Chap. 2r. Expolition upon the Book of J o B. Verf. 26. dyeth his body firft returns to, and then turns, or is refolved into duft. Living man is but a worm, and when he dyeth wormscome about him, and comeof him ; The worms fhall cover them, From the whole verfeobferve, Deathmakes no difference among men. Whilemen walke upon this duft their diftancesare many, but when they lye down in theduft they are all alike, or they lyedown alike. `Death is thegreat Leveller. And they who, indeed, are fo, feem, like death,to a& more for the diffolution of the world,then the reformationof it. Menwill not be fit to livein an equality, till they have been firft made equal! by death, (Eccl. 2. i6. ),How death the wife man, or the foole ? Moranwife men dye as fooles, ye fpirituall wife men dye as fooles, as to their Date in death, though there be the greateft unlikeneffe between them as to their Date beyond death. As godly wife men andfools,are not,as to fpirituals, alike in their lives, foafter death they are everlaftingly divided as to eter- nais : yet the fooleand the wife, good and bad are alike, as to their prefent entertainment in and under theDominionof naturali death. To cleare thisa little further,Man may becon- fidered in a threefoldRate. Pirft, In the Rate ofthis life : here, they areboth alike,and unlike,We fee fomegoodmenprofper, & fo domany wicked; We fee unjuft men fomtimes troubled,and fo are the righteons often. Thus they arealike, and run paralel in their outward condition. Againe. here we fee a godly man afflicted, and the ungodly profper. Your next profpeft may be anungodly man mourning., and the godly rejoycing Thus they are unlike; and run croffe in their outward condition, as to this life. Secondly, Confider themin reference to the deathofthe body,of"which thisText fpeaks,as to thatgood &bad,oneand other, are all as one ; you cannot diftinguifh between the duff ofholy and unholy men, youcannot read the difference of fin and grace upon thei graves. In this they are alike. Thirdly, Men may be confidered in reference to the 4tate ,f the next life, there they arc unlike, and there they fhall be utterly t 1 116
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