Chap. 3 3. ' An Expofition upon the Book of J o D. Verf. 2I. 357 malls. A fpending time it is, that is, a time wherein agodly man may layout a great deale ofhis fpirituall flock and heavenly trea- fure, a great deale of faith and patience, agreat deale of fcveet eontentation andfelfe- iubmiflìonto God. But ficknefs is not a wafting time to any of thefe graces or heavenly treafures; yea where grace is reali and active,it is notonly not wailed or con- fumed, but encreafed and improved , occafionally, by ficknefs God having promiied, that all thins(hall worke togetherfor goad . to them that :love him (Rom: 8. 28.) will not suffer the beft things ofchore that love him (their graces ) to takehurt by the worft of bodyly fickheffes. Sicknefs doth only dammage the body, andde- face the beauty of the flefh ; and it quickly Both, as Elihuaffirme of his-fick man in the text, His flesh is confumed away, that it.can- not befeene, yea, as it followeth andhis bones that were not fee®e, fiickout. Flefh and bones are the two eminent materialls of this faire and mofl regular building , The Body of man. The Bones ofa healthy and strong man, are not feene !Decade they are covered with flesh ; they are only felt or perceived through their cloth- ing, skin, andflefh..God.hathput thefevery comely andbeauti- full garments as a covering upon our bones : but ficknefs pulls a- way thefe coverings,.it pulls away the cloaths from our bones, and makes them appeare,as it were,naked.When the fat is"drips away, and the flesh is fpent, the bones feeme to (tart out. We commonly fay of aman that bath been confumed by a lingring He is averySkelleton, he lookes like au Anatomy, which is nothing elfe but a pack of bones, the flesh is gone.,Thus Da- vid mourned ( Pfd: 31. ro.) My life itfpent with griefe, my yeares with fighing , my flrengthfaileth becatofe of mine iniquity andmy bones are confumed. The fin ficknefs of a fencible foule confumes the bones, more then any bodyly ficknefs: This was not onlythe confumingbut the breakingof Davids bones (Pfal: 'c 5T. 8.) And as his furrow for his ovine tranfgreflions, fo his for row for the aflai&ions ofSian, had the1ike effe& in him (Pfal: 102. 3, 4, 5. )M7 days are confumed likefmoake or into fmoake ( theyvanifh like fmoake) and my bones are buret as a hearth. Myheart is (mitten, and roi.thereth hkegraffe ; fo that Iforgetto eatemy bread ;: $y reafon of the voyce of my groaning, my bones alcove tomy sign, Some
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