A discourse about the state of true happiness delivered in certain sermons in Oxford,…A discourse about the state of true happinesse deliuered in certaine sermons in Oxford,…

Fourthly, the young man in the Gospel may be a fit instance §4for our present purpose.¹ He was unreprovable in the external justice and outward observances of the second table, wherein civill honesty doth principally consist: but how far he was from inward sanctification, the state of grace, and happiness of Gods children, appears in the story. For when the sacred and powerful words of our blessed Saviour, had insinuated into the secrets of his soul, and struck at his sweet sin of covetousness; the young man is presently cast into a fit of melancholy, Christ is too precise a preacher for him, he cannot digest such a strict and severe course; he will not abandon his pleasures of worldliness, his palaces, his possessions, to follow Christ the Lord of heaven and earth in this life, though he assure him of the rich treasures of eternal blessedness in the life to come: When the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Whereby we may see, that a man may be civilly honest and uncensurable in outward works of justice, and yet harbour and nourish some close corruptions, and sweet sin in his heart: from which, rather then he will part, he will lose his part in Christ, the bottomless fountain of endless joys and comforts, and his portion of unvaluable glory in the new Jerusalem.

Fourthly, the young man in the Gospell may be a fit instance §4for our present purpose.¹ He was vnreprooueable in the externall iustice and outward obseruances of the second table, wherein ciuill honesty doth principally consist: but how farre hee was from inward sanctification, the state of grace, and happinesse of Gods children, appeares in the story. For when the sacred and powerfull words of our blessed Sauior, had insinuated into the secrets of his soule, and strucke at his sweet sinne of couetousnesse; the young man is presently cast into a fit of melancholie, Christ is too precise a preacher for him, he cannot digest such a strict and seuere course; he will not abandon his pleasures of worldlinesse, his palaces, his possessions, to follow Christ the Lord of heauen and earth in this life, though he assure him of the rich treasures of eternall blessednes in the life to come: When the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowfull: for he had great possessions. Whereby we may see, that a man may be ciuilly honest and vncensurable in outward workes of iustice, and yet harbour and nourish some close corruptions, and sweet sinne in his heart: from which, rather then he will part, he will lose his part in Christ, the bottomlesse fountaine of endlesse ioies and comforts, and his portion of vnualuable glory in the new Ierusalem.