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…

Secondly, as by prayer the Creature is sanctified in the procurement (for no man hath reason to believe that there is any blessing intended unto him by God in any of the good things which do not come in unto him by prayer) so in the next place the Creature is by Prayer sanctified in the fruition thereof; because, to enjoy the portion allotted us, and to rejoice in our labour, is the Gift of God, as Solomon speaks. The Creature of it¹ self is not only Dead, and therefore unable to minister life by it self alone, but, which is worse, by the means of mans sin, it is Deadly too, and therefore apt to poison the receivers of it without the corrective of Gods Grace. Pleasure is a thing in it self lawful; but corruption of nature is apt to make a man a lover of pleasure, more² then a lover of God, and then is that mans pleasure made unto him the metropolis of mischief, as Clemens Alexand•inus speaks. A good name is better then sweet³ ointment, and more to be desired then much riches; but corruption is apt to put a fly of vain-glory and self-affectation into this ointment, to make a man foolishly feed upon his own credit, and with the Pharisees to do▪ ⁴all for applause, and prefer the praise of men before the ⟨p. 33⟩glory of God; and then our sweet ointment is degenerated into a curse; Woe be unto you, when all men shall ⁵speak well of you. Riches of themselves are the good gifts and blessings of God, as Solomon saith, The blessing of the Lord maketh rich, but corruption is apt to breed by this means covetousness, pride, self-dependency, forgetfulness of God, scorn of the Gospel, and the like; and then these earthly blessings are turned into the curse of the earth, into Thorns and Briers, as the Apostle speaks, They that will be rich pierce themselves through ⁶