I8o Chap. 30. An Expofation upon the Book! óf J Verf.i9. worft mire, much worfe then mire. The wicked caft thent,felves into the mire of fin like (wine, they love to doe it, and God in judgement leaves them there for ever; and he often carts (though be never leaves any Saint) the belt of Saints into the worft mire ofaffhtlions. A fob may have tail e to fay, He bath calf me into the mire, eAnd Iam become 'like daft and afhes. That is, inch is my prefent condition : I who was beautiful' as ' the light, and fhining as the Sun am now become like dull and afhes, that is, I am brought as low and made as vile to thee', a of man as vile can be; I may be compared todull andafhes. Tis laid ( Pfal. 49. 20.) Clan that is in honour and underftanaeth net, is life the beafts that peri1h ; Ilia is, he may be compared to the beafts that perifh. The Apoftle fpeakes alto in that forme, ( Rom. 9.29.) Except the Lordof Sabbath had left us afeed;we had been a Sodom, and been made like a;,to Gomorrha ; That is, our condition& theirs compared together had been much alike; fo here, I am become like daft and afhes ; That is, I am fuch for a man as duft or afhes areunto men, a thing of tighteft eftiniation. When Abraham would teftifie before the Lordhow little hewas in his own ápinion,he thus expreffeth himfelfe,(Gen.18.27.) Be. b ld now Ihave taken upon me toJ eakunto the Lordwhich am but duff and afhes. And when 'cis laidofGod ( P(al. I 03. 14..) He remembreth that we aredaft ; the meaning is,he remembrethhow pooreand fraile our originali is. And therefore when yob faith, 1am become like d::ß andafhes, his fence of himfelfe was this, I am reduced to .the metneft eftate that is incident to man; I as once duft, and fo I feeme tobe now, I can bebat afhes, and filch I am already in appearance. Iam become ( and inwhat likenescan I be more uncomely ?) like daft and a/lhet. Obferve hence; Ertl Great apt-Hens and troubles fhew us what we are and even make us what wee were, and /hall be. Wee are but dull and sines at belt, yet it doth not appeare to us that we are fo when we are at our belt, butwhen extreme af- fti&ions and ficknefies bring us to the borders ofdeath, andwe are ready to drop into the grave , then we begin to think that we
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