Metaphors, Allegories, Similes, Types, &c. THAT RES ·P:tCT M E N. I. Of Men in general. II. Of the Godly, or good Men. Ill. Of Sinners, or wicked Men. MEN c 0 M p A R E D T 0 EA R T H. Hear, 0 Earth, Earth, Earth, Jer. J<xii. 9· Let all the Earth fear the Lord, Pfal. xxxiii. 5· Let all the Earth keep Silence. But the Earth helped the Woman, Rev. xii. BY Earth in thefe Scriptures, we are to underfbnd Men dwelling upon the Earth. EARTK PARALLEL I. THE Earth is far from HeaI. ALL Men, whiltt they remai~ unconverted, ven; there is a vall: Diffnor abide in a State of Nature, are faid to ence between them. be far from God; though not in refpect of Place, yet in refpect of Condition, Men being by reafon of Sin in 'a State of Enmity : Ye that fometimes were afar off, are now made nigh by the Blood of Chrift, Eph. ii. I 3· H. The Earth is a heavy, lum– pifh, and grois Body. Ill. The Earth hath its great Dependency upon the Heavens; did not the Rain from above water jt, and the Sun lhine upon it, how hard and barren would it foon be? lV. Earth turns and cleaves to Earth, as its properCenter. Though a Piece of it may by force be lift– ed up, or thrown upward, y.et by .an innate Propen!lt)' to defcend, it naturally falls down again. V. WhatadarkDungeonwould the earthly Globe be, did not the Heavens fhine upon it! VI. Thofe Things that are fed snd nourilhed by the Earth, are Earth 7 and, \Ve fee, go or return to Eanh again. !I. So Man naturally is Earth-like, a heavy and lumpifl1 Piece, being taken ouc of the Earth, and the Olf-fpring of red Earth: As is the earthy, fucb are they tbat are earthy, I Cor. xv. 4-8. Ill. So Man hath all his Dependency upon God; neither the fpiritual Man, nor the natural Man can fubflfl:, unlels the Heavens fend down Blellings upon them. All human, as well as divine Growth and Fruitfulnefs, comes from above. IV. So Man naturally cleaves to, and takes de– light in earthly Things: He that is after the Flefh, minds the Things of the Flejh, Rom. viii. 5· He that is not born anew, born of the Spirit, but is wholly an earthly Man, the Earth is his proper Center; though fometimes his Heart may, in an arti6<:ial way as it were, be lifted upwards, yet down he falls again to his own Center. V. So what a dark Dungeon is Man's Heart, and in what Egyptian Darknels would all Men and Women be involved, were it not for the Light of the God of Heaven, his Word, and blelfed Spirit! V I. So the Body of Man, which is fed from the Earth, wh ich was taken out of the Earth, we daily fee, goerh to the Earth again; and there· fore Man may be called Earth, Earth, Earth; that was his Original, ] er. xxii. 29. Eanh he was, and Earth he is, and to Earth he flHII return again. VII. So
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