_ 348 Chap.3. An Expofition upon the Book, of O B. VerC4: nefs. whenSolomon, Ecclef 12. 2. would chew by way of An- tithclìs the fad and evil condition of old age comparatively to youth, he unfolds it by darknefs; Remember now thy Creator in the dayes of thyyouth; make hafte, ferve God betime : But what needs fuck hatte ? I tell thee why; as times change, fo thy ettate will change:Evil dayes will come,I therefore counfelf thee todo ir, while the evil dayes come not , nor theyears draw nigh , when thou (haltfay, I haveno pleafure in them ; while the Sun, or the light, or the Moon, or the Stars be not darkened : A day without plea- fure, is a day without the Sun ; take away the joy ofa day , and you take away the light ofa day. Young men have the Sun, and the Moon,and the Stars, all kind of light and comfortable influen- t ces upon thein ; but theCe will be darkened and eclipfed when old age cometh; that will put out, or atleatt'obfcure, your light, your day will be gone , and your night will have neither Moon nor Star in it ; therefore work while you have light, that is,while you have health and firength of body , while you have freedome and activity offpirits lit for that great fervice ; remember; that is, know and ferve your Creator. Só in the text, we may take darknefs improperly, as darknefs notes an uncomfortable eflate, and it is ufed in Scripture to note a twofold uncomfortable eftate.. Firft, Aneftateof fin ; Secondly, An eflateof mifery.This latter darknefs is the daughter ofthe for- mer. The Prophet Ifaiah, Chap.9.2. £peaks of tbepeople thatfat in darknef; which is repeated ßlatth.4.x6. that is, in thedarknefs of ignorance,offin,and guilt.Theyhadnatural light enough, and they had civil light enough, abundance ofoutward comforts; theyhad health, and firength,and riches,and peace,and plenty,but they had not a Chrift to take away their,fins, and cleanfe their confciences, and therefore they were a people that fit in darknefs. jobs curie intends not this darknefs offn, but that other improper darknefs, the darknefs of forrow, the darknefs of penal evil ; As ifhe had fáid, Let forrow and fadnefs over- fhadow,let mourning and tears overwhelm, let calamity and trouble for ever poffefs the day upon which I was born. Let not God ragard itfromabove, Here is a fecond part ofthe curie, and .a more grievous curie then the former. Let
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