Of HEAVEN. Chap. Xlll. 1. Confider the End for which Man was defigned in his Creation,why endued with rational and noble Powers. of Soul, and plac'd by the Soveraign Maker in the bigheft rank of fo numerous and vanous Natures that fill the Umverfe. Is u to raife an Eftate to lhinein Pomp, toenjoyfenfualPleafuresfora little.while, and after the fa tal term t~be M more for ever? Washe fent into the World upon as mean a Bufinefsasthat of the foo. lifh Emperor, who employed an Army, furnifh'd with all Military Preparations togather Shells_ upon the Sea-lhore? This were, according to the paffionate expofiul~tion of the Pfa~m,ft, to charge God thAt he had made All Men in:'Ain. Reafon and Scripture tells us the End of Mln 1sto glonfy and enJoy God, theobtammg whereofmakes him perfe8:- Jy happy, aod the miffing of it perfellly miferable. This is a fundamental Truth upon which the whole Fabrick of Man's Duty and Felicity is built. Without this Foundation our Faith prefcntly fini<s. If the clearnefs of this Principle be obfcur'd, we fha ll wande; from the way of Eternal Life, and not only lofe the way, but the remembrance and delire of it. Thinking is the property of the reafonable Soul, and the juft order of Confidcration is, that the ~ind primarily regards this fupream direCtive Truth that is to go- ,_. ~rinm_m t~o vern all our AEhons. fwas prudent Counfel that *'one of the Anttents gave for corn. fmpwm_ offi - pofing a Book, that the Author frequently refleCt: upon the Title, that it may correfpond ~mu~~;~~~ In all the parts with his original Defign. Thus it becomes a, Man often to confider the End lu~ tuu~ le- of hi s Being. that the courfe of his Life may have a direlt tendency toir; and the more ~~:;~~:~~;[; ~ffic~~~~r ~~~~~~~i~P~l~co~~rfe~~~~rw;~~h~rt~~ ~~e~lo~~h:~r~~~e d!fire'sT;!n°J ?g~~: '"'"'';' (,,;. wh•t do I fpend my Strength, and confume my Days? Will it be my !aft Account, haw bo"- much bymy Prudence and Diligence I have exceedc;d others in temporal Acquifitions? If aGcneralwcre at play wlule the _Arm1cs are engagmg, would 1t be a noble Exploit for hun to w1n the Game, wh1lcs Ius Army for want of ~ndu8: lofcs the ViC!:ory? Will it be profitable for a Man to gam the World, and lofc Ius Soul? Let Confcience anfwcr in Truth. . , ~~~l!~~~;~;~i i n~·~~o~1b[,~~v~~~ ~~I~~1i:t;;t,o:~~e~~! tur~r7~~~fcr~~i~~~r,a~~a~~~~1~~i~~r~1ft~~Jrh~~~-, ara c i~ numt~ that without a due Senfe of the proper Bufinefs and End of Life, he was arrived to that · r,j~J.· , &_en· Age, when our Days begin to decline. In an inftant all things fecm'd to change :,ippca- ~~r::o ~~~it ranee in his view. Then firft (fays he) I perceived I was a Man, for before I had not m_c_fubiwn<r- refolved for what I fl10uld employ my Life. The Ufue was, his ferious Refolution uo ~~~:1:~t::~~ ~:~:c~~t~~fi0~e~~o~~'ttfu~f~~yi:.0 c~~~e;~yco~~ft;h~~ i~~~~ ~;s ;~~~!%o~~c ~~~~~f~n~ "':' l'"lu ,. an incorrigibly depraved Hearr, dul y confider the fublime and fupernatural End of Man. ~~e~d~r~-~~1~:~ 0 what a marvellous change will it ma~e in him, of Carnal i~to Spiritual ? Nay, it f<m,; quo lu' would be a kind of Miracle if he continued in his finful State. How will it transform ~~~~~o~, fi& him into anOther _Man, with new VahJa t ~OIJ.s, n~w ~ff~Et~ons !l~d Refolu.tions~ as if he di~ nofiri ad were born agttin wuh a new Soul? How WJillt arpa~ l)lffi that Jus who!~ C9utfe !1as been ooafum;.. di- a contradiCtion to the wife and gracious defign qf Gp~, that all his Indu!hy has been a ~~f~~~f?~f1;i race out of the way, a perpetual div~rfion trof!l .his main Bufinefs, that l~is Life hasbeen ~;~~ .. ~,~~~- ~~i::~~~~~~~ ,~~~~t~);l, ~~~~~;a~~i~~: ~~~~ ~~v~d ty"~~~fob~ct;.~ ~~d: ~~d~~;~gi: ~~~~~~! ~1~nc oos by a firi[t tenden~y without ~~ria tion iffue i~to it. . . ·· · ." ' · ho11~ incm ~g- 2 . Confider atrcnttvely the O~Jeas that £land m compeuuon forour Cho1ce, the prefcm ~b:~~;;:~mona ~~~~~o~;,d Heaven, to make a JUdicious cornparifon between them in their ~ality and ( 1. ) In their Quality, The things of the World, according to the judgment of God himfe!t; wf1o is only Wife and Good, and has the highell: Authorit yto dec1de in the cafe, are but fallacious appearances of Happinefs, mere Vanity. And certainly the Creator knows the true worth of all things, and would not difparage his owq Works, b~t would undeceive Men that are apt to JUdg and choofe by the Eye of Senfe. The Apoftle tells us, T/w an Idol is nothing in the World; altho the matter of it may be of Gold, or Marpie, or Wood, yet it has no divine PerfeC!:ion, which the Idolater attributes to ir. So all worldly things, in which Men place their chief !=are, and Confidence, and Joy, tho they have fomedegre~s of Goodnefs, and are a tranfient relief to us in our palfage to Eternity, yet they are nothing as to perfeCt Felicity. 'Tis merely Opimon and Conc~1t that makes them fo valued and pleafing, like a rich Dye to a flight Stuff from whence ns Price arifes. Reafon is either obfcur'd; or not obeyed when the World 1s t~e O,bJeC!: of our Choice. Now what are thefe Appearanc,s of Bea~ty and Pleafure, compar d with ., nl~lfedncfs that is truly infinite? <:;arnal Joy fmil~_;; m the Count~nance, llatt;;Jc~:
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