XX. Quomodo terra hominem conservcU.

XX. Quomodo terra hominem conservcU.

And the earth in which that man is, from his knees to his thighs, contains moisture, vitality, and seed within itself, because the earth which God binds together by bending, pressing down, and lifting up, and which He sustains in His strength, carries the moisture of the upper, inner, and lower waters, so that it does not turn to dust; it also holds the vitality of all that is being born and growing in youth, and the life of the vibrant vegetation that draws in, as well as the seed of all that germinates in it, and the flowers of the vitality of its strength. And this is like the blooming beauty and decor of the virtue of that man, just as his own strength is adorned through it, because the earth produces and nourishes man, and it sustains and nurtures all other things that are in the service of man, like a flower of beauty and the decor of the honesty of God's virtue, all of which is evident in its strength, which arranges everything well and justly; just as the power of that same God is honored through the earth, since it preserves the man who ought to praise and glorify God at all times in all the needs of his body; and because it also sustains the other things that pertain to human use, it opens itself to provide for them. For when the excellence of God is praised through man, man is presented to God as if through the earth from which he is made, in the just and holy works of humanity. And this also happens because the earth is fertile in various kinds, namely, that all things formed in earthly creatures are produced from the earth, so that it is like a mother of diverse kinds, both from the flesh of those being born and from their own seeds rising up from themselves, since all things that have form and life in earthly creatures arise from it. Moreover, man, who is animated by reason and the spirit of understanding, is made from the earth.