The four last things viz. death, judgment, heaven, hell, practically considered and applied in…

First, They are uncapable of apprehending Spiritual Eternal Things, which alone bring fit and complete satisfaction to the Soul, and cannot look forward to the end of sinful Pleasures, and balance the terrible Evils they leave at parting, with the slight vanishing content that springs from their Presence. Therefore as blind Persons lay hold on things they feel, so the sensitive Faculties, that are blind and brutish, adhere to gross present enjoyment, not understanding the pure spotless Felicity that is to come, and despising what they do not understand. Now who would in an Affair upon which his All depends, advise with Children & Fools, whose Judgment of things is without Counsel, their Counsel without Discourse, their Discourse without Reason? There is nothing more contrary to the order of Nature, than for Men that should affect with Judgment, to judg by their Affections.

First, They are uncapable of apprehending Spiritual Eternal Things, which alone bring fit and compleat satisfaction to the Soul, and cannot look forward to the end of sinful Pleasures, and ballance the terrible Evils they leave at parting, with the slight vanishing content that springs from their Presence. Therefore as blind Persons lay hold on things they feel, so the sensitive Faculties, that are blind and brutish, adhere to gross present enjoyment, not understanding the pure spotless Felicity that is to come, and despising what they do not understand. Now who would in an Affair upon which his All depends, advise with Children & Fools, whose Judgment of things is without Counsel, their Counsel without Discourse, their Discourse without Reason? There is nothing more contrary to the order of Nature, than for Men that should affect with Judgment, to judg by their Affections.

2. The Carnal Appetite with its Lusts are very deceitful, a Party within holding correspondence with our Spiritual Enemies, the Armies of evil Angels, so active and assiduous in conspiring and accomplishing the Damnation ⟨p. 428⟩of Men. The Devil in Scripture is called the Tempter by way of eminence, who manages and improves all Temptations, and his pernicious Design is by the Objects of Sense, ordered and made more alluring and killing by his various Arts, to engage the Affections into a compliance, and so to gain the Will. Now our great danger is not so much from Satan the Enemy without, as from the Carnal Appetite, the Traitor within, that gives him the first and easy entrance into the Soul. He can only entice by representing what is amiable to Sense, but the corrupt Appetite inclines to the closing with it. He tempted Jesus Christ, but was repelled with shame, having found nothing within him to work upon. The perfect regularity of Faculties in our Blessed Saviour was not in the least disordered neither by his fairest Insinuations, or most furious Assaults. And we might preserve our innocence inviolable notwithstanding all his Attempts, did not some corrupt Affection, cherished in our Bosoms, lay us naked and open to his poisoned Darts. The Apostle Peter, who had a Spiritual Eye, and discerned wherein the strength of our great Enemy lies, admonishes