Charles H. Spurgeon on Psalms 8:4

"What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visiteth him?"

Lord, what is man that thou

So mindful art of him? Or what's the son

Of man, that thou the highest heaven didst bow,

And to his aide didst runne?

Man's but a piece of clay

That's animated by thy heavenly breath,

And when that breath thou tak'st away,

Hee's clay again by death.

He is not worthy of the least

Of all Thy mercies at the best.

Baser than clay is he,

For sin hath made him like the beasts that perish,

Though next the angels he was in degree;

Yet this beast thou dost cherish.

Hee is not worthy of the least,

Of all thy mercies, hee's a beast.

Worse than a beast is man,

Who after thine own image made at first,

Became the divel's sonne by sin. And can

A thing be more accurst?

Yet thou thy greatest mercy hast

On this accursed creature cast.

Thou didst thyself abase,

And put off all thy robes of majesty,

Taking his nature to give him thy grace,

To save his life didst dye.

He is not worthy of the least

Of all thy mercies; one's a feast.

Lo! man is made now even

With the blest angels, yea, superiour farre,

Since Christ sat down at God's right hand in heaven,

And God and man one are.

Thus all thy mercies man inherits,

Though not the least of them he merits. Thomas Washbourne, D.D., 1654.