The danger of prosperity discovered in several sermons upon Prov. I. 27 /

The second thing to be considered, is the Folly of prosperous Sinners. Folly is the Cause of their abusing Prosperity, and the Effect of their Prosperity abused. The most proper Notion of Folly is, that the Understanding mistakes in judging and comparing things; from whence the Will slides into Error, and makes an unworthy choice: And according to the weight and consequence of things, the more remarkable is the degree of Folly in not discerning their Differences. Now when Men value and are delighted in temporal Prosperity as their Happiness, and Heaven with its Glory & Joys is neglected and vilified in the comparison, ⟨p. 126⟩'tis Folly above all wonder; Folly of so rare and singular a Nature, that if the judicative Faculty were not corrupted, it were impossible they should be guilty of it. This will appear by considering the essential and inseparable Properties of Man's Felicity;¹ 'tis perfective and satisfying of Man in his supreme Faculties.

The second thing to be consider'd, is the Folly of prosperous Sinners. Folly is the Cause of their abusing Prosperity, and the Effect of their Prosperity abused. The most proper Notion of Folly is, that the Understanding mistakes in judging and comparing things; from whence the Will slides into Error, and makes an unworthy choice: And according to the weight and consequence of things, the more remarkable is the degree of Folly in not discerning their Differences. Now when Men value and are delighted in temporal Prosperity as their Happiness, and Heaven with its Glory & Joys is neglected and vilified in the comparison, ⟨p. 126⟩'tis Folly above all wonder; Folly of so rare and singular a Nature, that if the judicative Faculty were not corrupted, it were impossible they should be guilty of it. This will appear by considering the essential and inseparable Properties of Man's Felicity;¹ 'tis perfective and satisfying of Man in his supream Faculties.

1. 1In cane sagacitas prima est, si investigare debet feras, cursus si consequi; audacia si mordere & invader. Id in quoque optimum est, cui nascitur, quo censetur. In homine optimum quid est? ratio. Haec animalia antecedit, Deos sequitur. Senec. Epist. 76.