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SERMON X.

JOB XIV. I, 2.

Man that is born of a woman, is of few days, and full of trouble:-He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down; be fleeth alfo as a fhadow, and continueth

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HERE is fomething in this reflection of holy Job's, upon the fhortness of life, and inftability of human affairs, so beautiful and truly sublime; that one might challenge the writings of the most celebrated orators of antiquity, to produce a specimen of eloquence, fo noble and thoroughly affecting. Whether this effect be owing in some measure, to the pathetic nature of the fubject reflected on; or to the eaftern

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eaftern manner of expreffion, in a style more exalted and fuitable to fo great a fubject, or (which is the more likely account,) because they are properly the words of that Being, who firft infpired man with language, and taught his mouth to utter; who opened the lips of the dumb, and made the tongue of the infant eloquent ;-to which of these we are to refer the beauty and fublimity of this, as well as that of numberless other paffages in holy writ, may not feem now material; but furely without these helps, never man was better qualified to make juft and noble reflections upon the shortnefs of life, and inftability of human affairs, than Job was, who had himself waded through fuch a fea of troubles, and in his paffage had encountered many viciffitudes of ftorms and funfhine, and by turns had felt both the

extremes,

extremes, of all the happiness, and all the wretchednefs that mortal man is heir to.

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The beginning of his days was crowned with every thing that ambition could wish for;-he was the greateft of all the men of the East-had large and unbounded poffeffions, and no doubt enjoyed all the comforts and advantages of life, which they could adminifter.-Perhaps you will fay, a wife man might not be inclined to give a full loose to this kind of happiness, without fome better fecurity for the fupport of it, than the mere poffeffion of fuch goods of fortune, which often flip from under us, and fometimes unaccountably make themselves wings, and fly away. But he had that fecurity too, for the hand of Providence

which had thus far protected, was ftill leading him forwards, and feemed engaged in the preservation and continuance of these bleffings;-God had fet a hedge about him, and about all that he had on every fide; he had bleffed all the works of his hands, and his fubstance increased every day. Indeed, even with this fecurity, riches to him that hath neither child or brother, as the wife man observes, instead of a comfort prove fometimes a fore travel and vexation. The mind of man is not always fatisfied with the reasonable affurance of its own enjoyments, but will look forwards, as if it discovers fome imaginary void, the want of fome beloved object to fill his place after him, will often difquiet itself in vain, and fay-" For "whom do I labour, and bereave my"self of rest?”

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