Chap. 24, An Fx.vojtion upon the Beekef JOB. Verf. 24. Raines the beauty of all earthly glory, that it may be to quickly fhined. The evills and troubles of this world, thould not much trouble as, nor the Atelier's of this world prefent rnudh af- tai t us, becaufe they are but for atewhile, fuppofe a godly man be ter downe, and hid low in reference to the world, he is laid low b:;t for a while,therefore no great matter to him,he bathnogreat rcalon ro he troubled at it; as the Apoftle argueth in the fame Chapter (ver. a*,)For thin cattle wefaint not,f r our light «fi, i.- Dies taioieb are but far a moment, &c. therefore he calls them tight, how great and how heavy foever in their owe nF lure, though they were as heavy as a mountains, he calls them light, becaufc as to their duration they were but for a momenr.We fay, A 1.g'it thing carryed a great way or a great while becometh heavy : He that pats only a pound ftone in his pocket,will be ve- ry fentable o?and much burdened with the weghtofit, beforehe comes to the end ofa long ;ourney;whereas a great weight is not muco burdenfome, ifit be not muchborne.Now as worldly evils and troubles are light, becaufe but fhort,fo are worldly comforts and honours,efpeeially the worldly comforts & honours of wick- ed men; ofwhom it is expreffely laid, not only by way of aferti- on (inwhich fenfe it rna5 be Paid of all men) but allo by way of commination, They are exaltedfor a littlewhile. Againe, as the profefilonof hypocrites, hath a kind ofappearing goodlinefTe & beauty, but it is little worth,or it is ofno worth,becaufe they en- dure but for a little while they are but Temporyes,ae the word is in the parable of theSower. Or as the Lord complaintth by his Prophet (Hof. 6. 4.) 0 E brains, rsls r Jheull Idoe unto thee, O udah, what fhal I d e unto thee, for your gaodntie Was a morning cloud, and a the early dew, it goeth away;goodnef e it feltis fcarce good, goodneffe is little worth, ifit be but as a morning cloud, if it be but as the dew that goeth away when the beate of the Suene corneal. Theworth and glory of true grace(lard; in this, that it ftatads and endures for ever ; let the world turn which way it will, true grace ttands its ground and tames nor away. Now if all thegoodnefs and pretended holie',efs of hypoc° ices and forms- its be nothing worth, becaufe it is (like a cloud, or a dew) only for a little while ; how little worth is the exaltaCion ofwicked men, which goeth awav,and is as quickly gone,as a cloud is feat- tered and blowne awayby the wind, or a dew exhaled by the ri- pppPa fing 659
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