An exposition with practical observations continued upon the eighth, ninth and tenth chapters of…An exposition with practicall observations continued upon the eighth, ninth and tenth chapters of…

My good days run so fast, that I cannot see the good of them. Not to see good, is, not to have the least experience of good. For the eye takes in it's objects, and judges of them (so much Philosophers teach) sooner then any other sense. The eye is not long about it's business. It is the sense of quickest dispatch. So that it is, as if Job had said, The good things of this life are so transient, that I am so far from feeling or tasting them, &c. that (which is done with the least delay,¹ and expense of time) I have not time enough to see them. When men ride upon speed, or when any thing passes swiftly before us, we have but a glimpse, scarce a sight of those objects.

My good daies run so fast, that I cannot see the good of them. Not to see good, is, not to have the least experience of good. For the eye takes in it's objects, and judges of them (so much Philosophers teach) sooner then any other sense. The eye is not long about it's businesse. It is the sense of quickest dispatch. So that it is, as if Job had said, The good things of this life are so transient, that I am so farre from feeling or tasting them, &c. that (which is done with the least delay,¹ and expence of time) I have not time enough to see them. When men ride upon speed, or when any thing passes swiftly before us, we have but a glimpse, scarce a sight of those objects.

1. 1Omnia mihi praerepta sunt priusquam ea senserim. Bez.

Besides, To see good is to enjoy good, as was showed, Chap. 7. vers. 7. And when he saith, they (scil. his days) saw no good, his ⟨p. 337⟩meaning is, that he saw no good in his days. Till there is a consistency or a fixedness of good, there cannot be a full enjoyment of good. The reason why in heaven we shall have so much happiness, is, because all the good in heaven is a fixed good. Time passes, but eternity stands. Eternity is a fixed Now. The things of heaven shall not perish in the using, nor shall the fashion of them pass away. In heaven vision will be everlasting, we shall ever see good, and that ever-seeing shall be an ever-enjoying of good. Here on earth we see God through a glass darkly, and we see all good in such post-haste, passingly, that we rather see it not, then see it. Especially while we remember that good passes by us in the company, yea in a crowd of evils, our sight of it (as when we are called to behold one man riding speedily among many) must needs be hindered. Yea oftentimes evils stand so thick about us, while good posts by us, that we cannot look through them to the good, which is before us. In heaven, as good stands to our eye, so it stands alone, there's no interposition of evil to eclipse the beauty, or darken the sight of it. There we shall see, and see nothing but good. Here we see much besides, yea see either none at all, or very little good, and that but a little.