Arakes tranfitory Things! That now everlasting HITHERTO one is tempted to exclaim against the King of Terrors, and call him capriciously cruel. He feems, by beginning at the wrong End of the Register, to have inverted the Laws of Nature. Pafling over the Couch of decrepit Age, he has nipped Infancy in its Bud; blafted Touth in its Bloom; and torn up Manhood in its full Maturity. - Terrible indeed are thefe Providences, yet not unfearchable the Counfels. For us they ficken, and for us they die.* SUCH Thoughts must not only grieve the Relatives, but furprize the whole Neighbourhood. They found a powerful Alarm to heedlefs dreaming Mortals, and * Complaint. are are intended as a Remedy for our carnal Security. Such Paffing-Bells inculcate loudly our LORD'S Admonition: "Take ye heed, "watch, and pray; for ye know not when "the Time is.". We nod, like intoxicated Creatures, upon the very Verge of a tremendous Precipice. These astonishing Difpenfations are the kind Meffengers of Heaven, to roufe us from our Supineness, and quicken us into timely Circumfpection. I need not, furely, accommodate them with Language, nor act as their Interpreter. Let every one's Confcience be awake, and this will appear their awful Meaning "O! ye Sons of Men, in the Midft of Life (c you are in Death. No State, no Cir"cumstances, can ascertain your Prefervation a fingle Moment. So ftrong is the Tyrant's Arm, that nothing can refift its " Force; fo un-erring his Aim, that nothing can elude the Blow: Sudden as Lightening "fometimes is his Arrow launched, and "wounds and kills in the Twinkling of an Eye. Never promise yourselves Safety "in any Expedient, but conftant Prepara"tion. The fatal Shafts fly fo promiscuously, "that none can guess the next Vidim. Therefore, be ye always ready; for in fuch an Hour as ye think not, the final "Summons cometh." No fooner turned from one Memento of my own, and Memorial of another's Decease, but a fecond, a third, a long Succeffion of these melancholy Monitors crowd upon my Sight. That which has fixed my Observation, is one of a more grave and fable Afpect than the former. I fuppose, it preferves the Relics of a more aged Perfon. One would conjecture, that he made fomewhat of a Figure in his Station among the Living, as his Monument does among the Funeral Marbles. Let me draw near, and inquire of the Stone, "Who or what is "beneath its Surface?"I am inform'd, He was once the Owner of a confiderable Eftate; which was much improved by his own Application and Management: That he left the World in the bufy Period of Life, advanced a little beyond' the Meridian. Probably, replied my mufing Mind, one of those indefatigable Drudges, who rife early, late take Reft, and eat the Bread of Carefulnefs, not to fecure the Loving-kindness of 7 the the LORD; not to make Provision for any reasonable Neceffity; but only to amass together ten thousand times more than they can poffibly ufe. Did he not lay Schemes for inlarging his Fortune, and aggrandizing his Family Did he not purpose to join Field. to Field, and add Houfe to Houfe, till his Poffeffions were almoft as vaft as his Defires? That then he would fit down, and enjoy what he had acquired; breathe a while from his toilfome Pursuit of Things temporal, and, perhaps, think a little of Things eternal. BUT fee the Folly of worldly Wisdom! How filly, how childifh, is the Sagacity of (what is called) manly and masterly Prudence, when it contrives more folicitoufly for Time, than it provides for Eternity! How ftrangely infatuated are those subtil Heads, that weary themselves in concerting Measures for Shadows of a Day, and scarce bestow a Thought on everlasting Realities! When every Wheel moves on smoothly; when all the well-difpofed Defigns are ripening * Hac mente laborem Sefe ferre, fenes ut in otia tuta recedant, Hor. apace apace for Execution; and the long-expected Crifis of Enjoyment feems to approach; behold! Go D from on high laughs at the Babelbuilder; Death touches the labour'd Bubble, and immediately it breaks. The Cobweb, most finely fpun indeed, but more cafily dislodged, is swept away in an Instant; and all the abortive Projects are buried in the fame Grave with their Projector. So true is that Verdict, which the Wisdom from above paffes on these fuccessful Unfortunates: They walk in a vain Shadow, and disquiet "themselves in vain." SPEAK, ye, that attended fuch a one in his laft Minutes; ye, that heard his expiring Sentiments; did he not cry out, in the Language of difappointed Senfuality, "O Death! "How bitter is the Remembrance of thee, tr to a Man that has devoted himself to "the Purfuit of prefent Satisfactions, and "exercised no Concern for the never-end ing Hereafter. Where, alas! is the Pro"fit, where the Comfort, of entering deep " into the Knowlege, and of being dextrous "in the Dispatch, of earthly Affairs, fince "I have neglected the one Thing needful? .. O deftructive Mistake! I have been atten. |