facilitatem æquitatemque omnia contulit, nec maluit litium actiones conftituere, quam controverfias tollere.] In a word, if you live by fenfe and not by Faith, on things prefent, and not on things unfeen, you go backward; you ftand on your beads, and turn your heels against Heaven; you caufe the beast to ride the man; and by turning all things upfide down, will turn your felves into confufion. 2. Confider that it is the unfeen things that are only Great and Neceffary, that are worthy of a man, and answer the excellency of our nature, and the ends of our lives, and all our mercies. All other things are inconfiderable toyes, except as they are dignified by their relation to thefe. Whether a man ftep into crernity from a Palace or a Prifon, a Lordship or a Lazarus ftate, is little to be regarded. All men in the world, whofe defigns and bufinefs take up with any thing short of Heaven, are in the main of one condition, and are but in fcveral degrees and forms in the School of folly. Ifthe intendment of your lives fall thort of God, it matters not much what it is you feek, as to any great difference. If leffer children play for pins, and bigger boyes for points and pence, and aged children for lands and money, for titles of honour, and command, What difference is there between thefe, in point of wisdom and felicity? but that the little ones have more innocent, delights, and at a cheaper rate, than the aged have, without the vexatious cares and dangers that attend more grave and fe rious dotage... As Holineß to the Lord is written upon all that is faithfully referred to his Will and Glory; fo Vanity and Sin, is written upon all that is but made provision for the flesh, and hath no higher end than Self. To go to Hell with greater ftir, and attendance, and repute, with greater pomp and pleasure than the poor, is a poor confolation, a pitiful felicity! 3. Faith is the wisdom of the foul and unbelief and fenfuality are its blindneß, folly and brutishness. How fhort is the knowledge of the wifelt unbelievers? They know not much of what is paft; (and less they would know, if Hiftorians were not of more credit with them, than the Word of God: But alas, how little do they know of what is to come? fenfe tells them where they are, and what they are now doing: but it tells them not where they shall be to morrow. But Faith can tell Atrue Believer, Believer, what will be when this world is ended and where he fhall live to all eternity, and what he fhall be doing, what thoughts he fhall be thinking, what affections fhall be the temper and employment of his foul: what he thall fee, and feel, and enjoy; and with what company he shall converfe for ever. If the pretenders to Aftrological prediction, could but foretel the changes of mens lives, and the time and manner of their deaths, what refort would be to them? and how wife would they be efteemed? but what is all this to the infallible predictions of the All-knowing God, that hath given us a profpect into another world, and fhewed us what will be for ever, more certainly than you know what a day may bring forth. So neceffary is fore-knowledge in the common affairs of men, that without it the actions of the world would be but mad tumultuary confufion: What would you think of that mans underftanding, or how would you value the imployments of his life, that lookt no further in all his actions, than the prefent hour, and faw no more than the things in hand? What would you call him that fo fpends the day, as one that knoweth not there will be any night: and fo paft the night, as one that looked not for that day? that knew not in the Spring there would be an Harveft, or in the Summer, that there would be any Winter: or in Youth, that there would be Age or Death? The filly brutes that have no fore-knowledge, are furnished with an inftinet that fupplieth the want of it, and alfo have the help of mans fore-knowledge, or elfe their kind would be foon extin&t. The Bees labour in Summer, as if they forefaw the Winters need. And can that man be wife, that forefeetb not his everlafting ftate? Indeed he that knoweth not what is to come, hath no true knowledge of what is prefent: For the worth and ufe of prefent things, is only in their refpect to things eternal: And there is no means, where there is no end. What wisdom then remains in Unbelievers, when all their lives are mis-imployed, because they know not the end of life? and when all their actions are utterly debafed, by the bafeness of those brutifh ends, to which they serve and are referred. Nothing is truly wife or honourable, that is done for fmall and worthlefs things. To draw a curious picture of a fhadow, L fhadow, or elegantly write the hiftory of a dream, may be an ingenuous kind of foolery; but the end will not allow it the name of Wisdom: And fuch are all the actions of the world (though called Heroick, Valiant and Honourable) that aim at tranfitory trifles, and tend not to the everlasting end. A bird can neatly build her neft,but is not therefore countedWife.How contrary is the judgement of the world to Chrifts? When the fame defcription that he giveth of a fool, is it that worldlings give of a wife and happy man, Luke 12. 20, 21. [One that layeth up riches for himself, and is not rich towards God.] Will you perfwade us that the man is wife, that can climb a little higher than his neighbours, that he may have the greater fall? That is attended in his way to Hell with greater pomp and state than others? That can fin more Syllogiftically and Rhetorically than the vulgar; and more prudently and gravely run into damnation ; and can learnedly defend his madness, and prove that he is fafe at the brink of Hell? Would you perfwade us that he is wife, that contradi&s the God and Rule of Wisdom, and that parts with Heaven for a few merry hours, and hath not wit to fave his foul? When they fee the end, and are arrived at eternity,let them boaft of their Wifdom, as they find caufe: We will take them then for more competent Judges. Let the Eternal God be the portion of my foul; let Heaven be my inheritance and hope; let Chrift be my Head, and the promife, my security,let Faith be my Wisdom,and Love be my ve ry heart and will, and patient perfevering Obedience be my lift; and then I can spare the wisdom of the world, because I can spare the trifles that it feeks,and all that they are like to get by it... What abundance of complaints and calamity would forefight prevent? Had the events of this one year been (conditionally) forefeen, the actions of thou fands would have b en otherwife ordered, and much fin and fhame have been prevented. What a change would it make on the judgements of the world? how many words would be otherwife spoken? and how many deeds would be otherwise done? and how many hours would be otherwife spent, if the change that will be made by Judgement and Execution, were well foreseen? And why is it not forefeen, when it is foreshewn? When the omnifcient God, that will certainly perform his Word, hath fo plainly G revealed revealed it, and fo fréquently and loudly warns you of it? Is he wife, that after all thele warnings will lie down in everlatting woe, and fay, Ilittle thought of fuch a day: I did not believe I should ever have feen so great a change?] Would the fervants of Chritt be ufed as they are, if the malicious world forefaw the day, when Christ shall come with ten thousands of bis Saints, to execute Judgement on all that are ungodly? Jude 14, 15. When he shall come to be glorified in bie Saints, and admired in all them that do believe, 2 Thef. 1. 10. When the Saints shall judge the world, 1-Cor. 6.2,3. and when the ungodly feeing them on Chrifts right hand, muft hear their fentence on this account [Verily I fay unto you, in as much as you did it (or, did it not) to one of the least of these (my Brethren) you did it unto me.] Matth. 25. Yet a few daies, and all this will be done before your eyes: but the unbelieving. world will not forefce it.. Would malignant Cain have flain his brother, if he had forefeen the punishment, which he calleth afterward intollerable, Gen. 4. 13. Would the world have defpifed the preaching of Noah, if they had believed the deluge? Would Sodom have been Sodom, if they had forefeen that an Hell from Heaven would have confumed them? Would Achan have medled with his prey, if he had forefeen the ftones that were his Exc cutioners and his Tomb? Would Gebezi have obeyed his covetous defire, if he had foreseen the leprofic? Or Judas have betrayed Chrift, if he had forefeen the hanging himself in his defpair? It is fore-feeing Faith that faves thofe that are faved; and blind unbelief that causeth mens perdition. Yea prefent things as well as future, are unknown to foolish Unbelievers. Do they know who feeth them in their fin? and what many thousands are fuffering for the like, while they fee no danger? Whatever their tongues fay, the bearts and lives of fools deny that there is a God that feeth them, and will be their Judge, Pfalm 14. I. You fee then that you must live by Faith, or perif by folly. 4. Confider that things vifible are so tranfitory, and of fo Short continuance, that they do but deferve the name of things; being nothings, and lefs than nothing, and lighter than vanity it felf, compared to the neceffary eternal Being, whofe name is I AM. There is but a few dates difference between a Prince and no Prince; a Lord and no Lord; a man and no man; a world and no world. And if this be all, let the time that is past inform you how small a difference this is. Rational forefight may teach a Xerxes to weep over his numerous Army, as knowing how toon they were all to be dead men. Can you forget that death is ready to undress you? and tell you, that your sport and mirth is done? and that now you have had all that the world can do, for thofe that ferve it, and take it for their part? How quickly can a feaver, or the choice of an hundred Meffengers of death, bereave you of all that earth afforded you, and turn your sweetest pleasures into gall, and turn a Lord into a lump of clay? It is but as a wink, an inch of time, till you must quit the stage, and fpeak, and breath, and fee the face of man no more. If you forefee this, O live as men that do forefee it. I never heard of any that stole his winding-feet, or fought for a Ciffin, or went to Law for his grave. And if you did but fee (as wife men thould) how near your Honours and Wealth, and Pleafures do ftand unto Eternity, as well as your Winding sheets, your Coffins, and your Graves, you would then value, and defire, and feek them regularly and moderately, as you do these. Oh what a fading, flower is your ftrength? How foon will all your gallantry fhrink into the fhell? Si veftra funt tollite ea vobifcum. Bern, But yet this is not the great part of the change. The termiww ad quem doth make it greater: It is great, for perfons of renown and honour, to change their Palaces for graves, and turn to noifom rottennefs and dirt and their Power and Command into filent impotency, unable to rebuke the poorest worm, that fawcily feedeth on their hearts or faces. But if you are Believers, you can look further, and forefee much more. The largest and most capacious heart alive, is unable fully to conceive what a change the ftroak of death will make. For the holy foul fo fuddenly to pass from prayer to Angelical praife, from forrew unto boundless joyes: from the flanders, and Contempt, and violence of men, to the befom of eternal Love; from the clamours of a tumultuous world, to the univerfal harmony and perfect uninterrupted Love and Peace, O what a bleffed change is this, which believing now, we fhall shortly feel. G 2 For |