2. And as it cannot be recalled again, so suddenly it is vanished;1 Nothing makes life long, but our hope to live long: take away those thoughts of the time to come, and there is nothing swifter then the life that is gone. Suppose then thou hadst lived so long, as from Adam to this time: as Austin saith, Certainly thou wouldest think thy life but short: and if that were short, which we think so long, how long is our life, which in comparison of that is so extremely short? The time once past, we think it suddenly past, and so is life gone in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, so soon indeed, before it can be said, This it is.] In every one of us death hath ten thousand times as much as life, the life that is gone is deaths, and the life yet to come is deaths, our now is but an instant; yet this is all that belongs to life, and all the life which any of us all is at once possessed of: here is a life indeed, that so soon is vanished, before it can be numbered or measured; it is no time but now, yet stays not till the syllable now may be written, or spoken: what can I say? the life that I had when I began to speak this word, it is now gone since I began to speak this word. May we call this life that is ever posting towards death? Do we what we can, & could we do yet more, all we do, and all we could do, were to no purpose to prolong our life: see how we shore this ruinous house of our body with food, with raiment, with exercise, with sleep, yet nothing can preserve it from returning to its earth; we go, and we go suddenly, witness those two Caesars, who put off themselves whilst they put on their shoes; Fabius (styled Maximus for his exploits, and Cunctator for his delaying) yet could not delay death, till notice might be taken he was sick: but how many examples in this kind have we daily amongst us? you know ⟨p. 37⟩how some lately have gone safe to bed, and yet in the morning were found dead and cold: others in health and mirth laid down by their wives, and yet ere mid-night found breathless by their sides. What need we further instances? You see how we go before we know where we are; the life that we had, what is it but a nothing? the life that we have, what is it but a moment? and all that we can have, what is it but a fleeting wind, begun and done in a trice of time, before we can imagine it. In a word, our Sun now sets, our day is done:
2. And as it cannot be recalled again, so suddenly it is vanished;1 Nothing makes life long, but our hope to live long: take away those thoughts of the time to come, and there is nothing swifter then the life that is gone. Suppose then thou hadst lived so long, as from Adam to this time: as Austin saith, Certainly thou wouldest think thy life but short: and if that were short, which we think so long, how long is our life, which in comparison of that is so extreamly short? The time once past, we think it suddenly past, and so is life gone in a moment, in the twinckling of an eye, so soon indeed, before it can be said, This it is.] In every one of us death hath ten thousand times as much as life, the life that is gone is deaths, and the life yet to come is deaths, our now is but an instant; yet this is all that belongs to life, and all the life which any of us all is at once possessed of: here is a life indeed, that so soon is vanished, before it can be numbered or measured; it is no time but now, yet staies not till the syllable now may be written, or spoken: what can I say? the life that I had when I began to speak this word, it is now gone since I began to speak this word. May we call this life that is ever posting towards death? Do we what we can, & could we do yet more, all we do, and all we could do, were to no purpose to prolong our life: see how vve shore this ruinous house of our body vvith food, vvith raiment, vvith exercise, vvith sleep, yet nothing can preserve it from returning to its earth; vve go, and vve go suddenly, vvitnesse those tvvo Cesars, vvho put off themselves vvhilest they put on their shoes; Fabius (styled Maximus for his exploits, and Cunctator for his delaying) yet could not delay death, till notice might be taken he vvas sick: but hovv manie examples in this kind have vve daily amongst us? you knovv ⟨p. 37⟩how some lately have gone safe to bed, and yet in the morning were found dead and cold: others in health and mirth laid down by their wives, and yet ere mid-night found breathless by their sides. What need we further instances? You see how we go before we know where we are; the life that we had, what is it but a nothing? the life that we have, what is it but a moment? and all that we can have, what is it but a fleeting wind, begun and done in a trice of time, before we can imagine it. In a word, our Sunne now sets, our day is done:
- 1Longitudinem hujus vitae sentiri non facit, nisi spes vivendi: nam nihil videtur esse celerius quâm quicquid in ea jam praeteritum est: Aug. in Psal. 6. Certè videres vitam tuam non fuisse diuturnam. Aug. in Psal. 36.
