THE FLIGHT OF TIME Discerned By the dim shadow of Jobs Diall IOB 9.25 Explaned In certaine familiar and profitable meditations well conducing to the wise numbering of our daies in the sad time of this mortalitie As it was delivered to his charge at Bloxham in Oxford-shire by the Pastour thereof R. M. PSAL. 90.12 Lord So teach us to number our Dayes that we may apply our hearts unto wisdome LONDON Printed by George Miller for Edward Langham at Banbery 1634. TO THE HONOVRABLE M rs FRANCES FIENNES wife to the Right Worshipfull Mr. IAMES FIENNES Esquire Sonne and heyre apparent to the Lord Viscount Say and Seale and one of the daughters of EDVVARD Viscount WIMBLETON Grace and Peace c. Vertuously Noble THer 's nothing in this small module presented to your Religious view but what you know nor any thing which can be too well learned the Priests lips are as well to settle and rivet knowledge in the heart as to tender it to the eare and the most intelligent must be for knowledge as the Suppliant in the Gospell was for Faith and cry and say with teares Lord I know helpe thou my want of knowledge Both must endeavour the procuring such practicall and saving knowledge by the power whereof the judgement may be rightly enformed and the will and affections framed for the well ordering of the life and conversation Your knowne care and study in this holy practise inviteth and emboldneth towards your Godly acceptance these familiar and ever seasonable meditations the rather for that the partie whose late death occasioned the present task was in her lifetime an afflicted object of your much exercised and voluntary compassion many moneths your chargeable and much tendered patient too late for her body in respect of the desperatenes of her malady the care being yours but the cure Gods peculiar but not too soone for her soule which received no small confessed physick from your counsell prayers and example She lived a daughter of Iob her daies being short and painefull and dying a daughter of Abraham in faith and patience left nothing fitter to acknowledge her debt to you then this part of her funerall solemnity which therefore I am bold to present in her name to your noble desert Christians care and paines in doing good to all especially Faiths houshold hath sufficient reward with God who notwithstanding must be glorified by men in the view of his graces shining in his eminent servants which who so dare performe with flatterie let him look unto it for my part herein sincerity is conduct as far as my heart and I be best together acquainted If you or any for your sake reape any price of labour in reading this publish I know God shall not want his praise Prosper still with your noble consort as your soules prosper to your continuing rich in good workes the Kings high-way to your kingdome Be blessed with Booz and Ruth their blessing to do worthily and be famous and let your famous worthines as it doth shine long through your humility heere till both your graces be late crowned above in Glory Your Honours unworthy neighbour ever well-wishing you in Christ Iesus ROGER MATTHEVV THE FLIGHT OF TIME Discerned by the dim shadow of Iobs Diall Iob 9.25 IOB 9.25 Now my dayes are swifter then a Post they flee away they see no good THese words are a part of the ruthfull complaint of afflicted Iob who having taken to consideration Gods justice and power in his afflicting the sonnes of men commending the one to be impeachable and no way to be reproved especially vers 2. the other to be impregnable and no way to bee resisted particularly vers 19. drawes towards a conclusion well suting with his owne present condition and his friends partiall censure of the same viz. that the effects of Gods justice and power in trying men by afflictions are not simply sound arguments of Gods displeasure sith a Vers 22. the Lord brings to destruction both the perfect and the wicked So that whether b Vers 23. he pluck away the innocent suddenly or forbeare seeme to c Vers 24. give the earth by way of long possession to the wicked notwithstanding so past finding out shall his judgements be to us whether for tryall or for terrour that no man shall discover his intentions yea he covereth the faces of judges saith the Text the best discerners may as well finde out the furrow of a ship in the Sea or tracke the flight of an Eagle in the ayre as sound Gods insearchables in this kinde Iob desires to know the mans name and place that dare arrogate the contrary to himselfe d Vers 24. Who and where is he This setled that misery is no sound argument of Gods anger the Patriarke sticks not in this verse read unto you to declare the heavie hand of the Lord upon himselfe in a threefold degree of that infirmity and wretchednesse whereunto as all mortality is subject so himselfe was at this present severely subdued Now my dayes are swifter then a post c. Which words note unto us three remarkables of Iobs and all humane frailty First the shortnesse Secondly the swiftnesse Thirdly the sadnesse of the same 1. The shortnesse appeares in the small fragments of it being but Daies Large extents are measured by long dimensions furlongs miles leagues short by feet spannes ynches Daies yee know are no long durances and how can life eeked and pieced out by Daies be of any long continuance 2. The swiftnesse is discovered two waies First by a comparison to a messenger of state which notwithstanding his important hast rideth not so fast to his appointed boundary Secondly by a similitude as all metaphors in substance are in a word borrowed from the Fowler of quicker dispatch then any horse or dromedary they flee amplified by a terme of increasing distance away Swifter then a post they flee away 3. The sadnesse glimmers forth in the absence of comfort and prosperity delivered under the tearme Good and it s partly expressed by the strongest negative partly confirmed by the surest witnesse that of the eye they see no good The porch thus opened le ts enter into materials and first to the first condition of Jobs frailty and in him of all mankind in generall viz. Daies and small pittances of humane life teaching us this usefull observation Doct. 1 That Mans naturall life is but short short daies are all the limmes of mans time like a short line consisting but of pricks the whole body of his time cannot bee long When Iacob had well neere all his yeeres together he summes the totall into a e Gen. 47.9 few daies David could gripe all his daies into the compasse of a f Ps 39 5. Span. As nature nurtured the heathen in the cutted state of this mortality by a bladder and a bubble both sweld with a puffe and shrunk with a pricke by a breath whose being or vanishing who can
telleth thee u Vers 17. Therfore thy sinne is very great before the Lord. But admit the thing bee good for which thou wouldst so faine steale upon the time to come assure thy selfe it would come so raw as Iacobs abortive blessing did that thou wouldst not relish the bitternesse that would accompany the tast of it for plucking Gods appointed season which onely ripeneth all to thy britle lusts besides so weake generally doe such men prove in the well-ordering of time so overgripâ—e that when it s come they are as unable to use it as to hold it Vse 2 Secondly this aggravates the vexation of a worse sort of men whose anxiety is most for that their youth slips away so fast and their age comes on so closse that they feare least they shall not have all their sports in all their cups in all their pleasures and profits in time enough Oh that they could realize that x Ps 49 1â—… inward thought of some that their houses shall continue for ever Oh that they could cause the shadow of their lifes diall to stand still two or three Methuselaes ages or goe backe to Adams time and take them along to eternity of pastime No no time is irrevocable for the past unstayable for the present their shadow is declining their glasse running their sunne setting apace Gods pursevant death is more then in poste-hast even like the Eagle towards its prey their pleasures swift as the Sunne and flie apace Gods wrath swift and comes apace swift death swift damnation treads upon the heeles of all impenitent hastening of evill workes and putting off of the evill day Vse 3 How much better to hasten with the time to a profitable instruction to redeeme the time past and improve the present If mis-spending of the time past be sufficient as that y 1 Pet. 4.3 Apostle saith what shall wee better set about then the z Eph. 5.16 redeeming it being suffered by us for want of due care and watchfulnesse to be carried captive by Satan to the servitude of sinne labour we by prayer and repentance and new obedience to make our evill daies good daies and so to rescue and recover our time into its liberty againe And for our present allowance of time if a Reu. 12.12 Sathan so much the more bestirs himselfe for evill by how much shorter time he knoweth he hath how much more should we bustle for good knowing how many hundred times shorter ours is in these cabbins of clay O then be we thriftie of our time being short and precipitate also and the faster we discerne our Sun to set the more hast like honest labourers and wise travellers le ts make to dispatch our worke and journey goe wee along with the day and let a day have a daies worke a weeke a weekes c. and proceed as fast in service as our daies in passage spend this speciall intrustment no faster then it comes in its best wisedome to take our daies before us not neglecting if young to remember our Creator b Eccle. 12. â— in the daies of our youth It cannot be denied but that its possible for an old sinner to repent and turne howbeit he is likeliest to bee richest as in wealth so in grace that begins betimes besides how unlikely that a man should be able to catch repentance at pleasure in age and sicknesse who hath beaten backe the Lords proffered grace in youth and health the Lord is likely to bee well requited for all his favours to have all the blade and floure of a mans age cast to his vtter foes and the refuse and stumps reserved for him and it s very likely wee shall fight a goodly field when for very impotency wee are ready to be turned forth of th'campe Oh then learne better while we have strength and memory to number our daies more wisely and with Vespatian the Heathen prince plucke our selves by the eare for every lost day and redeeme the next What a feast will it be to a mans conscience when hee hath spent according to his exhibition of time and having a price put into his b Pro. 17.16 hand hath not wanted a heart to use it Resolve upon it howsoever thou hast failed in thy former beginnings this way thy constant proceedings in well imploying thy short time will quit the cost and bring in comfort in sicknesse distresse temptation death when world of preferments profits and pastimes shall stand but as vexations before thy conscience As that mans state upon his deaths couch is miserable whose conscience then most of all will embolden disputes against him what he hath done with time why he melted the fat of it to ennimble the wheeles of his lusts for quicker dispatch of sinne objecteth why done so much evill so little good and now after so much sinne contracted so little grace gleaned what will now become of him when his time and hee are both at last cast So on the contrary how happie hee whose walke can shew him and his conscience witnesse with him that ever since he knew what time meant and perceived how fast it passed hath beene no looser by the use of good opportunities but as he felt them slipping away so he layed on better holt casting how to imploy the smallest mites of time some about his honest vocation other some in hearing reading meditating conferring and especially praying some for his own particular some for his family some for others all for the working and atchieving some true good for himselfe and as many as he can with what courage shall he look temptation and death in th' face and after all his painefull daies works in courses of piety shut up the windowes of his life towards a blissefull rest in happy immortality The second comfort belongs to all Gods children under any affliction their daies passe apace their sorrowes cannot stay long paine shal not long vexe foes shall persecute but a while The c 2 Cor. 4.17 Apostle summes up the afflictions of this life into a moment What speake we of those nibbling crosses of the body The kill-cow of all sinne shall make no long havocke in their soules not long bane their peace nor shipwrack their security pluck they up their hearts these stormes will over these sad daies will have a night of joy the time flies towards us when we shall have no time nor heart to grieve the Lord no time to provoke him to grieve us the d 1 Sam 31 4. sword that pierced Sauls brest was nothing to the weapon wherewith our Lord Iesus Christ hath wounded Satans head his spirits and sins vitals are bleeding forth apace meane time all that Satan and sin can do to us is but to make us more heedfull and watchfull in our waies all that death can do is but to turne the key and open the dore before us to a heavenly mansion Comfort one another in these words that the time hies apace even
swifter then a Post that Satan and sin shall have no more to do with us heaven misseth us as much as we earne for it God will shortly call for us the Angels shall carry us Christ Iesus shall intertaine us his Spirit shall welcome us his e Ps 17.15 image shall satisfie us Let this mitigate the sadnesse of humane life especially of the Saints being the Third and last consideration from the Text. They see no good The word good is of easie explication by noting how the word evill its contrary is in Scripture distinguished There 's one evill in the roote as it were partaking of that f 1 Iob. 5.18 Evill one Satan and that 's the evill of sin in relation whereunto it s said of wicked times g Ephes 5.16 the daies are evill There 's another evill in the branches and that 's the effect and fruit of sin viz. misery in which respect daies of sorrow are termed h Eccles 12 1. Evill daies So according to the rule of Opposites the word Good hath a double sense drawne upon it First as it participateth of the Good God in holinesse and righteousnesse so Godly works are stiled i 1 Tim. 6.18 good works Secondly as it partakes of Gods bounty in the prosperity comfort of the creature in which respect k Ps 34.12 prosperous daies are called Good and this is the proper sense of the word in this Text Iobs daies saw no Good that is much misery much losse in state much feare in his children much paine in his body much discouragement from his friends much horrour in his soule all which as Iob suffered by way of triall so all are sufferable by demerit which takes us out a Doct. 3 Third profitable though hard lesson viz. Our short swift time is subject to great and sore affliction Short and sweet were some mitigation but our daies are as sowre as short Swift and pleasant were some qualification but they are knotty and sad as well as swift All our daies are not faire long sommer daies but many gloomy short winter nippy daies among Iobs whole story to the last Chapter what i st but a ruthfull Martyrologie of affliction Iacobs story well concurred with his confession that his daies were l Gen. 49.7 few and evill The Patriarke David had his stint this way being exercised with m Ps 71.20 great and sore troubles and if the righteous are recompensed upon earth with troubles for number n Ps 34.19 many for measure o Iob 2.13 great p Pro. 11.31 how much more saith Solomon the wicked and the sinner Speake experience of what condition is the vanishing vapour of our life When we have made a hard scape from stifling in the wombe what 's infamy but a brak of discontents what 's child-hood but a schoole of restraint from without a very bridewell of frowardnesse within What 's youth but a pitcht field of passions and distempers What 's age but a meere hospitall of infirmities Our whole life worse than a tragedy for that begins with some mixture of delight wherein the first act is crying the second grieving groaning is the last Catastrophe No marvaile then if Iob calculate mans time to be not only short but q Iob 14.1 full of misery Reason 1 For why The Lord hath so appointed it as David and Hezekiah upon their sick beds acknowledge God hath layed this heavie yoke upon all the sons of Adam either for punishment or for tryall and ther 's no escaping a thing decreed Were it any way avoideable wisdome might discry some prevention Were these stormes only upon the land or upon the sea alone the advantage of ease might be taken by the place were they only without dores one might house himselfe within but be he where he can be he cannot avoid what he is borne to Man is borne saith Iob to trouble r Iob 5.7 as the sparks flie upwards Reason 2 Affliction is sins native brood if this hang on the other will not fall off its sin that makes mans time narrow as a well for breadth deepe as hell for bitternes why els doth ſ Ps 18.4 David and Ionah t Ionah 2.2 complaine of hellish sorrowes whosoever therefore followes sin becomes afflictions prey neither have the law and the Prophets noted any other chace for afflictions hunting but only the sinner If no man can say he hath clensed his heart from sin no man shall be able to rid his soule or body from sorrow Truth is sin hath no fitter meanes wherby to execute its own ends then this What aimeth sin at Death and destruction What breaks and battereth downe more forcibly then affliction Man made mortall must downe iniquity is the axe miseries the ordinary severall strokes that lay the sinner along Vse 1 Do all suffer or deserve to feele these stormes that passe the sea of this mortality Then this must first resolve what to trust to heere This world is not a meadow full of flowers but a wildernesse of brakes and briars now this affliction catches at us now an other at sins sute arests us now a foe dogges us anon a sicknes laies us up waking sleeping dreaming cares atches feares crasinesses and distempers as thick as u Iob 1.14.16.17 18. Iobs ill messengers haunt us Dreame of what ease and comfort thou wilt after thy state and condition so and so altered to thy mind how thou shalt live as merrily as the day is long to as your proverbe runs after thy yoke-fellow obtained to thy minde after all thy reversions outlived all thy purchases compassed preferments atchieved children placed deceive not thy selfe even after all those thou wilt flote upon a sea of sin and therfore no lesse then a sea of waves and rocks and shelves and stormes and pirats shall annoy and continually endanger thee Art Gods tree thou must be pruned art Gods tilth thou must be bowelled up with plow and harrow els thou wilt be fruitlesse art Gods childe chastised thou must be or graceles Art Gods enemy he notes thy prancks and is providing sowre sauce for thy pleasant morsels His hand is taking holt of vengeance he is furbushing his * Deut. 32 41. glittering sword that his arrowes may drink the blood his sword eate the flesh of thē that hate him Finally be thou good or bad set not to thy heart any descant of pleasant ditty whiles all the tune of thy life runs upon discords of iniquity if any comforts appeare they are but as the gleames of a March day beaten with stormes as fast as they glimmer forth and therefore as thou dost not unslate thy house when the showre is past but keepest it to award another so put not away faith and patience and watchfulnesse at the departure of any crosse but taking a short farwell reserve thy selfe to welcome the same againe or worse sith this is not the haven but the Ocean 2. Neither