Serm.LXXV. itvifer than the Children of Light. 63 fhort of his End and Aim, to take him offfrom the profecutionof it ; he fcorns the motion, and thinks you go about to foot him out of his Intereft.. Bait á CovetousMan with Temptations of Pleafure, to get his Money, from. him ; how generoufly will this mean-fpirited Man trample upon Pleafure, when it would tempt him from his Defign of being rich ? Difficulties do not daunt them, but whet their Courage, and quicken their Endeavours, and fet a keener Edge upon their Spirits. Give an Ambitious Man almoft a demonftration of the impoffibility of his attempt ; contra audentior ibit, he will go on fo much the more boldly and refolutely. the ways of Reli- gion Men are apt to be ddcouraged and put out of Countenance, by Contempt and Reproach : but a Covetous Man is not to be jeer'd and flurted out of his Money and Eftate ; he can be content to be Rich, and give leave ro thofe that are not fo, to laugh at him: Populus mihi fdilat, at mihi plaudo. The Rich Worldling can hug himfelf and his Bags, when theWorld hifl'eth at him ; he can bear to de hated, and perfecuted, and have all manner of evil fpoke againfi him for Money fake. And in the purfuit of thefe Defigns, Men will, with great Refolution, encounter Enmity and Oppofition, and endure great Sufferings and Perfecution. How many have been Martyrs to their Lufts, and have Sacri- ficed their Eafe and Health, and even their Lives in the profecution of their Am- bitious, and Covetous, and Voluptuous Defigns ? But on the other hand, how eafily are Men check'd and diverted from a good. Courfe, by the Temptations and Advantages of this World ? How many are cold in their Zeal for Religion, by the Favour and Friendfhip of this World ? And as their Goods and Eftates have grown greater, their Devotion hath grown lefs. How apt are they to be terrified at the apprehenfion of Danger andSuf- ferings ; and by their fearful Imaginations, tomakethem greater than they are';' and with the People of Ifrael, to be difheartn'd from all further Attempts of en- tring into the Land of Promife, becaufe it is full of Giants and the Sons of Anak How eafily was Peter frighted into the denial of his Mailer ? And when our Sa- viour was apprehended, how did his Difciples forfake him, and fly from him t And tho' they were confiant afterwards to the Death, yet it was a great while before they were perfectly armed and fteel'd againft the fear of Suffering. 5 thly. TheMen of the World will make all things ftoop and fubmit to that, which is their great End and Defign ; their End rules them, and governs them, and gives Law to all their Adkins ; they will make an Advantage of every thing, and if it will not ferve their End one way or other, they will have nothing tô do with it. If an ambitious Man feek Wealth, it is but in order to his Defign to purchafe Friends, and ftrengthen his Intereft, and to make his riling the eafier he will lay his whole Eftate at the flake, rather than mils of his End. The co- vetous Man will quit his Pleafure, when it lies crois to his Intereft ; if he have any expenfiveLuft, and chargeable Vice, he will turn it off, or exchange it for fome more frugal and profitable Sin. But in the Affairs of Religion, and the concernments of our Souls; how freä quently do Men a& without a due Regard and Confideration of their great End? and inflead of making other things fubmit to it, they often bow and bend it tô their inferior Interefts. They make Heaven loop to Earth, and Religion tô ferve a Worldly Defign and the Glory of God to give way to Gain ; and the great Concernments of their Souls, and their eternal Salvation, to their Tem- poral Profit and Advantage. The Men of the world are generally true to their great End, and pay it that refpeét which is due to it, and will fuffer nothing tô, takeplace of it in their Efteem and Affeétion ; and if Men were as wife for their Souls and for anotherworld, they would bring all things to their great end, and make all the Concernments of this Temporal Life to yield and give way to the great Concernments of their Eternal Happtnefs. t proceed in the Second Place to give fome account of this, whence it comes to pals, that the Children of this World are wifer in their Generation than the Childrenof Light. And this I !hall do, by confidering what Advantages the Children of this Worldhave, Ceecz is
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