The Danger of Profperity. \vhen he fold his Birthright for a Mefs of Pottage, his folly had been cxcufed; for he was compelled by hunger; and. the glorious D1gmry of the Birthright was .d•fproport!onatc to his Appetite and Undcrfiandmg ; but~ his mature Age,. when c~pab1_c to under- !l:and his lrttcrcfl:, ro pan with fo facred and precious an Advantage, for a bttle !cnlual ~~~;s;~~i~:::,e::s,~o,r,;t;~,~;gl~~, ~~h~~ ~~a~slr~!l~h~I~ri[e1 b~r~~~~r ~~~~%~18~:~~~ ~;,t~;, ~~~~~~,r~i~~~sr~~~~s,tl~~~a~r:sc::J., ~~~?c~~~{;io~iZ~~~; f~t;1:~~, ~~?wf.~~ Me,; are fo bru tifh, that the Objects that pleafe the~r Eyes,. and carnal Senfes, arc the only Artradives of their Affcdwns, 'tis unnamral and monfuous; Dccaufe Rcafon fhoutd have the Supremacy in them. If a Woman rcmatn m a fingle Scare, flJC has power over her ACtions, and m_ay freely gdvcrn her fclf; but xf married, 1~ fu~ordmare rO her Husband : and Oilobed,cnce w his Aud10riry and prudent Counfels, IS culpable: ;/:~t~~~Gi;;"b;~·d,~ej,:~'~:c~~d~n~f,~h:h~i~n~:pa~::y1:a~~~a~~f!J',~f~; ~~~,;:'~%~:af1¥;r: tir, that is frampt with the living Image of God, its Defirc.s muil be limitc? an~ dircdcd by the Mind, and the pleafing of Senfc in Actions forb1dden by. the Mmd, IS rcbcll_ion againfl: rhe ruling FaCl~lry. If one be under a D1fea~c that ~u~e mflames and I~crcafCs, and the Phyf:cian forbids it as deadly, yet the Pancnt w1ll judge only by Ius Palate whether Win~ \)le good for h1m; were tt nor a kind ~f ~rut1fh~tefs worthy of rh6 Evil that attends ,, ? Such perverfc Folly arc Men guilty of m thetr fenfual Satisfadions, whereby the Soul tS unfpeaka6ly wrong'd, and God hi ghly diOJOnollred, who has given to Man a more exceHcnr Spuir, than to the FO\~ls of the Air, that He may judge of thingS, hot as they appear, bur as they are: l· 'Tis the moll ignominious folly. Shame a;ifes from rhe fenfe of a debafod Extellencc: the Under!landing is the moll excellent faculty in Man; and nothing brings a greater Diffcpmarion to him, rh_an When he is deceived by the ignorance or .inconiide- ~a renefs of hi s Mind. And the Dclufion is m?il: fhameful in ma~ters of great Moment: ~~~: {o~af~l~1! ~~o~:~:~~:~ol~i:, ~~~~ :R~~:~~:gt'~l~c~o;;~~~~;;,~~ci J:~h~tC~~~~ and Redeemer of Souls, 'perfedly knew their Worth, puts the ~e!li on, fQ as to imply the !lronge!l denial, What is a Man profited, if he fhall gain the wbole World, and lofe his own Soul? or, What fhall a Man g,i-ue in exchange for his Soul; The Vanity of the Pur- ~ha(C, an~ rhe Value of the LoiS, is fuch, rha~ no ~an? confcious of his ~mmortality ~h:~1~a1:~:td~~a~~r~dtb;ut~eat:r~'~~~~st~~~te 1 ~.;:~ ~~~dn~~ ~:~~~~~~~ PJo~;~~~~~' F~~;~ ~ PmiU* . in rheir Commerce with the Romans, receiving Silver for their Amber, that has no Vir- w.ir#nltl .,~~ rUe bur to draw Straws tb it, ri:ey we~e amazed at rhe Price. And cerr~.inly the great P1 ""' · Tabt. Tempter cannOt but wonder. at the foo~fh Exchange rl~at M~n make, in gtving their immortal Souls to him for pen01ing Vamties; and havmg tlus fcornful Advamage, will mqch more upbratd them hereafter, than eVer he al1ur'd diem here. . The fhamc that attends th is Folly, is fom~times felt by Sinners in this World; wheri they are fll'kenimt of their !lupifying llumbcr, and fully awak'd to difcovpr their evil Choice. Thus thf' Apoitlc fpeaks, What Fruit bad you uf thq/e things whereof you an! now afhamed,.for the end of tbofe tbings is deqtb? When the memory of Sin IS revived, \Ytth a true JUdgment of It, that wluch has Emptinefs in tbe beginning, and Deat!J in thd ]er. i7. :it. Jf!ue, m.jl ba'Ve SIJ4me in the middle. The Prophet tells us, He tbat gettetb Riches, and l10t by nghJ, Jhallleave tbem in the midj/ of his Days, and dt bis end/hall be a Fool. He \\>as a Fool all along m his dece1ving of others, rho' reputed worldly wife; but in the IfTue, when that which he gained canhot be kept; and the Soul being loft, can never be recover~d; by rh~ conviction 9f l~s ~nfci~nce, he is a Fool! and reAed's upon his pail: folly With confufion. But at the la!\ day, ,the Shame of fochfh Sinners flJall be difplay- , .. ed before the Eyes of the wholeWorld. , 'J:is foretold, that.fome jhall rife to jhame and t>m. " · ;, e-verlaflmg contempt. Obfcunty IS the Mask of Shame, but to be expofed a fpedacle of Scorn before a throng' cl Theatre, is the aggravation and eminence of the Shame. How confounding will the fl1amc o~ Sinners bejn the univedal confluence of Angels and Sainrs, }~~;h~i\f~~~~~etl~:mtl}~rg!~~;us God, the Judge of Alii The fertfe of tlicir Guilt and 4· 'Tis the moll wof,il Foily. Here fuci1 mifchievous Effects proceed frory, it as deferve the faddc!l Lamentation. T he Under!landing, . the highe!l Faculty, the. Bqut}' and E<ecllcncy of Man IS bhnded, the will is fettered by corrupt Pallions, an:d the 1V!,i(>le Mat(
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