Book IV. THE LIFE OF MA.N coMPARED TO A SHADOW. 939 in the Evening, and returneth in the Morning, the fame individual and numerical Sun: But that numerical Cloud which vanifhed, comes not ae:ain. Thus Man vani!heth and returns as the Clouds return after the Rain; that is, after one Generation of Men are deacl, ·they retur.n .again in their Children; another Generation fprings up, but there is no other J{eturnmg to Ltfe !Ill the Refurrecbon; they that dte fhallnot live again here; they fi1all not return to their Houfe; their Place fhall know them no more. THE 'LIFE OF MAN COMPARED TO A FLOWER. H~ cometb forth like aFlower, and is cut dow11, &c. Job xiv. z. M AN is compared to a fading Flower. There are many Ra.rities and Excellencies in a Flower. r. Sweetnefs, to pleafe our Smell. z. Beauty and Variety of Colour to affeCl: the Eye. 3· Softnefs affeCl:ing the Touch, &c. But Job fpeaks not a vVord of any ofthefe Properties, he fpeaks not of a flourifhing but withering Flower; not of its fpringing up, but of its cutting down, or of its fpringing up, only in rela– tion to cutting down. :P A ' R A L L E L & 'I·A Flower comes up in the Spring, and feems very beautiful,. but its lbndina is very ' lbort, as you may obforve in the Cowfiip and divers other Flowers:· So Mart comes up, but his abiding here is fhort; his llanding is fo fmall, that it is not fo much a5 ·mentioned. We are born to die, and we die as foon as we are born; i. e. we are in a dying State. . 1!. A Flower is oft.times cut down or cropt off in its Budding: So·is Man; he comes up like·.a Flower, and is cut down; he is cut down · by Death ; Death is the Scythe which cut; down this Flower. 1. Natural Death. (1.) By Sicknefs. (2.) By Age. 2. Violent Dearh. ( 1.) Cafual, when a Man is O.<in by Accident. (2.) Cruel, when 'l Man is Oain by Murderers. (3.) Legal, when a Man is fiain or cut off by the Magillrat~. Ill. A ·Fiower, · if it be not cut or·cropt ofr~ yet it foon withers away, ar.d is aone The very Sun, the W·ind, and Air con fumes·its·Beauty. The Naruraliits•tell utof a Plant, called Ephemeron, becaufe it lalls but one Day; as alfo of a Worm, called He– merobion, becaufe it lives but on.eDar. ··Suoh a ·Plant and Worm is Man. The hea– then Poet gives -his Wonder and Oblervation of the·Rofe, that ir grows old even in the very Bttddin,g. The Seventy read thefe Words of Job in the fame Tenor, he decays· like a budding ' Fiower; as ·if·Death, bth Caryl, did rife early, and watch for · this buddina Flower to cut it down. And though ·fame of thefc I'lowers lhnd ·till they wither,~as Solomon ·in his Allegory 1heweth ; . that is, till grey Hairs: Yet all the Time of their fianding they have been falling, Eccl. xii. 5· fo that we may well fay with the Pfalmifr, As for Man, his Days are as Graft: As " Flower of the Field fo he jlou– rijheth: For the Wind p~ffitb- o~·er it, and it is gom, and the Place thereof jha/1 know it ;to more, Pfal. ciii. r5, I b. . IV. The Owner of Flowers knows the bell Ttme to crop them, &c. So God knows the bell Time to crop off or take.away by. Death any of his choice Flowers. See Ma;z compared to a Flower. THE 'LTF£ OF 'MAN ' COMPARED TO A S"HADOW. lle jleeth alfo a< a Shadow, mu! continueth not, Job xiv. . 2. . For what is your Life? it is even a 1/apor, tbat appearer/; for a little 'l'ime, and /ben va– nijheth away, Jam. iv. 14.. .THE Learned obferve three Sorts of Shadows. t. Natural. . 2. Civil. 3· ~piritual. 1 • A natural Shadow is a dark L1<>ht, caufed by the commg of fome duck Body .between us and the Sun. This is a Shad;;'w in a proper and ll:riCl: Acceptation. 2. By
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