Lewis Bayly,
The Practice of Piety, pp. 93-98.

The Hope of Long Life: A Hindrance to Piety.

And lastly, the hope of long life. For, were it possible that a wicked man thought this year to be his last year, this month his last month, this week his last week—he would change and amend his wicked life. He would use the best means to repent, and to become a new man. But as the rich man in the gospel promised himself many years to live in ease, mirth, and fullness (Luke 12:19-20), when he had not one night to live longer: so many wicked epicures falsely promise themselves the age of many years, when the thread of their life is already almost drawn out to an end. So Jeremiah ascribes the cause of the Jews’ sins and calamities to this, that she remembered not her last end (Lam. 1:9).

The longest space between a man’s coming by the womb, and going by the grave, is but short. For “man that is born of a woman has but a short time to live” (Job 14:1)—he has but a few days, and those full of nothing but troubles. And except the practice of piety, how much better is the state of the child that yesterday was born, and today is buried, than Methuselah’s, who lived nine hundred sixty-nine years, and then died? Of the two, happier the babe, because he had less sin, and fewer sorrows. And what now remains of both, but a bare remembrance? What trust should a man repose in long life? seeing the whole life of man is nothing but a lingering death; so that, as the apostle protests, a man dies daily.

Harken, O secure fellow! your life is but a puff of breath in your nostrils; trust not to it (Isa. 2:22). Your soul dwells in a house of clay, that will fall before it be long; as may appear by the dimness of your eyes, the deafness of your ears, the wrinkles in your cheeks, the rottenness of your teeth, the weakness of your sinews, the trembling of your hands, the brittleness in your bones, the shortness of your sleep, and every grey hair, as so many summoners, bid you prepare for your long home. Come, let us in the meanwhile walk to your father’s coffin: break open the lid; see here, how that “corruption is your father, and the worm your mother and sister.” (Job 17:14). See how these are? so must you be before long. Fool! you know not how soon. Your hourglass runs out rapidly, death in the meanwhile waits for you.

The whole life of man, save what is spent in God’s service, is but foolery: for a man lives forty years before he knows himself to be a fool; and by that time he sees his folly, his life is finished.

Hark, farmer, before you see many more crops of harvest, yourself shall be ripe, and death will cut you down with his sickle. Hark, tradesman, before many months go over, your last month will come on; after which you will trade no longer. Hark, most grave judge, within a few terms, the term of your life approaches, wherein you shall cease to judge others, and go yourself to be judged. Hark, O man of God, that go to the pulpit, preach this sermon as it were the last that you should make to your people. Hark, nobleman, lay aside the high conceit of your honor: death, before it be long, will lay your honor in the dust, and make you as contemptible as the earth that you tread under your feet. Hark, you that now read this book, assure yourself, before it be long there will be but two holes where now your two eyes are placed; and others shall read the truth of this lesson upon your bare skull, which now you read in this little book. How soon I know not; but this I am sure of, that your time is appointed, your months are determined; your days are numbered, and your very last hour is limited (Job 14:5, 14; Psalm 90:12; Dan. 5:26; 11:8), beyond which you shall not pass.

For then the messenger of death, mounted on his pale horse (Rev. 6:8), shall alight at your door; and, notwithstanding all your wealth, your honor, and the tears of your dearest friends—will carry you away, bound hand and foot, as his prisoner, and keep your body under a load of earth, until that day comes wherein you must be brought forth to receive according to the things which you have done in that body, whether it be good or evil (2 Cor. 5:10). O let not, then, the false hope of an uncertain long life hinder you from becoming a present practicer of piety! God offers grace for today; but who promises tomorrow? (Psalm 95:7; Heb. 3:7, 13). There are now in hell many young men who had purposed to repent in their old age; but death cut them off in their impenitency, before ever they could attain to the time they set for their repentance. The longer a man runs in a disease, the harder it is to be cured: for custom of sin breeds hardness of heart, and the impediments which hinder you from repenting now, will hinder you more when you are more aged.

A wise man being to go a far and difficult journey, will not lay the heaviest burden upon the weakest horse. And with what conscience can you lay the great load of repentance on your feeble and tired old age? whereas now in your chief strength you can not lift it, but are ready to stagger under it. Is it wisdom for him that is to sail a long and dangerous voyage, to lie playing and sleeping while the wind serves, and the sea is calm, the ship sound, the pilot well, mariners strong; and then set forth when the winds are contrary, the weather tempestuous, the sea raging, the ship rotten, the pilot sick, and the sailors languishing? Therefore, O sinful soul, begin now your conversion to God, while life, health, strength, and youth last: “before those years draw near, when you shall say. I have no pleasure in them.” (Eccles. 12:1).

God ever required in his service the firstborn, and the first fruits, and those to be offered to him without delay (Ex. 13:2; 22:29). So just Abel offered to God his firstlings and fattest lambs (Gen 4:4); and good reason that the best Lord should be first and best served. All God’s servants should therefore remember to serve their Creator in the days of their youth (Eccles. 12:12), and early in the morning, like Abraham, to sacrifice unto God the young Isaac of their old age (Gen. 22:3). “You shall not see my face,” says Joseph to his brethren, “except you bring your brother with you.” (Gen. 43:3). And how shall you look in the face of Jesus, if you give your younger years to the devil, and bring him nothing but your blind, lame, and decrepit old age? “Offer it unto your prince,” says Malachi. (Mal. 1:8). If he will not accept such a one to serve him, how shall the Prince of princes admit such a one to be his servant? If the king of Babel would have young men (well-favored, and such as had ability in them) to stand in his palace, shall the King of heaven have none to stand in his courts but the blind and lame, such as the soul of David hated? (Dan. 1:4; 2 Sam. 5:8).

Do you think, when you have served Satan with your prime years, to satisfy God with your senility? Take heed lest God turn you over to your old master again; that as you have all the days of your life done his work, so he may in the end pay you your wages. Is that time fit to undertake, by the serious exercises of repentance (which is the work of works), to turn your sinful soul to God, when you are not able with all your strength to turn your weary bones on your soft bed? If you find it so hard a matter now, you shall find it far harder then. For your sin will wax stronger, your strength will grow weaker, your conscience will clog you, pain will distract you, the fear of death will amaze you, and the visitation of friends will so disturb you—that if you be not furnished aforehand with store of faith, patience, and consolation, you shall net be able either to meditate yourself, or to hear the word of comfort from others; nor to pray alone, nor to join with others who pray for you. It may be you shall be taken with a deadly senselessness, that you shall neither remember God, nor think upon your own state: and do you not well deserve that God should forget to save you in your death, who are so unmindful now to serve him in your life? The fear of death will drive many at that time to cry, Lord, Lord! but Christ protests that he will not then know them for his (Mat. 7:22). Yes, many shall then, like Esau, with tears seek to repent, and yet then find no place of repentance (Heb. 12:17). For man has not freewill to repent when he will—but only when God will give him grace.

And if mercy showed herself so inexorable, that she would not open her gates to so tender suitors as virgins, to so earnest suitors as knockers, because they knocked too late (Mat. 25:11)—do you think that she will ever allow you to enter her gates, being so impure a wretch that never think to leave sin until sin first leaves you, and did never yet knock with your own fists upon the breasts of a penitent heart?

And justly does grace deny to open the gates of heaven, when you knock in your adversity, who in your prosperity would not allow Christ, while he knocked, to enter in at the door of your heart (Rev. 3:20).—Trust not either late repentance or long life. Not late repentance; because it is much to be feared lest the repentance which the fear of death enforces, dies with a man dying; and the hypocrite, who deceived others in his life, may deceive himself in his death. God accepts none but freewill offerings, and the repentance that pleases him must be voluntary, and not of constraint. Not long life, for old age will fall upon the neck of youth: and as nothing is more sure than death, so nothing is more uncertain than the time of dying. Yes, often when ripeness of sin is hastened by outrageousness of sinning, God suddenly cuts off such wicked livers, either with the sword, intemperateness, luxury, surfeit, or some other fearful manner of sickness. May you not see that it is the evil spirit that persuades you to defer your repentance until old age, when experience tells you that not one of a thousand that takes your course ever attains to it? Let God’s Holy Spirit move you not to give yourself any longer to eat and drink with the drunken, lest your Master sends death for you in a day when you look not for him, and in an hour that you are not aware of, and so suddenly cut you off, and appoint you your portion with the hypocrites, where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Mat. 27:49-51).

But if you love long life, fear God, and long for life everlasting (Deut. 30:16; Prov. 3:2; Psalm 34:11). The longest life here, when it comes to the end, will appear to have been but as a tale that is told, a vanishing vapor, a flitting shadow, a seeming dream, a glorious flower, growing and flourishing in the morning, but in the evening cut down and withered (Psalm 90:9; James 4:14; Psalm 109:23; Psalm 76:5; Psalm 90:5-6; 1 Pet. 1:24); or like a weaver’s shuttle, which, by winding here and there swiftly, unwinds itself to an end (Isa. 38:12). It is but a moment, says Paul (2 Cor 4:17). O the madness of man, that for a moment of sinful pleasure will hazard the loss of an eternal weight of glory! (Heb. 10:25; 2 Cor 4:17).

These are the seven chief hinderers of piety, which must be cast out, like Mary Magdalene’s seven devils, before ever you can become a true practicer of piety, or have any sound hope to enjoy either favor from Christ by grace, or fellowship with him in glory (Mark 16:9; Luke 8:2).