Chap. 4. An Expofition upon the igookof J O B. Vert. ig. he is of the earth earthly, Earth is the Original of man, and man himfelf is no better, Earthly ; yea, theearth is call'd his earth, as ifhe had propriety in nothing but earth, Pfal. t. 6,+ fpeaking of the greateff Princes, Truftye not is Princes, nor in thefen of man, his breath goeth forth, and he returneth to his earth. Our bodies can challenge no alliance with,or propriety in any thing but earth, it is our earth. Thewife man (Ecclef. 12. 7.) calls the body, not only an Alley to the duff, or a-kin to duct, but plainduff, Then (fpeaking of Death) _hall the duff return to the earth as it was it came from the earth, and in death it returns to the fame point from whence it fat oat. A fecond thing we may take notice of from mans Original, which exceedingly advances the infinite wifdom, and the Al- mighty power of God. Duft and Earth are thematter out of which we are formed. But Both the countenance of man- repre- fent duff and earth?Could any one fay,who had nothing to judge by, but the eye,that man was made of fuch mean materials?what chara&ers of beauty and Ma jelly fit in his vifage ? how unlike is he to his own parent,the eatti?Man hath received fromGad,not only an excellent fabrick or compofureof body, but ifyou coni- der it,the very matter of which the body is compofed, is far more excellent then earth or duff. Take a piece of earth, or a handful ofduff, and compare themwith the flefh ofman,that flefh is earth indeed, but that flefh is far better then meer earth. This (hews the power of the creator,infinitely exceeding the power of acrea- ture. A Goldfmith can make you a goodly Jewel, but then you muff give him Gold and precious Hones of which to make it ; he canput the matter into a better form, but he cannot make the matter better. The Engraver can make a curious Statue, madly limb'd and proportion'd to the life, out of a ruff piece, but the matter mull be the fame you put into his hands ; ifyou give him Marble,it will be a Marble Statue, but he cannot mend the mat- M t on fu. ter. Mans work often exceeds his matter but mans work cannot make the matterexceed it felf. NowGod took up a rude lamb of earthor fubtileduff, and he not only put that excellent form, but mended the matter alto. Man is earth, but he is earth fublimated and =alined ; Not only Both theform exceed the matter,but the mat- terformed exceeds the matter unformed. Thirdly, as this lifts up the wifdom and power ofGod, fo it ihould humble & lay man low.Eliphaz improves this principle as Va an 147
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