fumed than they were at firft; and that which the learned and most ingenious author of the late tract de glandulis*, doth obferve of the thymus, by the time of middle age, may be alfo obferved of most of the other glandules in the time of extream age; that is, that they will bear very little proportion either in weight or fubftance, to what they did at first, but by experience they are found to fhrivel and shrink away, and be consumed almost to nothing.

But of all the parts of the body, thofe lax and tender flakes of flesh, that lie over, and cover the bones, and are at both ends affixed to them, which from the form of fome of them are usually called muscles, do most properly deferve the name of flesh, and are confequently chiefly intended in this place. These are in Scripture called the coverings of a man: Thou haft covered me, faith David, in my mother's womb, Pfal. cxxxix. 13. And again Job, Thou

haft covered me with skin,

and with flesh, Job. x.

11. Now, as man declines in years, so do these coverings wax old and fhrink, fo that at length they become shorter and narrower, than that a man can comelily be wrapped up in them: So that this, together with the former symptom, doth abundantly fhew the great alteration and deformity that is easily discerned upon the external parts of the body, in the time of extream age. The body becomes more uncomely, crag

* Dr. Wharton, c. 16.

ged

ged, and crumpled; the bones ftare through the fkin; the flesh that should cover them is wafted much away. And this condition is livelily described by Elihu, one of the friends of Job; who speaking of God's dealing with men, fometime in reference to their body (pointing therein at Job's confumption, which in this respect is exactly answerable to the Marasmus fenilis,) faith, His flesh is confumed away that it cannot be feen, and his bones that were not seen, stick out, Job xxxiii. 21. I would have this expreffion be principally noted, and remembred, as being a moft perfect comment upon these two last mentioned symptoms of age. For the former words, viz. His flesh is confumed away that it cannot be feen, is the fame that is faid in these words, diffipatur capparis: and the latter words, viz. The bones which were not feen, ftick out, is the fame which is faid in those, impinguatur locufta.

And thus much fhall fuffice to have spoken for the explication of all those symptoms that attend a man all along the time of his decrepit state.

For man goeth to his long home: and the mourners go about the streets.

These words being not at all figurative, but only a plain and easy transition from one part of the allegory to another, namely, from thofe fymptoms that attend a man all along his decre

pit ftate, unto those that do immediately forerun his diffolution: It is befide my purpose to fpeak to them at all, for my intention hath been only to explain the difficult terms in the allegory; And I would not willingly seem to any, ὡς ἀλλοτριο:πίσκοπο, to play the bithop in another's diocefe, 1 Pet. iv. 15; or to meddle with those matters that are peculiarized to another coat, yet because the words are now read, I cannot but take notice of two things in them, that is, first, the term of long home; and fecondly, the mourning at the funeral.

The wordy which intimates unto us the ftate of death, and is here tranflated long: hath three eminent fignifications, either of which may be very well accepted in this place.

In the first place it fignifieth, abditum, occultum; a fecret and an hidden thing, and thus it is derived from the word hy Latitavit, absconditum fuit, as it is very often used: If the whole congregation of Ifrael fin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, Lev. iv. 13, V. 2. And again, (not to cite many places to this purpose which were easy to do,) in the last verse of this chapter and book of Ecclefiaftes; For God will bring every work to judgment, with every fecret thing; which is from the fame original word used in this fifth verse for long home. And indeed, that home that we are all hafting to, and know not how foon we may recover or come at; and aged persons are

undoubtedly at the door of, is the true and proper hiding place for all living: For they shall all lye down alike together in the grave, and the worms shall cover them, Job xxi. 26. Men are hid together in the duft, and their faces are there bound in fecret, Job xl. 13. Death is a state of obscurity, and the grave a place of secrecy; and therefore it is that Job, wishing for death, phrafeth it; Oh that thou wouldeft hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me in fecret, Job iv. 13. But befide the bare fignification of fecrecy, this word doth for the most part carry along with it an intimation of duration or continuance ; and therefore may very well be translated, tempus cujus duratio eft abfcondita, an hidden duration, a time that no man knows how long; which is exactly answered by our English Lawphrase, time out of mind; and that both à parte post; and à parte ante; time either that is past, or that is to come; of which no man can give an account: Both which alfo are signified unto us by the Latin word olim, which without.all queftion came from the Hebrew word we are now speaking of, Eccl. i. 10; as both the found and fignification will abundantly make appear: Now this duration at least is in the ftate of death, that no man knows how long it will continue: No one living can give an account how long it fhall be before the earth fhall difclofe her blood and her bones, and fhall no more cover her flain.

The

The second fignification of the word is ævum, feculum, an age, a certain long space of time, that is commensurate with the duration of the thing that is spoken of; a perpetuity (as I may so say) that is circumfcribed; an everlastingness that lafts as long as the thing of which it is affirmed: It is faid of an Hebrew fervant's refufing to go out free, His mafter ball bore his ear through with an aul, and he shall ferve him for ever, Deut. xv. 17; Exod. xxi. 6. And again, when Hannah refolved to present her fon Samuel to the Lord, the faith, I will bring him that he may appear before the Lord, and there abide for ever, 1 Sam. i. 22. 28. which term for ever is afterwards explained, when the doth bring him and present him; then fhe faith, I have lent him to the Lord as long as he liveth, 1 Sam. xxvii. ult. Now in this sense alfo may the word be taken in this place, fo long as death lives (and it is the last enemy that shall be destroyed) it will keep in its poffeffion all that it hath, or shall furprize The graves must be our homes, when once we come there, as long as there is any duft to cover us, or heavens to surround us. Man lieth down and rifeth not, till the beavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raifed out of their fleep, Job xiv. 12.

Until the

grave shall not only cease from craving, but from being; and until death be wholly swallowed up of victory, all thofe bodies that are under