Proper darkness is nothing else but a privation of light, it is no positive creature, it hath no cause in nature, but is the consequent of the Suns absence; When Job wishes, let that day be darkness, we may understand it of this darkness, as if he had said, whensoever that day cometh about, in the recourse and revolution of the year, let it be darkness, or a very dark and gloomy day. This had bin a great evil upon his day. This kind of darkness was one of the 10 plagues with which God smote Egypt. And yet there is darkness, which is a greater evil then this, I mean darkness improperly taken: and so frequently in Scripture any sorrowful, troublesome, sad condition, is expressed by darkness. A condition of darkness is a sad condition, a dark day is as much, as a sad day; So then, Let that day be darkness, that is, let it for ever be accounted a sad and sorrowful day. Thus the Prophet Joel, Chap. 2.2. calls a day of great trouble, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness. ⟨p. 348⟩When Solomon, Eccles. 12.2. would show by way of Antithesis, the sad and evil condition of old age comparatively to youth, he unfolds it by darkness; remember now thy creator in the days of thy youth, make haste, serve God betime; But what needs such haste? I tell thee why, as times change, so thy estate will change: Evil days will come, I therefore counsel thee to do it, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them: while the Sun, or the light, or the Moon, or the Stars be not darkened; A day without pleasure, is a day without the Sun, take away the joy of a day, and you take away the light of a day. Young men have the Sun, and the Moon, and the Stars, all kind of light and comfortable influences upon them; but these will be darkened and eclipsed when old-age cometh, that will put out or at least obscure your light, your day will be gone, and your night will have neither Moon nor Star in it, therefore work while you have light, that is, while you have health and strength of body, while you have freedom and activity of spirits, fit for that great service, remember, that is, know and serve your Creator.
Proper darkenesse is nothing else but a privation of light, it is no positive creature, it hath no cause in nature, but is the consequent of the Sunnes absence; When Job wishes, let that day be darkenesse, we may understand it of this darkenesse, as if he had said, whensoever that day commeth about, in the recourse and revolution of the yeare, let it be darkenesse, or a very darke and gloomy day. This had bin a great evill upon his day. This kind of darkenesse was one of the 10 plagues with which God smote Egypt. And yet there is darkenesse, which is a greatet evill then this, I meane darkenesse improperly taken: and so frequently in Scripture any sorrowfull, troublesome, sad condition, is express'd by darkenesse. A condition of darkenesse is a sad condition, a darke day is as much, as a sad day; So then, Let that day be darkenesse, that is, let it for ever be accounted a sad and sorrowfull day. Thus the Prophet Joel, Chap. 2.2. calls a day of great trouble, a day of darkenesse and gloominesse, a day of clouds and of thicke darkenesse. ⟨p. 348⟩When Solomon, Eccles. 12.2. would shew by way of Antithesis, the sad and evill condition of old age comparatively to youth, he unfolds it by darkenesse; remember now thy creatour in the dayes of thy youth, make haste, serve God betime; But what needs such haste? I tell thee why, as times change, so thy estate will change: Evill dayes will come, I therefore counsell thee to doe it, while the evill dayes come not, nor the yeares draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them: while the Sunne, or the light, or the Moone, or the Starres be not darkened; A day without pleasure, is a day without the Sunne, take away the joy of a day, and you take away the light of a day. Youngmen have the Sunne, and the Moone, and the Starres, all kind of light and comfortable influences upon them; but these will be darkened and ecclipsed when old-age cometh, that will put out or at least obscure your light, your day will be gone, and your night will have neither Moone nor Starre in it, therefore worke while you have light, that is, while you have health and strength of body, while you have freedome and activity of spirits, fit for that great service, remember, that is, know and serve your Creatour.
