Moses Prayer, Exposition · Verse 4
Ver. 4. For a thouſand years in thy ſight are but as yeſterday, when it is paſt as a Watch in the Night.
IN this Verſe, Moſes proceeds to a farther deſcription of the frailty of mans life.
And whereas our corrupt nature is ſuch, that we are ready to think, we ſhall never die, or not yet, or not for many years, though we ſee daily before our eyes, ſuch as are young and ſtrong go before us; yet cannot men eaſily be perſwaded, that their life is ſo ſhort, as indeed it is.
Now Moſes comes to ſhew, that even the longeſt life, any man lives or yeares that he can attain unto, is but a ſhort life, and very uncertain. He ſuppoſeth thus; Suppoſe that a man ſhould attain to live a Thouſand years, which no man ever did as yet attain unto; no the longeſt life that we read of in the Word, is but nine hundred ſixtie nine years that Methuſalah lived. But ſuppoſe, ſaith he, Gen. 5.27.that a man might live a thouſand yeeres, alas, what is the ſpace of a thouſand yeers, if we compare it to the eternity of God, it is but as a day when it is paſt.
Now by this proportion, let us mark how ſhort the life of man is. A thouſand yeeres is but as a day, then what is the ordinary life of man, which is but ſixty yeeres, or eighty years, ſurely it is not an houre, a poor time to brag of as many do.
And in the end of this Verſe, as though Moſes had ſaid too much, and pointed our the life of man too long, he ſeemes to correct himſelfe, q. d. What, ſaid I, that the life of man is as yeſterday, when it is paſt? Nay, I ſay, It is but as a watch in the night.
Now a Watch was but the ſpace of three houres, Luk. 12.38.the night being divided into four Watches, every Watch had three houres, but a ſhort time.
And thus Moſes, to beat down the pride of our hearts, and thoſe overweaning thoughts of long life, leads us to God, the number of whoſe years (ſaith Job) cannot be known. Job 36.26.That when we conſider that eternity t…a… is in him, and that everlaſtingneſſe, that hath neither time nor bounds in God: this, compared with the frail, ſhort, and tranſitory life of man, is but as a watch of thoſe houres, a time not to be accounted of. The Point is,
That when we look into Gods Eternity, Doct. 1 Our life ſhort, being compared to eternity.our life is nothing. Eternity is one of Gods Eſſentiall properties, by the which is ſignified, that he is without beginning and ending: as he had no beginning in reſpect of time, but being more antient than time, ſo is more laſting than to have an end; for eternity altogether excludes time. Thou art the ſame, Heb. 1.12 1 Tim. 1.17. Pſ. 102.27.and thy years ſhall not fail. Now to the King eternall, immortall, &c. Thou art the ſame, and thy years ſhall not fail.
Now when we look upon this eternity of God and compare it with the ſhort inch of time of mans life, there is no compariſon, our life is nothing, we are but as yeſterday, or rather as a watch in the night, as the ſpace of three houres, ſo quickly is our glaſſe run, and our time ſpent.
And to weed out of our hearts this vain conceit and hope of long life, the Holy Ghoſt in Scripture, doth uſually compare theſe lives of ours, to things that are of a very ſhort continuance:
As to to a Weavers ſhuttle, Iob 7.6.My daies (ſaith Job) are ſwifter than a Weavers ſhuttle.
To the meaſure of a Span, Pſ. 39.5.Behold thou haſt made my daies as a ſpan long, quickly meaſured, My age is nothing unto thee.
To a Vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and afterwards vaniſheth away. What is your life, Iam. 4.14.is it not as a vapour?
To a Shadow, Pſ. 144.4.Man is like to vanity, his daies are as a ſhadow, that paſſeth away.
To a Dream, which vaniſheth, Iob 20.8.as ſoon as a man awaketh.
To a Poſt, Iob 9.25.which paſſeth by in all haſt, and is ſpeedily gone.
To a Cloud that is ſuddenly blown away with the wind.
Yea, ſuch is the vanity of mans life that a very heathen man could call it a Shadow, or a Dream; yea, thought not that expreſſion ſufficient to expreſſe it, but call'd it, a dream of a ſhadow, eſpecially when we compare it with God, it is a flat nothing to eternity.
The conſideration whereof ſhould ſerve to wean us from the world, Uſe 1 and to labour to have this eternity of God more in our eyes; for why ſhould our hearts ſo dote upon things that are here below, that we muſt ſo ſuddainly part withall? If ye be riſen with Chriſt (ſaith Paul) ſeek thoſe things which are above, things that are not tranſitory, nor bounded within the limits of time. What earthly things are there: that now we enjoy, but as they had their beginning in time, ſo ſhall they periſh in time. But it is God that is eternall, and ſhall endure for ever, and and he hath provided for us more durable riches even an everlaſting habitation in Eternity alſo.
Seeing that when we look into this Eternity of God, Uſe 2 our life is here nothing: This ſhould minde us of the ſingular love of God towards his children, that being his poor creatures of time, and can claim nothing but what time brings forth, and what time will afford us; that we ſhould be children of hope after time, to inherit with himſelfe a glorious habitation, a life immortall, a Crown incorruptible, an inheritance undefiled, that fadeth not. Herein appears the greatneſſe and riches of Gods love, not in beſtowing upon us the outward things of this life, as riches, honour, outward proſperity, &c. which are gifts of his left hand, given in time, enjoyed for a time, and waſte and conſume with time: But then only become we truly bleſſed, when he beſtowes Chriſt upon us and the graces of his Spirit, for theſe miniſter a comfortable aſſurance of glory eternall at laſt.
For a thouſand yeeres in thy ſight are but &c.
MOSES by this expreſſion of his, that our life is but of a yeſterda…es ſtanding, and but as a watch in the night, a time of three houres: and in the Verſes following, where he compares our life to a ſleep, to graſſe, that ſuddenly is cut down; to a ta…e that is told; and that death many times comes as a violent flood, ſuddainly, and unreſiſtably, all tend to this, to ſhew the ſhortneſſe and uncertainty of mans life and being here; and herein will teach us:
That mans life is ſhort: Doct. 2 Mans life is ſhort.a Leſſon hardly learned of us, and not eaſily taken out; all that we can ſay, with all our reaſons and arguments that we can bring to the contrary, men will not be convinc'd that their time is ſo ſhort, but men think they ſhall live this yeer, and the next yeer, and ſo a hundred yeeres, till at laſt death come, and ſeize upon them, and away they muſt. M…ſes uſeth many arguments and reaſons in this Pſalm, to convince us of this, that our life is but ſhort, and to imprint this uſefull Leſſon in our mindes. Though men be young and ſtrong, and may promiſe to themſelves many daies, yet the very frame and conſtitution of our bodies, threatens daily a change. So true is that of Job, Iob 14.1, 2.Man that is born of a woman i… is of ſhort continuance, his daies are few, and full of trouble, he flyeth as a ſhadow, and continueth not: and as Saint Peter hath it, All fleſh is graſſe, and the glory of man as the flower of graſſe; the graſſe withereth, and the flower fadeth away. Some fall by fire, as the Sodomites did, Gen. 19. Gen. 19.Some by water, as the old World did, Gen. 7.4. Gen. 7.4 Num. 16. Acts 12.23. 2 Reg. 19.35.ſome by the opening of the earth, as Corah and his company: ſome eaten up of worms, as Herod was; ſome by the ſtroke of an Angell, as the Hoſt of Senacherib were; ſome by cruell Bears, as thoſe children that m… ked the Prophet.
Yea, and ſometimes God can make the means and inſtruments, ordained by him to preſerve life, to be the means to take away life.
Beſides, the daily experience we ſee in the world, how ſuddainly are many ſwept away by death, ſome good, ſome bad, ſome young, ſome old, and ſuch as have not one houres reſpite given them to repent, or to prepare themſelves for death. Now what aſſurance have any of us, that God will deal otherwiſe with us, ſeeing our life is but a puffe of breath in our Noſtrills? there is then no truſting to it.
And ſurely this condemnes the immoderate, Uſe 1 care of the men of the world, in ſeeking after the things of this life, and the little care men take for heaven. What have we here, that may not ſuddainly be taken from us? or what are we, that we may not be ſuddenly taken from them? How many ſtately houſes, and ſumptuous buildings, that have ſtood and flouriſhed to day, yet ſuddenly have been brought to ruine, and tumbled down? How merry were the Sons and Daughters of Job, Iob 1.18.feaſting together in their elder Brothers houſe, which in a moment were ſlain, and not one eſcaped? It is wonderfull to think how exceedingly men cark and care for the world, and ſeek to joyne houſe to houſe, and land to land, and never think they have enough. O, did theſe men but conſider, that mans life is ſhort, that we have but our being here as a Gueſt in his Inn, for a night, and in the morning muſt away again: then would we not have our hearts ſo taken up for this ſhort, frail, and brittle life, and be ſo careleſſe for Eternity.
As laſtly, ſince our life is ſo ſhort, Uſe 2 but for a day, as yeſterday that is paſt, this ſhould perſwade us to a conſtant preparation for death, for men ſhall hardly die well, that be not prepared for death, before death come. It was the great commendation of Joſeph of Arimathea, Joh. 19.42.that was ſo mindfull of his end, that he had his Tomb ready in his Garden: And why in his Garden? but that in the midſt of all his pleaſure and delight, he might be put in mind of his end. And the people, when they ate the Paſſeover, Exod. 12.11.they muſt have their loyns girt, their ſhooes on their feet, &c. and why ſo? but that they ſhould be in a continuall readineſſe, when God ſhould call them, to paſſe out of Aegypt, to go into the land of Canaan.
And this ſpirituall uſe ought every man to make thereof, alwaies to be in a readineſſe for our paſſage into our Celeſtiall Canaan.