fuch a Man fpeaks, let him fpeak when, or name what Number he pleases: And yet there is nothing of greater Moment in the Government of the World, than a free Power and Liberty of lengthening or thortening Mens Lives: For nothing more over-awes Mankind, and keeps them more in Dependance on God; nothing gives a more fignal Demonftration of a divine Power, or Vengeance; nothing is a greater Bleffing to Families or Kingdoms, or a greater Punishment to them than the Life or Death of a Parent, of a Child, of a Prince; and therefore it is as neceffary to reserve this Power to God, as to affert a Providence. There are two or three Places of Scripture, which are urged in favour of the contrary Opinion. Job xiv. 5. Seeing bis Days are determined, the number of his Months are with thee; thou hast appointed his Bounds that he can→ not pass. Job vii. 1. Is there not an appointed Time to Man upon Earth? Are not his Days alfo like the Days of an Hireling? Which refer not to the particular Period of every Man's Life, but as I obferved before, to the general Period of human Life, which is fixed and determined, which is therefore called the Days or the Years of Man, because God had appointed this the ordinary Time of Man's Life; as when God threatens that the Wicked shall not live out half their Days; that is, half that Time which is allotted for Men to live on Earth: For they have no other Intereft in thefe Days, but that they are the Days of a Man, and therefore might be their Days too.

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From what I have now difcourfed, there are two Things very plainly to be obferved: 1. That Men may contribute very much to the lengthning or fhortning their own Lives. 2. That the Provi dence of God does peculiarly over-rule and determine this Matter.

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1. As for the first, there is no need to prove it; for we see Men deftroy their own Lives every Day, either by Intemperance and Luft, or more open Violence, by forfeiting their Lives to public Juftice, or by provoking the divine Vengeance: And therefore whoever defires a long Life, to fill up the Number of his Days which God has allotted us in this World, muft keep himfelf from fuch deftructive Vices, muft practise the most healthful Virtues, muft make God his Friend, and engage his Providence for his Defence. Can any thing be more abfurd, than to hear Men promise themfelves long Life, and reckon upon forty or fifty Years to come, when they run into thofe Exceffes, which will make a quick and speedy End of them? Which will either inflame and corrupt their Blood, and let a Fever or a Dropfy into their Veins, or bring Rottenefs into their Bones, or engage them in fome fatal Quarrel, or ruin their Estates, 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; efpecially 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 be that defireth Life, and loveth many Days, that he may fee Good? Keep thy Tongue from Evil, and thy Lips from fpeaking Guile: depart from Evil, and do Good; feek Peace, and purfue it. Thefe 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

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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 lefs 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 deftroy himself, but by God's Leave; no Disease 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. Thofe wafting Judgments of Plague and Peftilence, Famine and Sword, are appointed by God, and have their particular Commiffions where to ftrike; as we may fee, 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 Phyfic, 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 fuch a fix'd and immoveable Period fet to them, yet Death cannot come but by God's Appointment.

SECT. VI.

The particular Time when we are to die, is unknown and uncertain to us.

III.

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HE particular Time when any 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 wife Ufe 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 utmoft Term and Period of human Life, which tho' it be but short in itself, is yet the longeft that any Man can hope to live. No wife Man will promife himself that which he can have no Reason to expect, but what has very 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 Arrefts of Death? Is it because we fee fome Men live to a great Age? But this was no Security to thofe 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 fome do; but it is more likely we fhall 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, fo cafual and fortuitous to us, that inftead of promifing ourselves long Life, no wife Man will promife himself a Week, nor venture any thing of great Moment and Confequence upon it. The Hope of long Life is nothing elfe but Self-flattery: The Fondness Men have for Life, and that Partiality they have for themselves, perfuades them, that they fhall live as long as any Man can live, and fhall efcape thofe Difeafes and fatal Accidents with which our Bills of Mortality are filled every Week: But then you fhould confider, that other Men are as dear to themselves as you are, and flatter themselves as much with long Life, as you do, but their Hopes very often deceive them, and fo may your's.

But you'll fay, To what Purpofe 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 Relifhof it; and why should we difturb 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-natured and fpiteful a Thing as could be done; and the leaft Recompence I could make, would be to ask you Pardon for it, and leave you to enjoy the Comforts of Life fecure

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