An elegant and lively description of spiritual life and death Delivered in divers sermons…An elegant and lively description of spirituall life and death Delivered in divers sermons…

Secondly, this life of grace hath that which §2every man seeks, it hath much pleasure. Prov. 3.17. All her ways are ways of pleasure ▪ Those that walk in the ways of God are full of pleasure; this life brings a double pleasure, first, the reward of it, second, the comfort in performing the actions of it. Every good work as the Hebrew proverb is, hath meat in its mouth; the living of this life, hath a reward sufficient in its self, as appears by this. All pleasures follow some actions, and therefore men desire life, because it is a continuance of action: so men delight in new things because as long as they are new, the intention remains. The actions of this life are full of change; those actions that are perfect, there is pleasure following them, as beauty follows a good constitution, or as flame the fire. The actions of this life are perfect actions, the perfectest actions have the most perfect delight: the actions of this life are most perfect actions, therefore they have most perfect delight, because they are the actions of the best faculty, about the best object. All actions have the denomination of their perfection from their objects: these are actions of the soul, they are occupied about God, therefore they are the best and highest actions. He that lives about the best object, greatest content doth follow: he that lives this life, lives about the best object; therefore all the ways of it, are ways ⟨p. 72⟩of pleasure. There is more comfort and more Assiduity of consolation in this life, then in any other life. In other lives, every one according to his humour hath his delights, but yet they are not permanent, because he delighteth in transitory things; but he that lives the life of grace, delights in things that are truly delightful at all times: other delights are but delights at some times, in some places, they are not always so: but he that lives the life of grace, pitcheth on those that are always so. Prov. 14.15. A good conscience is a continual feast. Other comforts may fail; a man may fall into affliction; riches and pleasures may be taken away, then the days are evil; but a good conscience is a continual feast, that is, be his case what it will, his comfort is never interrupted. All other comforts are about sense, or things of this life, which are subject to alteration; but this life and the comforts of it, admit no change.