Chap. 7. An Expofstion upon tilt Boot{ of J O B. Vedf. 17. 65; is man F As ifhe had Paid, man hath nothing ofhis own, to com- mend him to, or to ingratiate himfelf with God. God bath pat fomething upon him, he hath magnified man, and given him a real worth, becaufe he would. Free grace exalts man. Hence ( Pfal go. 20. ) the Pfalmitl prayes, Let the heathen know them felves to be but men : As if he had Paid, man, who is high in his own etleeme, conceits himfelfe to be fornewhat aboveman,he judges ofhimfelfbeyondhis own fphere and border: Therefore the Lord bring their thoughts within the compafs of their own con- dition, let them know that they are but men ; A man that is ac- quainted with himfelf, will be humble enough ; Ameer man, is but meet earth. The prophets tell him fo, thrice over, with one breath ( 1er. 22 29.) 0 earth, earth,earth hear the wordofthe Lord, Man is earth, in the contlitution of his body, that was framed out of the earth : he is earthly in the corruption of his mind, that muds in the earth : The Apol les fide is, earthly mindedmen : And he will be earth in hisdiffolution; When he dies he returns to his earth. A natural man is earth-all over , earth in his making, earthly in his mind, his ;fpirit earthly, earth gets into this hea- ven his uper regions : and the body, his lower region, (hall moul - der toearth again : Then, what is man ? Hence (I fay) it is, that when man at any time will exalt and lift himfelf up, he thinks himfelf above man, he hath Come notion or ápprehenfion of an excellency, beyond the line ofa creature! He coneti s he hath or is a peece ofadeity. The firfi ground of hope upon which man railed himfelfagainil god, was, that he might be a God ; he was not fa- fished in being made like unto God, he would be ( which was the hìgheft robbery ) Gods equal and (land by himfelf : this thought was his fall, There is fucha principle ofpride in the hearts of all men bynature. They an not contented in the fpheare ofa creature they would befora. what, beyond that, The truth is, all the true worth and dignity ofman,is in what he hath beyond himfelf, his excellency is in Chritl, and his glory, in being made partaker of the divine nature. l t abated man,when he afpired to tak e a dim vine nature tohirfifelf,but it xalts man,when God infpirshitnwith a participation ofthe divinenature. What is man that thou doeji thus magnifie him? Chriti makes us very great and glorious, by the dignity which he puts upon us :as he tells the Church ( Ezek a 6. r4 ) Thy beauty wasperfeel, through my comelinefs which 1 had pt copen thee; thou hadtt no comelinefs, no beauty of thine own 00002 put
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