Head I. · 'The lVor ld ·a vain 'Thing. '-1 f · weaver'sjhu_ttle, chap. vii. 6. How quickly is man toiT~d through rime into. eternity ! See how J ob defcri bes the• fwiftnefs .of the time of life, eh. ix 25. !-low my drap are fwift er than a pofl: they fly away, they foe no good. Ver1 2 6. They_ are pcjjed,away aJ the fwi(t jhips; aJ i"he eagfe that hajieth to the prey. · He compares his days to a pofi , a foot pot1 ; a runne-r, who runs fpeedily to carry tidings, and will make no flay. But, tho' the ·poft were like dhi• , maaz who ·over-ran Cujhi, our days would be fwifte r than 4e :· for they fly a·way, like a man flying for his ]if~ before the purfuing enemy; he runs withhis utmoft vigor,. yet our d ays rur~ as fafr as he. Howbeir, -'that is not,al l. · Eve~ he' who is flying for his life, camwt run always; he rnufl: needs fomtimes ftand ftill, lie t:!own, or run in feme– where, as Sifera did into Jael's tent, to refrefh ,himfelf; but our time never halts. Therefore itis compared to ihips which can {ail night and day without intermiffion, till they be at their -port; and to f,,yift {hips, fhi ps of de ... fire, in whi'ch men quick! yarrive at the de·fired haven ; or; fhips of pleafure, that fail rnore·fwiftly than :!hips ,of bur• ' den. .Yet the wind failing, the {hip's courfe is marred ; but our time always ru·n~ with a rapid courfe : · the r:ffore it is compared to th~ eaKie flying ; ·not wi~h ~is or,d i n~ry , flight, for that is not fufficient to reprefent the fwiftnefs' of our days; but when he flies upon his prey, which is with an extraord inary i\v.iftnefs. And thus, even thus, our days fly away. Having thus difcourfed ofdeath, l~t us improve it ,_ in dijcerning the. vanity if the 'I,JJorld; in bearing~p, with Chriflian COJ?t e'ntment and patience, under alf<treubles and difficulties ifl it ;' in-17wrtijjing· our lufis; in cleaving unt1 ' the Lord <-JJith p·urpofe of heart, on all: hazards; . and in , preparing f or death's appr'o'tlch. . - Andjirft, Let us hence, as in a looking glafs·, behold t_,~:-. vanity of the world; ~nd of alLthefe things in it; wh!eh: ' men fo much value and· efieem, and · therefore fet · their hearts upon. The ri~-h and poor art- equally 'ihtent ,up ~ on this world: they bow the knee to it; yet it . i ~., but ·a <:lay-god; they cqurt the bulky vanity·, and run keenly to catch this fhadow':' tJ1.e rich man is hugged to death in its . embraces ; and the poor man wearies himfelf in the fruit:- J.efs. .p.utiuit., W.h~t -~vonder. ifthe. .world's fmiles.ovcrcome · us~ ,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=