Chap. 33. An Expoftïon alum the Bookof.j o s. Verf..t7. 32i they are all duff andafhes,they are all but as a (haddow,or a va- pour,they are all as graffe, or as áflower of the field, and at their bell elate t in the very hight of their excellency ) they are alto-, gether vanity. How much foever Wien differ inother things, yet m this they all agree, or areall alike in this , they are all vanity. Then what is man thathe thould be proud ? /hall drift and afhes, fhxil a palling fhaddow,or a difappearing vapoúr, (hall withering graffe; or fading flowers, (hall vanity it felfebe proud ? The belt of men attheir belt, are the, wort} of all thefe, why then thould ans' manbe proud.?Yea I may put the queftion further, How can any man be proud, who .k owethwhat man is ? andacknowledgeth himfelfe to be but a man. I will adde yet further in this queftio- ningway; How can any manbe proud whoknoweth himfelfe to be ( which is a more humbling confideration, then any of or then all the former) a finfull man! We ought ahvayes ro behumbled for fin, and -/hall we who are at 'all times finning , beproud at any time ? - Secondly , To curepride of fpirir, Confider what ever manis (as to thisworld) he cannot be long what he is. He that is high in the world,eannot be long in his worldly heights.He that is rich in the world,,cannot long enjoy his worldly riches ; yea knò v- ledge vanifheth ; all fach kindeof knowledge, learning and skill as men now have, is a meere vanishing thing ; man, in his higheff perfections, is verymutable, and the higher he is, the more mu- table he is ; what.hath he then tobe proud of ? We have fome changes every day, and whena few dayes are paff, we Shall come to our great change; our chancreby death is but a few dayes off, for the utmoft of our dayes are but few. As man is not to beac- counted of-by others, fo notby himfelfe, becaufehis breath is in his no/trills, and hemay quickly perish ( a. 2 a.) Shall pe- rifhing things be_proud things ? Shall they be lifted up with what theyhave, who ( as to this world ) have folittlebeing, that they can scarcely be fayd to be. By this argument all men are called offfrommilting thofe that are higheft inthis world ( Pfal: 146. 3. ) Their breathpith And we have the fame argument, not to be high inour owne thoughts, becaufe our breath goeth forth, and there is an end of us. Thirdly , Confiderall thofe things which are as fewel and oc- cafions of.pride in man, even-for-thofe man mull fhòrtly give an T t account,
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