3. The uncertainty of life; for so it follows in the fifth and sixth verses, "thou carriest them away as with a flood,” they are taken off with violence. “They are as a sleep, they fall insensibly into death. They are like grass which groweth up. In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up, in the evening it is cut down and withereth." How uncertain the life of man, in comparison with the unchangeableness of God! He beholds worlds rising up and passing away, and abideth the same; man knows not what a day shall bring forth, whether before the evening he shall not be cut down. Few there are that live out three score years and ten.

By various ways one and another go untimely to the grave, to warn the living dust, to tell them they are not sure of a day. All have seen this, have felt it for a moment; but custom hath made it familiar to us; the more we see it, the less we feel it, the less we believe that this night our souls may be required. Yet this perhaps we have little considered, that the great I AM liveth for evermore, that he changeth not though all things below perish, the earth and all its inhabitants, that his years do not, cannot fail. What then so desirable, as that frail man should seek a sure interest in the eternal God. That we should cast away our pride of every sort, and humble ourselves in the sight of that God who liveth for ever either to bless or punish us! And this especially,

4. As it follows in the next verses, because the shortness and uncertainty of our lives, together with the manifold ills we suffer in them, are but notices of God's displeasure against us for our sins: "we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath we are

For

troubled. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. all our days are passed away in thy wrath; we spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are three score years and ten, and if by reason of strength they be four score years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow, so soon it is cut off, and we fly away." You see because of our sins, we are given over to misery and death. Now what should this call us to, but to humble ourselves for our iniquities? Consider the eternity of God, and wonder not if sin provokes him to displeasure. Doth not every sin treat God as if he were not the living God? St. Paul set out the sin of idolatry as consisting in this, that thereby men "change the glory of the incorruptible eternal God, into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things." He doth not only accuse them of unreasonable falling, but of a grievous dishonour they brought upon the living God, dealing with him as if he were mean and contemptible as a mortal or a worm. Likewise every sin disgraces the incorruptible God, makes not account of his eternal power and Godhead, and esteems him of less value than that pleasure, interest, gratification, for which we deny him. Horrid to think of, that we should thus have insulted the eternal God! Yet the Lord liveth. We know he doth. All we suffer is to make us know he doth. He hath set our iniquities before his countenance, and by his wrath we are troubled, while we labour under misery of every sort, and are consigned over to the dust. Every stroke we feel should teach us the jealousy of the eternal

God; and as we draw nearer to our end, we should more eagerly humble ourselves in his sight for the trespasses wherewith we have provoked him.

5. Most especially should impenitent sinners tremble upon the apprehension of God's eternity. "Who knoweth the power of thine anger? Even according to thy fear is thy wrath." Who knoweth the power of thine anger, since thou art the eternal living God. How severe, how ceaseless it is. The angels that sinned know it by experience; sinners in hell know it; they know and feel that eternity of God's wrath, which now it is impossible to describe. Heedless men, though God be least in your thoughts, though ye make a mock at sin and make light of Christ, yet the thoughts of God's eternity when he comes to judge the world, must make ye tremble. The judge and avenger lives for ever, this is the fearful thing. God pledges his eternity for the punishment of obstinate sinners, and engageth it by an oath that he will "whet his glittering sword, that his hand shall take hold of judgment, that he will render vengeance to his enemies, and a reward to them that hate him ;” a reward proportioned to the greatness of their offences, and to the glory of an eternal God. "I lift up my hand to heaven and say, I live for ever;" that is, as surely as I do so, I will whet my sword and take vengeance. It is an awakening thought," according to thy fear so is thy wrath." We cannot dread him, beyond what his wrath is surely not, if his wrath be that of an eternal God; and eternity will sharpen the severity of every lash of his vengeance. Wherefore it becomes us all

in the

us.

6. Last place to pray God that he will give us grace "so to number out our short and miserable days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."1 If God be eternal, and we but for a moment, to be religious is to be wise. To seek his everlasting favour, and repent truly of our sins, hath as much of reason as of duty in it. O that we were all thus wise, that we might apply ourselves to it! We want no motive; the mention of God's eternity is enough to rouse us. "This God is our God for ever and ever." Who doth not wish he could say so? We are not without the means; Christ liveth for ever at the right hand of God. Let the expectation of favour with the eternal God move Let that thought be near your hearts, that God is a dwelling place in all generations, because before the mountains or the world were made, from everlasting to everlasting he is God. Thus the psalmist improves the consideration of God's eternity to quicken faith and diligence. He proceeds on arguments as plain as they are forcible-God's eternity and our vanity. But these are seasons when the strongest arguments receive an addition of force, and we are obliged to feel the power of them. This will be the case in times of danger, and most signally so when there can be no help from man, and all is evidently resolved into the almighty pleasure. You know the point I have in view.2 When your houses were shaken under you, and threatening to fall upon you, what human means could there be of escaping instant

1 Ver. 12.

2 The remainder was added on the occasion of an earthquake felt at Truro, in 1757.

Eter

death? Who could say to the trembling walls, just thus far shall ye move and no further? If the shock, proceeding from whatever second cause, had been some degrees more violent, what had become of you? At my return I might have found the most of you, whom I now meet with the most sensible joy and thankfulness, even you my dear people, buried in ruins! But God spared you. Surely your own consciences have been saying, for what end? The solemn thought pressed in upon the most thoughtless, whose heart cried, not thus unprepared would I enter eternity; while the more pious found one thing and another of which to lament the want or the weakness. nity gains in importance on our souls, when the views of death are at hand; but the importance cannot be less, because the fear of death is passed away. Be doing therefore what you then wished done, and you will not fear the messenger sent out to bring you into a happy eternity, in whatever formidable shapes he may appear. It is faith ye want; faith in the all-sufficient eternal God; faith in his mercy and his love who is unchangeable; faith that purifies the heart; faith that enters into that within the vail. It is faith must relieve our fears, and support us in the hour of danger. Have faith in God, a faith that unites you to him, and gives you boldness through the confidence you have in his love, power, wisdom, and protection. Then hanging upon him, you will not fear though the very earth be moved, yea, though the hills should be carried into the midst of the sea. Such an interest in God we all want, and at least in seasons of danger, wish for. Now therefore, now when the evil day is passed by, let us