a quick and fpeedy End of them? Which will either inflame and corrupt their Blood, and let a Fever or a Dropfy into their Veins, or bring Rottennefs into their Bones, or engage them in fome fatal Quarrel, or ruin their Eftates, and fend them to feek their Fortune upon the Road, which commonly brings them to the Gallows? What a fatal Cheat is this, which Men put upon themselves; especially when they fin in hope of Time to repent, and commit fuch Sins as will give them no Time to repent in?

The Advice of the Pfalmift is much better: What man is he that defireth life, and loveth many days, that he may fee good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from Speaking guile: depart from evil, and do good; feek peace, and pursue it. These are natural and moral Causes of a long Life; but that is not all, For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry; the face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. That is, God will prolong the Lives of good Men, and cut off the Wicked; not that this is a general Rule without Exception; but it is the ordinary Method of Providence, Pfal. xxxiv. 12, 13, &c.

2. For though God has not determined how long every Man fhall live, by an abfolute and unconditional Decree; yet if a Sparrow does not fall to the Ground without our Father,

much

much less does Man. No Man can go out of this World, no more than he can come into it, but by a special Providence; no Man can destroy himself, but by God's Leave; no Difeafe can kill, but when God pleases; no mortal Accident can befal us, but by God's Appointment; who is therefore faid to deliver the Man into the Hands of his Neighbour, who is killed by an evil Accident, Deut. xix. 4, 5. Those wafting Judgments of Plague and Peftilence, Famine and Sword, are appointed by God, and have their particular Commiffions where to ftrike; as we may see, Lev. xxvi. 47. Jer. vi. 7. Ifa. lxv. 12. Jer. xv. 2. Pfal. xci. and feveral other Places. All the Rage and Fury of Men cannot take away our Lives, but by God's particular Permiffion, Matth. x. 28, 29, 30, 31.

And this lays as great an Obligation on us, as the Love of Life can, which is the dearest Thing in this World, to ferve and please God; this will make us fecure from all Fears and Dangers. My times, faith David, are in thy hand; deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that perfecute me, Pfal. xxxi. 15. This encourages us to pray to God, for ourselves, or our Friends, whatever Danger our Lives are in, either from Sicknefs, or from Men. There is no Cafe wherein he can't help us; when he fees fit, he can' rectify the Disorders of Nature, and correct an ill Habit of Body, and rebuke the most

raging Distempers, which mock at all the Arts of Phyfick, and Powers of Drugs, and many times does fo by infenfible Methods. To conclude: This is a great Satisfaction to good Men, that our Lives are in the Hands of God; that though there be not such a fix'd and immoveable Period fet to them, yet Death cannot come but by God's Appoint

ment.

SECT. VI.

The particular Time when we are to die, is un

III.

known and uncertain to us.

TE

any

HE particular Time when of us are to die, is unknown and uncertain to us; and this is that which we properly call the Uncertainty of our Lives; that we know not when we fhall die, whether this Night or To-morrow, or twenty Years hence. There is no need to prove this, but only to mind you of it, and to acquaint you what wise Use you are to make of it.

1. This fhews how unreasonable it is to flatter ourselves with the Hope of long Life; I mean, of prolonging our Lives near the utmost Term and Period of human Life, which tho' it be but thort in itself, is yet the longest that any Man can hope to live. No wife Man will promise himself that which he can have no Reason to expect, but what has very M often

often failed others: For let us seriously confider, what Reafon any of us have to expect a long Life. Is it because we are young, and healthful, and vigorous? And do we not daily fee young Men die? Can Youth, or Beauty, or Strength, fecure us from the Arrests of Death? Is it because we see some Men live to a great Age? But this was no Security to those who died young, and left a great many Men behind them, who had lived twice. or thrice their Age; and therefore we may also see a great many old Men, and die young ourfelves. It is poffible we may live to old Age, because some do; but it is more likely we shall not, because there are more that die young. The Truth is, the Time of dying is fo uncertain, the Ways of dying fo infinite, fo unfeen, so cafual and fortuitous to us, that instead of promifing ourselves long Life, no wife Man will promise himself a Week, nor venture any thing of great Moment and Confequence upon it. The Hope of long Life is nothing else but Self-flattery: The Fondness Men have for Life, and that Partiality they have for themfelves, perfuades them, that they shall live as long as any Man can live, and fhall efcape thofe Diseases and fatal Accidents with which our Bills of Mortality are fill'd every Week: But then you fhould confider, that other Men are as dear to themselves as you are, and flatter themfelves as much with long Life, as you do;

but

but their Hopes very often deceive them, and fo may yours.

But you'll fay, To what Purpose is all this? Why fo much Pains to put us out of Conceit with the Hopes of living long? For what Hurt is it, if we do flatter ourselves a little more in this Matter than we have Reafon for? If it should prove only a deceitful. Dream, yet it makes Life chearful and comfortable, and gives us a true Relish of it; and why should we disturb ourselves, and make Life uneafy, by the perpetual Thoughts of dying.

Now, I confefs, were there no Hurt and Danger in it, this were as ill-natur'd and spiteful a Thing as could be done; and the least Recompence I could make, would be to ask you pardon for it, and leave you to enjoy the Comforts of Life fecurely for the future; to live on as long as you can, and let Death come when it will, without being looked for: But I apprehend a great deal of Danger in fuch deceitful and flattering Hopes; and that is the Reason why I diffuade you from it. For,

1. The Hope of long Life is apt to make us fond of this World, which is as great a Mischief to us, as to expofe us to all the Temptations and Flatteries of it. That we muft die, and leave this World, is a good Reason indeed why we ought not to be fond of it; why we should live like Pilgrims and Strangers

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