7o Chap. 2E. An Expofition upon the Book of J o B. Ver1.24. Hence obferve Fir LI, chat bodily healthandßrength are no defence at all as gainft death. Doe not thinke you muff needs live long, becaufe you are heathy and 11rong ; lec not death be a í#ranger toyou, be- cause you are not acquainted with ficknefs ; for, One diet!) in his fullfírengtb. The abundance ofriches is nodefence againft povertie, as Zophar fpake,(Chap. 24. zz.)In thefulncJJe ofhi, fi f ciency he Jhalbe inflreighu.Now as a man who is very rich hath no ground to fay in his heart I (hall never be poore, be- caufe in the fulneffe offufficiency a man may be in ftreights ; fo a man who is very ftrong, hath no reafon to flatter himfelf in the hopesof long life, or to fay in his heart,4,l shall not dye till [ amoldand weak ; For in thefulmieofyour flrengthyou may beindeath. One dyeth in hiefullflrength, and fo may you; nothing is any flop to, or can lay abarre in the way ofdeath, but onely grace and holineffe. For though theywho are holy and gracious, dye as well as others, yea though many who have much grace diebefore they have attained to manyyears, even in the.fulnefe oftheir ftrength, yet the Lord bath made a promise oflong life unto thofe who are gracious and holy, but he never made a promife of long life to the healthy or iteong. TheLord hath not faidany where in Scripture, that, 'The flrong man (ball live longs but he bath promised long life to thofe who areof gracious spirit andholy life. (Ex:d.2o. ;2.) And the Apostleurging that duty upon children from the commandernent,calls it the Firfl Commandement with pro- rroife, (Epb. 6. z.) that ir, with an explicit promífe, for every Commandement hath both a threatning and a promifeim- plyed in ir, and annexed to it ; but this is the firft Comman- dement with a promife expreffed, and that is a promife of long life. Honour thy father and mother;that it may be wellwith thee, and that thou mayefl live long on the earth. So that, ifany thing be a barre ,inthe way ofdeath, 'cis halneffe; and ifman had continued in perfect holineffe; that had been an everlaft- ing prefervative againft death. Death had never broken in upon us,ifwe had not brokenthe commandment ofGod.And now by how much any man cloth more wickedly break the tom.
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