife or Children or Father or Mother and dost thou hereupon enjoy thy present Relations in any of those Kinds as if thou had none How many of thy own Neighbours and School-fellows living how time has hurried some to their Graves others at a great distance from thee others to beggary and a mean condition though some are got to great estates and set an inch above their Neighbours How many great ones thou hast our-lived and how many changes of Government thou hast seen in thy time Governments are heavy things and as it were unmoveable guarded both by the Laws of God and Men and are as the Mount that might not be touched yet an ordinary Man of an ordinary age does ordinarily outlive four or five Governours or Governments so that thou observes changes in Publick and changes in thy Private state What a change did Job see in his Condition take him either as a Publick or as a Private Person time was when he could say He had his Children about him he washed his steps with Butter and the Rock poured out Rivers of Oyl when he went out to the Gate of the City when he prepared his Seat in the street the young men saw him and hid themselves the aged aged aged arose and stood up The Princes refrained talking c. But now all on a sudden he becomes as low as he was high and in a moment as it were the case was altered with him that he complains that they that are younger than he had him in derision whose Fathers he would have disdained to have set with the Dogs of his Flock they spared not to spit upon him c. 3. How quickly they are gone many years even among men are but as yesterday when they are past but as t'other day It is but a little while me thinks saids he since that so many years ago I lived in such a place conversed so and so did this and the other thing how fast does time pass away It is but as yesterday since I was a Child and went to School and now I am grown old I can remember it as well as if it were but yesterday My life has ever been posting as a Dream as a Tale that is told the Dream ends and the Tale is concluded insensibly before we are aware The whole time of this World is but as a Dream The proper time of awaking will be at the Resurrection then Men will know whereabout they are and what they are then they will be out of the hurry of time and have leisure in Eternity which is a fixed now wherein they shall stand still to behold themselves and understand themselves their state and way Just as in a Dream a man seems to be very busie hard travelling in the midst of a crowd of people vehemently pursuing an Argument driving on a Bargain 〈◊〉 solemn Funeral pleasant at a Mâ—â—â—â—ge cast down under a sad Providence befalling him much refreshed with good News telling great sums of Money sate at a good Banquet c. but when he awakes all is vanished away as a conceit and the man is naked in his Bed very still and quiet and it may be finds himself hungry and knows not where to get six-pence Even so it is with Men in the World they are much in agitation and motion cumbred about many things but when they come to dye which is the time of awaking then they are seen naked their state and condition is known no more to do with the World or worldly things no eating or drinking or buying and selling or converting if they have Christ their Friend and Advocate and be found upright and lovers of God then to glory with them and everlasting joy but if they be found wicked and Hypocrites then to everlasting confusion But to conclude this Similitude A Man when he is dreaming by some noise or jog may be a little awakened come to himself but may quickly go to sleep and fall a dreaming again the same Dream So dreamish Professors that are very busie wâ—â—â—â—g to and fro in the Earth in a sleepy condition and minding the things of it may by some awakening Ordinance or Providence by some amazing Judgment come to themselves and sit down and think other thoughts than they did before let the World stand still and have to do with God but assoon as the noise is over they fall to dream again In the great Plague and Fire in London there was such a noise that I believe there were very few but were awakened and for the present left off dreaming but how quickly did security sleepiness creep on they fel to dreaming again one after another to building to buying and selling c. which at the
hadest with him during the time thou wast upon Earth what Apprehensions thou hadst of him what Adresses thou madst to him as a Mediatour an Advocate and Saviour what Faith thou hast had in him whether there was an agreement made between him and thee whil'st thy dayes were in being that thou wouldst give up thy Soul and Body and Sins to him thy Unrighteousness and Righteousness and that he would undertake to satisfie the Justice of God and appease his Wrath for thee and reconcile thee to his Father that he would cloth thee with his Righteousness and sanctifie thy Nature by his Holy Word and Spirit that he would make thee meet to be a partaker of Glory and present thee blameless and unreproveable in the sight of God and give thee a full possession of an everlasting Kingdom and Glory with himself what fear thou hadst upon thy Heart in thy dayes of the Great God whether in every thing thou didst in Natural Civil and Religious Actions thou didst design and aim at his Glory How thy Affections were placed and what kind of love passed between thee and the World during their abode there what acts of Self-denial and Mortification thou put forth what exercise of Heavenly-mindedness what Duties thou didst and how they were done how thou didst honour God in the Conditions he placed thee what patience and contentedness in a low condition what humility meekness and repentance in an high condition how thou bore sickness and straits and how thou used thy riches and how honest thou wast in thy dealings There will be no discourses there of such vain matters as are here below but as Paul discoursed of Temperance and Righteousness and the Judgment to come of Uprightness and Sincerity and unfeigned Repentance and a true and full closing with the Person of Christ the Son of the Living God equal with the Father the Mediatour for poor Sinners the Saviour of all that truly believe on his Name and come to him what Obedience thou manifested to his Laws how thou loved him and kept his Commandments how thou loved the Brethren and there by manifested thy being passed from Death to life how fruitful thou wast in all good works and thereby didst justify thy Faith to be sound and true and of the right kind how willing and desirous thou was to do much for God and how little thou didst esteem thy self the better for what thou didst but how much thou didst abhor thy self and hate thy self for thy daily defects manifold infirmities and much unsuitable carriage to such great goodness and loving kindness and unworthiness of such rich Grace and Mercy c. Of this Nature will be the Discourses then and the more thou hast been exercised in these thing the greater will be thy consolation Oh my Beloved where is that Professor that lives under the serious frequent and powerful meditation of these things this and the other work I am imployed in this and the other thing I am discoursing of if God should now cut off the threed of my Life what should I be advantaged hereby would it turn to my advantage when I come in the presence of the Great God shall I be glad that I was exercised or rather wish that I had never medled or been concerned in such affairs and matters our dayes are not intended to be the dayes of Noah and Lot wherein Men built and planted and bought and sold and married and were given in Marriage all these Lawful things and not one of them sinful that is that did do all these things as the work of the day for themselves and rested in them rejoiced themselves in them and did not do them with respect to another Life with such fear regularity moderation righteous principles and designs as would have yeelded them comfort when those dayes had been cut off in another world are we not fallen into such dayes as Noah's and Lot's were eating drinking c. Eating Drinking is an unlawful thing if you do not do it to the Glory of God and honour God in it observe it as there is no time allotted for sin so neither are there any dayes allowed for the doing of lawful and good actions if they have not a reference to Eternity thy Prayers and Almes and duties are not numbred aright if they be not numbred for God and another world if they be numbred for thy self and thy present interest they are quite lost and which is worse do become sin and so prove mortal and damning you see how necessary it is to number every day for Eternity if thou mindest this Rule thou wilt reap much fruit hereafter from thy common and worldly actions because hereby those actions which otherwise are but common and worldly actions as the actions of our ordinary and homliest callings we shall sanctifie them and translate them out of themselves and their own base Element into an higher Orb and Element viz. to go as for actions truly holy and Religious and parts of God's own worship before him and rewardable as so at his hand 's what a comfort might this be to Men in going about worldly callings to the very Shuttleman and Sheersman Spinster and Carder and the veriest drudge and droil in the servilest condition what a comfort this to consider that if they do but honestly and faithfully in obedience to God that hath set them in those callings go about them they might sanctifie those and the like actions and translate them out of a Worldly into an Heavenly Orb and Element and Glorifie God and by that thou providest for Eternity as well in their proportion by those actions as the Angels that stand continually before God do by their standing and praising and singing Hallelujahs to him The poor Servants that in obedience to God do faithful and honest service be it in never such drudgeries to their Master are said to adorn thereby the Doctrine of God Titus 2.10 And is not this a working a numbring time and work for Eternity those that honour him and his Gospel he will honour them another day What a comfort is this that meer drudgeries and Worldly Actions that might seem only to smell of the World and this present life and time that these being gone about in the Obedience and Fear of God baulking iniquity and injustice in them may go for Holy and Heavenly actions The actions of the vertuous Woman Prov. 31. a Man would think were the actions only of a meer worldling she seeketh wool and flax c. yet those and such-like are all the actions for which she is called a vertuous Woman in the Beginning and to have done vertuously above all in the latter end Many Daughters have done vertuously but thou excellest them all and the next verse shews the reason because she did these in the Fear of the Lord A Woman that feareth the Lord she shall be praised shall have praise at the end of dayes
Another Woman there may be that may do the same things may seek wool and flax and work willingly with her hands may rise early put her hand to the wheel c and yet may be a meer scraper a meer worldling a meer progger for Earthly trash and subsistence for these dayes a meer vitious and not a vertuous Woman Why Because she does them not from the same ground out of obedience and fear of God and respect to another World but from a prophane heart greedy of the world so how many precepts are there in Proverbs that might seem to smell of meer worldliness as that of taking heed of suretiship and that of diligently looking after the state of their flocks and looking well to their herds And yet no Worldliness that Solomon meant in them but rather Heavenliness mark his General rule in the Begi 〈…〉 the Fear of the Lord is the Beginn 〈…〉 Wisdoms all other precepts are to be performed by vertue of this general precept and guided by it Let this lastly be added that you may see how necessary it is to number time and dayes and what-ever fills them for Eternity if we do not do it we shall lose the comfort of our best and most specious Actions To be painful in the Ministry to be forward in Works of Charity c. How goodly and how good are these Actions in themselves and yet spend my Spirits I may consume and wait my strength I may in the Ministry and yet if I do this as a task only that the world looks I should discharge or to get my own maintenance or to set up my own credit and not chiefly in all this my labour be guided by that which he I that was so laborious in the Ministry was guided by To me to live is Christ the honour of Christ and to die is gain here is Eternity in the case I lose all the comfort I might have in this so good an Action and the reward I might expect from Christ in the other World So 〈◊〉 Works of charity I may do many things I may feed the hungry 〈◊〉 the Naked entertain good Ministers and good People build Hospitals c. and yet if by-respects which supposition I put not that the world should in such cases where Good appears be suspicious but that Man that does Good should look still to his own Heart which is deceitful if I say by-respects sway too much and these things be not done chiefly in obedience to God that he might be glorified and that we might lay up a good Foundation for the time to come that we might lay hold upon Eternal Life and that we might make to our selves Friends of the unrighteous Mammon that when we want they may receive us into Everlasting habitations We lose the great comfort that we might expect from so good actions To conclude this Point if you be careful observe this rule of making all thy time all thy dayes and actions look with their Faces directly upon Eternity and the World to come thou wilt meet with wonderful advantage and benefit by it thou wilt bring all thy works into a narrow compass into a single channel into constant view and observation Thou will render all thy Duties and performances all thy labours under the Sun to be more sweet more easie unperplexed and affording much peace rest and tranquillity to the Soul by a perfect removing the fears of future evils publick judgments poverty c. and especially of the day of thy Death which by this means will be so facilitated and familiarized that it will become rather a day desireable than formidable nay thou will look upon the day of thy Death as better than any of the dayes of thy Life these and other things I might enlarge upon and they do indeed deserve a serious discussion but I design brevity and therefore hasten to the second Observation which I shall but touch upon and that is from this consideration that the Psalmist prayes for teaching and instruction in this point of numbring Dayes which is so plain so common so ordinary so obvious a thing besides that he had numbred them in ver 10. The Dayes of our years c. Doct. 2. Let the Observation hence be this that Christians may be much unacquainted with the Nature and power of those Truths which are known and confessed and acknowledged by them the hinge of this is that Truths that seem to be best known are least known things best seen are least understood I shall briefly give you a fivefold Instance and so pass on to the next 1. The Doctrine is evident in things relating to sense 1. The shortness of time 2. Certainty of Death 3. Uncertainty of Riches 2. In things obvious to Reason and most acknowledged as 1. The deceitfulness of Man's Heart 2. The necessary connexion between Sin and Punishment 3. The universal and particular Providence of God 3. In things known by Revelation as First That Christ Died and was Buried and rose again see 1 Cor. 15.1 2 3 4. And ascended into Heaven Secondly That he sent down his Holy Spirit to convince guide comfort and rule in the Hearts of the Saints Thirdly That the Lord Jesus will come again in Power and great Glory with his Saints and Angels to Judge the World in Righteousness 4. In matters of absolute and plain precept as First Loving the Brethren and being found in all the Acts and exercises of Gospel-Love Secondly Well-ordering and governing the tongue Thirdly Walking circumspectly and redeeming time 5. In approved Actions concerning Worship as First That God is to be Worshipped and Loved above all which is the first and great Commandment Is this observed diligently and constantly by all Christians is there nothing at any time steps before God Secondly Divine and Gospel-Worship must have Divine and Gospel-warrant Thirdly That Gospel-Worship must be Spiritual and not formal and carnal I might give you the Reasons of the point from the commonnesss of them few considering seriously what is obvious and plain from Man's curiosity still willing to find out some new thing and from Satan's subtilty who knows by experience that there is no such Robbing as by the high way side the great road the known path he Will let men alone in by-wayes and more private paths in Truths of lesser concernment and influence but dees the great spoil in known confessed practical Truths and Doctrines But I hasten to what remains it may be the Lord may stir up some more able Pen to shew the professing World their great errours and mistakes herein that the Spirits of the power of Godliness which have been long uhder decay may be recovered and the great arteties filled with good Blood that the Truths and the things of God may have their due consideration and observation by the pretenders to them according to their nature worth weight necessity and excellency of them There are two Observations behind
day come in to your minds that might well be spared and indeed Ought not to be admitted you cannot pray in quiet for them you cannot eat and sleep in quiet for them you ought to watch against them and beg of the Lord divine Teaching how you may suppress them 2. Unprofitable discourses are great devourers of time that tend to no good at all neither to information nor reformation nor to prepare or fit the mind for work and business much talk about others Mens affairs matters that we are not concerned in and are forbid to meddle with study to be quiet and to do your own business and yet you cannot but observe it with half an Eye How much time is spent among Christians when they meet together about other Mens Actions Trades Shops Families c. and its strange if there is not mixture or backbiting envy uncharitableness and evil speaking throughout such discourses He that considers time rightly and knows how to number his Dayes as he should will see cause to wave such needless chat and fill his time with better conference that may leave a more sweet savour and relish upon his own heart and the spirits of the company The Lord knows how much we are to blame in this matter that we cannot fit together or meet together but with Augustus Caesar we must be taxing all the World especially such as it may be differ from us a little in some smaller circumstances we cannot have a good word for them nor hear a good word of them but can be greedy and gape at half a word that is reflecting and disparaging at a semblance at an appearance true or false My Brethren these things ought not to be I profess I often think of that place James 3.2 In many things we offend all but if any Man offend not in word the same is a perfect Man and able also to bridle the whole Body and let me tell you he that can manage his time aright will quickly order his tongue aright Oh that I could perswade you and my self that redeeming time lies at the very bottom of the power of Godliness Again how much needless and unprofitable talk about future events and contingencies about the Lord's matters his dispensations and providences what may come to pass in the World besides murmuring and discontented speeches about them it does not become us to sit in consistory upon God's providences to judge and pass hard censures upon them no time appointed by the Lord for it It was no small impiety in Pompey to rail against the god's and condemn the Providence that suffered him to be soiled by Caesar his cause being as he thought far better than Caesar's was he standing for the defence of the Common-Wealth like a good Patriot and Caesar like an Usurper aiming at a Monarchy and those Queries in Tully are but the symptomes of Atheism That if God govern the World then Why should persidious Hannibal be suffered to slay Marcellus why the barbarous Carthaginians to torture Regulas why bloody Cinna to slay so many Citizens why Marius to command Catulus his head a man far better than himself c. This was a thing that much displeased God Mal. 2. in that some there said and wearisome words they were to God that because the wickedest were suffered to play such 〈…〉 icks and domineer over others that either God favoured the wicked or was no Judg of the World ye have wearied the Lord with your words yet ye say wherein have we wearied him when ye say every one that is evil does good in the sight of the Lord and where is the God of Judgment as if God could not make his Judgments good if he suffered the Wicked to be such Judges of the Earth to slay whom they would and whom they would to keep alive to fit up whom they would and whom they would to pull down as Daniel said of wicked Nebuchadnezzar When Anthony the great was troubled with this and the like questionings about the Providence It is said that he heard a voice saying Anthony Anthony look thou to â—hy self and to thy own duty and let God alone with Governing the World he 〈◊〉 wise and just and powerful enough to do what is to be done Gersoh And Austin well answers the questionist asking him Why God suffers the Wicked to slay the Innocent see saies he whether in the first place it be not your duty to consider such plain Texts as these that more concern your self Break thy Bread to the hungry and bring the poor that are cast out to thy houfse when thou seest the naked cover him and hide not thy self from thy own flesh That would be time well-spent and God would allow for it Wash you make you clean put away the evil of your doings from before your eyes cease to do evil learn to do well seek Judgment relieve the oppressed Judge the Fatherless plead for the Widow come now and let us reason together you would be disputing saies he with God about Providence before you have made your self fit to dispute with him Come now and let us reason together now when you have done all the former that more nearly concern you and it were good that many of the questions of this overcurious age were also thus answered But besides this answer he goes on and tells him that perhaps the party whom he thought was innocent was not so for how could he pry into his Heart or search into all his Life to know whether he had not thought or done any thing amiss wherefore God might justly suffer him to be put to Death But again suppose he were innocent indeed what then Christ was innocent and yet we know God's counsel to have been good and just in suffering him to be put to Death by the wicked seeing therefore by God's revealment thou hast found out his counsel why he suffered the unjust to slay that just one and such counsel as thou likest of very well thy self believe also that in others God does the same upon good counsel but it is perhaps concealed from thee lay aside therefore such Discourses about God's Transactions or if thou will discourse do it as the Prophet Jeremie does chap. 12.1 Who layes down this for a ground that God is righteous in them all if thou does thus thou wil easily light upon this solution v. 3. pull them out lihe sheep for the slaughter and prepare them for the day of slaughter I might add in the last place vain and foolish talking and discoursing with jesting which is not convenient which has nothing but frothines and unsavouriness in it ministers no edification but tends to put the Soul in a careless posture and set it at a greater distance from the fear of God which should alwayes be maintained as the Souls watch and overseer 3. Confused musings and dark reasonings spending much time holding a parley with Satan's suggestions and
point when your bagging of God this holy Wisdom to number your daise aright be sure you be earnest with the Lord that when you number your daies he would still help you to make the number come even what is that that that you may see your good dayes to be as many and as long as your evil ones and your dayes to be full as good as any of your neighbours thus to number will exceedingly conduce to give you content in your daies which the Lord numbers out to you in this World and keep you from inordinate desires after the changing of them and having some other dayes in the room of them The Wisdom of God in ballancing Men's conditions in the World is much to be observed though it is but little taken notice of every day has it's suitable good as well as sufficient evil every Man may see in his own condition if he has but his eyes open as much cause of rejoicing as of mourning and he may likewise see his own condition take it all together to be as good as any other Man's what is the reason no Man is contented With his Lot and Portion it is because they do not reckon right they do not stand in right places to take a view and an estimate either of their own or others conditions you stand on the inside of your own and on the outside of another Man's and by this means your own seems to be much worse and his much better than indeed it is do but change your stand and go into the inside of his and the outside of your own and then you will set cause to change your Opinion we may see the neatness of the shew but we little know where it pinches and others at a distance will judge your state very happy which it may be you do not sit so easily in but might sit more easily if thou would not sit alwayes in one place and posture I am perswaded the Lord hath in his Wisdom so ordered Mens conditions in this world that there 's no ods not one better than another if we could but see the ends and sides of them no room left for choice and that condition which every Man is in ought to be concluded the best for him of any in the World the Beggar 's condition is as good as the King 's take it all together no state in the World can be an object either of meer pitty or meer envy none so bad but a great deal of good is to be seen in it none so good but a great deal of misery is to be found in it the Lord in Wisdom and Goodness has fitted every Man's condition for him that another would not fit him so well and it will be our Wisdom if the Lord will give it us to see our selves fitted to our conditions and to observe in every point how well they fit us Here a bunch of pride is growing straighten and check there saies God there sensual delight would come in stop that place here strength is ready to be running over to be imployed in vanity pinch there with a little sickness there a grace or two want imployment send a cross or two to give them some work and exercise here the Soul is ready to faint slacken a little and give a cordial and there the Soul is like to fall clap an hedge or a wall quickly in the way c. What happy lives should we lead in comparison of what we do if we did but know how well every thing we meet with fits us what fitty dayes we enjoy there is not the most cross crooked thing comes to thee but there is some part of thee that it will fit exceeding well now the skill lies in putting it to the right part a Man's shooe will not fit his head nor his glove his leg do not turn thy back to thy cross when thou should take it in thy armes nor yet take it up at arms end when thou should bear it upon thy back a little weight is heavy at armes end which will be scarce felt upon the back which is a fifty place for a burthen we must take up our Crosses as the Man did his sheep upon his shoulder and away with it trudging after the Lord Jesus some men lead their crosses gingerly as a Man leads his young Child by the hand and so make no way some take them by the wrong end and are not able to lift them up some leap over them some fall upon them and many fall under them and all for want of this blessed Teaching of the Lord let us therefore never leave this out of our Parayers that the Lord would teach us the even numbring of our dayes and give us to see that every day we live whatever falls out in it is a fitty day and that our condition take it all together is at any time of the day as good as any Man 's living and take his all together too If he have money I have health if he have Children I have wealth if he have power I have peace if he have prosperity I have grace c. And so much for the third observation I come now to the Doct. 4. Fourth and last Observation in which I shall be brief That the right numbring of our dayes is a special means to obtain true Wisdom I shall endeavour to give you cleâ—â— demonstration of the point in these following particulars 1. He is a wise Man that minds his greatest concern in the first place now he that numbers his dayes aright that reckons of shortness of time he makes it his first business to seek the Kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof he will take Maries part and leave Martha's till afterward if there be time for it Our Lord Jesus in his travel comes into a certain Womans House named Martha and falls a Preaching her sister Mary considers with her self that she might have time to provide food when she could not have an opportunity to hear a Sermon and therefore she sate Jesus feet and beard his Word Matha was very busie in serving and providing entertainment and complains of her Sisters sleight and disrespect to his person and unkindness to her to suffer her to serve alone our Saviour gives her a check and commends Mary's entertaining his Doctrine before Martha's entertaining his person Christ loves that Man should look after their Souls and not make such a bustle about their outward cordions to make them easie and splendid and delightful but be content with such things as you have such things as the house affords as Christ would have been well enough and have been better pleased with Martha if she had sit down with Mary to hear the Sermon if Christ gave such a check to Martha for her great love to his outward Man because she neglected the good of her own Soul What a severe censure will he pass upon many one day whose care and cumber and pains
a fool that thinks he knows enough how glad is a serious Christian that values time of an opportunity of receiving good of being helped on his way of a little cordial in time of fainting of one that will take him by the hand when he gives a slip he that knows the most is the most receptive of knowledg and the ablest Christian readiest to take in more strength 7. He is a Wise-Man who is able to give advice and counsel and nothing does so much inable a Man in that as to number his dayes aright what 's the reason that we go to the Ancient for counsel but because they have had the experience of many dayes past and they reckon but of a few to come they look upon all the years they have lived but as yesterday and they reckon to Die to morrow were I to chuse a Man for my Life to give me counsel it should be one that makes Conscience how he spends his time that will not trifle and idle away his time The diligent good School-master does first of all teach the well-using of time when he is very severe if his Scholars do not come in the morning exactly at the time appointed 8. We count him a Wise-Man that is of few Words for even a fool when he holds his peace is counted wise now he that values time and knows the pretiousness of it is alwayes very thoughtful and studious what he must do in the next place he is not for talking but for doing his words are weighty and alwayes spoken in due place and season he has no superfluous time for supernumerary words 9. He is a Wise-Man that loves and keeps Wise-Mens company he that measures time has none to spare to spend with fools he that makes conscience of redeeming his time finds that he has not so much time as he would have with Saints he has none at all for sinners 10. We count him Wise that minds his own business and meddles not with other mens he that numbers his dayes sees that he has time little enough to manage his own matters in It is observable that walking wisely towards them that are without and redeeming time are put together Col. 4.5 Eph. 5.16 of all Men he gives the least offence Two things offend the World First When they observe your failings Secondly When you observe their's Now the Man that spends his time conscienciously minds his own Paths looks directly forward he neither stumbles nor looks on side to take notice of the falls of others he looks to his own place and work that the Lord left him to do Mark 13.34 11. He is a Wise-Man in Scripture-sence that fears God The fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom Job 28.28 The fear of the Lord that is Wisdom and to depart from evil that it understanding Now none is so prepared for the fear of the Lord as he that numbers his dayes it keeps the Soul in the continual awe and dread of the Almighty God and the reason is evident and plain for he looks upon the Lord as his Landlord and himself as his Tenant at will the rent he payes is but small and he is very careful to please his Landlord turning out is troublesome at the best and upon short warning it may be somewhat dangerous therefore he judges it very reasonable that he should continually stand in awe of him in whose power he absolutely is as to his being and wel-being as to his stay here and his dwelling place hereafter and thus much briefly for the proof of the point one word of Application and so I conclude this Text at this time Vse One General exhortation from the whole let us learn this Wisdom of numbring our dayes that we may be Wise has it been our evil that we have lost much time and have not put a due value upon it let us now redeem it repurchase it at any rate the word signifies to buy some things back a Metaphor taken from one that mortgageth his land and redeemeth it again or from the practice and custome of Wise Merchants who use to buy their commodities whilst fit time of buying serves and whilst the market holds and having haply had great losses or formerly spent their time idly or unthriftily do by their diligence seek as it were to buy back again the time that is past The truth is my Brethren we have been great unthrifts have squandred away a great stock and portion of time time is now grown a scarce commodity the price of it is risen we are fallen into those hard times mentioned 2 Tim. 3.1 hurtful heavy damaging times that as the Sea being infested by pirats the Earth being followed with male-influences from the Heaven make times hard for the Body so the scarcity of opportunities together with their ensnarements and molestations adding the great suspension of Heavenly influence renders the seasons of receiving good very difficult hard to come by and harder to be improved besides this the swifter motion of time now because nearer to its center meeting with an old crazy distempered World all Persons and Things being grown worse than they were every way does cause much detriment and spoil to both as the speedy motion of a Coach in bad wayes makes the passengers knock their Heads together and fall heavy upon one another that never intended it the hurry of this last time does wear and weary out Person and Things throws Men and breaks them one over another casts some into the grave and leaves others I know not where and causes such commotions mutation and inflammations that it is much to be feared that the axletree of the World may catch fire which may not so easily be quenched but increase to the general conflagration of that great day mentioned 2 Pet. 3.10 But the day of the Lord will come as a Thief in the Night in the which the Heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the Elements shall melt with servent heat the Earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnt up I shall conclude my exhortation in the words of the same Apostle that immediatly follow seeing then all these things shall be dissolved that time will bring matters to this pass What manner of Persons ought we to be in all holy Conversation and Godliness looking for and halting unto the coming of the day of God wherein the Heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the Elements shall melt with servent beat wherefore Beloved seeing ye look for such things be diligent that you may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless and seeing ye know these things before Beware last ye also being led away with the errour of the wicked fall from your own stedfastness but grow in Grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ To him be Glory now and for ever AMEN FINIS * A dangerous fall at a Trap-door * Psa 90.12 * Bramham Toulston Oglethorp Ceeds Shadwel Wakefield Pontefract Hull Beverly Langlon Thoraby York Barwick in Elmet c. 2 Pet. 3.1 Now under the care of Mr. Jam. Fitten my old Friend Fellow sufferer and and Mr. Hen. Forte * Mr. Smith is an honest Man with all his faults Pro. 11.20 Heb. 10.22 Mrs. Smith Mat. 28.20 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 11.26 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eccl. 11.9 Eccl. 12.9 Job 4.1 Mr. Gar. Minister at Leea's Author of the Demonstration of the Resurrection of Christ Mr. Mansfield castle Et me more me a-liquando corripiet And the Earthy house of this Tabernacle shall be dissolved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eodem die lusrunt navigia sorbent sen. Jer. 45.4 5. Jon. 3.4 Ps 139.19 acupictus sum Gen. 47.9 Job 14.1.5 6. Psal 90.10 Mat. 21.2 Heb. 5.7 Job 7. last Eph 4.26 Mat. 5.2 3 Psa 31.15 Job 17.1 Isa 56.12 Gen 4.8 Exo. 12.30 London War and sea-Fights Eccle. 9.10 Mr. F. 〈…〉 〈…〉 Psa 73.18 19. Gen. 47.9 Job 14.1 Psa 90.10 Esa 57.10 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Job 13.26 Psal 98.9 periissem nisi periissem Job 36.8.9.10 Fecisti nos ad te cor nostrum inquictum estdonec re quiescat in te versa reversa in tergum in latera in ventrem dura sunt omnia tu solus requires Austin Mr. G. Eccles â— 9 1 Tim. 6. â— Hab. 2. De brev â—â—t Eccl. 2.20 Mr. G. Job 6.15.21 Eccles 2.22.23 Mat. 24.22 Psal 16.11 Deut. 33.25 pauperis est numer are pecus Psa 9.10 Job 13.5 Jam. 1.24 Eccles 3.1 Mat. 24 22. Job 6.29 Heb. 13.5 Eccles 2.1.3 Heb. 9.28 Pro. 7.4 Mr. W. Titus 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tim. 11.3 Titus 1.16 Phil. 3.19 Eccles 8.6 7 8 9.12 Heb. 12.11 Job 29.4 Heb. 13 Mat. 6â— 1 Cor. 7.29 Mr. B Phil. 4.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Job 21.7 Mat. 14.4 Mat. 13.19.22 25. Mr. G. 2 Pet. 3.8 1 King 14.14 Eccl. 8.12 Hab. 2.3 Kin. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luk. 17.28 Mr. G. V. 13. c. V. 29. V. 30. Prov. 6.1 C. 27.23 1.7 1 Tim. 6.19 Joh. 4.23 24. Joh. 4.23 24. V. 5 6 7. Heb. 11. 1 Cor. 7.29 Mr. F. Exod. 29.19 Job 3.21 The Lady Barwick of Toulston in Yorkshire to whom I had the happiness to be Chaplain for several Years and must ever own my self to bemuch obliged and no less to the Right Honourable the Lord Henry Fairtax her Son in Law and my constant and Faithful friend in my sufferings for Christ Job 3.21 1 Pet. 1.17 2 Pet. 3.5 Quo irem sâ—â—tunc obtrem nisi in ignem tormenta digna factis mcis c. Cont. 5. * Nisi primo Deus per miscre cordiam parceret non inveniret ques per Judiesum câ—iona ret Rom 3.25 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luk. 13.8 2 Pet. 3. 2 Timo. 2.25 Mr. G. Mat. 6.34 1 Thes 4.11 De Net Deor. 3. Dan. 5.17 Mr. G. Vide prus ne illud debeas-frange esurienti panem tuum c. Psal 61. Esa 58.7 Esa 1.16 17 18. Disputare vis anrequam facias unde dignus sis disputare c. Queritur Egystus quare sit factus adulter in promptu ratio est desidiosus erat Mat. 16 3. Ver. 12. Luk. 10.38 Prov. 22.3 Luk. 12.35 c. Prov. 1.7 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eph. 5 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dura molesta v. 11 12 14 17 18