70 SERMONS úponthe SERM.IX. ons to happinefs, that are efcaped out of the ruines of the Fall. God by our felt-love, would draw us to love linaíelf : Man. will not be dealt with elfe. It . leaveth' men capable of Heaven the DoEtrine of Life reprefented to them, they are without excufe, if they refufe it. This is the ufe of it nom; but then when we are in termino, it bath another ufe. This love of their own happinefs, and defire to be faved, ferveth for this very ufe, to make them fenfible of their loll, the grief of their Condemnation and loft eftate is encreafed thereby. Now this is . little thought of by carnal men, becaufe they have Obletttamentn, fenfus, the enter- tainments of fenfe to divert their minds ; but when feparate and fet apart from all thefe, then, if they have no other puniíhment, this is enough. Surely their underftanding remaineth, having nothing to comfort them, and allay the bitter fenfe of their lofs. But now let us fee, I. Hon: far carnal and unregenerate men defire Happinefs. 2. Why this is fo little improved, and they make fo little ufe of it. Firft, How far a carnal and unregenerate man may delire Happinefs. (I.) They may defire good confuf i, non indefinite ; Happinefs in the General ; but this delire cometh under no deliberation and choice : The happinefs that is offered by Chrift, or that Life and Immortality that he bringeth to light, comet' under another confideration. Good, Good, is the cry of the World : Certainly no man would be miferable; but all would be happy, and live at eafe. Chriflians, Pagans, all good men; bad men, they that feldome agree in any thing, do all agree in this, they would have good. To ask men whether they would be happy or no, is to ask men whether they love themfelves yea or no. -(2.). They would not only have good in the General, but fame eternal good : And becaufe this is not fo evident by nature; they grope and feel about for it, Ail, 17. 26. There is an unfatisfiednefs in prefent things, and therefore they are fcramb- ling, and feeling about for fome better thing. As Soloman tryed all experiments, fo do men go about feeking for good, Eccl. 7. 29. Since we loft the ftreight line of Gods dire &ion we feek it fometimes in one thing, fometimes in another ; and Chrift faith, 11;1.4.'3' 45, 46. That the lQngdom of Heaven is like unto a Merchant ,van feeking goodly pearls. And when he had found one pearl of good. price, he went and fold all that he had, and bought it. Man would have fotnething contentful, that may be an everlaffing ground of rejoycing to hini. (3.) As to true happinefs and eternal good, when it is difcovered to us, our Incli- nations to it are but weak and ineffeEtual : Without grace we difcern it but weak- ly ; for there is a great milt upon Eternity, and the light of Nature being dim, cannot pierce through it, 2 Pet. r. q. As a Spire at a drffance, men fee it fo that they cannot know whether they fee it yea or no; or as the blind man when his eyes were firlt touched by Chrill, he faw men walking like Trees, Again we confider it but weakly, the mind being diverted by other obje&s : As when we fee a man in a crowd, we can hardly take notice of him; fo men feldome re- tire to confider what God offereth them in Chrifl. When God promifed Abra- ham the Land of Canaan, he biddeth him go and view the length and the breadth of it, Gen. 13. 14, 15, 16, r7. So. when he promifeth the Kingdom of Heaven, he doth in effe& fpeak the fame to us: For certain no man fhall enter into that land of promue, but he that hath confidered it, and well viewed it, and can lay áfide his earthly difira&ions fometimes, to take a turn in the land of Promife : But few do this ; few fend their thoughts before them as Spies into that blelled Land, and therefore it worketh fo little upon them. And we defire it but weakly, the Af- fe &ions being prepoífeffed and preingaged by things that come next to hand, we conceive only a with or a velleity for this happy Efiate, not a ferious volition, or a firm bent of heart ; and therefore we purfue it but weakly, as Children de- fire a thing pafftonately, but are foon put out of the humour: They do not pur- fue it with that earnefinefs, exa&nefs, and uniformity, which is requifite. The Soul of the Sluggard defireth, and bath nothing, Prov. 13.4. becaufe his hands refile to labour, Prov. 21. 25. So that this inclination to happinefs is neither ferious, nor con - fiant, nor laborious: Thefe defires are but delires. (4.) If they Like the End, they diflike the Means. Our Souls are more averle from the Means than from the End. All agree, in opinions and wifhes about a firpream and immortal Happinefs ; yet there is a great difcord in the way that leadetlr to it, not fo much in opinion as practice: Men like not Gods terms : Efau na-
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