Every Man to be perswaded of his own death. [ 1116]
TWo Ships meeting on the Sea,* 1.1 the Men in either ship think themselvs stand still, and the other to be swift of sayl, whereas they both sayl onwards to∣ward the Port intended, but the one faster then the other, Even so, Men are as Ships; see we an old Man with a staffe in his hand stooping downward? Alass, poor old Man, say we, he cannot live long: Hear we a Passing-bell toll? There's one go∣ing out of the world:* 1.2 Visites we a sick••friend? We think he can hardly live till morning: Thus we think all other Men are a dying, and we onely stand at stay; Whereas, God knows it, they may go a little before, and we are sure to follow af∣ter; Iohn out-runs Peter to the Sepulchre, but Peter is not far behind him. Let every Man then be thus perswaded of himselfe, that he shall and must dye; None can be so sottish as to be perswaded that they shall never dye, yet (which is a sad thing) there is none so old, but thinks he may live one year longer, and though in the generall he say, All must die; yet in the false numbring of his own particular days, he thinks to live for ever.