pour it forth for the refreſhment both of the fruitful fie!d and of the barren wilderneſs, ' k Theſe words contain either 1. An Argu- ment to perſwade Men to Charity, becauſe they muſt ſhortly fall ordie, and then all opportunity of being cheritable will be loit,and they mult expeCt certainly and eternally to reap whatſoever they have ſown, whether it hath been Mercy or Unmercifulneſs, Or rather 2. An Anſwer to a common ObjeCtion againſt ir, becauſe we are not certain whether the perſon whe deſires our Charity doth really need it, orbe worthy ofit. To this he anſwers, As a tree when it falls, either by the violence of the wind, or being cut down by its owners order, it is not conſiderable whether it falls Southward or Northward, for there it lies ready for the Maſters uſe 5 ſo thy Charity, though it may poſlivly be miſapplied by thee, or a- buſed by the Receiver, yet being conſcientiouſly given by thee, it ſhall aſſuredly return to thee, and thou ſhalt reap the fruit of ir:
4 He that obſerveth the wind, ſhall not ſow, and
he that regardeth the clouds, ſhall not reap /.
I He who negleQs or delays the neceſſary works of ſowing and reaping, becauſe the weather 15 not exaQtly ſuitable to his deſires, may poſſibly loſe his Harveit- Whereby he intimates what is eaſiely underſtood out of the foregoing verſes, that Men will never do good here, which is expreſſed by ſowing,P/a: 112, 9; 2 Cor. 9: 6; and ———— not receive good hereafter, which 1s called reaping, Gal: 6:-7,8. if they be diſcouraged and hindered from 'it by every doubr or difficulty,ſuch as covetous worldlings obje& to themſelves, that others either do not want their Charity, or will abuſe it, that they may poſſibly need it hereafter. f Or,fths 5 As thou knoweſt not what is the way || of the ſpi- y,zzjobn rit 22,w07 * how the bones » do grow in the womb o of her 3: 8. that is with child ; even ſo thou knoweſt not the works IE
4 1 3 .
of Godp who maketh all. » Of the Spirit or Soul of Man, how it firſt comes into the bo- dy of the child in the Womb, whether from God by Creation, or
Dogs
ſo fixed in the Body that it cannot get out of it when it would, ngr how and whether it goes out of the Body ; all which things are of the wind, whence it cometh, how violently it will Tranſlation ſeems to The whole Body, 343 20; & 35: 19;
becautec
which is elſewhere Ggnified by the Bones, as P/s;
thers the vanity of heaping up Riches, he now teacheth us that |
Of
» Re Mn P- Xl.
119g :6;30
Ka I
becauſe they are a principal part, and the very foundation and ſup- por! of the Body» o How it comes to paſs that one and the ſame ſmall quantiry of ſeed ſhould diverſific it ſelf into skin, and fleſh, and finews, and veins, and bones, and intrals, or how it receiveth nouri{h;neutand growth. » What God is doing and will do with thee orothers; the Counſels and Methods of Gods Providence in the future time of thy Life, what evil God will ſend upon the Earthgv. 2+ or what weather he will ſend, of which v. 4. how long or how litle a while God will continue thy Life or Eſtate, and how ſoon God will ca!l thee to an accounts Theſe and many other future events thou canſt not foreſee, and therefore thy Wiſdom and Duty is to caſt offall diſtratting cares,and diſtruſtful fears about them,and
chearfully to commit thy ſelf, and all thy affairs, into the Hand of God in well doing.
6 In the morning 9 ſow thy ſeed r, and in the even- ing q with-hold not thine hand s ;. for thou knawelt not
:b/97 whether { ſhall proſper z, either this or that, or whe-
i. ther they both ſhall be alike good x. q Early and late, -in all ſeaſons and occaſions : do it ſpeedily and conrinually, be not weary of it. « Do all good works,and efpecial- ly that of Alms-giving, as ſowingis underſtood,2 Cr: 9: 6: Gal: 6; 7: s From working or giving. # Which ſhall proſper moſt, as the next clauſe explains it ; the poſitive Degree being put for the com- arativegor the Superlative,which is not unuſual inthe Hebrew Text.
hich ſhall beſt anſwer thine end, or do moſt good to others, or |
which ſhall tend moſt to the comfort of thy great and laſt account : for thy Morning-Alms may poflibly be given to an unworthy per- ſon, or to one who did not need it,and. will abuſe it,and thy Even- ing-Alms way fall upon a perſon of eminent worth,yea,upon an An- gel in humane ſhape, which is remembred as a motive to Hoſpitality, Heb: 13: 2: or upori one in extream neceſſity, who might poſlibly
have periſhed both in Soul and Body,ifthou hadſt not comforted and |
relieved him ; Or, one time thou maiſt give with more fincere In- tention, and with more tender compaſſion than another time,and ſo one will be more right and more acceptable to God than the others Equally ſucceſsful to the receiver, or to the giver.
7 Truly the light is ſweet, anda pleaſant thing it 3s
for the eyes to behold the ſun «.
x It cannot be denied that this preſent Life ( which 1s called gh, Job 3: 20. &33z 30: Pſa; 56: 13; & whichis expreſſed Synecdochically, by ſeeing the Sun, Eccl: 6: 5: & 7: 11:) is, in it ſelf a | bleſſing, and very deſireablez but it is not perpetual nor ſatisfa®ory ; which is here implied and expreſſed in the next verſe. :
8 Bur ifa man live many years y, and rejoyce in them all z; yet let him remember &« the days of dark-
neſs b, for they ſhall be many»c. All that cometh 4 5s
Vanity,
y Which is a priviledge granted but to few perſons comparatively z And ſuppoſe he enjoy all the comforts,and eſcape all the imbitter- ments of humane Lifegall his days : which alſo is a great rarity. Ir is his Duty and Intereſtſerioufly to conſider. 5 Of death, or of the ſtate of the ded which is oft expreſſed by darkneſs, as Job 10; 21; Pſal. $8: 12,&Cc- and here 1s oppoled to the foregoing Light, c i.e. Far more than the days of this thort Life, eſpecially if to the time of
Tying in the Grave be added that greater and utter darkneſs which 1s reſerved for impenitent ſinners, and which is everlaſting, Mat: 22:13: 8: 25: 30. 2 Pet:2317: Jud: v:13- And this is added for the caution of Mankind,that they may not rejoyce exceſlively in,nor con- [tent themſelves with the happineſs of the preſent Lifegbur' may ſock ' for ſomthing more durable, and more fatisfattory: 4 All things which befall any man belonging only tothis Life, whether they be * comfortable or vexatious,they are but vain and inconſiderable, be- cauſe they are ſhort and tranſitory, ;