A saint or a brute the certain necessity and excellency of holiness, &c. ...…

3. Will you have any pleasure at all, or will you have none? If any, in what then will you place it, and whence will you expect it, if not from God in a holy life? If God be thy trouble, what then is fit to be thy delight? Darest thou say in thy heart or with thy tongue, that sin and sensuality is better? Darest thou say that a good bargain, or other worldly gain, or cards, or dice, or other sports, or ease, or good cheer, or an Ale-house, or a Whore, are pleasanter things then walking with thy God in faith and holiness, ⟨p. 346⟩and expectation of the everlasting joys? Heaven and earth shall bear witness against thee, and common Reason shall bear witness against thee, for this inhumane, impious folly and ingratitude, if ever thou appear at the bar of God, with the guilt of such unreasonable sin. What! is God no better in thine eyes, then a filthy brutish sinful pleasure? and is the Love of God no sweeter a work, then the Love of sensual delights! Saith blessed Augustine, He that will sell or exchange his soul for transitory commodities, doth censure Christ to be a foolish Merchant, that knew no better what he a••, when he gave his Life for those souls, that you will not lose a sin for. So I may say here: Hath Christ bought for you Holy and Everlasting pleasures, at the price of his own most bitter pains, and precious blood, and do you now think them no better then your fleshly bestial delights? Is it Christ or you, think you, that is mistaken in the value of them? Did he shed his blood to purchase you that which is not worth the parting with a cup of drink for, or the parting with your pleasure, or unjust commodity for? Sure he that judgeth thus of Christ, is far from believing in him, with any true Christian saving Faith.

3. Will you have any pleasure at all, or will you have none? If any, in what then will you place it, and whence will you expect it, if not from God in a holy life? If God be thy trouble, what then is fit to be thy delight? Darest thou say in thy heart or with thy tongue, that sin and sensuality is better? Darest thou say that a good bargain, or other worldly gain, or cards, or dice, or other sports, or ease, or good chear, or an Ale-house, or a Whore, are pleasanter things then walking with thy God in faith and holiness, ⟨p. 346⟩and expectation of the everlasting joyes? Heaven and earth shall bear witness against thee, and common Reason shall bear witness against thee, for this inhumane, impious folly and ingratitude, if ever thou appear at the barr of God, with the guilt of such unreasonable sin. What! is God no better in thine eyes, then a filthy brutish sinful pleasure? and is the Love of God no sweeter a work, then the Love of sensual delights! Saith blessed Augustine, He that will sell or exchange his soul for transitory commodities, doth censure Christ to be a foolish Merchant, that knew no better what he a, when he gave his Life for those souls, that you will not lose a sin for. So I may say here: Hath Christ bought for you Holy and Everlasting pleasures, at the price of his own most bitter pains, and precious blood, and do you now think them no better then your fleshly beastial delights? Is it Christ or you, think you, that is mistaken in the value of them? Did he shed his blood to purchase you that which is not worth the parting with a cup of drink for, or the parting with your pleasure, or unjust commodity for? Sure he that judgeth thus of Christ, is far from believing in him, with any true Christian saving Faith.