Tropes and Figures, Treatise 1 · Head 8 · Part 2
Man compared to a Worm.
Job 25.6. How much leſs Man that is a Worm, and the Son of Man, a Worm!
A Worm is one of the meaneſt Creatures, and the Word that is here uſed (foreign Vermis parvus, aut Caſeo naſcens) ſignifieth properly and chiefly thoſe Worms that breed in Fleſh, or Cheeſe, or any other kind of Food when it is corrupted. The Word is uſed, Exod. 16.24. where it is ſaid, The Manna that was reſerved contrary to the Command of God, bred Worms; ſuch a Worm is Man.
God is ſo excellent and glorious, that nothing can be found out, that can ſet forth or illuſtrate his incomparable Being and Greatneſs: To whom ſhall we liken him! So there is nothing ſo low and baſe, but Man in his fallen State is compared to it; he is compared to Earth, Duſt, the Graſs of the Field, to a Lie, to Vanity it ſelf, and here to a Worm.
| Metaphor. | Parallel. |
| A Worm hath its Original from the Earth. | SO Man is Earth, as we ſhewed before; his Original is from thence. |
| II. A Worm liveth upon the Earth, and there it loves to be, and make its Abode. | III. So Man in his natural State liveth upon the Earth, and the things thereof;Amos 2.7. he panteth after the Duſt of the Earth; his Mind, Love, and whole Deſire is after earthly things. |
| III. A Worm is a Creature of little Worth, and hath no Beauty in it; what is more contemptible than a Worm! | III. So Man in his fallen State is of no Worth, he hath made himſelf as light and empty as Vanity. He was once of great Worth in God's eſteem, whilſt he retained his Uprightneſs; but now naturally there is no Excellency in him, his Beauty is gone, he is but a Lump of Sin and Pollution, contemptible as a Worm. |
| IV. A Worm is a Creature that lies obnoxious to great Danger; every Foot is ready to cruſh it. | IV. So Man is open to manifold Dangers from Sin, Satan, and the World; many ways he is expoſed to Ruine, and to be undone for ever. |
| V. A ſmall thing may ſpoil, kill, and deſtroy a Worm. | V. So a ſmall thing may deſtroy and ruine Man. Firſt, a little thing may take away his natural Life; a Bit of Bread hath choaked ſome Men; a Tile from a Houſe may beat out his Brains; a Spider, and other ſmall Creatures, may preſently deſtroy him. What is Man's Life! how ſmall a thing will ſtop his Breath! And then, ſecondly, a ſmall thing (as it may ſeem in his Sight) may deſtroy his Soul: A laſcivious Luſt,Mat. 5.28. a wanton Look upon a Woman, Jeſting, and idle Words, nay, the leaſt Sin, without Repentance, will damn him for ever. But remember this, no Sin is ſmall or little in it ſelf, tho there be more Venom in ſome Sins, than in ſome others. The leaſt Sin is a Breach of the holy Law of God, and the leaſt Breach thereof layeth a Soul under the Curſe of it. Alſo Chriſt's Blood was ſhed to ſave us from leſſer Sins, as well as from the greater. |
| VI. A Worm is a Creature that is not able to make reſiſtance, that way to deliver it ſelf from its Enemy. | VI. So what Reſiſtance is a Man able to make (in himſelf) againſt Satan? Is he not as a Worm in the ſight of that cruel Enemy, if God let him but once out againſt him? Beſides, God is an Adverſary to him, whilſt he remains in an unconverted State;Pſal. 7.11. Mat. 5.25. and what Reſiſtance can he make againſt the Almighty? There is a far greater Diſproportion between God and us, than there is between us and a Worm. |
| VII. A Worm is a Creature that is a Prey to the Fowls of Heaven; they (you know) commonly feed upon them, and catch them up at every Turn. | VII. So Men are a Prey to Satan, and evil Spirits,Mat. 13.4, 19. who are called Fowls of Heaven. How often doth the Devil ſeize upon Sinners, and carry them captive at his Will? |
| VIII. Worms, when they find the Ground to ſhake by Mens treading upon it, many times make haſte into their Holes, and thereby ſave themſelves. | VIII. So ſome poor Sinners, when they find their earthly Tabernacles begin to ſhake, by Sickneſs, or ſome approaching Judgment, make haſte (their Conſciences being thereby awakened by the Lord) to get into that Place of Security God hath provided for them, viz. the Rock Chriſt, who is called an Hiding-Place.Iſa. 32.2. |
| IX. There are many Sorts of Worms. | IX. So there are many Sorts of Men, [Worms.] |
| 1. Some great, and ſome ſmall Ones; and yet all are but Worms. | 1. So there are ſome great Men, mighty Ones of the Earth, as Kings, &c. and ſome ſmall or poor Men; but yet all are but Worms, weak and contemptible Creatures in God's ſight. David called himſelf a Worm: I am a Worm, and no Man, &c.Pſal. 22 6. |
| 2. There are ſome Dunghil-Worms, who love to abide or live in Dung and Muck of the Earth. | 2. So there are ſome Men, (whom we commonly call Muck-worms) who delight in nothing more than in the Dung or Filth of the Earth or Muck of this World; their Hearts and Hands are always in the Earth. Take them out of this Filth, and they are as dead Men; and let them alone, and you ſhall preſently ſee them craul to their old Delights. Nothing but the World is in their Mouths; they wallow in their filthy Luſts, and Earthly-mindedneſs, as the Swine tumbles in the Mire. |
| III. There are ſome Worms very loathſom, ſuch as breed in rotten putrified Fleſh, which are called Carrion-Worms. | 3. Such a Worm is a wicked Man, a Vermine, a Worm, that breeds in Corruption, as it were, a loathſom Creature in God's Sight. See the Head of the Metaphor. |
| 4. There are ſome Worms that deceive the Eye, ſeeming to be what they are not. Many have thought they had ſeen Fire in the Night, when they have caſt their Eye upon them in the place where they have lain. Theſe are called Glow-worms. R. W. tells us a Story of a Parſon, that in the Night (being drunk) caſting his Eye upon one of theſe Worms, having his Pipe of Tobacco filled, went bodily towards it, crying out, Fire, I hope; Fire, I hope. When the Light comes, theſe appear to all to be but Worms. | 4. There are ſome Men who deceive their Neighbours: They take them to be holy and good Men, precious Saints of God, and yet are greatly miſtaken in them, they being no better than painted Sepulchers, meer Hypocrites; and notwithſtanding their outward Shew of Holineſss and Sanctity, are but Earth-Worms, having the World, viz. external Advantage, or vain Glory, in their Eye, as the great Thing they aim at in their Profeſſion; and in the Day of Chriſt, they will appear to be what in truth they are. |
| 5. There are ſome very hurtful Worms, who ſpoil Trees, Flowers, and the Fruits of the Earth: See Joel 1.4. Amos 4.9. Such are the Palmer-Worm, the Caterpillar, and the Canker-Worm: Which Sort of hurtful Vermin God hath often brought upon a People and Nation, as a Puniſhment of their Sins. | 5. So there are ſome Men, who, like to theſe Worms, are of a very hurtful Nature, and endeavour to ſpoil Chriſt's ſpiritual Trees, Flowers, and precious Fruit, &c. They are called Locuſts or Caterpillars by the Holy-Ghoſt;Rev. 9.3. they are ſaid to come out of the Bottomleſs Pit: And to them was given Power, as the Scorpions of the Earth have Power, &c. By theſe Locuſts are meant, (as Franciſcus Claudius, a Carmelite Fryar, and others expound the Place, as is noted by Mr. Wilſon) 'thoſe great Swarms of Popiſh Prieſts, Friars, Monks, Cardinals, even the whole Popiſh Hierarchy, and Pontificial Clergy. Theſe are fitly likened unto Locuſts, which are a little vile Vermine, ſpringing (as ſome ſay) out of Smoke, &c. And truly this is made too evident of that Sort of Men this day in England, and other Nations of Europe. Never were a more deſtructive Generation of vile Vermine in the World; none make, or threaten to make greater Spoil of Chriſt's Vineyard, and precious Fruit-Trees, than they. And in that they are let in upon us, we may plainly read God's Diſpleaſure againſt us thereby; and nothing but unfeigned Repentance and Reformation will doubtleſs free this poor Nation from them, for at this very time we are ſadly plagued and peſtered with them. See God an Husbandman. |
| 6. There are alſo ſome profitable Worms, who are very laborious; and cloath the World with Silk; and they are called Silk-Worms. | 6. This Sort of Worms reſemble the laborious and faithful Miniſters of Chriſt, who ſpend themſelves in Preaching, and in divine Prayer and Meditation, that ſo they may enrich Mens Souls with Grace and true Vertue. Theſe, as Inſtruments in God's Hand, may be ſaid to cloath Men and Women with Silk, or gloriouſly adorn their better Part, tho hereby, through Zeal and faithful Induſtry for God's Glory, they waſte and conſume their own Carcaſes, ſpending, and being ſpent, as the Apoſtle ſpeaks. |
| X. The Houſe or Place of divers Worms is the Earth; they lie hid in the Ground. | X. So Man, who is a Worm, muſt take up his Place for a ſhort time in the Earth: The Grave is my Houſe, ſaith Job, Job 17.13 the Place appointed for all Living. This Worm muſt go to his Fellows, to the Worms. |
Inferences.
BY this we may ſee what a poor thing Man is: The mighty Ones of the Earth, who boaſt of great Matters, are but Worms. And if Man be but a Worm, why doth he ſwell above the Clouds, as if he would make his Neſt among the Stars, when as he muſt ſhortly fall among the Clods, and be eaten of Worms?
2. Take heed of having Mens Perſons in Admiration; it is a vain thing to give flattering Titles to others. As it becomes us not to reproach or vilify any Man, tho all Men are but as Worms; ſo it is a God provoking Evil, to flatter Men thereby, creating high thoughts in them of themſelves; as ſome once ſerved Herod, crying out, It is the Voice of a God, and not of a Man: But the Almighty,Acts 12.22. to ſhew how much he abhorred ſuch as gave not him the Glory, made them know he was but a Worm; and therefore the Angel of the Lord ſmote him, and he was eaten up of Worms.
3. Be not envious at others, tho more rich and honourable than thee. The greateſt of Men are but Worms: and tho ſome ſparkle and ſhine in outward Glory and Splendor, and ſeem to excell every way, yet they may be but like Glow-worms; 'tis but for a Night they ſeem like Stars, in the Morning they will appear like others.
4. Let us learn from hence not to overvalue our ſelves, nor our Lives: What is the Life of a Worm!
5. What Fools are the Wicked of the Earth, to muſter up their Force againſt God's People! Whom do they come out againſt? It is but againſt a Worm. Could they prevail, what Honour would they gain by it? Is it ſo great a matter to deſtroy a Worm? for ſo Jacob in his low Eſtate is called: Fear not, thou Worm Jacob. But let them know, this Worm hath a mighty God to take its part: I will help thee, Iſa. 41.14.&c. Why ſhould Worms ſeek to deſtroy one another?
6. Laſtly; What cauſe is there (theſe things conſidered) to admire, that the glorious God of Heaven and Earth ſhould be mindful of a Worm,Job 7.17. nay, to ſet his Heart upon him, and give his Son to die for him; and to take ſuch a poor and contemptible thing as Man into Union and Communion with himſelf!