,'r ,46o Chap. 4. AttExpofttion upon the Book of J OB. VerCj9e monadvifes togo to the houfe of morning, Ecclef. 7. it is better togo to the boufe ofmourning, then to the boufe of mirth, fir (faith he) that is the wayof all men (all mut} dye) and the living will lay it to heart, or the living will regard it. . As ifhe had faid,thc living feldom lay death to heart, till they come to the houfe of dcath:Hefeems to promife for theliviug,that then they will: yet his undertaking is not fo íiri, as if every man that goes to the house ofmourning did certainly lay it to heart:but he [peaks pro- bably, that ifliving man will at any time lay death to heart,then furely he will when he goes to the houfe ofmourning When will a man think ofdeath,ifnot when he fees deathland looks into that dark chamber of the grave?There are many who lay it to heart on- ly then:for a fit at a Funeral,they have a pallïon of the heart about mortality. And very many have gone fo often to the houle of mourning, that theyare grown familiar,with death, and the fre- quency of thole meetings takeoff all impreflions ofmortality from their hearts.As we fay ofthole Birds that build androoft infteeples, being ufed to the continual ringing ofthe bels,the found difquiets them not:or as thofe that dwell near the fall ofthe riverNylus,the noife of the water deafens them fo, that they mind it not. Many have been fooften a t thegrave,that now the grave is worn outof their hearts : they look upon it as a matterof cufiotneand forma- lity for men to dye and be buried, and when the folemnity of , death is over,the thoughts ofdeathare over:as loon as the grave is out of their Gght,preparations for the grave are out ofmind. It is tloricd(2$am.ao.i z.)that when Amatowas (lain by foab,andlay wallowing in his blood in the midi} of the high way,every one that came by himfloodRill, but anon Amara is removed out ofthe high way into the field,and a cloath cati upon him,and then (the Text faith)All thepeople went on after Tab. It is fo liill,we make a flop at one that lies gafpingand groaning,at one that lies bleeding and 'dying,but let a cloath be thrownover him and he drawafide,put into the grave and covered with earth,thenwe go to our bufinefs, to trading and dealing, yea tocoveting and finning, as if the lafi man(that ever fheuld be)were buried,Thus, menperiíh for ever, without any regarding. If this kindof perifhing were more re- garded, or regarded by more, fewer would perifh, Thoughts of death fpiritualiz'd have life in them : thoughts of death laid to the kart, are a good medicine for an evil heart. It followes, Verle
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=