Meditation on Mans Mortality, Verse 5 – Verse 7
VERS. 5. Thou carryest them away as with a Floud—
THE Prophet hauing before shewed what mortality God hath subiected the sonnes of Adam unto: how he doth make them, and as it were the same day, yea, the same houre that he hath made them, marre and destroy them againe, a thousand yeares in his sight being as yesterday, or but as it were the eyghth part of a day.
He proceedes now to set forth this condition of duplicate page duplicate page Man more plainly by three Comparisons.
In the first Comparison, he resembles him in respect of his life to those things that are violently carryed-away in an Invndation. As we see in great and extraordinary floods & invndations, all that is in the way, Beast and Cattell, and all that are within the force of the streame are carryed violently away; so it is with man: God doth as it were set open certaine flood-gats against him, and by violent streames and inundations of waters, as it were, he sweepes him away. For (as he shewed vsus before) the time that we liue here, though we live more then the ordinary period of mans daies is with God but a very short time, but as a watch in the night, the fourth part of the night. It continually flowes, and flowes faster, swifter, and with greater violence then the strongest streame; and it carryeth vsus with it; and the course thereof wee cannot stay, no more then the ebbing and flowing of the Sea, or the courses of the Sunne and Moone. Against this streame we cannot swimme, but the more we shall striue against it, the faster we shall be carryed away with it.
Hence the Prophet teacheth vsus.
To meditate seriously of the swift passage of our dayes, how our life runnes away like a streame of waters, and carryeth vsus with it; our condition in the eyes of God, in regard of our life in this world being but as if a man that knowes not how to swimme, should be cast into a great streame of water, and headlong carryed downe in it, so that he may sprawle sometime, lift vp his head or his hands, cry for helpe, catch hold of this thing and that for a time; but his end will be drowning, and it is but a small time that he can hold out, but that as it carries him away, so it will swallow him vp. And surely our life here if it be rightly considered, is but like the life of such a person, as is violently carryed downe a streame. All the actions and motions of our life, and for it, are but like vntounto the striuings and struglings of a man in that case: Our eating, our drinking, our Physicke, our sports, and all other meanes, they are but like his motions, that is violently carryed downe the streame: When we hauehave done what we can, die we must, and be drown'd in this Deluge.
The use of this consideration may be to teach us.
1. The vanitie of Men, that thinke here vponupon earth, to build them euerlasting habitations, and neuer to be remooued; and that trouble their minds about nothing but how they may get sure houlds and tenures here. Alas what vanitie were in this man that is carried down a violent streame of water, that hath no hope to recouer himselfe, but is sure, howsoeuer for some small time hee breathes and hath his sences, to bee drowned out of hand, yet whilst he breaths and hath his sences, to be thinking, and fore-casting of building of houses, of purchasing lands, of planting orchards, and of prouiding this thing and that thing for his use for fortie or sixtie yeares to come.
2. This should teach vsus in the want of the meanes of this life, for our selues and posteritie, to be content to take it lesse to heart, then worldly and couetous persons vse to doe. Who in feares and distrusts in regard of the time to come, how they shall doe when they are old and not able to worke, how they shall liue when such and such friends be gone, how their children shall do when they are dead; many times in the abundance, for the present, of those things which others before their eyes doe want, liue most miserably and vncomfortably, yea, a life worse then death, and that onelyonly for thinking of the time to come, whereas if these persons would thinke how mortall they, and their children are, how short a time they hauehave to liue here, how they are carryed away as it were with a flood, they and their children, and all else, these matters would neuer so much run in their heads, neither would they vexe and trouble themselues and others so much about them as they do: But now we dreame of immortalitie in this life, and put from vsus as much as we can the houre of our death, So liuing and desiring to liue here, as if we should liue euer here, or there were no liuing els where. Were not they starke mad that seeing their children carried away with a flood, strugling and breathing in the waters for life, and readie to be drown'd, and no hope of pulling them out, would be carking and caring, and vexing themselues, how they should prouide for them? Nay, let Christians, seeing their liues are so short, here comfort themselues in their wants and their childrens, and labour so that small time they hauehave to liue, that after this short and transitorie life, they and their children may liue eternally in Heauen.
—They are as a sleepe.—
THE second Comparison followeth, wherein the Prophet compares the life of man & all the pleasures and sorrowes accompanying the same to a sleepe. Alas, what sooner passeth away? What is easier broken off then sleepe? how short also are the pleasures and sorrowes that are in sleepe? Surely the whole state and condition of a man in this life is but like the state and condition of a man in sleepe: all things fall out so like in either.
Our life may be compared to sleepe in foure respects.
1. In regard of the shortnesse of it.
2. In regard of the easinesse of being put out of it.
3. In regard of the many meanes to disquiet and breake it off.
4. In regard of the many errors in it.
For the first three; sleepe is but short: and the sweeter it is, the shorter it seemes to be. And as it is but short of it selfe, though it should last the full swinge of nature: So the soundest sleepe, is easily broken; the least knock, the lowest call puts men out of it; and a number of meanes and occasions there be to interrupt and breake it off. And is not it so with the life of man? Is not the longest life short? Is it not the shorter, the sweeter and fuller of contents it is? And is it not easily taken away? Are there not many meanes to bring vsus vntounto our ends? Euen as many as there are to waken vsus out of sleepe?
For the fourth, how many errors are we subiect to in sleepe?
In sleepe the Prisoner many times dreames that he is at libertie; he that is at libertie, that he is in Prison; he that is hungry, that he is feeding daintily; He that is in want, that he is in great aboundance; He that abounds, that he is in great want. How many in their sleepe hauehave thought they hauehave gotten that, which they shall be better for for euer, and when they are even in the hope of present possessing some such goodly matter, or beginning to enioy it, or in the midst of their ioy, they are suddainly awaked, and then all is gone with them, and their golden fancies vanish away in an instant. So for euill and sorrow as well.
And is it not just so in the life of Man? Whose life passeth sooner away or swifter then theirs that hauehave most comforts and sweetest? Whose life is longer then theirs in seeming, that liue least at ease? Who are ordinarily more bound, more in trouble, hauehave greater vexation, and disquiet, then those that hauehave most libertie and aboundance? Who are freer and more at libertie, and want least, then they that hauehave least? How ordinarie a thing is it for men in the most aboundance to bee least satisfied? And in the poorest cottage to find the greatest content? And how suddenly are men even as if they had beene in a dreame cut off from all their hopes, all their delights and pleasures, that in this world they enjoyed?
The use hereof then is;
1. To teach vsus, to account of the things that meerely concerne this life, the profits, the pleasures, the honors of it, but as of dreames; such as are transitorie, and passe away as a sleepe, that we can hauehave no certaintie or assurement of, but such as we may be depriued of even as easily, as we may be broken of our sleepe.
2. To watch and take heed how we looke to place any setled comfort in this life, or the things of this life. For we shall find as many errours in it and the things thereof, as we doe in sleepe. Men may fancie this and that, but the issue will be nothing: no more then of him who going to bed hungry, dreames he eates, &c.
3. This should teach Christians not to enuie, and malice the comforts, honors, and prosperity of wicked men: for they are but as dreames: thou hast much cause, hast thou not? to enuie a poore man, that he should fare daintily in a dreame.
4. It should make vsus thinke the lesse of the sorrowes and miseries of this life, that either our selues or others endure. Our selues here are but as a sleepe. The sorrowes that we endure here, especially for righteousnesse, are but as a dreame. Our sleepe will soone end, and our sorrowes will end with them, and wee shall see that we were but deluded herein.
5. Neuer to thinke that we doe the actions of Men that are truely waking, but when we doe the actions that concerne the life to come, where we shall euer watch, and need no sleepe; where wee shall euer reioyce, and neuer be deluded.
—In the morning they are like grasse that groweth.
VERS. 6. In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth vp: in the euening it is cut downe, and withereth.
THE third Comparison followeth, wherein the life of Man is compared to grasse. That as it is with grasse; A man shall see it flourishing in the morning, and the same day cut downe and withered; So is man; This day flourishing and lustie, and to morrow laid in the dust; Nay, as it were in the morning well, and before night hee and all his strength and glory vanished and gone.
1. The consideration of this should teach men in the midst of all their glory and state in this life, to thinke what a fading thing it is, how soone it is cut downe and withered. And therfore we should take heed, how we set our hearts vponupon these transitorie things: for, as Medowes, when they are most pleasant, and fullest of varietie of flowers, they are then sodainly cut downe, and all the beautie of them vanished; So it shall be with all things that in this world wee delight in, whether life, or honor and riches, though a man flourish neuer so much in them; yet as it were the same day, they shall be taken from him, and he from them; and then their hearts will be as gone with them, that had their hearts before set on them. Let vsus therefore learne to set our hearts vponupon another life, and the things thereof: and then we shall be sure neuer to loose that we louelove. And let vsus striue to be Plants in Gods house, liuing Plants, trees of righteousnesse, Planted by the rivers of his Sanctuary. And then wee shall neuer be cut downe: Our leaues shall neuer fall, our branches neuer wither.
2. Let vsus learne so to louelove this life, and all things of this life, as matter that we must part with, that we hauehave no Lease or Assurance of for one day. And where God makes them instruments of comfort and helpe vntounto vsus, if we enioy them day after day, let vsus blesse God for it, and count eueryevery day that he lends vsus, & eueryevery blessing that he bestowes vponupon vsus day after day, an aduantage vntounto vsus more then we deserue.
3. Let vsus eueryevery morning, fit and prepare our selues for cutting downe. Though we be neuer so lustie, and flourish neuer so much, yet let vsus consider, that wee are but as grasse; and though this morning we flourish, yet before night we may be cut downe and withered; and all our glorie and comforts lie in the dust. It were well with vsus if we so liued, that when death shall come to cut vsus downe, we could not say, I little thought that I should die so soone.
And for others whose liues are deare vntounto vsus, and whose deaths may bee a judgement vntounto vsus; let vsus so set our sinnes before our eyes, that they may be a meanes to worke in vsus an holy and religious feare of their death, in the midst of these comforts and contents wee receiue from them; And how strong and flourishing so euer wee shall see them in the morning, yet let vsus thinke with feare, that before euening they may be cut down, and we may loose them, and all the comforts that depend vponupon them.
VERS. 7. For we are consumed in thine anger; and by thy wrath are we troubled.
HItherto the Prophet in his complaint hath set forth by Comparison, what great mortalitie God hath brought vponupon the Children of Adam. Now here in this verse he sheweth the cause thereof; The anger of God. Adam and all the sonnes of Adam hauehave offended him: and therfore he hath brought this universall mortality and deluge upon man. And this Anger of GOD hee sets forth;
1. By the cause.
2. By the greatnesse.
Concerning the anger of God, wee must not thinke, that it is a perturbation of minde in him, whereby he indeed fretteth, and is vexed within himselfe, as men use to bee, whose wrath and anger doth ordinarily more hurt & torment themselues, then those they are angry withall. But it is in God an holy and just disposition, to inflict deserued punishment upon his creature. Though God therefore hauehave absolute power of his owne free will to destroy the creature which hee hath made without any cause, yet he doth not destroy man without some speciall cause, and motiue therevnto. And this cause is not a pleasure and delight, as though it should be a sport and pastime of God to make and marre so excellent a workmanship of his owne; as it is with Children to kill Flies, or Huntsmen to kill wild Beasts. Neither is any speciall profit, or use, any cause thereof; As it is the cause, why Husbandmen cut downe grasse, not that they are angry with it, or that they place any delight in so doing, but for necessary use and benefit. But the true and immediate cause is Anger; that which is the cause of mortalitie in war. God hath beene prouoked by vsus. And as a mightie King being prouoked by his subiects, nothing followeth but death; so is it with God.
1. Hence then we learne to labour to see, and behold the wrath and anger of God, in sicknesse, distresses, old age, death, and in that mortalitie that we see in this world; and vponupon speciall occasion to acknowledge it.
And it should teach vsus, to feare and tremble before him, and to take heed, how we farther prouoke him to wrath.
2. We should admire the goodnesse and grace of God, that his wrath being so universall vponupon all the sonnes of Adam, yet in this wrath he should remember mercy, and raise those againe to life, even to eternall life, that in anger he hath wounded to death.
3. We should labour more to see the wrath of God in our accursed estate after this life. God doth but play with vsus, as it were, in taking away our liues here. And if the first death be such a signe thereof, what a signe therof is it in them in whom there appeare fearefull and prodigious fignes of the second death, which is eternall, wherein a man shall for ever die, and yet neuer be dead.