2 PETER ii. 19. While they promife them liberty, they themselves are the Servants of corruption; for of whom On the Conduct to be held with re- PROV. XXVII. 1. Boaft not thyself of to-morrow; for thou knoweft not SERMON I. On the CAUSES of MEN's being weary of LIFE. JOB X. I. My foul is weary of my life JOB, I. OB, in the first part of his days, was SERM. the greatest of all the men of the East. His poffeffions were large; his family was numerous and flourishing; his own character was fair and blameless. Yet this man it pleafed God to vifit with extraordinary reverses of fortune. was robbed of his whole fubftance. His fons and daughters all perished; and he himself fallen from his high eftate, child He lefs SER M. lefs and reduced to poverty, was smitten I. with fore disease. His friends came about him, feemingly with the purpose of adminiftering comfort. But from a harth and ill-founded conftruction of the intention of Providence in his dif afters, they only added to his forrows by unjust upbraiding. Hence those many pathetic lamentations with which this book abounds, poured forth in the most beautiful.and touching strain of Oriental poetry. In one of thofe hours of lamentation, the fentiment in the text was uttered; My foul is weary of my life; a fentiment, which furely, if any fituation can justify it, it was allowable in the cafe of Job. IN fituations very different from that of Job, under calamities far less severe, it is not uncommon to find fuch a fentiment working in the heart, and fometimes breaking forth from the lips of men. Many, very many there are, who on one occafion or other, have experien ced |