An exposition with practical observations continued upon the eighth, ninth and tenth chapters of…An exposition with practicall observations continued upon the eighth, ninth and tenth chapters of…

Some change the conjunction [And] into the adverb of likeness, so, to note a right, power, or privilege, and the text runs in this form, Remember, that as thou hast made me of, or as the clay, so thou mayest (it is thy privilege, none can contradict thee in it, and thou doest me no wrong in it, thou mayest) as thou hast purposed, bring me to the dust again. Though it be common and natural to all creatures mixed of elements, to be resolved and turned back into that out of which they were made, that is to die; yet to man it is more then natural; there is a decree upon it, besides the naturality of it: Man dieth by a statute-law of heaven. To die is a penalty inflicted upon man for sin, for he had not been under a necessity of dying, if he had not sinned. And therefore though God formed man (as the holy story informs us (Gen. 2.7.) out of the dust of the earth, yet so long as man stood, he never said to him, To dust thou shalt return; God only put a supposition, that in case man did fall, he should surely die. But when man had fallen by sin, then he hears what he was, and what he must be, For dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return (Gen. 3.19.) As if God had thus bespoken sinful man. Thy body was framed out of dust, ⟨p. 509⟩and now I charge this burden upon thee, thou shalt return to the dust again.

Some change the conjunction [And] into the adverb of likenesse, so, to note a right, power, or priviledge, and the text runs in this form, Remember, that as thou hast made me of, or as the clay, so thou maist (it is thy priviledge, none can contradict thee in it, and thou doest me no wrong in it, thou maiest) as thou hast purposed, bring me to the dust again. Though it be common and naturall to all creatures mixt of elements, to be resolved and turned back into that out of which they were made, that is to die; yet to man it is more then naturall; there is a decree upon it, besides the naturality of it: Man dieth by a statute-law of heaven. To die is a penalty inflicted upon man for sinne, for he had not been under a necessity of dying, if he had not sinned. And therefore though God formed man (as the holy story informs us (Gen. 2.7.) out of the dust of the earth, yet so long as man stood, he never said to him, To dust thou shalt return; God only put a supposition, that in case man did fall, he should surely die. But when man had fallen by sin, then he hears what he was, and what he must be, For dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return (