An exposition with practical observations upon the three first chapters of the book of…

Thirdly, A man may without sin desire that not to be, which God wills; or which is the same, that not to be which is; such desires being qualified according to the cautions before given.

There is a second question arising upon a part of this complaint: For Job complains not only of his troubles, but of his life: And seems to have been angry with his very being; while he wishes he had never been conceived, or that his mother had been denied the blessing of conception. The question then is, Whether an evil or a troublesome being be worse then no being? Or whether it be better not to be then to be miserable.

There is a second question arising upon a part of this complaint: For Job complaines not only of his troubles, but of his life: And seemes to have been angry with his very being; while he wishes he had never been conceived, or that his mother had been denied the blessing of conception. The question then is, Whether an evill or a troublesome being be worse then no being? Or whether it be better not to be then to be miserable.

I answer, There is a two-fold miserable being, one Temporal, the other Eternal. An eternal miserable being is eternally worse then a not being. But a temporal miserable being, at the worst, is better then a not being. And the reason is, because our being is far more excellent then the outward comforts of our being, these being only accidental to our being; and therefore it necessarily follows, that it is better to be without outward comforts, then to be without a being. Again, Life is better then all outward things, (Satan spake truly in the former chapter, All that a man hath will he give for his life.) That which a man parts with rather then his life, is below his life. If then life be better then riches, or health, or pleasures, then much more is our being better then all these. As a man may hold his life when all his estate and comforts are gone, so he doth hold his being when his life is gone; Life is brittle ware at the best, but mans being is of an everlasting make. I know there are some who dispute and conclude, that a being, even an eternally miserable being is better then no being: And I grant it is so in a metaphysical or a philosophical notion, but in a theological notion it is not. A Philosopher (keeping within the sphere of nature) can see no misery so miserable, or evil so bad, as not to be.