21.1. Chap.30. n Expoftion Upon tke Book of J o B. Verf. 23. 1 know ( faith lob) that thou wilt bring scree todeath : but 7th was mifaken. Though Saints cannot be miftaken in their affu. rances about fpirituall and eternal things, yet they may be decei- ved in their affurances about temporal things.We may think our felves fure ofoutward mercies, and miffe them, wee may bave an affurance that death will be the Conclufion of our prefent of flidions, and yet taiif- reckon our felves, as 74 did, who had a very flourifhing timeof life for many yeares after he gave him. felfe for dead. A man may have the fentence of death in him_ felfe, as the Apoftle (peakes, (2 Cor. i 9.) when God (as to that time ) hath givenout no fuck fentence. And therefore wee ought not to conclude peremptorily in thispoynt; For though the premifes ofGods dealings with us,feeme to tell us that death mutt be our fuddaineconclufion,yet die time is a fecret, and faith in the infinite power and goodneffe of God may give us fome hope ofreftorhsg when 'Cis worft with us, we not having reces- ved anyrevelation fromGod forbidding fuch a hope. 'Tiswsf. dome to be alwayes ready for death, but'tis more then comes to our (hare peremptorily to determine the period of our lives. As many come short of their reckoningsabout life, fo therecko nings of force are too fhort. Wee ought every day to number our dayes fpiritually, but no man-cannumber eyther his owne or any other mans dayes arithmetically, not becaufe they are more then aman can ( for a child may) know how to number there, but becaufe the number of them (whethe'r few or many, much leffe howmany or how few) is not knowne to any trap. Further, lob feemes to be thus conclufiveabout theconclufion ofhis life, ( I know that thou wilt bringmee to death) with a kind offveet content. Thirdly, Hence note; Agodly roan can fpeake veryfamiliarly andComfortably ofhie death. Though lob fpake complainingly of his fufferings and paines; yet when he fpake ofhis death, he fpake rejoycingly, as one re frelhed with good newes. I knew that thou wilt bring Mee to death, that's the thing I espe&, and that pleafeth mee. O wel- come death I welcomegrave ; A godly man can pleafe himfelfe with theft thoughts, nor only as death is an end of all his for. rowes,
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