And what then hath a spiritual soul to do with clods of earth, or acres of land; with barns full of corn, or bags full of gold? These are too thick and gross to correspond with its refined

nature.

But rather bring spiritual things to spiritual. God who is the Father of Spirits *, his love and favour, an interest in him, and communion with him, the consolations of the Holy Ghost, the actings of grace, and the hopes of glory; these spiritual and clarified essences, which a carnal eye cannot see, nor a carnal judgment value; these are most suitable to the soul, that is a spirit, and ought not to be unequally yoked to the dregs and dross of earthly enjoyments.

(2.) The soul is Immortal; but all worldly things are perishing, and wear out in the using. And, therefore, it was but small comfort, when the rich man sung his requiem, to say, Soul, take thy ease, thou hast goods laid up for many years. Thou fool! what is an estate for many years, to a soul whose duration is not measured by years, but by eternity? What, when those years of plenty are expired? How destitute will thy soul be when it shall have out-lived all its good things! It may out-live them, even in this world. God may nip and blast all that thou settest thy heart on; and make all thy comforts fall off from thee, like so many withered leaves. However, if thou hast no other than what this miserable world can afford, thou shalt certainly out-live them in the world to come: and what wilt thou do, not in those years, but in that eternity of famine ?

As it is with those, that are invited to feast in some noble family, the furniture is rich, the entertainment splendid and magnificent; but, when they depart, they cannot, of all that pomp and bravery, carry any thing away with them; so is it here the world is God's great house, richly furnished, and we well entertained in it: we have all things liberally afforded us for our use; but nothing of all is ours. And, therefore, God hath set that grim porter, Death, at his gate; to see, that, as we brought nothing into it, so we carry nothing out of it.

What a sad parting-hour will it be to the soul, when it must go into another world, and leave all that it admired and loved,

Heb. xii. 9.

behind in this! How will it protract, and linger! How loth will it be to enter upon so great a journey, and carry nothing to defray the charges of it! Certainly, dying must needs be a terrible thing, to those, who have gotten nothing but what they can no longer keep, when their souls must be set on shore in a vast and black eternity, all naked and destitute, having nothing to relieve or support them.

(3.) The Necessities of the soul, are altogether of another kind, than those, which worldly things are able to supply: and therefore they are wholly unsuitable.

Natural things may well serve for natural wants: food will satisfy hunger, and raiment fence off the injuries of the weather, and riches will procure both: but the soul's necessities are spiritual, and these no natural thing can reach. It wants a price, to redeem it: nothing can do this, but the precious blood of Christ. It wants pardon and forgiveness: nothing can grant it, but the free and abundant mercy of God. It wants sanctification and holiness, comfort and assurance: nothing can effect these, but the Holy Ghost. Here, all worldly things fall short. The exigencies of the outward man they may supply; but the greatest abundance of them can never quiet a troubled conscience, nor appease an angry God, nor remove the condemning guilt of the least sin: no, the redemption of the soul is precious (more precious than to be purchased by these poor things) and it ceaseth for ever: Psal. xlix. 8.

Possibly, now, in the time of your peace and prosperity, you regard not these spiritual wants; but, when the days of sorrow and darkness shall come upon you, when God shall drop into your consciences a little of his wrath and displeasure, you may as well seek to cure a wound in your body, by applying a plaister to your garment, as seek to ease a wounded spirit by all the treasures, pleasures, and enjoyments of this world. Riches, saith the wise man, Prov. xi. 4. profit not in the day of wrath for, indeed, they cannot reach the soul, to bring any true solace to it.

Thus you see how unsuitable the world is to the soul: unsuitable to the Nature of it, for the soul is spiritual, but all earthly enjoyments are drossy and material; the soul is immortal, but these are all perishing: unsuitable also to the Necessities of the soul, which they can never reach nor supply.

.

9. The Vanity of the World appears in its INCONSTANCY and

FICKLENESS.

God's providence administers all things here below, in perpetual vicissitudes. His hand turns them about, like so many wheels: to which they are compared; Ezek. i. The same part is now uppermost; and, anon, lowermost: now, lifted up in the air; and, by and by, grated through the mire. This is the mutable condition of the world. And therefore, we find it compared to the moon; Rev. xii. 1. where the Church is described to be clothed with the sun, and to have the moon, that is, the world, under her feet. And well may it bear the resemblance for it is still waxing and waning; sometimes full of brightness, at other times scarce a small streak of light to be discerned.

There are none of us, but have had experience, in some kind or other, of the inconstancy of these sublunary enjoyments.

When the sun shines bright and warm, all the flowers of the field open and display their leaves, to receive him into their bosoms; but, when night comes, they fold together, and shut up all their glories: and, though they were like so many little suns shining here below, able, one would think, to force a day for themselves; yet, when the sun withdraws his beams, they droop, and hang the head, and stand neglected, dull and obscure things. So hath it fared with us: while God hath shone upon us with warm and cherishing influences, we opened, and spread, and flourished into a great pomp and glory; but he only hides his face, draws in his beams, and all our beautiful leaves shut up, or fall to the ground, and leave us a bare stalk, poor and contemptible.

Or, if there have been no such considerable mutations in what concerns us, yet the revolutions, that God hath of late years brought upon others, so beyond expectation or example, may well instruct us in the Vanity of the World; and make us no less contemn it, than admire that Infinite Wisdom that governs it.

It is said of the wheels, Ezek. i. 17. that they went upon their four sides: for, one wheel intersecting and crossing another, the whole must needs consist of four sides or semicircles; and moving upon these four sides, it must of necessity move very ruggedly, by jolts and jerks. So, truly, the Providences of God do sometimes move unevenly; as cross wheels would do,

moving upon their sides. Great and sudden changes are often brought to pass, without being ripened by sensible degrees : but happen by the surprisal of some unexpected Providence; and, as it were, by the sudden jerk of the wheel, shaking off those who sat on the top, and crushing them in its passage

over.

'Tis true, these mutations which to us seem so confused and tumultuary, are all orderly and harmonious in the divine coun sel and foreknowledge. There is not a Providence, that breaks its rank; nor a wheel, that moves out of its track: and there is a destined end for them all, the Glory of the Almighty Creator; to which, while every creature pursues its own inclinations, he sweetly and yet efficaciously sways them. They are all like arrows, shot at a mark by an unerring hand: some are shot point-blank, and some by compass; but none so carelessly as to miss it.

*

Though changes may surprise us, yet they do not surprise God: but, as it is a great pleasure to us, to see our designs and forecasts accomplished; so, Infinite Wisdom delights itself to look on, and see how all things start up into their place and order, as soon as called forth by his efficacious decree and foreknowledge. Among all the weighty and arduous cares of governing the world, it is, if I may so express it, the Recreation of Providence, to amuse mankind with some wonderful events: that, when we cannot find out the connection and dependence of Second Causes, we may humbly acquiesce in adoring the absolute sovereignty of the First; and, by observing the mutations of affairs here below, may be taught to repose ourselves in Him, who only is immutable. Thus God administers the various occurrences of the world, according to the counsel of his own will; and makes the inconstancy of it serve both for his delight and our admonition.

It is in vain, therefore, to expect happiness from what is so uncertain. All the comforts of it are but like fading flowers, that, while we are looking on them and smelling to them, die and wither in our hands.

Is it Pleasures we seek? These must vary: for where there is not an intermission, it is not pleasure, but a glut and surfeit. And hence it is, that they who are used to hardships, taste more sweetness in some ordinary pleasures; than those,

who are accustomed to a voluptuous life, do in all their exquisite and invented delights.

Do you pursue Honour and Applause in the world? This hangs upon the wavering tongues of the multitude. To follow this, is but to pursue a puff of wind; and, of all winds in nature, the most fickle and changeable. The people's Hosanna and Crucify, are oft pronounced in the same breath. And, be sides that it is no great matter that those should think or speak well of thee, who have but too much reason to think ill of themselves *; besides this, consider how soon public fame grows out of breath. Possibly an age or two may talk of thee; but this bruit is but like successive echoes, that render the voice still weaker and weaker, till at length it vanisheth into silence. Yea, couldst thou fill whole chronicles with thy story, yet time or moths will eat thee out: and the fresher remembrance of other men's actions will bury thine in oblivion †.

Is it Riches you desire? These, too, are uncertain: 1 Tim, vi. 17. Charge them, that they trust not in uncertain riches. Uncertain they are in getting; and uncertain in keeping, when got. All our treasures are like quicksilver, which strangely slips between our fingers, when we think we hold it fastest. Riches, saith the Wise Man, make themselves wings, and fly away as an eagle towards heaven: Prov. xxiii. 5: and it were a most strange folly, to fall passionately in love with a bird upon his wing, who is free and unconfined as the air in which he flies, and will not stoop to thy call or lure ‡. How much better were it, since they will fly, for thyself to direct their flight towards heaven, by relieving the necessitous servants and members of Jesus Christ! Then will their flight be happy and glorious, when they carry on their wings the prayers and blessings of the poor, whose bowels thou hast refreshed. This is to lay up treasure in heaven; to remit thy monies to the other world, where they shall be truly paid thee, with abundant interest. This is to lay up a stock for hereafter, that thou mayest have whereon

*

8. 53.

Επαινείσθαι θελεις ύπο ανθρώπε, τρις της ώρας εαυτῷ καταρωμενε; Ant. l. viii,

† Ὡς αἱ θινες αλλαι επ' αλλαις επιφορέμεναι κρυπτεσι τα πρότερα, έτως εν τω βιῳ τα πρότερα ύπο των επενεχθεντων ταχιςα εκαλύφθη. Id. l. vii. s. 34.

† Ώσπερ ει τις τι των παραπετομένων ερεθιων φίλειν αρχοιτο, το δ' ηδη εξ οφθαλμων απεληλύθεν. Id. lib. vi. s. 15. The same with that of Solomon: Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that, which is not ? &c.