1. That the general Period of human Life, which is the fame Thing with the Time of our Death, is fix'd and determined by God.

II. That the particular Time of every Man's Death, tho' it be foreknown by God, who foreknows all Things; yet it does not appear, that it is peremptorily decreed and determined by

God. III. That the particular Time when any of us fhall die, is unknown and uncertain to us. IV. That we muft die but once: It is appointed for all Men once to die.

SECT. I.

That the general Period of human Life is fix'd and determined by GOD, and that is but very short.

I.

TH

HAT the general Period of human Life, which is the fame Thing with the Time of our Death, is fix'd and determin'd by God; that is, there is a Time fet to human Life, beyond which no Man fhall live, as Job fpeaks, Job xiv. 5. His Days are determined, the number of his Months are with thee, thou haft appointed his Bounds that he cannot pass. Which does not refer to the Period of every particular Man's Life, but is spoken of Men in general, that there are fix'd Bounds fet to human Life, which no Man can exceed.

What these Bounds are, God has not expreffly declar'd, but that must be learn'd from Obfervation. Such a Time as moft commonly puts a Period to Mens Lives who live longeft, may ge nerally pass for the common Measure of human Life, tho' there may be fome few Exceptions.

Before the Flood no Man lived a thousand Years; and therefore we may conclude, That the longeft Term of human Life, after the Sentence

of Death was paffed on Man, was confined within a thoufand Years. Methuselah, who was the longeft Liver, lived but nine hundred fixty-nine Years, and he died; fo that no Man never lived a thousand Years: And comparing this Obfervation with that Promife of a thousand Years Reign with Chrift, which is called the firft Refurrection, and is the Portion only of Martyrs and Confeffors, and pure and fincere Chriftians, Rev. xx. I have been apt to conclude, That to live a thousand Years is the Privilege only of immortal Creatures; that if Adam had continued innocent, he fhould have lived no longer on Earth, but have been tranflated to Heaven without dying; for this thousand Years Reign of the Saints with Chrift, whatever that fignifies, feems to be intended as a Reparation of that Death which they fell under by Adam's Sin: But then thefe thousand Years do not put an End to the Happiness of these glorious Saints, but they are immortal Creatures; and tho' this Reign with Chrift continues but a thousand Years, their Happiness fhall have no End, tho' the Scene may change and vary: For over fuch Men the fecond Death bath no Power. Or elfe this thousand Years Reign with Chrift muft fignify an eternal and unchangeable Kingdom, a thoufand Years being a certain Earneft of Immortality; but there is an unanswerable Objection against that, because we read of the expiring of thefe thoufand Years, and what fhall come after them, even the final Judgment of all the World. But this is a great Myftery, which we must not hope perfectly to underftand, till we fee the bleffed Accomplishments

of it.

But tho' before the Flood fome Perfons lived very near the thousand Years, yet after the Flood the

the Term of Life was much fhorten'd: Some think this was done by God, when he pronounced that Sentence, Gen. vi. 3. And the Lord Jaid, My Spirit fhall not always ftrive with Man, for that he alfo is Flefb, yet his Days fhall be an hundred and twenty years. As if God had then decreed, that the Life of Man fhould not exceed an hundred

and twenty Years. But this does not agree with that Account, we have of Mens Lives after the Flood; for not only Noah and his Sons, who were with him in the Ark, lived much longer than this after the Flood: Arphaxad lived five hundred and thirty Years, Salah four hundred and three Years, Eber four hundred and thirty Years, and Abraham himself a hundred feventyfive Years; and therefore this hundred and twenty Years cannot refer to the ordinary Term of Man's Life, but to the Continuance of God's Patience with that wicked World, before he would bring the Flood upon them to destroy that corrupt Generation of Men; that is, That he would bear with them a hundred and twenty Years before he would fend the Flood to destroy them. But afterwards by Degrees Life was 1horten'd, nfomuch, that tho' Mofes himfelf lived a great deal longer, yet if the 90th Pfalm was compofed by him, as the Title tells us it was, the ordinary Term of Life in his Days was but threefcore and ten, or fourfcore Years, ver. 10. The Days of our years are threescore years and ten: aud if by reafon of Strength they be fourfcore years, yet is their Strength Labour and Sorrow; fo foon palleth it away, and it is gone. And this has continued the ordinary Measure of Life ever fince; which is fo very thort, that David might well fay, Behold thou haft made my Days as an Handbreadth, and mine Age is as nothing before thee:

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verily

verily every Man at his best Estate is altogether Vanity, Pfal. xxxix. 5.

I fhall not fcrupulously enquire into the Reafon of this great Change, why our Lives are reduced into fo narrow a Compafs: Some will not believe that it was fo, but think there is a Miftake in the Manner of the Account; that when they are faid to live eight or nine hundred Years, they computed their Years by the Moon, not by the Sun; that is, their Years were Months, twelve of which make but one of our Years; and then indeed the longest Livers of them did not live fo long as many do at this Day; for Methuselah himself, who lived nine hundred fixty nine Years, according to our Computation of Months for Years, lived but fourscore Years and five Months. But it is But it is very abfurd to imagine, that Mofes fhould use two fuch different Accounts of Time, that fometimes by a Year he fhould mean no more than a Month, and fometimes twelve Months, without giving the leaft Notice of it, which is unpardonable in any Hiftorian: And therefore others complain much, that they were not born in thofe Days, when the Life of Man was prolonged for fo many hundred Years: There had been fome Comfort in living then, when they enjoyed all the Vigour and Gaiety of Youth, and could relish the Pleasures of Life for feven, eight or nine hundred Years. A Bleffing which Men would purchafe at any rate in our Days: But now we can scarce turn ourselves about in the World, but we are admonished by grey Hairs, or the fenfible Decays of Nature, to prepare for our Winding-fheet. And therefore, for the farther Improvement of this Argument, I fhall, 1. Shew you, What little Reafon we have to complain of the Shortnefs of Life. 2. What Ufe we are to make of it, SECT.

SECT. II.

What little Reafon we have to complain of the Shortness of human Life.

I.

W HAT little Reafon we have to complain of the Shortnefs of Life, and the too hafty Approaches of Death to us: For, 1. Such a long Life is not reconcileable with the prefent State of the World. And, 2dly. Our Lives are long enough for all the wife Purpofes of Living.

1. Such a long Life is not reconcileable with the prefent State of the World. What the State of the World was before the Flood, in what Manner they lived, and how they employed their Time, we cannot tell, for Mofes has given no Account of it; but taking the World as it is, and as we find it, I dare undertake to convince thofe Men who are moft apt to complain of the Shortnefs of Life, that it would not be for the general Happiness of Mankind to have it much longer: For, 1. The World is at prefent very unequally divided; fome have a large Share and Portion of it, others have nothing, but what they earn by very hard Labour, or extort from other Mens Charity by their reftlefs Importunities, or gain by more ungodly Arts: Now, tho' the Rich and Profperous, who have the World at Command, and live in Eafe and Pleafure, would be very well contented to spend fome hundred Years in this World, yet I should think fifty or threefcore Years abundantly enough for Slaves and Beggars; enough to spend in Hunger and Want, in a Goal and a Prifon. And thofe who are fo foolish as not to think this enough, owe a great deal to the Wifdom and Goodnefs of God, that he does: So that the greatest Part of Mankind have great G 4 Reafon