55g Chap. 14. !l á Expoftion upon the Bookof rp$ Verf. 2 Jball flourifb, that is, till grayHairs ; yet all the time of their ftanding they have been falling, and every hour which increafeth or fwells their (talks, harkbeen alfo cuttingof themdown, And it would have been better for force, if they had been actually cut down in that ftate, whichwe diftinc`fively call theirFlower, while they were well- fented and beautiful , whereas ftanding long, they have not only decaied, but fmelt ill upon their {talks. Man in his belt eftate is vain, and many who have Rood beyond that, have proved far worfe then vain. Now left this firft fimilitude of a flower coming forth and cut down, fhouldnot reach the tranfitorinefs of this dying thing cal- led Man ; therefore 7o6 puts him upon hisfulltft fpeed, or rather upon the wing in his motion thorow the world, by a fecond fimi- litude, which carrieth in it the haftieft fwiftnefs, and the moft ur- fetled chageablenefs. Hefleethalfo as a fhadowandcontinueth not. Shadows are caufed by the interpofition of any grofs body between us and the Sun. Every fhadow is dark, and darknefs is but a great shadow. Hence there are two forts of natural fhadows. r. The fhadows of the Night, to which the Church alludes, (Cant.2. i7.) Ontil the; day break,, and the 'beams flee away. 2. The fhadows of the day ; thefe are according to the motions of theSun in continual motionor variation, fometimes on our right Hand, fometimes on our left, fometimes fhorter, fometimes longer, and are longeft in the evening as the Prophet fpeaks. (Jer.4.6.) The fhadows of the evening are ftretched out. When the Sun rifeth, the fhadowsof the night arenot,and while the fhadowsof the day are, they continue not, but receive force change every moment. Such is man, he fleeth as the fhadow of the nietbefore the day, andas the fhadow of the day till night return again. He continuethnot. fabfrftit, per The Hebrew is, He fandeth not. A Pillar is expreffed bya flitit, pro- wordof this Root, becaufe of its flawing and firmnefs. Man rnanrt is not a Pillarbut a Shadow, or if he be a Pillar, he is but aPillar Vnde11n7) of Smoak, which is carried and fcattered with the Wind, as a column e- fhadow is altered or changed with the Sun. We read often of rçEta,,a fizz_ the fhadowof Death, and our life is but a íhadow, becaufe it do dicta. continuetla
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