Religion & morality > Human nature in its four-fold state ... in several practical discourses

HeadL Vanity. 375
the iVomb to the Grave. Sefondly, Confider the
various Similitudes by which the Scripture repre-
fents the Shortnefs of Man’s Life. Hear Hezeki-
ab, Ifa. xxxviii. 12. Mine Age is departed, and
is removed from me as a Shepherd’s lent 1 have
cut off like a Weaver my Life. The Shepherd’s
Tent is foon removed j for the Flocks muft not feed
long in one Place: Sucn is a Man’s Life on this
Earth, quickly gonet ’Tis a Web, he is inceflantly
■working ; he is not idle lo much as one Mparent:
In a (hort Time ’tis wrought, and then ’tis cut off.
Every Breathing is Thread in this Web, when the laft
Breath is drawn, the Web is woven out, he expires,
and then ’tis cut off, he breathes no more. Man is like
Grafs, and like a Flower, Ifa. xl. 6. All Flefh (even
the itrongeft and moft healing Flelh) is Grafs and
all the Goodlinefs thereof is as the Flower of the Field.
\ The Grals is flourifliing in the Morning ; but in
the Evening, being cut down by the Mowers, ’tis
withered: So Man fometimes is walking up and
down at Eafe in the Morning ; and in the Even¬
ing is lying a Corps, being knockt down by a
j fudden Stroke, with one or other of Death’s Wea¬
pons. tfhe Flower, at beft, is but a weak and ten¬
der Thing, of fhort Continuance, where-ever it
grows: But ( obferve ) Man is not compared to the
! Flower of the Garden; but to the Flower of the
1 Field, which the Foot of every Beaft may tread
down at any Time. Thus is our Life liable to a
thoufand Accidents, every Day; any of which may
cut us off. But tho* we ihould efcape all tnefe, yet
at length this Gra/s withereth, this Flower fadeth
©f itfelf. It is carried oh, as the Cloud is confumed
j find vamjhetb away, J^b vii. 9. It looks oig as the
Morning-cloud, which promifeth great Things, and
raifeth