Evil men that live upon comforts, that are carnal in 1any creature, upon the applause of men, upon honours, they likewise feed upon the wind and are puffed up for a while, but any prick of Gods appearing against them lets out the windy stuff and quickly they are dead; any member of the body that is puffed up with wind it seems to be greater than any other part, but it is not stronger, no, it is the weaker for being puffed up with wind: And so it 2is with the hearts of men that are puffed up with windy conceits, and with the contentment of the creature, they have no strength by this puffing up, though they seem to be higher, yet when they are called either to do, or suffer for God, they appear to be very weak then, and therefore will change as the wind changes. I remember Pliny observes ⟨p. 201⟩this of the Chameleon (a creature that feeds upon the wind) and he cites Democrats for it, (that hath written 3a whole book upon that creature) That there is no creature in all the world more fearful than the Chameleon is, and the reason (saith he) that it is so changeable, (that it will change into all kind of colours according to that that it joins to) is, the fearfulness of its nature. And truly it is a very good description of men that feed upon the wind, they seem big when they have no opposition, and ô, what they will do! they will do thus and thus, and great matters; but the truth is, no men are of more 4fearful hearts than those men that are puffed up with the wind of their own conceits, when God comes to cross them, or they are called to suffer in the way that they go in, they will quickly turn to any colour, this way or that, because they do but feed upon the wind, therefore they come to be feeble creatures, they have no strength at all in them.
Evil men that live upon comforts, that are carnal in 1any creature, upon the applause of men, upon honors, they likewise feed upon the wind and are puft up for a while, but any prick of Gods appearing against them lets out the windy stuff and quickly they are dead; any member of the body that is puft up with wind it seems to be greater than any other part, but it is not stronger, no, it is the weaker for being puft up with wind: And so it 2is with the hearts of men that are puft up with windy conceits, and with the contentment of the creature, they have no strength by this puffing up, though they seem to be higher, yet when they are call'd either to do, or suffer for God, they appear to be very weak then, and therfore will change as the wind changes. I remember Pliny observes ⟨p. 201⟩this of the Chamaeleon (a creature that feeds upon the wind) and he cites Democrates for it, (that hath written 3a whole book upon that creature) That there is no creature in al the world more fearful than the Chamaeleon is, and the reason (saith he) that it is so changable, (that it will change into all kind of colours according to that that it joyns to) is, the fearfulness of its nature. And truly it is a very good discription of men that feed upon the wind, they seem big when they have no opposition, and ô, what they will do! they will do thus and thus, and great matters; but the truth is, no men are of more 4fearful hearts than those men that are puft up with the wind of their own conceits, when God comes to cross them, or they are call'd to suffer in the way that they go in, they will quickly turn to any colour, this way or that, because they do but feed upon the wind, therefore they come to be feeble creatures, they have no strength at all in them.
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- 2Simile.
- 3The Chameleon, the reason of its changeableness▪The Chamaeleon, the reason of its changablenes▪
- 4None sink lower when disappointed, than conceited and confident men.
