Early piety, exemplified in the life and death of Mr. Nathanael Mather, who ...…

Let every young Person also Remember this, I shall dye very speedily. While we are young, we strangely promise our selves to live long. Do not harbour that mistake; but rectify it by that Premonition, in Jam. 4. 14. What is your life? It is even a Vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and vanisheth away: Rectify it by that Premonition, in 1 Chron. 28. 15. Our days on the Earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding. What are the poor Seventy years, that the Life of Man is now contracted into! Remember, ⟨p. 72⟩they are winged things, they fly away, with a marvellous Velocity. We are truly told of them, in Job 9. 25. that they are swifter than a Post; yea, more than so, swifter than a Ship; yea, more than that, swifter than an Eagle hastening to the Prey. Besides, Remember, 'tis possible, that half of those years may be all that thou shalt ever see; it hath been well said, That an old Man has Death before his Face; but a young Man has Death behind his Back: Perhaps, Death may strike thee down before him that is old enough to be thy Father. Remember that there are Skulls of all sizes in Golgotha.

Let every young Person also Remember this, I shall dye very speedily. While we are young, we strangely promise our selves to live long. Do not harbour that mistake; but rectifie it by that Premoniton, in Jam. 4. 14. What is your life? It is even a Vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and vanisheth away: Rectifie it by that Premonition, in 1 Chron. 28. 15. Our dayes on the Earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding. What are the poor Seventy years, that the Life of Man is now contracted into! Remember, ⟨p. 72⟩they are winged things, they fly away, with a marvellous Velocity. We are truly told of them, in Job 9. 25. that they are swifter than a Post; yea, more than so, swifter than a Ship; yea, more than that, swifter than an Eagle hast'ning to the Prey. Besides, Remember, 'tis possible, that half of those years may be all that thou shalt ever see; it hath been well said, That an old Man has Death before his Face; but a young Man has Death behind his Back: Perhaps, Death may strike thee down before him that is old enough to be thy Father. Remember that there are Skulls of all sizes in Golgotha.