Downame - Puritan-02038 v2

That worldly things cannotfatisfte or bring contentment. 437 they onely behold this great plenty with their eyes, but haue not the power to mile of it. And this judgement the wife man obferueth. There is an euill (faith he)whscb f fatb vu_ Ecc1cC/ 6.L, ;. der the funne,andit is much among men. A man tawhomGod bathgiuen rithes, and pleafures and honour, and he wanteth no- thing for his foule of all that it defireth ; but q odg :meth him not power to eate thereof, but affrange man jhall eateitvp: this is vanity ,and aneuillfcknefje,yea (as he faith in the verge follo- wing)much tvorfe thenvntimely birth. And thushaue I Chewed that there is no contentment in pal.t. worldly riches, both becaufe they are vaine and cannot fa- That worldly tisfie; and alto becaufe our hearts are vnfatiable, and our a- pleafrresfa::f_ uarice fo thong and tyrannous that wee neither can nor will fie nor, Pi" giue be farisfied by them.Now in the tail place we are to examine aonteutment. pleafures, to fee whether we can in them find any fatietie or contentment :.where vpon trial! wee !hall find,that theyare as vaine and infufliicient for his purpofe as either of the other. For like fvveete drinkes,they (crue not to abate and quench, but toencreafe the voluptuous mans thirfl; making him af- ter the enioying ofone pleafure, to hunger after another; and after he bath enjoyed thoufands,to be as farre from con - tentment,as whenfirti he began to couet them; becaufe be- ingvaine theyvanifh in the fruition, and flip awaywhilei+ they are betweene our hands ; like a fhadow, leaning no- thing behind them but an emptie mind and hungrie delire after new varietie. Yea rather the more wee enioy them, the further wee are from contentation ; feeing cuery delight is vnto vs asatafie of fweet effe, which doth not fatisfie but iharpen ourlicorous appetites : and howfoeuer like the wa- ter in the imiths forge, they feeme for the prefent to quench and allay our heate,yet Toone after, the flame ofourconcu- pifcence increafeth, andburneth much more hotly. So that howfoeuer before wee tatted of thefe bewitching delights, we were mallets ofour owne affeEtions,and could moderate our dcfires : yet after wee have beene allured to enter into pleafures maze, we find not ourcomming out fo eafie as our going in; and when we haue been inticed to drinke ofthefe golden,butyet intoxicating cups, wee are prefently made F f 3 drunke