6. Yea, to depart from such a Body is but to be removed ⟨p. 79⟩from a very foul, uncleanly and sordid Habitation. I know that the Body of Man and Brutes is the curious wonderful work of God, and not to be despised, nor injuriously dishonoured, but admired and well used: But yet it is a wonder to our Reason that so noble a Spirit should be so meanly housed: And we may call it, Our vile Body, as the Apostle doth, Phil. 3. 21. It is made up of the Airy, Watery, and Earthly parts of our daily food, subacted and actuated by the fiery part, as the instrument of the Soul. The greater part of the same food (which with great cost, and pomp, and pleasure, is first upon our Tables, and then in our Mouths to day) is to morrow a fetid loathsome excrement, and cast out into the draught, that the sight and smell of that annoy us not, which yesterday was the sumptuous fruit of our abundance, & the glory of that which is called great housekeeping, and the pleasure of our Eyes and Taste. And is not the rest that turneth into Blood and Flesh, of the same general kind with that which is turned into loathsome filth? The difference is, that it is fitter for the Soul by the fiery Spirits, yet longer to operate on and keep from corruption: Our blood, and flesh, are as stinking and loathsome a substance as our filthiest excrements, save that they are longer kept from putrefaction. Why then should it more grieve me that one part of my food which turned into flesh, should rot and stink in the Grave, than that all the rest should daily stink in the draught? Yea while it is within me, were it not covered from my sight, what a loathsome mass would my Intestines appear? If I saw what is in the Guts, the Mesentery, the Ventricles of the Brain, what filth, what bilious or mucous matter, and perhaps crawling Worms there are in the most proud or comely Person, I should think that the cover of a cleaner Skin, and the borrowed Ornaments of Apparel, make no great difference ⟨p. 80⟩between such a Body and a Carcass (which may be also covered with an adorned Coffin and Monument, to deceive such Spectators that see but out-sides:) the change is not so great of corruptible Flesh, replete with such fetid Excrements into corrupted Flesh, as some Fools imagine.
6. Yea, to depart from such a Body is but to be removed ⟨p. 79⟩from a very foul, uncleanly and sordid Habitation. I know that the Body of Man and Bruits is the curious wonderful work of God, and not to be despised, nor injuriously dishonoured, but admired and well used: But yet it is a wonder to our Reason that so noble a Spirit should be so meanly housed: And we may call it, Our vile Body, as the Apostle doth, Phil. 3. 21. It is made up of the Airy, Watery, and Earthly parts of our daily food, subacted and actuated by the fiery part, as the instrument of the Soul. The greater part of the same food (which with great cost, and pomp, and pleasure, is first upon our Tables, and then in our Mouths to day) is to morrow a fetid loathsom excrement, and cast out into the draught, that the sight and smell of that annoy us not, which yesterday was the sumptuous fruit of our abundance, & the glory of that which is called great housekeeping, and the pleasure of our Eyes and Taste. And is not the rest that turneth into Blood and Flesh, of the same general kind with that which is turned into loathsom filth? The difference is, that it is fitter for the Soul by the fiery Spirits, yet longer to operate on and keep from corruption: Our blood, and flesh, are as stinking and loathsom a substance as our filthiest excrements, save that they are longer kept from putrefaction. Why then should it more grieve me that one part of my food which turned into flesh, should rot and stink in the Grave, than that all the rest should daily stink in the draught? Yea while it is within me, were it not covered from my sight, what a loathsom mass would my Intestines appear? If I saw what is in the Guts, the Mesentery, the Ventricles of the Brain, what filth, what bilious or mucous matter, and perhaps crawling Worms there are in the most proud or comely Person, I should think that the cover of a cleaner Skin, and the borrowed Ornaments of Apparel, make no great difference ⟨p. 80⟩between such a Body and a Carkass (which may be also covered with an adorned Coffin and Monument, to deceive such Spectators that see but out-sides:) the change is not so great of corruptible Flesh, repleat with such fetid Excrements into corrupted Flesh, as some Fools imagine.
