'Tis of excellent use also for Preachers often to represent to Men the two Worlds, so vastly different in the Qualities, the Degrees and Duration of the Good and Evil Things that are enjoyed or suffered in them, that they may discover the Errors of their Ways before they come to their End, and Death opens their Eyes to see and lament what is lost and never to be recovered. All the admired Things in the sensible World, are perishing Vanities; like an enchanted Feast that feeds the Eye, without real Nourishment: But in the Celestial World all is substantial, satisfying, and eternal. All the Evils, the Calamities, the Injuries, and Troubles suffered here, are no more to the Plagues prepared by revenging Justice for impenitent Sinners, than the slight razing of the Skin is to a deadly Wound in the Heart. Now the fundamental Delusion of Men is ⟨p. 29⟩in valuing the present state of Things above what is Future, and infinitely better or worse. They think and call them only Happy,1 who live in Pomp, and flow in Riches and Pleasures; but as vainly as the Heathens dignified their Idols, with the Titles of Celestial Deities: They count them only miserable that are in Poverty, Sickness, and Afflictions here. And as 'tis observed, by the great Physician, that if a delirous Person proposes his incoherent Fancies, seriously as the Product of Consideration, his Case is more dangerous and hardly curable: So the solemn Folly of Men that think it reasonable to esteem what is present and sensible, above what is future and spiritual; and accordingly to choose the present as the real substantial Good, and neglect the future as a matter of Fancy and Conceit, is hardly cured. Their Minds and Affections, ⟨p. 30⟩their Aims and Desires centre in the Earth: their Fears, Anxieties, Sorrows terminate there. And 'tis one necessary part of the Minister's Work to devest the World of its Masking Habit, that appears so rich and glittering in the Night by Torch-light, to strip it naked as it shall burn in the consuming Fire at the last Day: And to unveil the Glory of Heaven, and represent it to the Eyes of Christians so as to ravish their Hearts: In short, to make such a convincing Discovery of Things unseen, that Men may judg, that only the Saints above are truly and perfectly Happy, and only the Reprobates in Hell are really and finally miserable, and accordingly regulate their Lives.
'Tis of excellent use also for Preachers often to represent to Men the two Worlds, so vastly different in the Qualities, the Degrees and Duration of the Good and Evil Things that are enjoyed or suffered in them, that they may discover the Errors of their Ways before they come to their End, and Death opens their Eyes to see and lament what is lost and never to be recover'd. All the admired Things in the sensible World, are perishing Vanities; like an inchanted Feast that feeds the Eye, without real Nourishment: But in the Coelestial World all is substantial, satisfying, and eternal. All the Evils, the Calamities, the Injuries, and Troubles suffer'd here, are no more to the Plagues prepared by revenging Justice for impenitent Sinners, than the slight razing of the Skin is to a deadly Wound in the Heart. Now the fundamental Delusion of Men is ⟨p. 29⟩in valuing the present state of Things above what is Future, and infinitely better or worse. They think and call them only Happy,1 who live in Pomp, and flow in Riches and Pleasures; but as vainly as the Heathens dignified their Idols, with the Titles of Coelestial Deities: They count them only miserable that are in Poverty, Sickness, and Afflictions here. And as 'tis observed, by the great Physician, that if a delirous Person proposes his incohoerent Fancies, seriously as the Product of Consideration, his Case is more dangerous and hardly curable: So the solemn Folly of Men that think it reasonable to esteem what is present and sensible, above what is future and spiritual; and accordingly to choose the present as the real substantial Good, and neglect the future as a matter of Fancy and Conceit, is hardly cured. Their Minds and Affections, ⟨p. 30⟩their Aims and Desires center in the Earth: their Fears, Anxieties, Sorrows terminate there. And 'tis one necessary part of the Minister's Work to devest the World of its Masquing Habit, that appears so rich and glittering in the Night by Torch-light, to strip it naked as it shall burn in the consuming Fire at the last Day: And to unvail the Glory of Heaven, and represent it to the Eyes of Christians so as to ravish their Hearts: In short, to make such a convincing Discovery of Things unseen, that Men may judg, that only the Saints above are truly and perfectly Happy, and only the Reprobates in Hell are really and finally miserable, and accordingly regulate their Lives.
- 1Cui ideo reor veteres pagani tam speciosae appellationis titulum dederunt, ut quia in eo non erat numen, vel nomen esset. Et quia non habebat aliquam ex potestate virtutem haberet saltem ex vocabulo divinitatem. Salv. de Provid. l. 8. [Greek or Hebrew]. Hippoc. Aphor. Lib. 6.Cui ideo reor veteres pagani tam speciosae appellationis titulum dederunt, ut quia in eo non erat numen, vel nomen esset. Et quia non habebat aliquam ex potestate virtutem haberet saltem ex vocabulo divinitatem. Salv. de Provid. l. 8. 〈non-Latin alphabet〉. Hippoc. Aphor. Lib. 6.
