The fading of the flesh and flourishing of faith, or, One cast for eternity…

¹The first ground of the Doctrine is, the corruptibility of mans body; Its called in Scripture an house of clay, Job 4.18. and an earthly Tabernacle, 2 Cor. 5.1. The body of man at best is but a clod of clay, curiously moulded and made up. The Greek Proverb hath a truth in it [Greek or Hebrew], Man is but an earthen Vessel. Some indeed are more painted then others in regard of dignity, and place; others are stronger Vessels then the rest, in regard of purity of constitution,² but all are earthen, Surely every man at his best estate is altogether vanity, Psa. 39. All Adam, is all Abel, Man, nay every man, when most high in regard of his hopes, and most firm in regard of his foundation, is even then the next door to, and but one remove from corruption. What the great Apostle said in a proper, every one may say in a common sense, I die daily. We carry our bane every moment about us. The very food which preserveth our lives, leaves that be hind it, which will force our deaths. Its holden ⟨p. 17⟩for certain (saith one) that in two Years space, ³there are in the body of man, as many ill humours engendered, as a Vessel of a hundred ounces will contain. ⁴Against some, these enemies appear in the open field, often skirmishing with them, but against all others they lye in ambush, and wait for an opportunity to fall on and destroy them. In the best timbered body they are but like fire raked under the ashes, and reserved to another day when they will flame out and burn it down. We are all like the Apples of Sodom, quae contacta cinerescunt, ⁵which being touched crumble into dust, or as the Spawn of Locusts, which being handled dissolveth,⁶