WICK E .D 'ME 'N .P 0 .0 R. Book IV. Biting :nor~ deadly thnn ·the Males; after· the Biting of the Male there are but two ,Holes, but after the Biting of the Female there are {our. .See the Verfes of Nicander: But of the l/ipers .Brood, the Female is the wot}l, Which, as it wer<, with greater Pl/rath doth burn; A nd therefore when Jhe bites, makes Bodies more (la.ttrft, Jnj/i{]ing hurtful ff/ounds, to.l/ehemency.turn'd; Rolling he> Bulk Md 'Iail more oft about, Whereby a Jpeedier Death doth Life let out. ·,This may aptly be applied to many curfed Women, who, of all the viperous Genera– tions of curfed Montters, have,in divers Ages of the World, appeared in their venom– .ous Rage and Malice a~aintl the Innocent, .worfe than Men. I might give you a Catalogue of them, if needful. As fome Women who .are gracious, feem to excel ;Men in Zeal and Love, and other divine Virtues: So fome Women, when very wick– ,~d, .and left to themfelves, el(ceed mo!l: Men in horrid Abomination, .&c. 'W I 'C K E D .M E .N P 0 .0 R. _:'Ftior, and blind, a11d nake4, Rev. iii. 17. A Chri!l:lefs So.ul is poor : It is true, a godly'Man, one that ·hath much Grace, ·is poor in his own £yes: !-know thy Poverty, but thou art rich.; but .a wicked Man is 1 really .a poor Man, as will appear by the following Parallel. P A .R A .L L E L S. ·I.HE is a poor Man, th at hath nothing that is really or truly good, that hath noCio1thes to cover hitl), but is Mked as ever he was born..; that hath never a Bit of Bread, .nor any Thing that is good, to eat, but lives upon Hufks, Chaff, and Afhes, &c. Now wicked. Men are fo poor and miferable, that they have ·nothing that is truly Good: They are naked, as we have !hewed, their Souls are naked; · they have nothing to eat b1,1t Hufks and Afhes; for fuch are thofe.empty and perifhing Things of the World compared to in the Scripture, on which they teed : He feedeth on Ajhes, &c• .Jfa. xliv. zo. The Prodigal would fain have filled his Belly with the Hufks which the -Swine did eat, L uke xv. r6. Ephraim, faith God, feedethon the Wind, &c. Hof xii. r. --therefore wicked Men are poor and miferabie. I!. H e is a poor Man, that as he hath nothing, fo he can do nothing, whereby to •help or relieve himfelf in his Neceffity: Wicked Men, as they have nothing, fo they can do nothing, to relieve their own Souls: Thq have no Cloathes, and none can they; .by any 'Nays of their own, obtain, or help themfdves unto; they have no Food, nor , can they prowre any : 'They tabor for that which is not Bread, ami fpend their Strmgtt. for that which fatisfies 11ot, Ifa.lv. 1, .z. therefore poor and miferable. IlL He is a .poor Man, that .as he hath nothing, and can do nothing, fo he hath no Body, neither Friend nor Brother, that c.an do any Thing for him: But thus in a fpi· ritual Senfe it is with wicked Men, and therefore poor and miferable. IV. He is a poor M an, who as he hath nothing, can do nothing, nor hath any Body ·to do for bim, .and yet is ma.ny thoufand Pounds in Debt: Such is the State of wicked Men, they have nothing, can do nothing, have no Friend or Brother to do.any Thing .for them, yet do owe ten thoufand Talents to God's Juftice, which is a great, a very great Sum, and therefore poor aQd miferable, Matt. xviii. 24. V. He is a poor Man, that as he hath nothing, can do nothing, hath none to do ,any Thino- for bim, and is many thoufand Pounds in Debt ; and belides, is a forry Soul, ,he has no wonh in him, being a vile, bafe, ford id, and ill-natured Wretch, ,.worthy of no regard or pity, one t·hat no Body will ca!l: an Eye of Compaffion upon: But fuch is the Condition of every ungodly Perfon, they have no Worth nor E xcel– lency at all in them, they are not worth regard nor pity, there is nothing in them that ;.can move God to refpeEt them, nor.his Angels to regard them, therefore very ,poor and .miferable, Eze/<. .xvi. .VI. He
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