Ultima, = the last things in reference to the first and middle things

Jacob tells you, as you may tell each other, our years have been few, our few years have been evil. To make this good. Have they not been few? Let me ask some old man, whose hairs are dipped in snow,¹ whose golden ewer is broken, whose silver cord is lengthened, how many be thy years? It may be thou wilt answer,² as Moses gives the number, a matter of threescore years and ten, or fourscore years: I cannot say but it is a long time to come, but alas, what are these fourscore years now they are gone? Tell me you that have seen the many changes both of Moon and Sun, are they not swiftly run away? you may remember your manhood, childhood, and I pray what think ye? was it not yesterday? is it not a while since? who will not wonder to see how quickly it is gone, and yet how long it was a coming? The time to come seems tedious, especially to a man in hope of bliss, the time now past is a very nothing, especially to a man in fear of danger: go down to those cast-away souls that now suffer in hell flames, and what say they of their life, but as soon as we were born we began to draw to our end, Wisd. 5.13.³ go down to those putrefied bodies, and find amongst them the dusts of Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, every one of whom lived near to the number of a thousand years, are they not dead? and what is their epitaph, but, they lived and dyed? Gen. 5.⁴ To sum up all in one, and to make this one serve for all, Jacob is an hundred and thirty years old (for so you see it registered in Gods book) yet now being demanded to tell his age, he answers but Days, and his days are but Few; how should they be many that now are gone already? these few days, they have been.]

Iacob tells you, as you may tell each other, our years have been few, our few years have been evil. To make this good. Have they not been few? Let me ask some old man, whose hairs are dipt in snow,¹ whose golden ewer is broken, whose silver cord is lengthened, how many be thy years? It may be thou wilt answer,