Chap. 3. AnExpofition upon the Book. of J ® B. Verf. zo. 449 weary ofour lives.This was Jonah's infìrmity,when he had taken pet about the gourd, (Chap. 4.) he would needs dye,and he con- cl udeth the matter, It is betterfor me to dye then to Live ; and all was, becaufe-he could not have his will, becaufe he was troubled. This alfo was Elijah's infirmity, when he wasperfecutcd by, and fled for his life from jezabel, r Kings r9.4. He requeftedfor hhim- felfthat he might dye, andfaid, it is enough now O Lord, talia way my life, far Iam not better then myfathers. This is an inhrtni- ner ty at the belts we ought rather to Peek to God that he would re- r > >> move the evil from us, then remove us from theevill :for God hat. a thoufand doors to let us out of trouble, though he doth not , the door of the grave to let us in there, and out of the world. :, can end our troubles, and not end our lives. vrzom Yet filch a with is much allayed, yea (iii fame cafes) lawful, e ;, , ifwe keep the former caution, and fay, If the Lord will. If we r ,t r ,41 refer our felves to the will and good pleature of God, we may lìi l eïtlo delre to be laid to ref} by deaths that we nu y be rid of thole pains and evils which we finferin this life. And ct. acrrd pain yet I defile oGsuae, rather to raife the fpirits ofall above thefe troubles while they live,then fatisfie themhow they may defirefreedom from them by death. When Solomon returned, and confidered'all the opprej flans that are done under the Sun , and beheld the tears of fuck as were oppref d,, and they had no Comforter, and on thefide' of their opprejlors there was power , but they bad no Comforter Then he praifed the dead, which are already dead, more then the living, which arey et alive, (Ecclef: 4. 1,2.) that is,, he pronoun- ced the dead to be in'a better condition then the living Yet knot that Solomon in this place fpeaks the words of nicer natural Reafon, not of divine Reafon : For he fpeaks (though with a divine fpirit) yet in the perfon ofa natural man. Natural Reafon - faith, it is better to dye, then live under opprefiions t but divine Reafon faith, there is more honour to begained by living under oppredions, then there is cafe to be attained by dying from under , them. To bear a burden well, is more defireable then to be de- livered from a burden., efpecially, if while we are bearing, we can be doing, doing good (I mean) and I mean it efpecially, if can do-publick good. A Chriftian Ihould be content, yea he thould rejoyce, in fuffering much evil upon himfelt, while he can be doing any eípecially if he do much good to others. A gracioully publick fpirit will triumph over perfonal troubles Mmm and
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