Three treatises of the vanity of the creature. The sinfulness of sin. The life…Three treatises of the vanity of the creature. The sinfulnesse of sinne. The life…

To set the heart on the Creature denotes three things. First, to pitch a mans thoughts and studies, to direct all the restless enquiries of his soul upon them, and the good he expects from them. This in the Scripture is expressed by ^aDevising, ^bConsulting, ^cThinking within ones self, being tossed like a ^dMeteor with doubtfulness of mind and careful suspense, ^eJoining ones self, making ^fProvision for lusts, &c. Secondly, to care for, to employ a mans affections of love, delight, desire upon them, to set a high price on them, and over-rate them above other things. For this cause covetous men are called ^gIdolaters, because they prefer money, as a man doth his God, before all other things. When the women would have comforted the wife of Phinehas with the birth of a son, after the captivity of the Ark, it is said she regarded it not, the Text is, she did not put her heart ⁸upon it: though a woman rejoice when a man child is borne, yet in comparison of the Ark she no more regarded the joy of a son, then a man would do if the sun should be blotted out of heaven, and a little star put in the room; and therefore, though children be the glory⁹ of their parents, yet she professeth that there was no glory in this to have a son, and lose an Ark, a star without light, a son without service, a levite borne and no Ark to wait upon; and therefore she did not set her heart upon it. They will not set their heart upon us, ¹⁰say the people to David, for thou art worth ten thousand of us; that is, they will no whit regard us in comparison of thee: so then a mans heart is set on the Creature, when