19.  Such, my brethren, is our existence, who live this transient life, such our pastime upon earth:  we come into existence out of non-existence, and after existing are dissolved.  We are unsubstantial dreams, impalpable visions,31    Job xx. 8. like the flight of a passing bird, like a ship leaving no track upon the sea,32    Wisd. v. 10 et seq. a speck of dust, a vapour, an early dew, a flower that quickly blooms, and quickly fades.  As for man his days are as grass, as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.33    Ps. ciii. 15.  Well hath inspired David discoursed of our frailty, and again in these words, “Let me know the shortness of my days;” and he defines the days of man as “of a span long.”34    Ps. xxxix. 4, 5.  And what wouldst thou say to Jeremiah, who complains of his mother in sorrow for his birth,35    Jer. xv. 10. and that on account of others’ faults?  I have seen all things,36    Eccles. i. 14. says the preacher, I have reviewed in thought all human things, wealth, pleasure, power, unstable glory, wisdom which evades us rather than is won; then pleasure again, wisdom again, often revolving the same objects, the pleasures of appetite, orchards, numbers of slaves, store of wealth, serving men and serving maids, singing men and singing women, arms, spearmen, subject nations, collected tributes, the pride of kings, all the necessaries and superfluities of life, in which I surpassed all the kings that were before me.  And what does he say after all these things?  Vanity of vanities,37    Ib. xii. 8. all is vanity and vexation of spirit, possibly meaning some unreasoning longing of the soul, and distraction of man condemned to this from the original fall:  but hear, he says, the conclusion of the whole matter, Fear God.38    Ib. xii. 13.  This is his stay in his perplexity, and this is thy only gain from life here below, to be guided through the disorder of the things which are seen39    2 Cor. iv. 18. and shaken, to the things which stand firm and are not moved.40    Heb. xii. 27.

Τοιοῦτος ὁ βίος ἡμῶν, ἀδελφοί, τῶν ζώντων πρόσκαιρα: τοιοῦτο τὸ ἐπὶ γῆς παίγνιον: οὐκ ὄντας γενέσθαι, καὶ γενομένους ἀναλυθῆναι. Ὄναρ ἐσμὲν οὐχ ἱστάμενον, φάσμα τι μὴ κρατούμενον, πτῆσις ὀρνέου παρερχομένου, ναῦς ἐπὶ θαλάσσης ἴχνος οὐκ ἔχουσα, κόνις, ἀτμίς, ἑωθινὴ δρόσος, ἄνθος καιρῷ φυόμενον καὶ καιρῷ λυόμενον. »Ἄνθρωπος, ὡσεὶ χόρτος αἱ ἡμέραι αὐτοῦ, ὡσεὶ ἄνθος τοῦ ἀγροῦ, οὕτως ἐξανθήσει«: καλῶς ὁ θεῖος Δαβὶδ περὶ τῆς ἀσθενείας ἡμῶν ἐφιλοσόφησεν: καὶ ἐν ἐκείνοις πάλιν τοῖς ῥήμασι: »Τὴν ὀλιγότητα τῶν ἡμερῶν μου ἀνάγγειλόν μοι«: καὶ παλαιστῶν μέτρον τὰς ἀνθρωπίνας ἡμέρας ὁρίζεται. Τί δ' ἂν εἴποις πρὸς Ἱερεμίαν, ὃς καὶ τῇ μητρὶ μέμφεται τῆς γεννήσεως ἀλγῶν, καὶ ταῦτα ἐπ' ἀλλοτρίοις πταίσμασι; »Πάντα εἶδον, φησὶν ὁ Ἐκκλησιαστής, πάντα ἐπῆλθον λογισμῷ τὰ ἀνθρώπινα, πλοῦτον, τρυφήν, δυναστείαν, δόξαν τὴν ἄστατον, σοφίαν τὴν ὑποφεύγουσαν πλέον ἢ κρατουμένην, πάλιν τρυφήν, σοφίαν πάλιν, ἐπὶ τὰ αὐτὰ πολλάκις ἀνακυκλούμενος, γαστρὸς ἡδονάς, παραδείσους, πλῆθος οἰκετῶν, πλῆθος κτημάτων, οἰνοχόους καὶ οἰνοχόας, ᾄδοντας καὶ ᾀδούσας, ὅπλα, δορυφόρους, ἔθνη προσπίπτοντα, φόρους συλλεγομένους, ὀφρῦν βασιλείας, ὅσα περιττὰ τοῦ βίου, ὅσα τῶν ἀναγκαίων, οἷς ὑπὲρ πάντας ἦλθον βασιλεῖς τοὺς ἔμπροσθεν, καὶ τί ἐπὶ πᾶσι τούτοις; Πάντα ματαιότης ματαιοτήτων, τὰ πάντα ματαιότης καὶ προαίρεσις πνεύματος, εἴτ' οὖν ὁρμή τις ψυχῆς ἀλόγιστος, καὶ περισπασμὸς ἀνθρώπου, τοῦτο κατακριθέντος, ἴσως ἐκ τοῦ παλαιοῦ πτώματος: τἀλλά, τέλος λόγου, φησὶ, τὸ πᾶν ἄκουε, τὸν Θεὸν φοβοῦ«. Ἐνταῦθα τῆς ἀπορίας ἵσταται: καὶ τοῦτό σοι μόνον τῆς ἐνταῦθα ζωῆς τὸ κέρδος, ὁδηγηθῆναι διὰ τῆς ταραχῆς τῶν ὁρωμένων καὶ σαλευομένων ἐπὶ τὰ ἑστῶτα καὶ μὴ κινούμενα.