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1. The matter propounded. Life as the end, good as the means leading to life; or else, life, that is, the enjoyment of God; and good, the felicity following it.

2. The manner of proposing. Here is good and evil, life and death, put together, that we may embrace the one and eschew the other. As the poets feign of Hercules when he was young, virtue and vice came to woo and make court to him; virtue, like a sober chaste virgin, offering him labours with praise and renown; vice, like a painted harlot, wooing him with the blandishments of pleasure. The word exciting attention, "See"; I have done this in order to choice; for so it is, ver. 19, "Choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live." It is the duty of the faithful servants of the Lord in a lively manner to set before the people life and death as the fruit of good and evil. Our work, the matter of it, and the manner in which we are to propound it to you.

I. THE MATTER: WE MUST SET BEFORE THE PEOPLE —

1. Life and good.

2. Death and evil. This I shall open in these propositions — First, that there is a distinction between good and evil, vice and virtue. He that doth not acknowledge it is unworthy the name, not only of a Christian, but of a man. Secondly, the matching these two, death and evil, life and good. And here I shall speak —

(1)  of the suitableness of the connection between them.

(2)  The greatness of both.

(3)  The certainty of both these, life and death, as the fruit of good and evil.

II. THE MANNER HOW THIS IS TO BE DONE. It must be set forth with all evidence and conviction as to the reason of men, with all earnestness and affectionate importunity to awaken their affections. Use of exhortation.

1. Suffer us to discharge our duty in this kind (Hebrews 13:22). Would you have us compound with you, and deceive your souls with a false hope, which will leave you ashamed when you most need the comfort of it? Men would live with the carnal, die with the sincere; therefore suffer us to be earnest with you.

2. The next thing that we exhort you to is to believe the certainty, consider the weight and importance of these truths, that there is a difference between good and evil, that the fruit of the one is death, of the other life; and consider how irrational it is for a man to love death and refuse life. No man in his right wits can make a doubt which to choose.

( T. Manton, D. D..)

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KJV: See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;

WEB: Behold, I have set before you this day life and good, and death and evil;