Or lastly, Which doth best suite with the subject of Jobs discourse or curse in this Chapter; He speaking so much of death, by the desolate places, we may understand, Tombs and Sepulchres, places of burial: which Kings and Counsellors build to or for themselves: And so taken, the sense may be given thus, as if Job had said, if I had died, I should have lien in the grave with as much ease and quiet, as those great Princes and Kings of the earth, who build themselves stately monuments to lie in; It would have been as well with me as with any of them, though interred under stately tombs. We know it was an ordinary thing for Kings and great men (especially in ancient times) to prepare for themselves costly monuments while they lived, as houses for their bodies being ⟨p. 413⟩dead: Which grew to such excessive charge among the Romans, 1that they were forced to make a Law to restrain it. The Egyptians bestowed more care and cost in building their tombs then their houses. Even Abraham, (Gen. 23.16.) bought him a burying place before he built himself a house, though while he lived, he dwelt in a moveable tent, yet he would be as sure as he could of a certain grave. And good Joseph of Arimathea had made himself a sepulchre in a rock, Math. 27.60. And it is said of Absalom, 2 Sam. 18.18. That in his life time he had taken and reared up a pillar, (that is, he had artificially raised a great pile of goodly stones) in the Kings dale, For he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance; And he called the pillar after his own name. Now as this pillar was to keep his name, so he intended it likewise to keep his body when he should die; For it being related in the verse before, how as soon as he was slain, they made no more ado with him, but cast him into a great pit in the wood, and laid a very great heap of stones upon him; The holy Ghost to show us the vanity of man in preparing for a dead body, while he neglects an immortal soul, and how God disappoints the vain conceits of men in supposing to perpetuate their own name and greatness; The holy Ghost (I say) to show this, presently subjoins in the sacred story, Now Absalom in his life time, &c. As if he had said, Do ye observe how this ambitious Prince was buried, even tumbled into a pit with a rude heap of stones cast upon him.
Or lastly, Which doth best suite with the subject of Jobs discourse or curse in this Chapter; He speaking so much of death, by the desolate places, we may understand, Tombes and Sepulchers, places of buriall: which Kings and Counsellours build to or for themselves: And so taken, the sence may be given thus, as if Job had said, if I had died, I should have lien in the grave with as much ease and quiet, as those great Princes and Kings of the earth, who build themselves stately monuments to lie in; It would have been as well with me as with any of them, though interr'd under stately tombes. We know it was an ordinary thing for Kings and great men (especially in ancient times) to prepare for themselves costly monuments while they lived, as houses for their bodies being ⟨p. 413⟩dead: Which grew to such excessive charge among the Romanes, 1that they were forced to make a Law to restraine it. The Egyptians bestowed more care and cost in building their tombes then their houses. Even Abraham, (Gen. 23.16.) bought him a burying place before he built himselfe a house, though while he lived, he dwelt in a moveable tent, yet he would be as sure as he could of a certaine grave. And good Joseph of Arimathea had made himselfe a sepulcher in a rock, Math. 27.60. And it is said of Absolom, 2 Sam. 18.18. That in his life time he had taken and reared up a pillar, (that is, he had artificially raised a great pile of goodly stones) in the Kings dale, For he said, I have no sonne to keepe my name in remembrance; And he called the pillar after his own name. Now as this pillar was to keepe his name, so he intended it likewise to keepe his body when he should die; For it being related in the verse before, how as soone as he was slaine, they made no more adoe with him, but cast him into a great pit in the wood, and layed a very great heape of stones upon him; The holy Ghost to shew us the vanity of man in preparing for a dead body, while he neglects an immortall soule, and how God disappoints the vaine conceits of men in supposing to perpetuate their own name and greatnesse; The holy Ghost (I say) to shew this, presently subjoynes in the sacred story, Now Absolom in his life time, &c. As if he had said, Doe ye observe how this ambitious Prince was buried, even tumbled into a pit with a rude heape of stones cast upon him.
- 1Nostrae quidem legis interpretes, quo capite jubent sumptus & luxus remover a Deorum manium •ure, Intelligunt imprimis sepulchrorum munificentiam esse minuendam, Cicero. Major apud Egyptios sepulchrorum quam donorum cura.Nostrae quidem legis interpretes, quo capite jubent sumptus & luxus removere a Deorum manium •ure, Intelligunt imprimis sepulchrorum munificentiam esse minuendam, Cicero. Major apud Egyptios sepulchrorum quam donorum cura.
