Christian Geography and Arithmetic, Part 1
I now came to the Obſervations.
Doct. 1. Which is implyed, The life of a Chriſtian is to be reckoned by the day: Sufficient unto the Day; not to the Week, or Month or Year, but to the Day. I need not inſiſt upon the proof of the Point. What ſaies old Jacob, Fen and evil have the dayes of the years of my life been. It is obſervable that (dayes) Gen. 47.9.is four times repeated in that verſe.Job 14.1.5, 6. So Job, Man that is born of Woman is of few dayes; His dayes are determined. Turn from him that he may accompliſh as an Hireling his day. Take a third witneſs of this, and it is no other than a King and a Prophet; David; Pſal. 90.10The dayes of our years are threeſcore years and ten, &c. But a greater than all theſe is our Bleſſed Lord and Saviour Jeſus Chriſt, who tells us in the Parable of the Labourers in the Vineyard, Mat. 21.2that they were hired for a day, which is the time of life; and he calls his own life a day: Abraham rejoyced to ſee my day. There is a Natural day, and there is a Metaphorical day, a day of time, and a day of opportunity, ſeaſon, and diſpenſation; mark the expreſſion of our Saviour, I muſt work the works of him taht ſent me, whilſt it is Day, the Night cometh when no man can work, whil'ſt I have time, time, and whil'ſt I have opportunity. So we read of the dayes of his fleſh; I might make this further appear by ſhewing to you;Heb. 5.7.
1. That we are taught to beg our Bread for the day, Give us this day our daily Bread, and forbid to take thought for to morrow; for why ſhould I take thought for Meat, when I know not whether I ſhall have a Mouth to put it in, or for Clothes when I know not whether I ſhall have a Body to put them on.
2. We are to beg our pardon for the day, and to forgive our Brother to day; forgive us our Treſpaſſes this day: for as Jacob ſayes, Thou may'ſt ſeek me in the morning, and I ſhall not be; and for our Brother,Job 7. laſt Eph 4.26. Mat. 5.2, 3 The Sun (which is the meaſure of the day) muſt not go down upon our wrath: And if we come to the Altar, and there remember that our Brother hath ought againſt us, we muſt leave the Gift before the Altar, &c. we muſt not ſay that we will do it to morrow.
3. Every night is a reſemblance of Death; Death is called a Sleep, and the Grave is called a Bed; the Sun riſes and ſets, which meaſures time.
4. The Commands and Promiſes in Scripture run for the preſent day, and none for to morrow, Heb. 3.7. To day if ye will hear his voice. Ver. 13. Exhort one another daily, whil'ſt it is called to day; now is the accepted time: But to conclude the Proof of this Point, I ſhall and this, that our whole life-time is very fitly compared to a Natural Day.
1. As a day is but a ſhort ſpace of time, ſo is our life; what is a day to a thouſand years? what is our time to Eternity?
2. As a day is cut off by the night, ſo is our life cut ſhort & cut off ſomtimes ſooner ſomtimes later, ſome dayes are longer than others, but none very long; ſome mens lives are longer than others, but never a long life among them, all of them cut ſhort, all of them cut off.
3. The day is ſucceeded by the night, ſo is this life by the darkneſs, the dayes of darkneſs which ſhall be many. There is a day which ſhall not be ſucceeeded by night, and there is an evening which ſhall be ſucceeded by light, but it is not this day.
I now come to the Reaſons of the Point, Why muſt our lives be reckoned by the day; and they are principally theſe four.
Reaſon 1. Becauſe our Breath is in our Noſtrils, our Lives hang by a ſmall Threed, how ſoon are our Countenances changed, and we ſent away? how many that have been well in the morning, have been dead before evening, gone out in health, and a dead Carcaſe brought home? or elſe they have died and been buried abroad, and never came within their own doors more? how many ways may a mans breath expire, and how quickly is it done? Ah, my Brethren, how little is this conſidered, though nothing is more ordinary than to ſay, I little thought ſuch an one would have been gone ſo ſoon, what an healthful luſty Man was he, it was but ſuch a day I ſaw him, and I thought he never looked better ſince I knew him, I thought I ſhould have died long before him; was not he at ſuch a place, at ſuch a Meeting but a few dayes ago? &c. Oh Friend!. Know his Breath was in his Noſtrils; and ſo it is with thee; there may not be a ſtep between thee and Death for any thing thou knows; a lurking Diſtemper in thy Body may riſe up and pull thee by the Throat, and all thy friends ſtand about thee, and none be able to reſcue thee, and ſave thee from that deadly Hand: A ſlip, a fall, a croſs accident, a Surfeit, &c. preſently the health is gone. As it is with a Venice-Glaſs very uſeful whil'ſt it is whole, but one fall upon the ground breaks it, and than it's good for nothing, but the broken pieces are thrown out to the Dungbild So whilſt breath is there, thou art very uſeful for many things, can walk, and work, and adviſe and manage Affairs; but when once thy breath is gone, and thy life like water ſpilt upon the ground which can not be gathered up again thy dead Carcaſe muſt be taken up and carried out, and laid in the ground.
Reaſon 2. Our times are in God's hands, and in our own, and we have no aſſurance of another day, therefore no reaſon why we ſhould reckon of it; My times are in thy Hands: Pſa. 31.15 Job. 17.1.and ſo Job, Is there not an appointed time to Man upon Earth? are not his dayes like the dayes oftan Hire ling? the diſe of Man is meaſured; by the will of God; hitherto ſhall …iy time come, and not further. As thou canſt not add one Cubit to thy Stature, ſo not one Minute to thy Dayes. It's well obſerved by one, as Chriſt is the Lord of the Sabbath, ſo God is the Lord of time; and they who dye in a time when God forbids, yet dye in a time that God appoints. Some men, nay moſt men, live as if they were Maſters of their own time, as if they had made a Covenant with Death, and Articles with the Grave. How does the Apoſtle James reprove and cheek with all ſevrity this great Pride and Arrogandy in Men, that would be cutting out ſnippets, large threeds of time, when it was not at all in their own power, but was anothers Right and this they would do without asking any leave, we ſay leave is light : ſee Jam. 4.13, 14, 15. Go to now ye that Jay, to Day or to Mrrow we will go into ſuch a City; and continue there a year, and buy and ſell and get gain, Where as ye know not what ſhall be on the Morrow, for what is your Life, it is even a Vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then vaniſheth away. For that ye ought to ſay, if the Lord will, we ſhall live and do this or that. After the like manner does the Prophet Eſay Tax the Wretchedneſs of this Temper: To Morrow ſhall be as this Day, and much more abundant. Iſa. 56.12.Time is God's peculiar and if he will not hold them Guiltleſs that meddle with his Name, and Worſhip, and People, &c. no more will be thoſe that take his time and ſpend it upon their Luſts: Friend, who gave you leave to promiſe and Deſign and contrive and lay Trains for ſo long a time? did you come and ask me for my advice both about the thing and the time? I'le cut you ſhort, I'le give a nick in your time, and all your thoughts with all the links of them ſhall periſh and fall to the ground.
Reaſon 3. Becauſe Satan and his Inſtruments are ſo Malicious and Bloody, and are ſo bent againſt the Lives of Chriſtians: that is a markable Expreſſion in Job 24.22. He riſeth up and no Man is ſure of his Life; Wicked Mens Lives are cut ſhort by the Lord's just Hand, ſo that do not live out half their Dayes, and Righteous Mens Lives are cut off by evil Mens unjuſt Hands, ſo that they do not live out half their dayes, nor a quater; witneſs the many Bloody Maſſacres that have deſtroyed the Lives of Thouſands of Men, Women, and Children, Infants and Sucklings. The Devil and his Inſtruments would not have you Live a Day if they could help it; if Satan were let looſe in a few minutes there would not be a Perſon alive in this Congregation, and if the rage of the wicked was permitted to do its utmoſt, none of us could eaſily eſcape long with our Lives, whilſt we are in this world. Among the Men of the World, we ſhould walk with our Lives in our Hands; Its Dangerous Travelling in ſome places becauſe of Wolves, and Bears, and Wild Beaſts: I know no place in the World but is infeſted with ſuch Creatures as the Scripture calls Beaſts, Lyons, Wolves, Dogs, Foxes, deſtroyers of the Earth; every Saint of God may ſafely ſay, that he is afraid of Bodily harm whilſt he lives here. Let me tell you God has Wonderfully curbed the Egyptian Dogs, that no more Lives have gone than there has; the Curs have been ſtill barking, their Tongues have kept moving, but their Hands have been pretty well tyed up; Bleſſed be the Name of our God, but that by the way. Obſervable to this Purpoſe :is that Paſſage of Cain and Abel; And Gen 4.8.Cain talked with Abel his Brother and it came to paſs when they were in the Field, that Cain roſe up againſt Abel his Brother and ſlew him. There is the ſame riſing at Heart the ſame murdering Humor; and Sprite in every Cain againſt every Abel, though there be not the ſame riſing up: ſee for this and mark diligently, 1 Job. 3.12.15. The ground of the hatred will alwaies remain whilſt there are good and bad upon Earth, and therefore we may be expecting the Fruits, he that hateth is a Murderer, hatred is the Embryo of Murder. But further, Jobs Sons ſhould have reckoned their Lives by the Day upon this account; whether they were good Men, or only a good Mans Children, needs not be diſcourſed here, if only the latter it was enough to entitle them to Satans malice; who having a little lether-length given him, preſently brings the Houſe about their ears, and Kills every Man and Woman that was there: ſee Job 1.19. He was not long of doing it, he ſmote the four Corners of the Houſe, he did it to purpoſe.
Reaſon 4. The Irruptions and Inundations of the Ocean of Eternity, which once in an hundred years overflows the whole Country, and carries away every living Creature.Exo. 12.30 It was ſaid upon that great Judgment of the Death of the firſtborn in Egypt, that there was not in Houſe where there was not one death: not to mention thoſe great inundations of the Plague and Peſtilence, which ſometimes ſweep away an Hundred Thouſ and out of our City in one Year;London. not yet thoſe eruptions of the Sword which in a very few hours ſinks Thouſands into the Deep, War and sea-Fightsand ſends them into the great Gulph of Eternity: do but take notice of thoſe over flowings that are uſual and common, which do not cauſe wonder, Oh that they might procure more Obſervation than they do! what Day is there eſpecially great Places wherein there is not one or more found Dead? how frequently is the Paſſing Bell founding in thine Ears? how many Spectacles of Mortality Old and Young daily carried to the Graved? yet who layes it to Heart? Burials are ſo frequent in Cities that they are not regarded, and ſo ſeldom in the Countries that they are not taken notice of. How many has thou known Buried out of the Houſe where thou lives; if none, be ſure thou Reckon of one every Day, and that is of thy ſelf, as well as of other: go over the city into every Houſe, and ſet whether you can find the ſame Perſons ſitting by thoſe fire-ſides, and lying in thoſe Beds, that ſate and lay there twenty Years ago; thou will not find many Houſes from whence ſome have not been ſnatched; where Death has not crept in at Windows, and carried away an Husband, a Wife, a Child, a Servant, a Friend: if thou find a free houſe, bid them look to it, for the next ſtood that comes, the Water may flow in at their Doors, and carry ſome of them as way into Ocean of Everlaſtingneſs; there is no fenceing againſt Death, no capitulating with it; it is uſually, (though not alwaies) ſo civil as to knock before it comes in, but it ſeldom ſtayes till you open the Door to let it in, and ſay welcome Death, now Lord, letteſt … thy Servant depant in Peace: it will not be prevailed with for the leaſt delay pray thee ſuffer me to go & bury my Father to ſet my Houſe in order, to give ſome directions about my Children and Eſtate, no I cannot ſtay, come away; ay but let me firſt Pray to God, and deal with him about my Soul, no, thou muſt come now as thou art: this is the fourth and Laſt Reaſon why the Life of a Man, is to be reckoned by the Day. I now come to the Application.
Ʋſe 1. Is it ſo then that our Lives muſt be reckoned by the Day, I note in the firſt place, that every Chriſtian is to do all he can do, and all he has to do, upon the preſent Day, and leave nothing to be done tomorrow. What ſaies Solomon: Whatever thine hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might,Eccle. 9.10. for there is no Work, nor Device, nor Knowledge, nor Wiſdom in the Grave whither thou goeſt; be ſure thou even accounts daily, do every thing thou doſt as if it were the laſt time thou ſhould do it; how heartily, how carefully will thou do it then! let me pray now as if I ſhould never have time to pray more, hear now as if this were the laſt opportunity of hearing: leave nothing to do to morrow that poſſible can be done to day; what true Chriſtians ſhould we be if we did not reckon of a Morrow. To Day is God's Day, to Morrow is Satan's Day, how many would have been good to Day if thay had not though of being good to Morrow:Mr. F. but ſee what a grand Deceit lies here; by putting it off till to Morrow we gratify Conſcience in this that we intend to do it hereafter, but moſt of all pleaſe Corruption in this that we do not do it to Day. Conſider then thus with thy ſelf, I will ſet all right with God now, I may be gone before Morning, I may be taken away in my ſleep and awake in Eternity; Nulla Dies ſin… linea, we have been many Dayes but we have lived but few: well then this is the firſt Uſe, do all thou canſt do, and all thou haſt to do Day,… and leave nothing undone till tomorrow.
2. Let this put a check to the Cares and Pleaſures of this Life; my Life is but ſhort why ſhould my Care and Delight be long; it is not much we need nor long that we ſhall need any thing, we have but a Body, a piece, and that is a ſmall one, and a Mortal one; long Reaches and Deſigns are very unſuitable to a Man that has but a Dayes time. Famous is the Inſtance of the Fool in the Goſpel; Luk. 12.19, 20. I will pull down my Barns, ſaies he, and I will build greater, and I will ſay to my Soul, Soul thou haſt goods laid up for many Years, Eat, Drink, and be Merry; …But God ſaid unto him, thou Fool, this Night ſhall thy Soul be required of thee &c. If he had only reckoned of this Day, he had not heard that dreadful Word of, this Night, or at leaſt would not have been dreadful to him to have heard it.
Ʋſe 3. Hence we ſee what little cauſe we have either to fear or envy any man in the World, any wordly great Man's what ſaies the Pſalmiſt, Surely thou didſt ſet them in ſlippery places, how are they brought into Deſtruction as in a Moments, &c.Pſa. 73.18 19. For this matter conſult further thoſe places, Job. 21.13.30. and 24.19, 20, 24. Rev. 18.10.17.19. Ezek. 34.27. &c. We uſe to ſay of ſome Men in a way of Reproach and Scron, that they are but Yeſterday-Men, and we may ſay truly of the Greateſt and Higheſt and Happieſt in this World, that they are but Men of to Day, no Morrow-Men; come to ſeek them in the Mornings and they may not be Perſecutors and Oppreſſors many threaten what they will do, but it may be to Morrow they may be Sick, the next Week you may find them. Cold in their Graves, I remember a Paſſage in Story of one Libanius, a great Favorite of Julian ther Apoſtate; Julian was gone in an Expendition into the Eaſt, againſt ſome that had made an inſurrection againſt him, and reſolved at his returned deſtroy all the Chriſtians, and utterly to root them out; ſaied this Libanius to one the Chriſtians in a Scoffing manner; where is now your Carpenters Son, meaning Chriſt, what will he now do for you, to ſave you from the Emperour? to whom the Chriſtian replied Boldly, this Carpenter, as you call him, made the World; a Work above any Carpenter, and he is now making a Coffin for Julian; and ſo it proved, for Julian was ſlain before his return: I will purſue, I will overtake ſaies proud Pharaoh, the next News we hear of him, he is in the Bottom of the Sea as Mute as the Fiſhes that ſeed upon his Dead Carcaſe; Oh that Oppreſſors would conſider this!
Ʋſe 4. Let this teach us Patience under the Greateſt Afflictions; they are but for a Day, or if you will but for a Night, no Man ought to think that he ſhall be miſerable to Morrow: our Dayes are but few: and therefore our Dayes of Sorrow cannot be many. It is an hour of Temptation, if it grieve you that your Comforts ſtay with you ſo little a while, they are but Day-Comforts, you cannot prevail with them to Lodge with you; Why, let this relieve you that your Troubles are but Night-Troubles, they will be gone in the Morning, they will not abide in your Houſe why ſhould I complain much of that, which for any thing I know may be ended before my complaint be at an end: For a Concluſion, let us Labour to live under the Power of this Doctrine; if this Truth were Believed as it ſhould, Oh what abundance of thoughts, and Cares and Fears would be getting out of the meeting before you, and you would never feel them more! how would the Face of your Affairs and Families be changed! you would let alone and lay by a great many things that you were very buſie about before, and ſet upon doing ſome things you never did before; or if you did them before; you would do them ſo now as you never did them before: you would ſay, this thing muſt be done and done to day too, or elſe I may be undone for ever: for other things if I have time I may do them; but if they be never done it will be no great loſs to me: reſign up your Lives into God's Hand's every Evening, and take them again from him by a new Leaſe every Morning.