Bo:>k IV.· M A N COMPARED TO . A w 0 R- M. EARTH. VII. The Sun every Spring by its powerful r nfluences, caufeth all earthly Plants and Flowers to come forth, that kemed dead in Winter. PARALLEL. VII. So the LordJcfus will caufe all thefe earthly Bodies of Men to rife up from the Dead at the !aft Day. /ill tbat are iutbe Graves jhall hear bis Voice, &c. John v. 28. I N F E R E N C & . THIS may inform Mankind of their Original, and may tend to keep them humble. Why fl10uld any Mortals have fuch high towering Thoughts of themltlves, and vaunt in Pride, and !-laughtinefs of !-leart, fpotting, trimming, and decking rhem– felves, when, al"'! their Bodies are nothing but Earth, Lumps of Earth? They dwell in Houfes of Clay, and it is but a little while ere the Worms will feed upon them, Job iv. 19. Though now they fee m like curious Velfels, or refined Earth, yet in a lhon Space they w.ill be part of the grolfeft and loarhfomeft Earth th•t Eyes can behold, nothing but Filth, and !linking PutrefaCtion. ' 0 then be not proud of your Bodies, nor of your Beauty*: They who are now the ' fairefl and goodlie!t to look upon, may quickly have a broken aod loathfom eSkin. ' A Difeafe, or one Fit of Sicknef~ may fpoil all thy Beauty, deface and blemifh thy 'excellent Features; and if a Difeafe doth it not, old Age will: Time will drawFur– ' rows in thy Face, and make \;vrink!es in thy Brow. Strength and Beauty are no 'Matches fpr Time. All Things were made in Time, and Time will mar all Things: ' So long as Generation cominueth, Corruption muft. ' The two Externals which Man is moft fubjeet to be proud of, are Beauty and ' Apparel. Cloarhs are a Flag of Vanity, and P ride fits upon the Skirts. But re– ' member, how fine {(;ever your Cloathing is this Day, God can put you on another ' Suit before to-morrow: !-le can put you on fuch (loathing, as you !hall have little 'caufe to be proud of; he can make you wear Worms, and Clods of Duft. ' And if we, faith he, confider it, we have little Reafon to be proud of Cloaths, for < if we follow the beft of them to their Original, they will be found to be but a Cloath– ' ing of Worms, and Clods of Duft. ' 'What are Silks, Sattins, and Velvets, but the 1lfue of Worms ? And what is your ' Gold and ~ilver, what your Pearis and precious Stones ? /\re they any Thing, if you ' will re!olve them into their P rinciple, but Clods of Earth? They are indeed better. ' concocted by the Heat of the Sun, renned and polifhed by the Art of Man; but if ' you fearch their Pedigree, they are but Clods of Duft, &c. And if you be proud 'offuch (loathing, God can cloath you with Worms, not only of unrefined and un– ' polifi1ed, but of putrified and ftlthy DuCr. M A N CO~!P ARED TO A W 0 R M. How much lefs Mm: that is a Worm, and the Son of Man, a Worm ! Job xxv. 6. A Worm is one of the meaneft Creatures, and the Word that is here ufed, ;"'t:)i Vermis parvus, aut Cefeo nnfcens, lignifieth properly and chiefly thofe Worms that breed in Flefh, or Cheefe, or any other Kind of Food when it is corrupted. The Word is ufed, Exod. xvi. 24. where it is faid, The Manna that was referved contrary to the Command of God, bred \Norms; fuch a Vi"orm is Man. God is fo excellent' and glorious, that nothing can be found out, that can fet forth or illuftrate his incomparable Being and Greatnefs: 'l'o whomjhall we likm him! So there is nothing fo low and bafe, but Man in his fallen State is compared to it; he is compared to Earth, Duft, the Grafs of the Field, to a Lie, to Vanity itfelf, and here to a Worm. MET A PH OR. I. AWorm hathitsOriginalfrom the Earth. ' ..\ ll. A Worm ·liveth tlpon the \Earth, and there it loves to be, and PARALLEL. I. so Man is Earth, as we !hewed before; his Original is from thence. , II. So Man in his natural State liveth upon the Earth, and the Thtngs thereof; he panteth after the Duft of the Earth; hi• Mind, Love, and whole Delire is after earthly Things, /Jmos ii. 7· ,fake its Abode. • CaiJ·l on ']oh. vii. 5· p. 596, 597• SQ l!I. So
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