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…

A man is setting himself to hear Gods word, begins to attend and relish the things that are spoken as matters which do in good earnest concern his peace, begins to see a beauty more then ordinary in Gods service, an excellency with David in Gods Law, which he considered not before, resolves hereafter to love, frequent, submit, believe, prize it more then he had ever done; presently the flesh sets up her mounds, her reasonings, her perverse disputes, her own principles, her shame, her worldliness, her want of leisure, her secular contentments, and so resists the spirit of God, and rejects his counsel. I have enough already, what needs this zeal, this pressing, this accurateness, this violence for heaven? strive we what we can, our infirmities will encompass us, our corruptions will be about us. But yet Beloved as in a pyramid, the higher you go the less compass still you find the body to be of, and yet not without the curiosity and diligence of him that framed it: so in a Christian mans resurrection, and conversation with Christ in heaven, the nearer he comes to Christ, the smaller still his corruptions will be, and yet not without much spiritual industry and christian art. A Christian is like a flame, the higher it ascends the more thin, purified and azury it is, but yet it is a flame in green wood, that wants perpetual blowing and encouragement. A man sets himself with some good resolution of spirit to set forward the honour in questioning, in discovering, in shaming, in punishing (within the compass of his own calling and warrant) the abuses of the times, in countenancing, in rewarding, in abetting and ⟨p. 160⟩supporting truth & righteousness: his flesh presently interposeth, his quiet, his security, his relations, his interests, his hopes, his fears, his dependencies, his plausibility, his credit, his profit, his secular provisos, these blunt his edge, upbraid him with impoliticness with malcontentedness, with a sullen & cynical disposition against men and manners, and thus put I know not what ill favoured colours upon a good face, to make a man out of love with an honest business. In a word, good is before me, the glory, the service, the ways of God: I see it, but I cannot love it, I love it, but I cannot do it, I do it, but I cannot finish it;

A man is setting himself to heare Gods word, begins to attend and rellish the things that are spoken as matters which doe in good earnest concerne his peace, begins to see a beauty more then ordinary in Gods service, an excellencie with David in Gods Law, which hee considered not before, resolves hereafter to love, frequent, submit, beleeve, prize it more then he had ever done; presently the flesh sets up her mounds, her reasonings, her perverse disputes, her owne principles, her shame, her worldlinesse, her want of leisure, her secular contentments, and so resists the spirit of God, and rejects his counsell. I have enough already, what needs this zeale, this pressing, this accuratenesse, this violence for heaven? strive wee what wee can, our infirmities will encompasse us, our corruptions will bee about us. But yet Beloved as in a pyramide, the higher you goe the lesse compasse still you finde the body to bee of, and yet not without the curiositie and diligence of him that fram'd it: so in a Christian mans resurrection, and conversation with Christ in heaven, the neerer he comes to Christ, the smaller still his corruptions will bee, and yet not without much spirituall industry and christian art. A Christian is like a flame, the higher it ascends the more thinne, purified and azurie it is, but yet it is a flame in greene wood, that wants perpetuall blowing and encouragement. A man sets himselfe with some good resolution of spirit to set forward the honor in questioning, in discovering, in shaming, in punishing (within the compasse of his owne calling and warrant) the abuses of the times, in countenancing, in rewarding, in abetting and