nulla mihi illaâ—o injuria Bol. Take the words as a direct assertion Thou wilt bring me into the dust again So they may have reference to the decree of God concerning man as those before had to the creation of man As if he had said By creation and naturall constitution I am frail and weak made of the clay by thy purpose and decree I am appointed unto death Thou wilt bring me into the dust again therefore spare me for the short time I have to live Some change the conjunction And into the adverb of likenesse so to note a right power or priviledge and the text runs in this form Remember that as thou hast made me of or as the clay so thou maist it is thy priviledge none can contradict thee in it and thou doest me no wrong in it thou maiest as thou hast purposed bring me to the dust again Though it be common and naturall to all creatures mixt of elements to be resolved and turned back into that out of which they were made that is to die yet to man it is more then naturall there is a decree upon it besides the naturality of it Man dieth by a statute-law of heaven To die is a penalty inflicted upon man for sinne for he had not been under a necessity of dying if he had not sinned And therefore though God formed man as the holy story informs us Gen. 2.7 out of the dust of the earth yet so long as man stood he never said to him To dust thou shalt return God only put a supposition that in case man did fall he should surely die But when man had fallen by sin then he hears what he was and what he must be For dust thou art and unto dust thou shalt return Gen. 3.19 As if God had thus bespoken sinfull man Thy body was framed out of dust and now I charge this burden upon thee thou shalt return to the dust again It is a Question and I shall touch upon it Whether death were naturall to man or no Whether man were made mortall or whether he made himself mortall Some affirm That death was naturall not accidentall or occasionall to man-kinde They argue for this opinion First thus Adam died not the death of the body or a naturall death when he had sinned therefore the death of the body was not inflicted for sin upon his person and his posterity but was seated in or a consequent of his nature I answer Though Adam died not presently a naturall death yet he was presently made subject or liable unto death the sentence was past upon him though the sentence was not executed upon him A malefactour who is cast at the barre is a dead man in law though he be reprieved from the present stroke of death Again Though death it self did not instantly seize upon him yet the symptoms of death and tokens of mortality did Fear and shame pains and distempers sweat and wearinesse quickly shewed themselves as so many harbingers or forerunners of his approaching dissolution we see and feel death in these before we see or feel death it self These bid us prepare our bodies for the grave and our souls for heaven Secondly Others reason thus Christ hath delivered his people the elect from all that punishment which the sin of Adam did contract and deserve but Christ hath not delivered his elect his own people from turning to the dust Godly men die as well as the ungodly believers as well as infidels therefore say they the death of the body was not procured by sin I answer Whatsoever is an evil in death Christ hath delivered his people from he hath taken away all that from death which is punishment or annoiance though death be not taken away Christ hath freed us from the effects of sin as he hath freed us from sin it self that is from their prevalence and dominion over us not from their presence or being in and upon us Hence the Apostle 1 Cor. 15. triumpheth over death O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory As if he had said Death once had a power over man to sting him to death death once had a victorious power and would have bin the great conquerour riding in triumph over all the posterity of Adam but now death hath neither sting nor sword to use against believers it hath nothing of victory over the Saints It is now but a sleep a sleep in Christ a rest from labour a putting off the rags the worn rags of mortality that we may be dress'd in the robes of glory The evil of death is removed and that which remains of death the separation of soul and body proves the greatest good to both it being but a preparatory to their everlasting union Thirdly It is argued That death and corruption were naturall to man because the matter out of which man was made was dying and corruptible Omne principiatum sequitur naturam principiorum for that which is made must follow the nature of that principle out of which it is made The effect cannot be say they more noble then the cause nor the subject constituted more durable then that which goes into its constitution To clear up an answer to this we must distinguish of a three-fold immortality 1. A primitive simple independent essentiall immortality this is proper and peculiar to God in which sense the Apostle affirmeth He only hath immortality 1 Tim. 6.16 2. There is a derivative dependant essentiall immortality Some substances have no seed of corruptibility nor of death in them Being either separate from all matter which is the seat and root of corruption as the Angels or united to matter yet so as not being produced from it or having any affinity with it such are the souls of men Whole man in his creation was not immortall either of these waies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Graec. Int. a part of man was but man was not created immortall Man was of a middle state and condition neither altogether so mortall nor altogether immortall but capable of either 3. There is an immortality by the power or gift by the mercy or justice of God The power and justice of God shall give an immortality to the bodies of the damned in hell they shall ever live a dying life who were dead all while they lived They who have slighted the mercy of God shall be upheld by his power to endure his justice to all eternity wicked men would have sinned with delight for ever upon the earth if they could have lived for ever upon the earth and they shall live for ever with pain in hell to suffer for their sinne The power goodnesse and mercy of God shall much more give immortality to the bodies of the Saints in glory they who have had a will to delight in obeying God that short time they lived on earth shall have a power to live for ever in delight praising God in heaven The body of man
q d. in me jam seme◠mortuo pene confecto Merc. my pains know not only no period but no pause I have storm upon storm grief upon grief here much and there much I am all waies and everywhere again afflicted though already half-dead with affliction Whence observe God doth often renew the same or send new afflictions upon his choisest servants One would think that light should follow darknesse and day succeed the night that though sorrow continue all the night yet joy should come in the morning that after wounding we should have healing and after sicknesse health So they promised themselves Hos 6.1 Come and let us return unto the Lord for he hath torn and he will heal us he hath smitten and he will binde us up yet many have felt wounding after wounds and smiting after blows darknesse hath stept after darknesse and their sorrow hath had a succession of greater sorrows It was a speciall favour to Paul when Epaphroditus was restored Phil. 2.27 He was sick nigh unto death but saith he God had mercy on him and not on him only but on me also and why Lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow God would not do what some of his enemies thought to do adde affliction to his bonds therefore he healed Pauls helper and kept him alive in whom he so much delighted Sorrow upon sorrow is a mournfull bearing yet many a precious Saint hath born that coat The promise to the Church is That her peace shall be as a river and her prosperity as the waves of the sea Isa 66.12 When the Church shall come to her full beauty and attain a perfect restauration then her peace shall be a continued peace she shall have peace upon peace everlasting successions of peace a river being supplied and fed with a constant stream the waters that flow to day will flow again to morrow peace like a river is peace peace or perpetuall peace Sions peace shall not be as a land-floud soon up and as soon down again but as a river and which yet heightens it her prosperity shall be as the waves of the sea If the winde do but stir upon the face of the sea you shall have wave upon wave waves rolling and riding one upon the back of another Such shall be the prosperity of Zion on earth for a time and such it will be for ever in heaven there peace shall be as a river to eternity and prosperity as the waves of the sea joy upon joy and comfort upon comfort riding and rolling one upon the back of another As it shall be thus with the peace of the Church at last so it may be with the afflictions of the Church or of any member of the Church at present Their afflictions may be as a river and their sorrows as the waves of the sea coming on again and again renewed as often as abated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mirabilis sis in me Again Thou shewest thy self wonderfull or marvellous against or upon me Both renderings are consistent with the originall Marvellous upon me That is thou dost not punish or afflict me in an ordinary way Marvels are not every daies work Thou takest a new a strange course to try me such afflictions as mine have no parallel such have scarce been heard of or recorded in the history of any age Who hath heard of such a thing as this thou seemest to design me for a president to posterity Mirificum fit spectaculum homo qui tam dira patitur tam constanti invictoque animo or to shew in my example what thou canst do upon a creature Thou shewest thy self marvellous upon me As Moses speaks concerning Korah Dathan and Abiram when they murmured and mutined against him and against Aaron If these men die the common death of all men or if they be visited after the visitation of all men then the Lord hath not sent me but if the Lord make a new thing and the earth open her mouth and swallow them up then c. The Lord to manifest his extream displeasure against those mutineers did as it were devise a new kinde of death for them If these men die the common or the ordinary death of all men then the Lord hath not sent me These men have given a new example of sinne and surely God will make them a new example of punishment Iob speaks the same sense Thou shewest thy self marvellous upon me thou wilt not be satisfied in afflicting me after the rate or measure of other men All the Saints should do some singular thing and many of them suffer some singular thing The Apostle assures his Corinthians 1 Cor. 10.13 There hath no temptation taken you but that which is common to man Iob seems to speak the contrary A temptation hath taken me which is not common to man Further These words Thou art marvellous upon me have reference to God who sent those afflictions as well as unto the afflictions which he sent As if he had said Lord thou actest now besides thy nature and thy custom thou art mercifull and thou delightest in mercy Thou art good and thou doest good how or whence is it then that thou art so fierce against me and pourest out so many evils upon me I could not knowing thee as I do have beleeved though it had been told me that thou wouldest have been so rigorous and incompassionate if a professed enemy had done this he had done like himself and had been no wonder unto me But now as thou hast afflicted me till I am become a wonder unto many so thou O Lord art become a wonder unto me and to all who hear how thou hast afflicted me Meek Moses made himself a wonder when he broke out in anger Every man is wondered at when he doth that which he is not enclined to doe or not used to do Is it not a wonder to see the patient God angry the mercifull God severe the compassionate God inexorable Thus saith Iob Thou shewest thy self marvellous upon me Hence observe First That some afflictions of the Saints are wonderfull afflictions As God doth not often send his people strange deliverances and works wonders to preserve them so he sends them many strange afflictions and works wonders to trouble them And as many punishments of sin upon wicked men so some trials of grace upon godly men are very wonderfull The Lord threatneth the Jews Deut. 28.59 that he would make their plagues wonderfull he would make strange work among them And he saith of Ierusalem I will wipe it as a man wipeth a dish wiping it and turning it up-side down or wiping it and turning it upon the face thereof 2 King 21.13 To see a great City handled like a little dish or a strong Nation turned topsie turvy as we say or the bottom upwards is a strange thing It is an ordinary thing to see cups platters turned up-side down but it is not ordinary to see Kingdoms and Nations
earthly-poor nor hell all the earthly-rich God doth not give wicked men all the earth but all the earth which they have is of his giving Most of the earth is given to be their possession and all the possession which is given them is of earth therefore it is said He giveth the earth into the hand of the wicked And seeing God giveth the earth into the hand of the wicked we may observe also That wicked men have a just title to the earthly things which they enjoy They are not meer usurpers neither shall they be dealt with as meer usurpers They have no spirituall title no title by Christ they claim not by promise which the Saints doe They have forfeited their title by sinne all is lapsed and escheated into the hand of the great land-Lord Their goods are forfeited and so are their lives into the hand of God and he gives both back for a while into their hands He gives them their lives back and reprieveth them for which time of their reprieve he giveth them the earth to live upon or to maintain their lives and so farre as they use earthly things for the continuance of life they shall not be accounted or reckoned with as usurpers They shall not be charged for using the creaturâ— but for abusing it for making the earth serve their lusts not 〈◊〉 making it a support of their lives And seeing as the Lord hath given them back their forfeited lives so also their forfeited lands by a deed of gift sealed with generall providence this is enough to secure them in those worldly possessions which they have neither got nor hold by injustice from the brand of usurpation Dominium non fundatur in gratia and from the violence of dispossession As what God hath joyned no man may put asunder So what God hath given no man must take away Neither riches nor rule are founded in grace He hath given the earth into the hand of the wicked He covereth the faces of the Judges thereof He covereth There is some Question whom we are to understand as the antecedent to this relative He who is he that co-covereth Tegit ne videant quod aequuÌ„ justum est â—rus Some make the antecedent a wicked man Others say 't is God The earth is given into the hand of the wicked and he that is the wicked one covereth the faces of the Judges thereof Or He that is God covereth the faces of the Judges thereof I shall a little open this expression it needeth some uncovering for it is dark in both relations First Look upon that interpretation which refers it to wicked men He covereth namely That wicked man who is preferred and exalted covereth the faces of the Judges that is he stops the course of justice And there are four waies by which wicked men cover the faces of the Judges Munera caecos reddunt judices First By gifts and rewards Bribes vail yea put out the eyes of a Judge that he cannot see to give every one his due Hence that charge Exod. 23.8 thou shalt take no gift for the gift blindeth the wise and perverteth the words of the righteous Secondly The faces of the Judges are covered by threatnings Fear of losse blindes as well as hope of gain Some send terrible messages to the judge Will not you doe as we would have you Will not you give your sentence and opinion thus at your peril be it Now the Judges face is covered his eyes are put out by a threat the mist and cloud of a Princes displeasure of a great mans indignation is before his eyes His face is covered Thirdly The Judges faces are covered by actuall putting them to shame by casting them out of favour and clouding them with disgrace by taking away their commissions or sending them a Quietus est laying them by as unfit for service any of these is a covering of the Judges face There is a fourth way of covering the Judges face to which the second and third are often made a preparatory And that is by putting the judge to death So much that expression implies in the 40th of this book of Job vers 13. where the Lord with infinite wisdome and holinesse insulting over Job to humble him bids him arise and doe some great thing somewhat which might speak him a man of might Deck thy self now with majesty and excellency and aray thy self with glory and beauty cast abroad the rage of thy wrath and behold every one that is proud and abase him look on every one that is proud and bring him low and tread down the wicked in their place Hide them in the dust together and binde their faces in secret that is cover their faces as men prepared for death as men ready to goe out to execution We may expound it by that Esth 7.8 where as soon as ever the word went out of the Kings mouth They covered Hamans face And by that Mark 14.65 where when Christ was judged worthy of death the text saith They spit on him and covered his face The covering of the face was a mark of a condemned man held as unworthy to behold and enjoy the light of the Sunne or the light of the Princes countenance Thus to cover the faces of the Judges is to condemn the Judges and to take them out of the world by sufferings rather then suffer them to doe right I finde that of Elihu Job 34.29 interpreted to this sense When he giveth quietnesse who can make trouble That is when the Lord doth absolve and acquit a man giving him a discharge then he is free no man can sue him or trouble him much lesse condemn him but if he hide his face who then can behold him So we translate it meaning thus If the Lord hide his own face But this exposition saith If the Lord hide the face of that man that is If the Lord condemn that man or passe sentence of death upon him of which covering or hiding the face was a symboll then Quâ— rei faciem poterit amplius videre quasi absolutus sit Bold I lictor colliga manus caput obnubito in foe lici arbori suspendito Cic. in orat pro Rabir. who can behold him That is who then can see his face or have society with him whom God hath separated to death It was a custom also among the Romans when sentence was pronounced upon a malefactour thus to command the executioner Take him away binde his hands cover his face hang him up And usually with us malefactours who are ready to suffer the pains of death put a covering upon their faces This also may be a good sense of the words He covereth the faces of the Judges that is a wicked Prince oppresseth and putteth the Judges to death And whereas good Princes say Let justice be donâ— though the world perish he saith Let the Judges perish rather then justice should be done 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iudices
flower of the field Some read goodnesse for goodlinesse the sense holds if we take it so the naturall the morall goodnes of man is but a flower As no goodlines so no goodnes of man except spiritual lasteth long and that lasteth long and long even for ever Grace is not as the flower of the field that is durable substance that as the Prophet speaks there of the Word of God in v. 8. shall stand for ever The grace of God is as lasting as the Word of God for his Word is the externall seed or principle of grace But all other goodnesse and goodlinesse of man how good how goodly soever his other beauty how beautifull soever his strength how strong his favour how well favoured so ever is but as the flower of the field which is either cut down while it is green or soon fades while it stands Take favour in this sense and the sense of the whole verse is harmonious and sound Thou hast granted me life my body is formed and quickned and more then so Thou hast given me favour my body is full of beauty and comelinesse The comelinesse of the body is a favour received and many receive favour because they are comely From either of which considerations we may call the comelinesse of the body favour and it is no common favour God denies this to many he grants them the life of nature but not favour yea he grants many the life of grace but not favour Beautifull souls are often ill-housed and filthy souls clearly housed 't is admirable when both beauties meet in the same man Moses was a goodly childe Exod. 2.2 and a good man As grace in the inward man is the best favour so favour is gracefull to the outward man Thou hast granted me life and favour And thy visitation hath preserved my spirit Here is the third benefit of this Royall grant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Inspectio 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. The visitation of God One reads Thy presence A second Thy assistance A third Thy inspection thy over-looking or super intendency hath preserved my spirit The Hebrew word signifies The visitation of a superiour over an inferiour as when masters enquire into their families or governours into their Colledges and Hospitals Visitatio est Dominorum superiorum cum ad Deum refertur denotat providentiam Pined to see whether the statutes and orders appointed by the founders and benefactours be observed There is a three-fold visitation of God held forth in Scripture 1. A visitation of condemnation God visits to take vengeance by destructive punishments when warning is not taken nor repentance shewed after corrective punishments Shall not I visit for these things saith the Lord Shall not my soul be avenged on such a Nation as this Jer. 5.9 2. A visitation of correction Psal 89.32 If thy children forsake my law c. then will I visit their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes Neverthelesse my loving kindenesse will I not utterly take from him c Though they break my laws yet I will not break my Covenant they shall smart for it but they shall not perish for it This is a fatherly visitation 3. A visitation of consolation And this two-fold 1. For deliverance out of an evil estate and that either temporall the Lord is said to visit his people Israel when he delivered them out of Aegypt Exod. 4.31 or spirituall and eternall God hath visited and redeemed his people saith the blessed Virgin Luk. 1.68 that is he hath visited his people to redeem them from sin and Satan death and hell by Jesus Christ Secondly Which is most proper to this Text there is a visitation for protection in a good estate When God having caused our line to fall in a fair place draws his line of providentiall communication round about us So M. Broughton translates Life and loving kindenesse hast thou dealt to me and thy providence preserveth my spirit As if Iob had said Thou didst not only give me life and favour but thou didst protect me for many years in the enjoyment of those favours Providence was the hedge not only of his outward but of his inward estate Thy visitation hath preserved my spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The verb which we translate hath preserved signifieth to preserve Summa solertia atque diligentia prospexit cavit oberravit ut solent custodiae excubiae nocturnae vel gregum custodes both by strength and watchfulnesse The Noun expresseth a Watch-tower in Hebrew because a watch-man standeth upon his Tower and looks round about him to espy and give notice of approaching dangers The Lord preserveth both waies by his watchfulnes and by his strength his eie is wakefull enough and his arm is powerfull enough to preserve us He that keepeth Israel doth neither slumber nor sleep Psal 121.1 the creatour of the ends of the earth fainteth not neither is weary Isa 40.28 He that is thus wakefull can easily visit and he that is thus powerfull can easily preserve those whom he visiteth Thy visitation hath preserved my spirit But how did the visitation of God preserve the spirit of Iob Or what are we to understand by his spirit which was thus preserved The spirit of a man is taken three waies First For life Thus God keepeth us from death while he preserves our spirits Secondly For the soul Thus God preserveth our spirits while he keeps us from falling into or from falling in temptation while he keeps our corruptions from prevailing and our graces from decaying Thirdly The spirit of man is taken for his courage Thus God preserveth our spirits while he keeps us from needlesse fears and cowardly despondencies Doubtlesse Iob had experience of the visitation of God preserving his spirit in all these senses yet here he seems chiefly to intend the preservation of his life which God had granted him with favour or of those comforts which were granted him with his life Hence observe First in generall That what God granteth he preserveth It is a part of his grant that he will preserve Should the Lord bestow the greatest stock of mercy upon us and leave us to the wide world we should quickly loose all God is not like the Carpenter or the Mason who buildeth up a house and then leaveth it to it self or to the care of others The Lord surveys what he builds and keeps up what he sets up all would come down else Providence succeedeth Creation or Providence is a continued Creation Assoon as ever the Lord had made man and a garden He took the man and put him into the Garden which he had made to dresse it and to keep it Gen. 2.15 God putteth the creatures under mans charge yet he keepeth all creatures in his own charge and especially man A Garden without a man to visit it would soon be a wildernesse And man without God to visit him would soon be or be in a wildernesse either
Hebraei ad vices diei noctis aestatis hiemis c. referuÌ„t Expertem vicissitudinem Jun. First Without order because it hath no changes or vicissitudes in it there is no difference in the grave between night and day winter and summer hot and cold wet and dry between the rising and setting of the Sun This is the order which God hath set in nature and when the floud had put all things into a kinde of confusion God promised That seed-time and harvest and cold and heat summer and winter day and night should not cease that is there should be an everlasting order continued in the creature The dead know none of those changes and vicissitudes as much of the vanity so some of the comforts of this life consist in changes but all is alike in death Secondly There is no order in going to the grave men do not keep to a rule in dying nor observe their ranks The old go not alwaies first and then the young the great before and the mean following after Death hath no master of the Ceremonies but takes promiscuously here a childe and there a man here a rich man and there a beggar And as there is no order in going thither so none when we are there the grave mingleth the dust and bones of one with another We cannot distinguish the rich mans dust from the dust of the poor nor the bones of Kings from those of the lowest subject Though rich men are buried in more eminent places and Kings under stately Monuments though their Tombs differ from their inferiours yet their bones do not An old Philosopher was observed searching a caemitery and prying busily among the Tombs and being asked what he looked for answered I come to see if I can finde the dust of rich men and the bones of Princes but I cannot see which is which the dust of the rich and of the poor of Princes and pesants are all alike to my eye And seeing Iob makes this an aggravation of the misery of death that it is without order We may observe That order hath an excellency and a beauty in it The lesse order there is in any place or state the worse it is and where is no order there it is worst of all Civil order is the beauty of Common-wealths and spirituall order is the beauty of the Church The Apostle rejoyced to behold the order of the Colossians as well as their faith Col. 2.5 His charge to the Corinthians is Let all things be done decently and in order 1 Cor. 14.40 He had warned them ver 33. to take heed of disorder because God is not the God of confusion but of peace where order is not kept the peace cannot be kept Death is evil and that 's without order hell is worst of all and there is no order at all It is a kinde of death to see any disorder and a very hell to see all in disorder And where the light is as darknesse Some read by the verb where it shineth like darknesse or thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 aâ—radice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Floruit splenduit fulgorem magnifiâ—entiam exercuit Tenebrescet ficut caligo Mon. Quod in ea spâ—endidissimum est caligini fim le est where it lighteth like darknesse The Vulgar paraphrases rather then translates Where there is everlasting horrour Job said before it was a land of darknes and of darknes like darknesse it self yet now he seemeth to affirm that there is light in the grave and if there be how is that darknes like darknes it self His meaning is that which looks most like to light in the grave is darknes and it is therefore darknes like darknes it self because if you can imagin any thing to have a shew of light in the grave that very light is as darknes When the Apostle would invincibly argue the infinite wisdom and strength of God he saith The foolishnesse of God is wiser then men and the weaknesse of God is stronger then men 1 Cor. 1.25 God is only wise only strong how then speaks this Apostle of the foolishnesse or weaknes of God His meaning is look what act soever of God appears to man as having foolishnes or weaknes in it even that foolishnes is wiser and that weaknesse stronger then men In what sense Paul saith The foolishnes of God is wisdom the weaknes of God is strength or which is all one the darknes of God is light in the same Iob saith The light of the grave is darknes For as God is wisdom and in him there is no foolishnes at all strength and in him there is no weaknes at all light and in him there is no darknes at all So Iob supposeth of the grave that in it there is darknes and no light at all while he affirms the light found there is as darknes Christ speaks near this language of Job Mat. 6.23 If therefore the light that is in thee be darknes how great is that darknes he had said before The light of the body is the eye and if the eye be single the whole body is light that is if a man have right aims and pure ends these will keep him right in all his course but if his eye be dark his ends base how base will his actions be how great his darknes We may argue thus to the point in hand if the light of the grave be darknes how great is that darknes The Prophet Amos sets forth great changes in States and Kingdoms by prodigious changes in the air Lo he makes the morning darknes Cha. 4.15 Again He turneth the shadow of death into the morning and maketh the day dark with night Chap. 5.8 When either civil or morall good is turned into evil we are past all hope of good if once our light be dark we must expect nothing but darknes The best works of hypocrites will be found wickednes how wicked then will they be in their worst If their holines be unclean how unclean is their unholines All their morall light is as darknes and all their civil light shall be turned into darknes Some especially Popish Interpreters understand this description not of the grave but of hell The same word in the Hebrew serves both hell and the grave Death looks like hell and bears much of it's image What is there in hell but the agonies and sweat of death the pangs and palenes of death the chains and bonds of death The state of the damned in hell is an eternall act of dying And all that Job speaks of the grave is fulfilled there to the utmost There is darknes like darknes it self called therefore utter darknes there is the shadow of death without any order there the light is as darknes But though the Text be true of hell yet Job had nothing to do or suffer beyond the grave and I shall carry his discourse no further keeping within those confines We may learn That death in it self is no way desirable