366 1!.tfes JL.eafe. ----- - -- - ------------ rJ,I, ·•I· 7 JobJ3. 26 Ecdof. •'-9 ~ged time ofyour youth; in the A11111mn is the hi&h noon, or middle of our ogc, "·non the Sun (which is our foul) rules mthe Equmo{hallme of our lifein thz lf'inur v 1 e grow old and cold,the nips of frofl: fl:rip the tree of our life, we fall into the gr"vc, ond the earth that nounfhed us, wtll then confume us. Sec what is man I a Spring 'ftcacs; 't'1. Summers dJtft, an .Autumns care, a J¥murs Jl'O: Read but thJS m:~p and you need travel no further to enquire oflife. ' The firfl: quarter is our Spring_, and that is full of finne and mifery; the Infant no fooner breathes, bqt he fucks the poyfon of hts P"rcnts: in Adt!m all finned and fince his time all were defiled by his fin. Is it not Natures rule, that E•m·y ma~ brg<u one ltkf himfelf? Ana IS tt not Gods rule, that Ev"yfirmer begeu ar101her no bmer.rhan hi)Jj. Jelf? How n:ay a foul vclfcl keep fweet water? or how may an earthly finner beget an heavenly ?amt? we are all m the fame ftate of finne, and fo we fall into the fame plunge of farrow: The childe in his c.:radlc fleeps not fo fccme,but now he \l'akes and .then he weeps; cold fl:arvcs him, hunger pines him, fares trouble him, fickndfc g;ipcs him ; ·.there is fome punifhment, which without finne had never been inlliC1cd. It is wonderful to confider,howNature hath provided for all creatures; birds with feathers bcafis with hides, fiChes with fcales,all with fome defence,only man is born fiark naked: without either weapon in his hand, or the lcafi thought of defence in his heart; birds can flie, beafis can go, filhes can fwim: but infant-man, as he knows nothing>fo neither is he able to do any thing: Inde~d he can weep as Coon as born, but not laugh (as fame obferve) till fourty d"yes old: fo ready are we born to wo, but fofJrrc frcm the lcafi fpark of joy. 0 mcer madnelfe of men, that frorn fo poor, naked ·and baf<: begin– nings, can perfwade our felv'es we are born to be proud! And if this be our Spring, what (think ye) is our Ssmmur .' Remember not the fimm 'f this time,, prayes David, Pf.1lm. 2). 7· and why? Their rl>monbrarcc is bi:ur, fuith .Job,. Job 1 3 •26. If mirth and melody fhould never meet with end, this were an happy life; .Rejo)'ce, 0 young wm, in thy youth, let thim heart eh '" thec in tl" d.ryes c f thyY'"'h, tralk)n t,he ·Wqye.r if thir;e·hca;-r, and in the fight cf thine eyes; but mnen.b.r, jO>- aU rbcfo t/Jin,gs G•d willbring thee t•j~tdgement, Ecclef. 11 9· This judgement is the damjlll>at puts outall the lights of Gomfort: could not Sol<monhave given the reins,bm he mull pull again at curb? Mufl: youth rejoyce; B~<t for all this remrmbn? what a bar flands l]erc in the very door _of joy ? alas, that we fhould trifle thus with toyes ; which no> looncr we .enjoy, but·in: grievous fadnclfe we repent o!ir fo)lies. The \Vife man that ga·ve libcr~y, to his wayes, wh:it cryh he but Vanity, and after, Vanity cf vanitiej; and ~t lait, All is vanity .' \Vhat was the'Wifdome of Ai:hitophel .' a vain t~ing: What the Jwiftnelfe ofHa:;:_ae1 ? a vain thing: Wha; the fircngth of Oo/iah? a vain thing; What,theplcafurqs.;>f_Neb~tch,dnez.ar .' a \>ainthing: _WhatthehonoU'r of H=an'? a vai11 th(ng : \11/.hat the beauty of Abfalom? a vain thing. Thus if we fee but the fruit that gro;ves of fin, we may boldyJay of laughter, 'Thou art mad: ' tfn,d.,fjc.y,What i; thu thf" doeft? Ecclcf. 2. 2. - - , ·' , . . . And if this be our _ Summer, what may be.our /!YtlimiJ ? an hour of joy, a worlciof 'roiro\~; If you lock ab!')ut you, how many!niferies lie in wait to cnfnare you? .there is no place fccure, no (l:atc fufficient, no plcafure perma~>l\t; whither ~.;·in you go? 'The Champcr hath its care,th~ Houfe hath its fear, the Field hath its toil 1 "thc Country. bath its fr;mds, the City;hath its fac9:ions, the Church hdth'its Se&,~heCourt hathits 'envy; here is every place a field where is offered :i battel: - or if this w~rc t,cttcr,con– .fider but your fiatc.s; the Beggar hath his Cores, the Souldier hath his fears? the m~·gifirate hatll his trou);>k.s, the Merchant his travels 1 the }fables their croffes, the great ones their vexations;: here is every ftatea Sea, to'ffed with a world of lclnpcfts: or yet iCtllis were happier, bcthink you a little longer of Y9ur fl,ccting roycs; ,the fw5.er hath jts fower, thc ,C:rowrihath tts care, the World hath 1ts want; Plcafure hJtli tts pain, Profit hath its grief, ,all thefe inilfi )lavc their end : here is a dnnnof fug:ir mixt with'an Epha ofbitter. Is this manchood, that is fubjcC1 to all thefe miferics? Nay, what arc thefe in comparifon of all if fuffers? It is deformed with fin, defiled with lufi, outraged with paflions, ovcr-c~.rrie~ with affeC1ion~, pining with en~y, burthened wi~hgluttony, boi)ing/NI!h tevenge >,tranfportcd wtth ' rage ; ~ll mahs)io'cl'y is full of iniquito')h<tndhis foul (the-bright image'of.God) thtoiigh firi, is tranSformed to ti\eugly fhape of the Devil. · ·· . · - · - And ifthisbeo!>r Amumn, what (I pray) is the Wimer? then our_ ~ungrowslo-~v, and we begin to d:i.c. ~y degree~·; Chew me the lJght winch wiH oot darken', lliew mhe • • t1 e
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