2.

Sudden refolutions in matters which will allow deliberation, are often to be suspected. Sometimes the matter of fin and duty is of that nature, that there is no time to deliberate; all that can be done is, to look to the Lord for immediate clear nefs, and the Chriftian fhall have it, Prov. iv. 12. When thou runneft, thou shalt not fiumble. Compare Matth. x. 19. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye fball Speak, for it fall be given you in that fame hour what ye fball fpeak. Sometimes the Chriftian may have time to deliberate, and then God's ordinary way is to clear men ftep by step, Prov. 10. 12. When thou goeft, thy steps shall not be fraitened. Say not, the way is plain at first glance in this cafe; for the Spirit of God bids thee ponder the path of thy feet, Prov. iv. 26. If a way be fuch as our own heart at the very first inclines to, Ifay it ought the rather to be narrowly examined, seeing in fcripture-language the way of our own heart is of no good name. And fuppofe the inclination of the man's heart does really fall upon the right fide in this cafe, yet this is no Chrifti-、 an refolution, but a stumbling on the right way, which God I will never accept. Therefore men that would act as Christians in the point of fin and duty, should lay aside prejudices, trample their inclinations under foot, lay the matter before the Lord, and themselves open to conviction there, as a piece of clean paper, on which God may write what he fees meet, pondering all things with a holy jealoufy over their own hearts, left they be biaffed by their own inclinations and preconceived opinions. I am fùre much of God is to be found in this way.

7. Acknowledge God more in your temporal concerns, Prov. i. 6. Are we Chriftians? let us depend on God for all 2 things in this life and the other. We are directed to pray vabout them, the promises are about them, and therefore we fhould wait on God for them. Many a fweet experience have the faints got in temporal things, when they have been helped to lay them before the Lord, and leave them there without anxiety, in the ufe of the means.

commands of

deal with men God as if the

8. Lafly, Have a precife refpect to all the God, and be truly ftrict in your lives; that is, as believing God's eye is upon you, and with eyes of men were upon you. Never look on the authority of the multitude as fufficient to make that no fault, which will not abide fic examination by the word of God. Let the command of God prevail with you; and whatsoever liberty ye may take for ought that men can fay or do to you, let that be a fufficient reftraint. Thus may ye attain experimental re

and Mortality *.

Two fermops preached on a congregational faft-day, at Ettrick, April 27. 1720, on occafion of the great fickness and mortality then prevailing.

PSALM XC. 12.

So teach us to number our days,

that we may apply our heart's unto wisdom.

TH

The fermon in the forenoon.

THIS text is a prayer fuitable to the difpenfation of this day, While we ftand and fee fo much fickness and mortality prevailing among us, they have ftout hearts indeed, who look not up to the Lord with this or the like peti tion in their hearts, So teach us, &c.

This pfalm was calculated for a dying time, being fuppofed to be penned upon the occasion of that fentence paffed in the wildernefs, Num. xiv. 28. &c. concerning the death of thofe from twenty years old and upward who came out of the land of Egypt, lo as none of them should enter Canaan but Caleb and Joshua. It was penned, I fay, by Mofes, who faw in the space of forty years fix hundred thousand men fwept off by death, befides women and children.

There are three things infifted on in the body of this pfalin, and fummed up together, ver. 10, H. A fhort life, a fure death, and a fevere judgement. And here is the ufe of them, O to confider thefe fo as to be wife for our fouls, O for a fanctified ufe of the fad difpenfation. In the words there is,

1. A leffon defired to be learned, (1.) The leffon ittelf, of counting or numbering of our days; i. e. of confidering them duly and seriously, as he who tells any thing before him, looks to every one of the number, and makes a juft reckoning (2.) The teacher of whom only we can learn this is God himself. It is a difficult leffon to learn to purpofe. Many good counters who can dexterously count great fums, are quite out in the calculation of their days, Luke xii. 19. zo. There is a neceffity of the teaching of the Spirit, in order to learn this divine arthmetic. bod play sT

2. The standard of proficiency in this leffon, That we may apply our hearts unto wisdom; i. e. that we learn it fo, as we apply ouriclves to ferious godliness, which is the only wifdom: Heb. that we may bring in, a heart of wisdom, ise. a wife

* See above, note, p. 383, 4.

heart. We have naturally light and foolish hearts; but he, and only he, learns this leffon well, that brings in a ferious, religious, and wife heart, from the school of the word and providence, where that leffon is taught. All under this ftandard are but bunglers at the leffon, they have not yet learned it truly though they can talk of it, viz. the fhortnefs and vanity of life, they are never a whit the wifer for all that, in refpect of their fouls; they have not yet got it by heart, but only by head; and therefore they are ftill the carnal, careless men they were before.

The words being thus explained, I fhall, as the fubject of this forenoon's difcourfe, obferve the following doctrine.

DocT. A time of mortality is a special call to all rightly to number their days. Sin brought in mortality into the world, Gen. ii. 17. compare chap. v. And it has never gone out of it fince; at all times fome are here and there stepping off: but there are fome times by way of eminency to be called times of motality, as that in the wildernefs, and as now amongst us in this land. This has a fpecial call.

Here I fhall fhew,

1. What it is to number our days.

II. That a time of mortality is a fpecial call to this work.

I. I am to fhew what it is to number our days. It imports, 1. Our days had a beginning, and we must reflect on that, Pfal. xxii. 9. Every thing that is numbered must have a beginning; and therefore God's duration is not liable to num bering. But we may foon perceive our beginning to be in the world, and thence learn and obferve,

(r.) That it is by divine appointment, and not by neceffity of our nature, that we continue to be. The latter is proper to God only; by the former angels and men, and all crea tures, are continued in being. For he that once had no being, can never claim a natural neceffity of continuing to be.

(2.) That every moment of our life hangs on the divine will and pleafure, Rev. iv. ult. There is no neceffary connec tion betwixt your living this moment, and living the next. The only bond betwixt them is God's word of appointment, Hebi. 3. Loofe that, and remove it, our life goes, and our eyes thall never fee the next moment. No food, no phyfic can prevent it, Matth iv. 4. There is no outliving that word, Pfal. xc. 3. Thou turneft man to deftruction; and fayef, Return, ye chi dren of men, fo much as for one moment.

(3.) That we must go the way of all flesh; for many c

thofe we found in the world at our coming into it, are now gone, Zech. i. 5. This world is always like a fair near the height, where fome are coming in, others going out, and those within in confufion, Eccl. i. 4. I doubt not but there may be fome in this houfe this day, who, if they will confider, fhall not find one of all thofe that filled it at their first coming into it, in it this day. But these are gone, and others have come into the room of them all. And fhall not others reckon fo of us in a little time?

2. Our days will have an end, and, we muft feriously confider that. Hence fays the pfalmift, Pfal. xxxix. 4. Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is. Every thing that is numerable has an end, and therefore eternity cannot be numbered, fince it hath no end. But we may foon come to the end of our count, when we are counting our days; and thence may learn and observe,

(1.) That the fhored tree will be cut down at length. I know that thou wilt bring me to death, fays Job, and to the house appointed for all living, Job xxx. 23. When we were firft t planted in this world, the axe was laid down at the root of the tree, and we have grown up befide it. There is never a pain nor ftitch, but it is a ftroke of that axe, a pledge of a greater. Sometimes it has almoft ftruck through, but in a little time it will go through for altogether. So that man fhall lie down, and not rife till the heavens be no more.

(2.) We will need nothing for this life ere long. Dip not fo deep in the cares of this world as most do, to the ruin of their fouls. Many have been anxious to provide for the day" which they never faw, as the rich man in the parable did, Luke xii. 17.-20. The clods of earth will ferve for back and belly ere long, and we will have no portion in what is done under the fun; others will poffefs the houses, lands, &c. which we now occupy.

(3.) See now how ye will begin eternity. It will begin with us when our days are come to an end; and as we begin it, fo we will continue in it, Heb. ix. 27. Our ftate now is alterable, but then it is unalterable for ever. Therefore now or never let us fecure a happy eternity. Learn your duty from the unjuft fteward, the ferious confideration of which I recommend to you, Luke xvi. 3.—8.

(4) Working time for eternity will not laft. It clofeth with the end of our days: Therefore whatsoever' thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wiflom in the grave whither thou goeft, Eccl. ix. 10.

Ufe. Be not idle fpectators of the difpenfation of this day. Number your days, fo as ye may apply your hearts unto wif dom... If you will not take warning to prepare for eternity, by the removal of others, take heed leit God make you a warning to others. Let the aged and young hear the voice of the rod, and feriously improve it.

3. Our days are few, and we must confider that they are the number of a man, they may be counted. There are fome things not innumerable in themselves, yet cannot be numbered for their multitude. But there is no fuch multitude of the

days of our life.

(1.) Confider the counters the fcripture affords us to count our days by. A web, If. xxxviii. 12.; it is such a web as one is ftill working at without intermiffion, and therefore will foon be cut out-grafs, and a flower, foon withered, If. xl. 6. 7.; green at morn, and cut down at night, Pfal. xc. 6. :—a vapour that vanisheth away, frail, uncertain, and of short conting ance, Jam. iv. 14. :-fmoke, Pfal. cii. 3.:-a wind, a blast, or s puff, Job vii. 7. -a fleep, Pfal. xc. 5.-a dream, Job xx. 8. a hand-breadth, Pfal. xxxix. 5. :-nothing, ibid. compare Eccl. iii. 2. Count with thefe counters, and the reckoning will be very small, which the fcripture allo has cat up to our hands.

(2.) Confider the fcripture-reckoning of man's life. The highest reckoning is by years, now brought down to a few fcores, Pfal. xc. 10. Nay, as we count the age of infants by months, fo is man's age reckoned, Job xiv. 5. As if months were too big a word, it is brought down to days, and a few days, Job xiv. 1. yea, to one day, wherein there is but a morning, noon, and evening, Job xiv. 6. ; and yet lower, to an hour, 1 John ii. 18. aye to a moment, that is paft ere one is aware, 2 Cor. xv. 17. Prov. xii. 19. So the fum of our days is very fmall.

From both ye may find that our days are few; and thence learn and obferve,

(1.) It is no fafe counting to count many years in to come, whatever ye be, left ye be out in your account, as the rich mari was, Luke xii. 19.20. Many whofe youth and strength feemed to give them ground for counting fo, have been forced to fee their mistake and count again, little to their comfort, death coming ere it was looked for.

(2.) Our days will foon be at an end. We will quickly be over our hand-breadth. They fly like a fhadow, Job xiv. 2. And though a weaver's fhuttle is very fwift, in going from the one fide of the web to the other, our days are fwifter than it is, Job vii. 6. See what Job fays, chap. ix. 25. 26. Now my days VOL. III. 4 H.