A second volume of discourses or sermons on several scriptures

We find to this purpose after that God had tried the patience of Job by the loss of all his substance, and afterwards of all his Children also, he restores to him double whatever he had taken from him,¹ so we read in the Holy Story, the Lord gave unto Job twice as much as he had before. Now whereas at first Job had three thousand Camels, God restores to him six thousand; whereas before he ⟨p. 19⟩had seven thousand Sheep, God restores to him fourteen thousand; and so of all the rest double the number of what he lost: But when God comes to recompense to him the loss of his Children, which doubtless were of far greater value than all the rest; whereas he had seven Sons and three Daughters, God restores to him the same number again, not double in these as he did in all the rest: And wherefore did God double his Camels, his Sheep, and his Oxen, and not his Children? why, the Reason was, because his Children were not so dead as were his Camels, and the rest of his brute Creatures, their Souls remained Immortal and Entire still after Death: So that God in giving Job seven Sons and three Daughters did double them, notwithstanding, though he gave him no more than he had at first. So here though we Die, yet Death doth us no injury; our better part survives, and if we are Believers, it survives in such unconceivable Joys, as that all the pleasures of the World, are but Misery and Wretchedness compared to them.

We find to this purpose after that God had tryed the patience of Job by the loss of all his substance, and afterwards of all his Children also, he restores to him double whatever he had taken from him,¹ so we read in the Holy Story, the Lord gave unto Job twice as much as he had before. Now whereas at first Job had three thousand Camels, God restores to him six thousand; whereas before he ⟨p. 19⟩had seven thousand Sheep, God restores to him fourteen thousand; and so of all the rest double the number of what he lost: But when God comes to recompence to him the loss of his Children, which doubtless were of far greater value than all the rest; whereas he had seven Sons and three Daughters, God restores to him the same number again, not double in these as he did in all the rest: And wherefore did God double his Camels, his Sheep, and his Oxen, and not his Children? why, the Reason was, because his Children were not so dead as were his Camels, and the rest of his brute Creatures, their Souls remain'd Immortal and Entire still after Death: So that God in giving Job seven Sons and three Daughters did double them, notwithstanding, though he gave him no more than he had at first. So here though we Die, yet Death doth us no injury; our better part survives, and if we are Believers, it survives in such unconceivable Joys, as that all the pleasures of the World, are but Misery and Wretchedness compared to them.