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carfed But it is an honourable character which the Spirit of God puts on Mnafon, Acts xxi. 16, an old difiple And old godly men are molt like God, Dan. vii. 9. Rev. i. 14.

2. It is profitable for the exercise of godliness, in fo far as it makes them proof against many temptations which youth often carries men headlong unto, 2 Tim. 22. The frothiness and fire of youth dying out thro' time, their grace is the better it wants them. Young people's grace may be more bulky, but old people's grace, though of lefs bulk, is more worth, because it is more folid. Though new liquor may work and fwell up more, the old is better. John was the longest lived of the apoftles, and wrote laft of them. In his younger years he could have burnt whole towns for Chrift, Luke ix. 54.; but if ye will look to his epiftles written in his older days, they breathe nothing but love, and meeknefs, and folid godliness.

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3 Long life makes way for the more proofs and experiences of the goodness of God on the earth, Johnzi 13. The young foldier may be more mettled and venturous; but the old foldier is more to be trufted, because of his experience and skill. It is no small advantage to have been an eye-wit nefs of the feveral appearances God has made for his church, and of feveral ftorms that have gone byen her head.

14 Lastly, They have the larger opportunity of glorifying God here, and being ferviceable in their generation, the longer they live on earth; and therefore fhall have a larger measure of glory hereafter, as they have been more ferviceable for God. than others, 2 Cor. ix. 6. How many are cut off in their early days, while they were juft budding for the honour of God and the fervice of the church & It is better for themselves, that they are foon taken away but the church is lefs the better of them, Phil. i.23. 24. The Spirit of God takes VOL. III.

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notice of this in the old men that outlived Joshua, how useful their age was for God and his church, Jofh. xxiv, 31. And Ifrael ferved the Lord all the days of Jofbua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Fofhua, and which had known all the works of the Lord, that he had done for Ifrael. And thoʻ glory is not the merit of good works, yet according to the fowing, so shall the harvest be.

Thirdly, A holy walk, particularly in the confcientious performance of relative duties, is the way to a long and profperous life. Holinefs, and particularly relative holiness, is the way to a long and happy life in the world.

1. As to holiness in general, it is clear from two things.

(1.) From the promise of God in his life-giving word. Man lives by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. The unbelieving world may think a fcripture-promife but a poor fence for a man's life. Give them good entertainment, cafe, medicine, they will lay more weight on these than on a cluster of promifes; but yet a promife from the Lord is better than all thefe, Dan. i. 15. for: man fhall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God, Matth. iv. 4. Now it has the promife, 1 Tim. iv. 8. It has the promife of health, wealth, and long life, Prov. iii.

7.-10. 16.

(2.) From the nature of the thing. A holy walk keeps us back from those things that hurt and ruin the body. And no man's body is fo little abufed to its hurt, as his whofe foul has refpect to walk within the hedge of God's precepts. Drunkennefs and gluttony devours more than the fword doth. Covetous care and anxiety waftes the body. Inordinate affections are the confuming of the conftitution. Holiness, that repreffes these things, muft then be as health to the flesh, Prov. iv. 22.

2. As for dutifulness to our relatives: Confider, (1.) It hath God's promise for it in the text,

which hath been made out to many in their fweet experience, as in the cafe of Ruth, and that of the Rechabites, Jer. xxxv. 19. And fo the contrary is threatened, Prov. XXX. 17. The eye that mocketh at his father, and defpifeth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles fhall eat it; and has been fulfilled in many to the full extent.

(2.) Dutifulness of that fort procures the bleffing of relatives; it natively draws out their hearts in thankfulness to God for them, and in prayers to God for them, which under God is a mean to bring down a bleffing upon them. The bleffing of them that were ready to perifh was not in vain to Job; it fprung up in a liberal increase,

(3.) Such perfons are of a meek disposition, and fuch have a peculiar promife to inherit the earth, Matth. v. 6. It is the want of the fpirit of meek. nefs, and pride and felfifhnefs in the room of it, that mars relative dutifulness.

(4) Laftly, The nature of the thing leads to it; for that is the ready way to make relations comfortable; and the comfort that people find in their relatives does good like a medicine, while the contrary is as rottennefs in the bones,

There are two objections that lie against this doctrine./

Object. 1. Have not wicked men, that caft off all perfonal and relative holiness, oft-times a long and profperous life? 1

Anf It is. fo indeed. Job obferved it long ago, ch. x. Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, ged, are mighty in power? But there is one thing that makes the difference wide enough; i, e. they have it not by promise. What of that? will ye fay. There is very much in it. (1) He cannot have the comfort of it as a godly man can have, no more then he can have the comfort of a well-furnished houfe, that knows not but every day he may be turned

out of it, while he knows no where else to go to, in comparison of one that has a tack of it, and is to move to a better when the tack expires. (2.) There is a fecret curfe in it that deftroys and ruins him; fo that the morfel may be fair, but there is a bone in it that will ftick in his throat, Prov. i. 32. 33. (3.) Lastly, The laft difh fpoils the feaft. No man can be faid to live a long and happy life that dies a miferable unhappy death, as all wicked men do. Can that life be profperous or happy that has such a black hinder end? Does not death foon catch that man that catches him ere his falvation be fecured?

Object. 2. Are there not many godly people whofe life in the world is neither long nor prosperous, and have neither much health, wealth, nor long life? The answer to this brings us,

Fourthly, To fhew how this promise is to be understood. It is to be understood as all other temporal promises are, not abfolutely, as if in no cafe it could be otherwife; but with thefe two limitations. (1.) As far as it fhall ferve for God's glory; and God may be more glorified in their early death than their long life. The honour of God is the immoveable rule by which these things must be all measured. (2.) As far as it shall serve for their good; and fo it may be a greater mercy to them to be hid in the grave, than to be left on earth; and surely it is no breach of promife to give one what is better than what was promifed. And these two are not to be feparated, but joined together; for whatever is moft for God's honour, is moft for the godly man's good. Now upon this we may lay down thefe conclufions.

1. Upon this promife the godly walking in the way of perfonal and relative holiness, may confidently expect from God as much long life and profperity in the world as fhall be for the honour of God, and their good to enjoy. And to have any more would be no favour.

2. A fhort and afflicted life may be more for their good than a long and profperous one, Pfal. cxix. 71. If. lvii. 1. And why fhould men quarrel with their bleffings or caft at their mercies? Good Jofiah was foon taken away, because the Lord would not have him to see the evil that was coming on.

3. Many of the children of God may be guilty of fuch breaches of this command in the mifmanagement of their relative duties, that they may by their own fault fall thort of the mercy promised here in the letter, Pfal. xcix. 8. and fo need not wonder if they reap that correction which themfelves have fowed. And though others that have managed worse than they may escape, no wonder either; for God will let that pafs in another, becaufe of an after reckoning, when he will correct his own children for lefs, because that is to put an end to the quarrel.

4. Lastly, Whatever they want of this, it shall be made up by what is better. The afflictions of the body fhall be health to their fouls; their croffes fhall not be curfes, but bleflings; and if they be deprived of the refidue of their years here, they fhall get them made up in heaven.

SECONDLY, The place where that bleffing is to be enjoyed; in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee; that is, the land of Canaan. So it refpects the Jews. But as it refpects Chriftians, it refers to any place of God's earth, and fo the apoftle turns it, Eph. vi. 3. That thou mayft live long on the earth,

LASTLY, That regard which the Lord allows his people to have to that bleffing, to further them in obedience: Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Though the chief motive to duty fhould be the honour and command of God, fet God allows us to eye the promifcd reward even in temporal things, as a fecondary motive and encouragement to duty.

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