On the Excellency of the Soul. 3 43 are wee ? fmoak: Many a carnal man in the time of his ficknefs, and apprehenfion of death, will fay , that all this world it is as nothing. A third thing that may make even a carnal heart to fee alt the things ofthis world to bee as nothing, Ìt is ftrength of Reafon; though there ( hould not bee terrour of conscience, taor any atl1i6tions, yet ítrength of reafon may difcover the gain of this world to bee as nothing, in comparing of it un- to the foul; and this firength of reafon God is pleated feme- times to fan&ifie by his Spirit, when it is helped by the Word, by the fan&ified reafon that there is in the Word; I fay, when it is helped by that, then God bleffes it fo as to work off the heart from the world, to the things that con- cern the evert afting good of the foul ; And it is that that I shall fpeak to at this time, to convince you what a poor thing the gain of theworld is, even by ftrength of reafon and yet fuch reafon as is founded upon the Scripture. - -I have. already (hewn you the things that may make a fpiritual heart fee a vanity in all things in the world, as the excellency of God, and ofChrift, and the confequences of eternity; Now the other two, terronr of confcience, and affliftions, they are Gods work, and God, when hee pleafeth to thew the vanity of the loth ordinarily bring them upon the creature; but now for the third way of God to difcover to the creature by the fanfified Paving work of his Spirit , the vanity of all things; I lEall indeavour to íhew it you by . frrength of Argument and Reafon out of the Word.. As Firíi, Surely though thou fhoulde( gain the world , and yet bee a man that art like to perüh at halt, thou haft gotten but little; and it appears firft in this, that all thole that ever came to have true wifdome, and that are in Scrip- ture commended for men of true wifdome, they have lookt upon all the things of the world as very poor things : --- Firft, What do you think of him that was the wifeft man up- on Earth (meer man) even Solomon? that had the greateft experience that ever man had, of what good, the honours, . eSüx =sk i p ocits-of the world could do; and yet after Vkt
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