Daies and small pittances of humane life , teaching us this usefull observation , Doct. 1 That Mans naturall life is but short , short daies are all the limmes of mans time , ( like a short line consisting but of pricks ) the whole body of his time cannot bee long . When Iacob had well neere all his yeeres together , he summes the totall into a e e Gen. 47.9 few daies . David could gripe all his daies into the compasse of a f f Ps. 39 5. Span. As nature nurtured the heathen in the cutted state of this mortality by a bladder and a bubble , both sweld , with a puffe , and shrunk with a pricke : by a breath whose being , or vanishing , who can say which is sooner , longer ? So grace advertiseth Christians by most significant comparisons expressing their short abode in this g g Ps. 146. ● their dust .

The Apostle Iames would scarce vouchsafe it any comparison . h h Iam. 4 . 1● What 's your life , saith he ? twiting us with our false conceit of long life by a holy flout : if it be , saith he , of any subsistence at all , it s but like a vapour that appeareth for a litle time , and then vanishes away . What saith David to our daies ? They are saith he , i i 1 Chron. 29 , 15. as a shadow , and ther s no abiding . And what is Hezekiahs opinion ? A● k k Es. 38.12 A shepheards tent , of no long stay . l l Iob 7.6 . A weavers shuttle is of no long race : m m 2 Cor. 5.1 a pilgrims tabernacle soone flitted . So vaine a thing is man . How long is wax in melting ? n n Ps. 22.14 So is life in the middest of its fortresse .

How durable is the state of o o Es. 40.7 . grasse ? p p Ps. 90.5 . We fade away suddenly like the grasse . What s a tales grace ? Shortnesse , q q Ps. 90.9 . Our yeeres passe away as a tale that is told , a thing gone and past . Yea , as if these comparisons were yet defective , the Prophet addeth a sleighter manner of similitude , resembling mans life to a r r Ps. 73.20 dreame , and that when its past , when a man awaketh ; a thing gone before you can collect what it was , and when it was , it was but a thing ( or rather a just nothing ) of meere imagination . But how is it that mans life is thus scantled ?

Reason 1. The principall cause is God . s s Ps. 39.5 . Thou hast made my daies as it were a span in length , saith David .

2. The provoking cause is sinne . That s a sudden waster . t t Gen. 2.17 . The same day thou eatest , &c. thou shalt surely die : God hath sealed it with an oath , surely .

3. The working cause , the consuming effects of sinne , sorrow and misery both inward and outward : a house of u u Iob 4.19 . clay so strongly beleagured cannot hold out a long siege .

4. The materiall cause , x x Gen. 3.19 . dust ; he was appointed no long standing whose y y Iob 4.19 . foundation was laid in dust .

5. The procreating cause of mankinde necessitateth a very short stay : z z Iob 14.1 . Man that is borne of a woman hath hut a short time . If he stand to his pedegree it cannot be , that shee that hath no fee simple nor leasse of one houre , can make over any long entale of time to her posterity .

The truth of our short abode thus confirmed rather by way of meditation upon a thing much usefull , then for proofe of a point so plaine : what better application shall we make then Vse 1 First , by way of checke to rayne backe the outrunners of time in this luxuriant age of dingthrifts of time , wastfull lavishers of their small allowance ? how many lay about them , as if all their exhibition this way were flong them by talents , and therfore spend it with like profusenesse as giddie yongsters newly leapt into their lands , squandring away by pounds , the comming in whereof they never knew by pence ? such licentious merchants of time trade in every countrey so wastfully , as if they had more time then can be spent whiles good ; so prodigall of daies , moneths , yeares , some upon doing nothing , others upon nothing to the purpose , many upon what s contrary to what they should doe , till they turne starke bankrupt both for time and grace . Alas it s but winde they feed upon when they thinke they fat their senses with a conceit of living as long as such and such a long liver of their progeny , forgetting * * Gen. 11. ●8 . Harans case and thousands more that die before their parents . Foolish men , that neither with all their wealth can purchase one minute of time , nor with all their strength procure an houre of health , nor with all their wit differ death , much lesse prevent judgement , yet will never season their thoughts with any meditation of weaknesse ▪ death , or judgement . Well , the evill day is never the more distant for their putting it off : sicknesse may come at an instant : weakenesse will come ; death must come : the longer the shadow of life seemes to be , the neerer their sun is to setting ; their glasse is running : their houre is at hand when they shall make audit before the impartiall judge for all these flatteries of themselves , and for their intentions wherefore they thus deceived themselves , for all the duties they have omitted , for all the evills they have committed , all the instructions they have neglected , all the promises they have despised , all the threatnings they have sleighted , all the talents of youth , health , strength , wit , &c. they have hidden , and for all the creatures , meanes , and times they have presumptuously abused . If any will surfet upon hopes of long joy and contentment in licentiousnesse , and resolve ( upon that ground ) still to turne Gods grace of time yet afforded , and meanes of conversion yet proffered into wantonnesse of sinning , let him with his sweet conceits take this sorrow sop amids , that his delights cannot be long and certaine whose life is but short and uncertaine . God will shortly put an end to his pleasures and person , death groans for him , that sergeant is within one span of his bosome , his judge begins to laugh as fast at his destruction as he laughes at his instructions : time is at hand when his dullest sense shall feele , to his woe , what his faith now wil not beleeve , that the joyes of this first life which he fansied to be eternall are but few and short , but the miseries of the second death , which he never dreamt of , shall be numberlesse , measurelesse , easelesse , remeadilesse , and utterly endlesse .

In the second place , this serves to reprove a generall fault in all whom the Lord pleases to afflict any whit more then ordinary : it being the guise of impatient man to feed his melancholy distempers and to wast his spirits with meditations upon the length of his afflictions , amongst whom a yeeres health is shorter then they can have while to feele : but a moneths or weeks sicknesse is long , and long , and longer then they can beare . If the Lord would glorifie himselfe in their faith , in their assurance of eternall joyes for temporall & short paines , he shall not do it : if he will gaine glory by their patience in any tedious durance , he comes to the wrong house ; they had rather he lost his honour then they their ease : No , no , benefits be of the shorter sise though they last moneths and yeares ; crosses of a day must be long though life it selfe be short .

What conceive we of those exquisite tortures which remaine the unrepentant idolater , the impenitent blasphemer , the resolved offenders of all sorts in eternall and inextricable wreck and misery without any ease or date ? And what intolerable impatience to murmure at the shorter when we deserve both these ? Mend this fault , and do God more honour , the truth more credit , and our selves more ease by musing upon mercies , by comparing eternals with temporals , by considering the shortnesse of thy life , and so confesse and praise the Lord for thy short afflictions , unlesse thou wilt in foolish peremptorinesse say , a a Iob 1 5 9 thou wast the first man that was borne , and wast made before the hills , sufferedst ever since , and resolvest to suffer for ever after thy departure hence .

Thirdly , have we but short daies heere to spend ? What shall we doe better then to strive with God in prayer , and our selves in practise .

First with God , in commending our requests to him in these daies of our flesh after our Saviours example ; he alone is the meats-man of our daies , b b Iob 7.1 . setting forth an appointed time to man upon the earth . Pray him in Davids words , with Davids spirit , to c c Ps. 85.47 remember how short our time is , and to remove all hinderances of mispending , and improve all his owne offred meanes and furtherances for the well-spending our short abode heere : and for our selves , let 's often season all outward passages with thoughts of our approaching end , mixe them with our marriages , tradings , purchases , journeyes , all field en and domestick labours , especially with our recreations and delights : take heed of engrossing and griping after more time or temporall things then the Lord affords ; bethink how fraile thy selfe art , how short thy time , of what manner thy abode : thy daies , as David told thee , are but of a d d 1 Cron. 29.15 . pilgrim : thy mansion is not thy home , thy house but an Inne ; thy family and neighbours are but fellow-passengers ; if thy corruptions within , or Satan and the world without beare thee in hand with enough layed up for many yeeres , give them all the lie with the tongue of this Text : and be sure that though thou must converse in the world , yet to keepe thy selfe free from the e e 2 Pet 1.4 corruptions of the world , as Saint Paul stiles them , It s hard , Bernard . but much discourse of temporall things will gnaw the conscience , as the rivers fret their bancks : but holy circumspection and moderation will ease that difficulty : the blinde want , though versed all in the earth , still preserves its velvet coat faire from the filth of the earth ; thou hast thy eyes about thee , nor needst thou delve so deepe : so converse thou in earthly matters that thy conscience be not defiled , and beware thou suffer not the earth so to bury thy soule before thy body die , but that thou maist use thy eyes to discrie death peeping over thy shoulder whiles thou lookest upon thy worldly matters , or ( if farther off ) to ken it in its full gallop and flight to overtake thee , and that s the second part of this taske , viz. the swiftnesse of mans life in the Post , hast or rather flying of the same . My daies are swifter then a Post : they flee away : from whence who cannot spell forth this lesson .

Doct. 2 Mans life is swift as well as short . Our daies seeme wing-footed : Iob seemes doubtfull whether they run or flee . The swiftest rider is too slow to make expressure ; the fowles wings best Emblems forth lifes quick dispatch : and that when it makes to the prey : and that of the f f Iob 9.26 . Eagle , not only for swiftnesse but strength , which no humane obstacle of either youth , wit , wealth , honour , or physick can stay or hinder from its appointed goale . The proverb drops too short that saith Time and Tide stay not : Tides creepe on but slowly and have their interstices , stay somwhat when they have their stints , chalenge their returnes : Time is neither so , nor so . The Prophet speakes more home . Our time , yea the g g Ps. 90.80 . strength of it , is soone cut off , we flee , yea we flee away , and that without either h h 1 Chron. 29.15 . abiding saith David , i i Iob 7.9 . returning as Iob hath it .

The Holy Ghost is ample for comparisons , as before : resembling mans sliding state to things ever upon the rode of hast . To a k k Es 40 7. floure that fades apace . To l l Ps. 12.14 water that runs apace . To a m m Iob 9.26 ship that sailes apace . To a Post and an Eagle , as ye see , that rides and flees apace . There s no keeping pace with time but upon the wings of the n n Iob 7.7 . Winde that whirles apace .

But how comes this to passe , that man in his best estate though in honour , is thus altogether a flying vanity and abideth not ?

Reason 1. If natures reason may carry it , the subject and foundation of time runs ( as it were ) all on wheeles : the heavenly Orbs , ( of swifter motion then of any flying bullet from the strongest Ordenance ) whirle the times about : amongst which , the uncessant circuits of the Sunne and Moone are appointed ( by him that o o Es. 40.22 . sits upon the circle of the earth , and meteth out Heaven by the span ) to measure forth these earthly yeeres , p p Vers. 12. moneths , and dayes , till all time be swallowed up into eternity and these heavens be no more : How then can our daies be slow ?

2. Doe not sinne , and sinners make quicke worke in the world ? How speedily do men breake into it ? Even q q Ps. 58.3 . from the wombe ; With what eager pursuit doe men follow sinne ? Even ( like Iehues furious march ) swiftly : r r Pro. 6.18 their feet are swift in running to mischiefe ; some faster , some slower , all too fast . How would wickednesse tyrannize might it in this heat have while to roote and spread , and seed according to the lust of sinfull men ? And who shall hinder swift sinners from bringing upon themselves swift destruction ?

3. Neither is experience so senselesse of the reason ( a parte post , as they say ) by a touch of after-wit , that perceives every minute of time so flight that it prevents the quickest catch , gives the heedfullest attention the slip , and out-strips the speediest chase . The time to come is but only in conceit , the time is fled in instants : who can say of any time present , now it is , sith it out-runs thy thought ?

Vse 1 This shreds off the superfluous desires of many men , male-contented with their present states : who , like infants after youth , and youth after riper age , are ever liquering after future times . Oh , were such a quarter day come , or such a yeere or time expired , they were made . Why ? what hadst gotten by this catch if thou couldst finger some thred of time before the Sun can spin it ? First thou shouldst get but a wilde foule , a shadow , a puft , whose hasty vanishing would more vexe , then its approach did please . Secondly is the thing , for which thou so over-reachest , good or evill ? If thou hast such a greedy worme under thy tongue for that which is evill , that like s s Gen. 85.30 Esau for the pottage , or Elies sonnes for the flesh , thou wilt needs have it . t t 1 Sam. 2.16 . Now , or ( in a sort ) wilt take it by force : hearken what the next verse telleth thee , u u Vers. 17. Therfore thy sinne is very great before the Lord . But admit the thing bee good for which thou wouldst so faine steale upon the time to come ; assure thy selfe , it would come so raw ( as Iacobs abortive blessing did ) that thou wouldst not relish the bitternesse that would accompany the tast of it , for plucking Gods appointed season ( which onely ripeneth all ) to thy britle lusts : besides , so weake ( generally ) doe such men prove in the well-ordering of time so overgrip●e , that , when it s come , they are as unable to use it as to hold it .

Vse 2 Secondly , this aggravates the vexation of a worse sort of men , whose anxiety is most , for that their youth slips away so fast , and their age comes on so closse , that they feare least they shall not have all their sports in , all their cups in , all their pleasures and profits in time enough . Oh , that they could realize that x x Ps. 49 . 1●… inward thought of some that their houses shall continue for ever ! Oh , that they could cause the shadow of their lifes diall to stand still two or three Methuselaes ages , or goe backe to Adams time and take them along to eternity of pastime ! No , no , time is irrevocable for the past , unstayable for the present : their shadow is declining , their glasse running , their sunne setting apace : Gods pursevant death is more then in poste-hast , even like the Eagle towards its prey : their pleasures swift as the Sunne , and flie apace ; Gods wrath swift and comes apace : swift death , swift damnation treads upon the heeles of all impenitent hastening of evill workes , and putting off of the evill day .