Chap. 3. An Expoftion'upon the Book of 3- O B. Vert 21. 451 comes his judgement, to conclude, that there is a pleafant refs in that bitter thingwhich we call death. Secondly obferve, That As death finds many before they look for it, fo fame look for death and cannotfind it. Howmany are there whom death fur- prizes l fore they are aware, and feizeth upon them when they thinl!orit? when as others are expelling, and longing, and gaping, and gafping after death, and theycannot meet witn it, it cometn not. Indeed it is a .great deal better fora man to expel death when it commeth not, then to have death come upon him when he expeCts it not. Some are calling for death, cryingOut for death, before they know how to dye, before they know how to live, yea before they knowwhy they lived. It werewell for fuch ifthey might lofe theirlonging, and long for death long enough before it cometh ; for upon the matter (poor Souls) they long for Hell while they long for death, and while they are hallening from that life and mifery which will quickly have an end,they are plunging into that death and mifery which will never end.Third- ly obferve, As-death íe' a punifhment to moft, fo not todye is a punifhtneut`" to fume. ,fob .fpeaks of it as of an affliction upon fuch , they long Mors Pell to for death and it cometh not. Death is an aft ion to all, it isa ,r`frrimam e punifhment to all unbeleivers, a punifbment with a (ting: And as licitvitam. all wicked menare punifhedwith death, Co force of them arepu- nifhed with this, that they (for the prefent) cannot dye, (Rev. 9. b. ) In thofe dayes men(hallfeekdeath, and(hall not find it, and fhall defire to dye, and death(hall fleefrom them. it is laid as their punifhment that they fhould live , and as an afllidion beyond all their afflictions that then they could not dye.They are in a fad condition, who can have no remedy or cure of their troubles but death ; but how fad is their condition, who cannot obtain that remedy ? It is like the punifhment ofthe, damned in Hell, they Mors prima `a- fhalllong for death,but it fhall not come, and they fhallever feek nimamneien- for death, but thall never find it. No wicked mandid ever part fo covórelit unwillingly with his foul when he dyed, as. he will unwillingly feunda ,; meet it, when he rifeth again : And as the fir(f death Both mg,- ractentern part foul and body unwillingly, fo the:feconddeathkeepeth foul tenët;incarv. and body together unwillingly. They have a tafle of this mifery in this life,whofe fouls are truly faid to be imprifoned in their bo- dyes; and O how defroiis are they to dig down thefe mud -walls Mmm2 and'
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