A Difcomfe of the Fear of God, 933 Man as like th~i;;;--;;;;-incorpara ted Soul can "be'iike" an incorporeal Spirit. Thus~ in general I have laid dawn the Scheme and Draught of that \Vhich I \V ill open par- Chap. 1 0 . ticularly toyou: Forthe ~ 1. Firjl of thefe, The Ends and Defigns of thofe Perfons that are wife according to the World. In the General know thu<> much, there is no greater Millake in the World, than when a Man mifhkes his End: This I lay down as a Principle whiclJ will carry me through all the Dlfcourfe. For as it is direEt Folly for a Man to propound to himfelf no end in his AElions (this is as ifa man n1auld !hike a Ball into the open Air, there will beno return of it to him again) fo it is the n:xt degree of MadnefS and Folly for a Man to miftake his end; and the reafon of it is this, the !aft end of a Man is Happinds, and the belt that he can defign for himfelf. Now can there be a greater MifhiJ<e than about our Happinefs? PJeafures, Honours, and Profits; the Devil mal<es ufe of as his Engines to deftroy and undermine us; therefore that Man i~ loft, the very firft Step that he takes wlao makes thefe things his end. According to this Method did the Devil manage his fir!l: Temptation; for fa you 01all find, Gen l· 6. When tht womon fa•• thM tht Tm wosgood for food (there is the Lull of the Fle01) and that it 1va; p!eafant to the E1es (there is the Lull of the Eyes) and a tree to bt dejired to make one wifo (there is the Pride of Life) then n1e was taken and foyled. An"d Satan found this Temptation was fo fuccefsful, that he hatb formed all his Snares ever fince according to this firft Model ; therefore, when a man !hall once propound thefe thingS eo be his end, it is Folly, the Devil bath outwitted him. Let us confider the more particular Reafons why the propounding of thefe things as our end is the Folly ofa rationa l Creature ; For the opening of that I mufi lay down this previous Propofition._ The Soul of Man is his better part : The Soul is the Angel, and therefore that mufl: only be propounded as my end which can bring that to PerfeElion and SatisfaEtion, becaufC therein confifls the Happinefs of the Creature. NOw confider the Soul un· der thcfe three Nations. 1. Confider the Soul in reference to its Nature, and fo it is immaieriai. 2. Confider the Soul in reference to its Capacity, and fo it is infinite (in fame Senfe.) . J, Confider the Soul in reference to its Continuance and Duration, and fa it is Eternal. Now by the opening of thefe you will fee what Madncfs it is for a reafonable Creature to propound any worldly thing to himfel f as his end. ConGder Firft , The Nature of the Soul, which is immaterial; and therefore it can neither receive Prrfctl: ion n0r Satisfaction from the World. What foevcr cloth convey either ot thcfe hing.;, !!'11 ft have fomc Commenfuratcnefs, fame su.itablenefs to the Na.. ~;;~~ ~!c~!~csx~ ~~ht~Yt ?~~:~n~~'fr~~ t~~n~~~;~r~i~~~~:t ~'~e~~~~;, tY,~"~~~e~t'~~~;~h~ Senfcs. The Eye when it receives Plea!urc, 1t is becaufe there is a Suitablenefs between t he vi five Faculty, and the Colour of the thing feen. Natural Reafon receives delight from confidering the Contexture and Conca~enation that is between natural Produ~ 8ions and their Caufes, here is a Commenfuratenefs between them; but now the upper part of the Soul cannot receive any PerfeEtian or SatisfaE!ion, but from God, beeaufe there is nothing fuitable to its Nature belides him. As it was breathed from God, and infpired by him into the Body, fo it can only be perfeEted in him. 2. Secondly, If you conGder the Capacity of the Soul, and that (in fame degree) is infinite. The Soul of Man is capable of the Image of God, ofRighteoufnefs and HoJinefs ro J'enew him; it is capable of the Peace of God to ravifb him; it is capable of the Wrath of God, which is infinitely above the Fears of Man. Now can the World !atisfie this Soul which is capable of thefe things? We ufe to fay, that a Well or the Brain of a Man is empty, when the one wants Water and the other wants Wit, although the one be full of Air and the other full of Vapours; the reafon of it is this, becaufe where ever there is a want of that which fhould be of any thing'. we fay that it is empty. If the whale World were put into the Heart of Man, yet the Heart woulrl be empty without God, becaufe it wants that of which it is capable; and wh1ch 1t fbauld have. There muft always be a Conformity between the Ingredients and the Receptivity of the SubJeEt that takes them in. Is it not a Folly then to make the
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