January 1

Behold, thou hast made my days as a handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee.—Psalms 39:5.

A handbreadth.—This is one of the shortest measures. We need not long lines to measure our lives by: each one carries a measure about with him, his own hand; that is the longest and fullest measure. It is not so much as a span: that might possibly have been the measure of old age in the infancy of the world, but now it is contracted to a handbreadth, and that is the longest. But how many fall short of that! Many attain not to a finger-breadth: multitudes pass from the womb to the grave; and how many end their course within the compass of childhood!

Whether we take this handbreadth for the fourscore years that is ordinarily the utmost extent of man's life in our days, or the four periods of our age, in which we use to distinguish it, childhood, youth, manhood, and old age, there are great numbers we see take up their lodging ere they come near the last of any of these, and few attain to the utmost border of them. All of us are but a handbreadth from death, and not so much; for many of us have passed a great part of that handbreadth already, and we know not how little of it is behind. We use commonly to divide our lives by years, months, weeks, and days, but it is all but one day; there is the morning, noon, afternoon, and evening. Man is as the grass that springs in the morning. As for all the days that are passed of our life, death hath them rather than we, and they are already in its possession. When

1 we look back on them, they appear but as a shadow or dream; and if they be so to us, how much more short are they in the sight of God! So says David here: When I look on thee and thy eternity, mine age is as nothing before thee. What is our life, being compared to God, before whom a thousand years are but as one day! And it is less—like yesterday when it is past, and that is but a thought! The whole duration of the world is but a point in respect to eternity; and how small a point is the life of man, even in comparison with that?

The brevity of our life is a very useful consideration. From it we may learn patience under all our crosses and troubles; they may be shorter than life, but they can be no longer. There are few whom an affliction hath lain on all the days of their life; but though that were the case, yet a little time, and how quickly is it done! While thou art asleep, there is a cessation of thy trouble; and when awake, bemoaning and weeping for it, and for sin that is the cause of it, in the mean time it is sliding away. In all the bitter blasts that blow on thy face, thou who art a Christian indeed, mayst comfort thyself in the thought of the good lodging that is before thee. To others it were the greatest comfort, that their afflictions in this life were lengthened out to eternity.

Likewise, this may teach us temperance in those things that are called the good things of this world. Though a man had a lease of all the fine things the world can afford for his whole life, (which yet never any man that I know of had,) what is it? A feigned dream of an hour long. None of those things that it now takes so much delight in, will accompany the cold lump of clay to the grave. Within a little while, those that are married and rejoice, shall be as if they rejoiced not, as if they had never done it; and since they shall be so quickly, a wise man makes little difference, in these things, between their presence and their absence.

This thought should also teach us diligence in our business. We have a short day, and much to do; it were fit to be up early; to remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth. And ye that are come to riper years, be advised to lay hold on what remains; ye know not how little it is.

The more you fill yourselves with the things of this life, the less desire you will have after those rivers of pleasure that are at God's right hand. These shall never run dry, but all those other things shall be dried up within a little space; at the furthest, when old age and death come, if not sooner. And on the other side, the more we deny ourselves the sensual enjoyments of the present world, we grow the liker to that Divine estate, and are made the surer of it. And I am sure, all will grant that this is a very gainful exchange.