in Contriving J\1an's Redemption. I I 1 his Reafon and his Reft, yet ho will not part with carnal Plcafures.. For being on!~ ac- ~ quaintcd with thofe things that affc8: the Scnfcs, and havmg no rcld11 of that Happmcfs ~ which isjitblime and {upern.<tural, rfhe parts with them, hers depnvcd of all Dehght, whrch is ro him a State more intolt:rable than dnr whcrcm there 1s a m1xturc of Dchglu and Torment. From hence it appears tha~ the imerpo~rion _ofConfcience, though _\Vit~1 a jl11m~ng Sword1 between Mau carnal, and Ius beloved Ubjeflst IS ~lOt effeEtual to refham h1m. . 2 • All worldly things arc unfatisfying tO the Afle8:rons. There arc three Confideratr· ons which depreciate and lcffcn the value of any Good. 1. The 01ortnefsofits duratton. ' 2 . If it brings only a flight pleafure. 3· If that Pleafurc be attended with Torments. . . . All which are contrary to the tnttal Properu~ of the Supreme Good~ wluch IS_perpc- :h:1s~~~~ fi~~~~, a~i:\~~r: ~~~c~~ to'~\~:r;~.~~dg~trn";d, pr~.d~r~c;1~~~~~~~i~~~;~~~td~~ wion, Iia. 40. 6, 7· Not only the voice of Heaven, but of the Earth declares this, That all jlefb i•gra{s, and the gMy of it M the f/orver •fthegrafs; I Pet. 1. 24~ 25. Lrfc, the foun- • , dation of all Temporal EnJoyments, is ~ut a Span * : The longcit Lwer can meafure m a ~* 'SJU•f ovctt thought the fpace of rim~ between ht~ Infant-ftate and the prefcnt hour : ho\V loo~ fo- Pi!f:r:i'D-· ever, icfeems as !hort to hun as the twrnklmg of an Eye. And aH the glory of the He!h, as Titles, Treafures, Delights, are as the flower of tf~e Gra{s, whtch ts. the rnoft tender amongfl: Vegttables, and fo weak a fublille~ce, that a httle breatl~. of Wmd, the ~land of an Infant rhe teeth of a Worm can dcftroy It. The pletifi,res of 0tn (under whtch Secul.-rr Great.;.,fs and Wealth are comprehended) are b111 for ~feafon, Heb. I 1. 25. They are fo j]1ort-liv'd, tlrat they expire in. the Birth, and dye wlulf1: they are taftcd. Again; they bring only a flight Pleafure, bemg dJfproportronable to the defires of the Soul. They are ~~~~~~;;~er'~ntg~~~f;~~;~~~;~~ftv!~a:~~[~; ~~~,~,[.",~cc~:~~:~:; c~;:~t~~:i~~~;~,~~~~J; Senjes , much lefs quiet the Spirit11al and Immortal Appettte. What the Poet fpeaks with a!loni!hment of Alexander's infatia.ble Ambition, k.ftuat infelix angufto limite lntmdi, That the whole World feem'd to him as a narrow Prifon, wherein he was miferable, and as it were fuffocated, is true of every one. If the World was feared in the Heart of Man, it can no more fatisfy it, than the Pi8:ure of a Feaf1: tan fill the Stomach. Bcfides, Vexation is added to the vanity of worldly things. And that either bccaufe the vehement delights of Senfe corrupt the Temperament of the Body, in which the vital Complexion con· lifts, and expofe it to thofe fharp Difeafes, that it may be faid without an Hyperbole, That a thoufand Pleafures are not equal to one hour's Pain that attends them: Or, becaufe of the inward Torture of the Mind, arifing from the fenfe of Guilt and Folly, which is the anti• • cipation of Hell it felf, the beginning of eternal Sorrows. Now thefe thmgs are not obfcure .Arttcles of FAtth, nor abflrac1ed Do{frines, to be conlider'd only by refined Reafon, but are manifeft and clear as the Light , and verified by continual Experience' 'Tis therefore ftrange to amazement, that Man fl1ould fearch after Happinefs in thefe things where he knows ' tis not to be found, and court real Infelicity under a deceitf[r! appearance, "hen the Fallacy is tranfparent. Who fi·om a Principle of Reafon would chufe for his Happi"'fs a real Good, which after a little time he !hould be dcpriv'd of for ever? or a flight Good for ever? as the fight of a l'iffure, or the hearing of .. '4-Jnfick. Yet_ tlm~ unrea~onablc is Man. in his corrupt Aat_e, wbofe .Soul is truly immortal, and capable of mfimte Bleilcdnefs, yet he choofes chafe dehghts wluch are neither fatisfy. mg nor Ja_!bng. And becautc.rhc Humane Underllanding from rime to rime is convinc'd of rhe vamry of all (ublunary thmgs, therefore to lcffcn the \'Cxation which arifcs from Difappointment~ and that .rhe .Appetite may ~1ot b~ ta~en off. from them, corrupted Man tries, 1. By vanety of Ob;effs to pre[erve. umformrty m Del1ght. The mo!1: pleafing, if confin'~ to the~), grow n~u{eom and m{tptd; after rhe .expiring of a few moments there re· mams nor!ung b~t {ttt1et7 and fickly rejemments ; and then changes are the remedies, to !akc o.~ the wearmefs of one. Pleaf~re by an~ther: The Haman Soul i~ under a .perpetual mftabr!Jty of re!llcfs defircs, rt.defp1fes what 1t ~nJoys, and values wh.at IS JIC!V , as Jt'J\'oveltJ and Goodnefs w~re the. fame m a.ll tempOl.ftl d11ngs. t\ nd as the Htrds remain in the Air by c.onftanr rnonon, wrt~rout. ~vluch they would quicl\ly fa.ll to the Eanh as other hea~y B~dte~, there bemg. norlungjobd to fupport the1:n ; fO. the Spu·it of M a~, by 1~1any unguret ttguatt?m and comm~al changes, fubfifrs for a wnc, till at !aft it falls, mto l)JfConter~t and J)cfparr, the Cenm of corrupt Nature. ~ · When
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=