I do not intend by this to comfort men against foreseen evils, that they may die before they come ; which is a small comfort to most men; when it may be, death is the most formidable thing in the evils they fear; but since our lives are uncertain, and we may die, and never see the evils we fear, it is unreasonable to be as much distracted with them, as if they were present and certain: the uncertainty of future events, is one reason why we ought not to be anxious and solicitous about them; and the uncer tainty of our lives is another; and what is so very uncertain, ought not to be the object of any great concern or passion.

5. For the same reason we ought not to be greatly afraid of men, nor to put our trust and confidence in them, because their lives are very uncertain; they may not be able to hurt us, when we are most apprehensive of danger from them; nor to help us, when we need them most: this is the Psalmist's argument, Psalm. cxlvi. 3. 4. Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help: his breath goeth forth, he returneth to the earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Isaiah. ii. 22. Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils ; for wherein is he to be accounted of? Men, especially great and powerful men, may do us a great deal of hurt, and may do us a great deal of good; and therefore common prudence will teach us by all wise and honest arts to gain their favor, and to avoid all unrea

sonable and needless provocations; but yet at best they are such brittle creatures, that they can be the objects only of a subordinate fear or hope; when the fear of man comes in competition with the fear of God, it is wise counsel which the prophet Isaiah gives, Say ye not, a confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, a confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid. Sactify the Lord God of Hosts himself, and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread; and he shall be for a sanctuary, Isaiah. viii. 1, 12 3, 14. There is a vast difference between the power of God and men, which is our Savior's reason, why we should fear God more than men : Be not afraid of them who can kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do; but I will forewarn ye, whom ye shall fear : fear him, which after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, fear him, Luke. xii. 4, 5. But whatever power men may have to hurt, while they live, they can do us no hurt when they are dead; and their lives are so very uncertain. that we may be quickly eased of those fears. The same may be said with respect to hope and confidence in men; though their word and promise were always sacred, yet their lives are uncertain ; Their breath goeth forth, they return to the earth; in that very day their thoughts perish; all the good and all the evil they intended to do; But happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is the Lord his God, which hath made heaven and

earth, the sea, and all that therein is, who keepeth truth for ever, Psalm. cxlvi. 5, 6.

6. For a conclusion of this argument, I shall briefly vindicate the wisdom and goodness of God, in concealing from us the time of our death: this we are very apt to complain of, that our lives are so very uncertain, that we know not to-day, but that we may die to-morrow; and we would be mighty glad to meet with any one who could certainly inform us in this matter, how long we are to live: but if we think a little better of it, we shall be of another mind.

For, 1. Though I presume many of you would be glad to know, that you shall certainly live twenty, or thirty, or forty years longer, yet would it be any comfort to know that you must die to-morrow, or some few months, or a year or two hence? Which may be your case for ought you know; and this I believe you are not very desirous to know; for how would this chill your blood and spirits? How would it overcast all the pleasures and comforts of life? You would spend your days like men under the sentence of death, while the execution is suspended.

Did all men, who must die young, certainly know it, it would destroy the industry and improvements of half mankind, which would half destroy the world, or be an insupportable mischief to human societies: for what man, who knows that he must die at twenty, or five and twenty, a little sooner or later, would

trouble himself with ingenious or gainful arts, ar concern himself any more with this world, than just to live so long in it? And yet how necessary is the service of such men in the world? What great things do they many times do? And what great improvements do they make? How pleasant and diverting is their conversation, while it is innocent? How do they enjoy themselves, and give life and spirit to the graver age? How thin would our schools, our shops, our universities, and all places of education be, did they know how little time many of them were to live in the world! For would such men concern themselves to learn the arts of living, who must die as soon as they have learnt them! Would any father be at a great expence in educating his child, only that he might die with a little latin and greek, logic and philosophy! No, half the world must be divided into cloisters, and nunneries, and nurseries for the grave.

Well, you will say, suppose that; and is not this an advantage above all the inconveniencies you can think of, to secure the salvation of so many thousands who are now eternally ruined by youthful lust and vanities, but would spend their days in piety and devotion, and make the next world their only care, if they knew how little while they were to live here!

Right: I grant this might be a good way to correct the heat and extravagancies of youth; and so it

would be to shew them heaven and hell; but God does not think fit to do either, because it offers too much force and violence to men's minds; it is no trial of their virtue, of their reverence for God, of their conquests and victory over this world by the power of faith; but makes religion a matter of necessity, not of choice; now God will force and drive no man to heaven, the gospel dispensation is the trial and discipline of ingenious spirits: and if the certain hopes and fears of another world, and the uncertainty of your living here, will not conquer these flattering temptations, and make men seriously religious, as those who must certainly die, and go into another world, and they know not how soon, God will not try, whether the certain knowledge of the time of their death, will make them religious : that they may die young, and that thousands do so, is reason enough to engage young men to expect death, and prepare for it; if they will venture, they must take their chance, and not say they had no warning of dying young, if they eternally miscarry by their wilful delays.

And besides this, God expects our youthful service and obedience, though we were to live on till old age; that we may die young, is not the proper, much less the only reason, why we should remember our creator in the days of our youth, but because God has a right to our youthful strength and vigor; and if this will not oblige us to an early piety, we