Note, 1. Even wicked men, while they live, may keep up a confident
expectation of a happiness when they die, or at least a happiness in
this world. The hypocrite has his hope, in which he wraps himself as
the spider in her web. The worldling expects great matters from his
wealth; he calls it goods laid up for many years, and hopes to take his
ease in it and to be merry; but in death their expectation will be
frustrated: the worldling must leave this world which he expected to
continue in and the hypocrite will come short of that world which he
expected to remove to, Job xxvii. 8. 2. It will be the great
aggravation of the misery of wicked people that their hopes will sink
into despair just when they expect them to be crowned with fruition.
When a godly man dies his expectations are out-done, and all his fears
vanish; but when a wicked man dies his expectations are dashed, dashed
to pieces; in that very day his thoughts perish with which he had
pleased himself, his hopes vanish.