392 Confiderations ofour own Condition Pfal.1 3 O. flayes thee, Ezek. z8. 9. That fevere conviaion did God provide for his pride. Thou (halt be a man, and no God in thehand of him that flayes thee And when Herod prided himfelf in the acclamations ofthe vain multitude, (the voice of God and not of a man.) The Angel of the Lord filled that God imme- diately wieh worms which flew him and devoured him, Adis 12.23. There is indeed nothing more effeáual to abate the pride of the thoughts of men,. than a due remembrance that they are fo. Hence the Pfalrni,Jt prayes, PJal, 9. 20. Put them in fear 0 Lord, that the Nations may knew thermfelves to bebut men, fo and no more. rir.:1 tijIM poor, miferable, frail, mortal man, as the word figniiiits; what is man ? what is his life ? what is his iirergth ? faid one, the dream of á fhadow ? a meer nothing; or as David much better, Every man living in his belt condition is altogether vanity, Pfal. 39.5. and James, our life, which is our b tl, our all, is but a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then vanifheth away, chap. 4. t4.. But enough bath been fpoken by many on this fubjeet. And we that have teen fo many thoufandseach week in one City carryed away to the grave, have been taught the truth of our frailty, even as with Thorns andBriers. But I know not how it comes to pats, there is not any thing we are more apt to forget, than what we oar felves are. And this puts men on innumerable mifcar- riages towards God andone another. Thou 'therefore that art exercifed under the hand ofGod in any fevere dirpenfation,and art ready on all occafions to fill thy mouth with complaints, fit down a little and take a right meafure of thy fell, and fee whether this frame and poffure becomes thee. It is the great God again(' whom thou repineff, and thou art a man, and that is a name of aworm, a poor, frail, dying worm; and it may be whilfl thou art Peaking, thou art no more. And wilt thou think it meet for fuch a one as thou art, to magnitîe thy feif againfi the great poffeffor of heaven and Earth ? Poor clay, poor duff and afhes, poor dying worm, know thy (late and condition, and fall down quietly under the mighty hand of God. Though thou wranglef with men about thy concctn- ments, let God alone. The potfheards may contendwith the pot- 'beards of the earth; but wo unto him that ftriveth with his Maker. 2. Confider
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