UPON THE CONSIDERATION OF Our Latter End; AND THE Danger and Mischief OF Delaying Repentance. By ISAAC BARROW, D. D. Late Master of Trinity-College in Cambridge. Formerly Published by his Grace, JOHN Lord Arch Bishop of Canterbury. The Second Edition. LONDON, Printed for Brab. Aylmer; And Sold by ROYSTON MEREDITH, at the Star in St. Paul's Church-Yard. 1712. most intimate with God:) 'Tis also remarkable for the form and matter thereof, both affording much usefull inftruction. In it we have a great Prince, the Governour of a numerous People fequeftring his Mind from the management of pub lick Affairs to private Meditations; from beholding the prefent outward appearances, to confidering the real nature and secret caufes of things; In the midst of all the Splendour and Pomp, of all the ftir and tumult about him he observes the frailty of humane condition, he difcerns the Providence of God juftly ordering all; this he does not onely in way of wife confideration, but of ferious devotion, moulding his obfervations into pious acknowledgments, and earnest Prayers to God; thus while he cafts one eye upon Earth viewing the occurrences there, lifting up the other to Heaven; there feeing God's all-governing Hand, thence feeking his gracious Favour and Mercy. Thus doth here that great and good good Man teach us all, (more particularly men of high Eftate, and much Bufinefs) to find opportunities of withdrawing their thoughts from thofe things, which commonly amuse them (the Cares, the Glories, the Pleafures of this World) and fixing them upon matters more improvable to devotion; the tranfitorinefs of their Condition, and their fubjection to God's just Providence; joining alfo to thefe Meditations futable acts of Religion, due acknowledgments to God and humble Prayers. This was his practice among the greatest encumbrances that any Man could have; and it fhould also be ours. Of those his devotions, addreffed to God, the Words are part, which I have chofen for the subject of my meditation and prefent difcourfe; concerning the meaning of which I fhall firft touch fomewhat; then propound that obfervable in them, which I defign to insist upon. Pía.. 39. 4. Job 14. 5. The Prophet David hath in the 39th Pfalm a Prayer very near in words, and of kin (it feems) in fense to this here; Lord, prays he, Make me to know my end, and the measure of my days, what it is, that I may know how frail I am: Concerning the drift of which place, as well as of this here, it were obvious to conceive, that both thefe Prophets do requeft of God, that he would discover to them the definite term of their life (which by his decree he had fixed, or however by his universal prescience he did difcern; concerning which we have these words in Job, Seeing man's days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou haft appointed his bounds, that he cannot pafs) we might, I say, at first hearing be apt to imagine, that their Prayer unto God is, (for the comfort of their mind burthened with afflictions, or for their better direction in the management of their remaining time of life) that God would would reveal unto them the determinate length of their life. But this fenfe, which the Words feem fo naturally to hold forth is by many of the Fathers rejected; for that the knowledge of our lives determinate measure is not a fit matter of Prayer to God; that being a secret referved by God to himself, which to inquire into favours of prefumptuous curiofity; the univerfal validity of which reafon I will not debate but fhall defer fo much to ; their judgment, as to fuppofe that the numbring of our days (according to their fenfe) doth here onely imply a confused indefinite computation of our days number, or the length of our life; fuch as, upon which it may appear, that neceffarily our life cannot be long (not according to the accompt mentioned in this Pfalm (the fame with that of Solon, in Herodotus) above feventy or eighty Years, efpecially as to purposes of health, ftrength, content) will probably by reafon of B 3 various |