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…

1. The life of man is as a shadow,¹ because it hath little in it that is substantial, a shadow is opposed to a substance; our life rather seems to be, then is, it is so quickly gone.

1. The life of man is as a shadow,¹ because it hath little in it that is substantiall, a shadow is opposed to a substance; our life rather seems to be, then is, it is so quickly gone.

1. 1Umbra est quid tnane, & nihil habens solidae substantiae.Ʋmbra est quid tnane, & nihil habens solidae substantiae.

2. A shadow (though sometimes it be put for protection and safety, yet) implies unsettledness and uncertainty;¹ if a man stands or rests under a shadow, the shadow will leave him, 'twill be gone from him, and betray him to the scorching Sun-beams; a shadow never keeps long in one place, but varies with the motion of the Sun, and when it is high noon the shadow goes quite up, and is not. There is such an uncertainty in the life of man, it holds not one tenor, it stays not in any state, there is a deceitfulness in it, changes are upon it. The greatest certainty of our lives, is, that they are uncertain.

2. A shadow (though sometimes it be put for protection and safety, yet) implies unsetlednesse and uncertainty;¹ if a man stands or rests under a shadow, the shadow will leave him, 'twill be gone from him, and betray him to the scorching Sunne-beams; a shadow never keeps long in one place, but varies with the motion of the Sunne, and vvhen it is high noon the shadow goes quite up, and is not. There is such an uncertainty in the life of man, it holds not one tenour, it staies not in any state, there is a deceitfulnesse in it, changes are upon it. The greatest certainty of our lives, is, that they are uncertain.