Chap. 14. An Expofi'tion upon the llook,of JoB. Andis cut down. Death is the fithewhich cuts down thefe flowers, eitherfirfl, Natural death, I. Byficknefs. 2. By age : -(fir fecundly,Violent death, which is, I. Cafual, when a man is ftàin by accident. 2. Cruel, when a man is !lain by murderers. 3. Legal, when a man is !lain by the Magiftrate. Hence obferve, Man in his flouri!hing, is near to withering. He comethforth and is cut down, his (landing is fo finaII that it is not fo much as mentioned. We are born to die, andwe die as loon as we are born. Chrift fpeaks to the Church, Canticles 2. II, 12. Rife my love, for loe the winter ispall, theflowers appear ontheearth, the time of Pinging of birds is come, fo we tranflate, but others thus, The time of cutting is come. The fameword in Tempuspum the Hebrew lignifies both tofing and to cut, we taking the for- tationis ad- mer, add the wordBirds (which is not at all in the Original) venit. Pago. to fill up the fenfe, or to .hew what ringing is there meant, namely that, which is molt proper in the fpring when flowers firfl: appeat,the Pinging ofBirds. The other reading, as it is clear in the letter of the Hebrew,fo it elegantly lutes thepoint in hand. TheFlowers appear, the time of cutting is come ; implying that flowers are cut even as fool as theyappear : Suchaflower is min. He comethforthand iscut down. Thus Daviddefcribes him,Pfal. xo 3 . r5i 6. Asfor man, h5days areas Graf fe ; asaflower of the field, fo heflouri/heth, for the Wind pafieth over it, and it is gone, and the place thereof 'hull know it nomore. Though the flower be not cut downwith any in:firument of Iron, nor crops by the Plin Nat. hand, yet a breath of wind blafls it, yea thegentle motion ofthe hilt. lib. .5, Air quickly blows off its beauty. The natural& tells us ófa plant cap.I 3 . lib. called Ephemeron, becaufe it lafis but one day, as he dotti alto of I I. chap.36. aworm, called Hemerobion, becaufe it lives but one day. Such a Mirabar ce- worm is man, or (as the Pfalmift fpeaks) a worm and no man. lerem fugiti- Such a flower is man, or (aswe may fpeak) a flower and no man. va arate rap- Theheathen Poet gives his wonder and obfervattonof the Rafe, team. that it grows old in the very budding. The Septuagint read the Et dam nof- words of yob in the fame renour Hedecayes likea budding flower, cantarcon- thatis, he decayes in hisvery budding. As if Death did rifefenuiffe rajas early and watch for the flourifhing ?dower, to crop or cut it Virg. Tan- (low. And though fame of thefe flowers (land till theywither, guano flos cf- or as Solomon allegorizeth (Ecclef.12.5.) Till the Almond tree florefcens de- Jó b b b 3 ia;t. Sept.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=