if Salomon had not spoken it a King a great King a wise King What the spruce Gallant the ruffling Courtier these Dust What they that rustle in Silks and glitter in Gold that dazle the Sun with their Jewels and choak the Air with their Perfumes Yes all alike Dust So Naizanzen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Original of all is but the same and that Dust What though in some more refined Differ they may in degree not in kind Worshipful Honourable Royal Dust is Dust still Let Calice sand be finer than ordinary yet is there no reason it should lose its Name 't is Sand. Well that the Body is from the Earth we see yea and not onely so but it must return to it also The Dust shall return to the Earth as it was Ocular Demonstration saves us the labour of both Explication and Proof as to this We every day see the truth of this return made good Were the Body from Earth once yet were it to return to it no more Pride would not be so irrational a sin Tell me not what I was is the voice of Up-starts but the Preacher tells us likewise what we shall be No man so ridiculous as he who having risen from a mean beginning fall's again who first begins to fall is pitty'd but he whose rise and fall are both remembred scorn'd Heu quantum mutatus ab illo Is the Ironical Language of the beholder in such a Case nor is it to be wondred at if as the Poet hath it Moveat cornicula risum Furtivis nudata coloribus Hast thou forgotten that thy Body was Dust once and beginnest thou to swell Remember it must be Dust again too and let that humble thee Witty Lucian whose ingenuity deserves to be no less esteemed than his language hath a Dialogue wherein he brings the Ghosts of beautiful Nereus and deformed Thersites together the latter of which is now bold to challenge the former so little of difference is there between ugly and handsome when both are dust the Body being return'd to the Earth as it was As it was Hoc autem ipsum non sic intelligendum quasi revertantur in certam portionem terrae corpora humana singula ex qua formavit Deus Adam c. saith Lorinus This is not so grosly to be understood as if all the bodies of men did return into that very individual Earth of which God created Adam But because as his body was made of dust and did return to it so shall our bodies return to dust like thereunto I have done with the Explication of the first part of the Verse touching the Body's rise and tendency and the Terms from which and to which of its motion which are indeed but one Earth thence it comes thither it goes I le run over the following part next that I may reserve the Application of both together till the last And the Spirit shall return to God that gave it Spirit Is an aequivocal word signifying other things beside but the use of it in Scripture for the rational Soul of Man is better known than that I need spend time about it When a word hath divers significations the sense must point us unto that which we are to fix on so it doth here determining it to be as I have said meant of the reasonable Soul And It is moreover critically observed by Divines that when this word is put alone for the Soul it alwayes signifies the rational Soul otherwise it hath this additament The Spirit of life as Gen. 7. 15. But of that enough The Spirit shall Return to God that gave it Origen had a conceit as indeed he had many borrow'd from the Platonists That all Souls were created from the beginning as were the Angels and that for their sin they were afterwards thrust down into Bodies and so according to that Opinion their return to God should insinuate their having been with him been in Heaven before but the words following clear the sense To God that gave it Therefore is the Soul said to return to God because it was from him as its Author I shall not enter the dispute here with those that maintain the traduction of the Soul that it is not immediately created by God but deriv'd from our Parents I suppose were there no better Arguments to confute them than that which is drawn from this place that Opinion might well enough keep up its credit 'T is enough that the Soul of the first Man was given by God as well as the first Body of the Earth whence it may be no less proper to say that the Souls of all Men return to God that gave them that is at the beginning than that their Bodies return to the Earth of which they were made viz. then also But how do the Souls of all Men return to God What of wicked men too The wicked shall be turned into Hell Psal 9. 17. And without holiness no man shall see God Heb. 12. 14. To go to God seems to be the Priviledge of the righteous onely Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Mat. 5. 8. Yes the Souls of all go to God though to a different end of the bad to receive their Sentence of Condemnation to be doom'd to punishment of the good to receive their Absolution and to have a reward bestowed upon them Both must meet before Gods Tribunal to be try'd and sentenc'd according to their Works The Souls of the just return to God willingly as to their Father of the wicked unwilling'y as to their Judge The Soul of the Saint long'd for its return its motion naturally tended that way no wonder whither should every thing tend but to its Center Whither should Rivers run but to the Sea God is the Center of Souls nothing rests out of its Center nor can the Soul rest disjoyned from God The Souls of good men return to God during their life time they are the wicked who return onely at death when they cannot help it The World is full of troubles perturbations cares anxieties where should the believing Soul rest but in the bosom of God Fecisti nos Domine ad Te saith the Father excellently inquietum est cor nostrum donec requiescat in Te. Thou madest us O Lord for thy self nor can our Souls be at quiet till they rest in thy self The words then are sufficiently explain'd let us spend the rest of our time in picking out that matter of Instruction and Exhortation which may be beneficial to us The Body is from the Earth that is the first branch of the first Proposition Let us learn hence 1. Humility What a piece of Earth pufft up Who art thou that magnifiest thy self upon the accompt of bodily accomplishments Beauty Strength or the like Alas thou art but Earth That Body of thine which thou so trimmest and pamperest is but a piece of handsome clay a piece of white earthen ware it makes a pretty show 't is confest
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 OR The Dust returning to the Earth BEING A SERMON Preached at the INTERRMENT Of that Excellently accomplisht Gentleman Tho. Lloyd Esq Late of Wheaten-Hurst in the County of Glocester upon Tuesday the 22th of December 1668. By THO. WOOLNOUGH Rector of the Parish of St. Michael in the City of GLOCESTER 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Greg. Naz. In the SAVOY Printed by T. N. for James Collins and are to be sold by J. Jordan Bookseller in Glocester 1669. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 OR The Dust returning to the Earth BEING A Sermon preached at the Interrment of that excellently accomplish'd Gentleman Tho. Lloyd late of Wheaten-hurst in the County of Glocester Esquire upon Tuesday the 22th of December 1668. ECCLES 12. 7. Then shall the Dust return to the Earth as it was and the Spirit shall return to God that gave it MAn is frequently wont to be termed a Micro-cosme or Little World not without cause The great World consists of two general parts Heaven and Earth so doth Man of two parts not unlike Soul and Body The Heaven is superior both in Place and Nature of a substance pure and splendent and altogether Divine the Earth is both in site and dignity many removes off the matter of it sordid and ignoble the very sediment dreggs and settlings of the Chaos Thus is the Soul of Man a Spirit bearing the resemblance of God himself whom we call so Divinity in a less Volume a smaller Character The Body is but a heap of rubbish The Heavens are continually in motion so is the Soul of Man their motions are incredibly swift so are those of the mind The Earth is sixt and unmoveable and so is the Body in and of it self and for its motion is beholding to the Soul which acts it Thus then hath the Little World as well as the Great One its Heaven and its Earth which are no other in the Language of my Text than the Dust which returns to the Earth as it was and the Spirit which returns to God that gave it Various are the mutations and vicissitudes of Man's life yet after all our postures we come back to As we were Thousands of miles doth the Sun pass in the compass of 24 hours yet where he began his journey to day he will not fail to set out to morrow This circulation of humane life is and cannot but be visible even to the ordinary Observers of Nature in her course Our first Stage is Infancy thence we advance forward to Childhood thence to Youth so to Man's Estates to Middle Age at last we arrive at Old Age and when at that which is called Decrepit we are got to Infancy again come back to As we were yet is not this the last Stage neither there is one farther when Death approaching the Dust returns to the Earth as it was and the Spirit to God that gave it If we look into the Antecedent part of the Chapter we shall find Salomon giving young Persons good Counsel to make use of that Flower of their Age and to do betimes that Work by the leaving of which undone they will undo themselves To make Hay as we say while the Sun shines Old Age he warns them is coming and brings its indispositions along with it the clouds return after the rain v. 2. He that puts off the Service of God till then is likely to serve him but lamely at the best Whilst Blood is in our Veins and Marrow in our Bones Religion is to be minded God will have the best of our years or none When an aged Frost hath chain'd the Current of the Blood Devotion is hardly like to thaw it Now is the acceptable time now is the day of salvation To day if ye will hear his voyce Heb. 4. 7. Graphically doth our Preacher here describe Old Age and its infirmities and that at large in sundry verses ye may know Apelles by his Draught It were too tedious for me at this time to paraphrase upon the several elegant though seemingly mystical expressions hereunto accommodated He closeth all at the close of all and that is Death in the words of the Text He brings Man to the Grave and there he leavs him The Dust returning to the Earth c. The Words are then you see a Periphrasis of Death represented to us under the notion of a return twofold with reference to both its Subjects and Terms The Subjects of it are Soul and Body the Terms of it to the Earth to God Then shall the Dust return to the Earth as it was and the Spirit shall return to God that gave it That I may go plainly to work and not soar above the apprehensions of any I shall in this Verse take notice of but two things and they are The rise and tendency of Mans Body and Soul His Body's rise from the Earth its tendency to Earth Dust thou art and to Dust thou shalt return Gen. 3. 19. His Soul's rise from God he gave it its tendency to God It shall return to God that gave it These particulars in the words easily resolve themselves into two Propositions One touching the Body of Man the other the Soul That touching the Body is this That it was from the Earth at the first and to Earth at length it must That concerning the Soul this That it had its being originally from God and to God ultimately shall it return Of which Propositions by way of Explication first as far as shall be needful and then by way of Application The Body was from the Earth how Our Bodies we now have according to the ordinary course of generation from our Parents they are not immediately made of Earth true But Adam's Body the Holy Story witnesseth was so made Gen. 2. 7. whence then the first Body came all are said to come his Body was from the Earth immediately ours from his and therefore mediately from the Earth The greatest of Men is but Terrae filius and may say to Corruption Thou art my Father as Job 17. 4. What signifies a long Pedigree In vain do men tire the Heralds to prove the antientness of their Descent whilest the rising one step higher might serve to bring down their Pride many steps lower put in but the Son of Earth too and Salomon will be found to have done them more right than Clarenceaulx One ap there is which even the Welshman hath omitted ap Dust Wouldst thou have thy Pedigree drawn out O Man or Woman who ever thou art Let me commend thee to this King at Arms and he will quickly tell thee whence thou comest even from Earth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Then shall the Dust return to the Earth as it was The Dust Mark that too He vouchsafes the Body no better a Name than Dust upon good grounds Why should it be rather nam'd what it is than what it both was and shall be The reasons of this Appellation are two to one Dust A bold word
all this Must not thou shortly to the Land of Darkness Must not this Body of thine resolve into rottenness and putrefaction 2. See we hence how little the Grandeur and Gawdery of this World is worth that the Body must to the Grave when all is done it must to Earth Pallaces and Crowns cannot keep off Death Pallida mors aequo pulsat pede Pauperum tabernas Regumque turres saith Horace aptly Tell not Death when it approacheth of Noble Blood of great Estate of Honours and the like all these signifie nothing Art thou a Son of Adam yea or no Is thy Body from the Earth If that thou canst not deny he values not thy high looks If from Earth thou camest to Earth thou must return Thy Mother Earth saith he desires thy embraces be not too proud to own her yet if thou beest it matters not I bring power enough with me to force a stronger than thy self This same Honour is a taking thing See Men in their Ruffe in all the Pageantry of Fortune and weak eyes will be dazled by their splendor who would not desire to be in their case and say with Saint Peter at the Transfiguration It is good for us to be here I but follow a great Man to the Grave see him but making this return see his Body descend into the Slymy Valley the Dust returning to the Earth as it was and then who can envy him His Gâ—ory and his Pomp shall not descend after him saith the Psalmist Psal 49. 17. Again 3. If the Body must to the Earth let us be advised hence to endeavour whilst we are here to redeem our selves from the power of the Grave by worthy actions Our Bodies must rot let us not so carry our selves as that our Names should do so too that is the Curse of the Wicked Prov. 10. 7. The name of the wicked shall rot but The memory of the just is blessed saith the same verse There are three things belonging to every Man his Soul his Body his Name the one must die the other cannot die the third may be preserv'd The Soul must live for ever in weal or wo the Body will to the Earth none can help it To procure the dissolution of the one or reprieve the other from death is not in our power but the keeping alive our Name is in our own hand This is one of the Stoicks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is in our power by deserving well or ill of the World to leave a sweet savour or a stink behind us It is the advice which Pliny the younger a man no less ingenious than learned gives his Friend from the consideration of the shortness of life in the 70th Epist of his Third Book Sed tanto magis hoc quicquid est temporis futilis caduci sed non detur factis certe studiis proferamus quatenus nobis denegatur diu vivere relinquamus aliquid quo nos vixisse testemur This most concerns Persons of rank and quality that have many eyes upon them that are taken notice of in the World by reason of the inequality of their height they being like Saul higher by the head and shoulders than the rest of the people for such Persons to live in a Cloyster like Snails in their Houses to steal away like Plebeians through the Crowd unseen to have their way like the way of a ship in the sea without track to leave no token that they were unless this That they begat Children What a Disgrace What a shame Much more to live onely in the Curses of the People to be remembred for naught but Cruelty and Oppression grinding the faces of the poor and the like The generous spirits among the Heathens were alwayes wont to affect immortality which for that their bodies could not reach and to the Doctrine of the Soul they were in great part strangers they endeavoured by their vertues to supply and make out whâ—… was wanting to the frailty of their Bodies 'T is true we are acquainted with the Souls immortality and know that death makes not an end of the whole Man we know that there shall be a resurrection of the Body too but yet next to the care of providing for the Souls happy Eternity should be that of leaving a good Name behind us A good Name which is as pretious Oyntment Eccles 7. 1. This is the way to deliver our selves from Death indeed Never doth he die whose Soul lives in Heaven and whose Name lives in the World the Grave hath onely its Thirds in such Cases which cannot be denied it I have done with the Body to which our first Proposition had respect and I fear I have given it too large a share so great is the advantage of coming first It were pity that the Souls part should be scanted I 'le do it what right I can by the leave of the time and your patience And the Spirit shall return to God that gave it The Spirit is from God That is the first part of the Proposition which we are now to improve And so 1. Learn we hence to think aright of the Dignity of our Souls they are of a heavenly Extraction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We are his Off-spring Acts 17. 28. Is not this Soul too good to debase to the service of sin to the service of Satan What Did the Soul come from God and shall it be given to the Devil God forbid What a Fool was Esau to sell his Birth-right for a Mess of Pottage Worse Fools are all they that sell their Souls for the Pleasures of Sin less substantial than so meer smoak and air We laugh at them who having Estates descending to them from their Ancestors improvidently squander them away No Spend-thrift like the Sinner who trifles away his Soul the Gift of God 2. Learn we the immortality of the Soul if it be from God that is as we have seen immediately created by him then can it never cease to be by the means of any thing besides him He only who gave it a being can take away its being He can annihilate it if he pleaseth otherwise it must needs remain That which is made of matter can be no more durable than that matter of which it is made Hence the Earthen Body must of necessity have its period It is one property of Earth to be friabilis subject to crumble into dust but the Soul having no prae-existent matter but being created of nothing is necessarily evinc'd to be à parte post eternal 3. Did God give us our souls Let us then bequeath them to him to keep He onely can keep them who created and gave them It is St. Peter's counsel to commit our Souls to God in well doing as to a faithful Creator 1 Pet. 4. 19. where he hints at this very thing that we are upon viz. the resigning of our Souls to God upon this consideration That we had them from him To the same purpose speaks St. Paul