The crown & glory of Christianity, or, Holiness, the only way to happiness discovered…The crovvn & glory of Christianity, or, Holiness, the only way to happiness discovered…

O sirs, there is no real pleasure in sin, all the pleasures of sin are counterfeit pleasures, they are but the shapes and shadows of pleasure, they are the seeds of future grief, they are but an earnest laid down for sorrow or ruin. It is observed by the Mythologists, that pleasure went on occasion to Bathe her self, and having stripped off her clothes by the water side, sorrow having hid her self at hand, steals the clothes away, puts them on, and so departs: So that carnal pleasures are nothing but sorrow in pleasures clothes. Certainly if there were the lest real delight in sin, hell could never be hell, yea then it would follow that hell should be the greatest place of pleasure, for doubtless hell is the greatest place of sin. O don't deceive your own souls, there can be no real joy in sensual pleasures. What real delight or pleasure can there be in Tippling and Fuddling in an Ale-house or Tavern, in swaggering and swearing, in Dicing and Carding, in Dancing, Masking and Whoring, in slighting of Sabbaths, in scoffing at Saints, in despising of Ordinances, and in pursuing after lying vanities? surely none. And as for those seeming pleasures that attend the ways of sin; Ah how soon do they vanish and leave a sting behind them. Now all the pleasures that holiness deprives you of, are only such that you may better ten thousand times want, then enjoy. Look as all the pleasures that manhood takes a man off from, are Babish and toyish pleasures; as from delighting in a Rattle, a Pipe, a Feather, a Hobby-horse, a wooden Sword, &c. So all the pleasures and delights that holiness takes a man off from, they are babish and foolish, yea they are base, dangerous, and devilish; and therefore it must needs be rather a high felicity, then a misery, for God to take thee off from such sinful pleasures and delights, by laying principles of holiness into thy heart. O! remember that holiness will be no loss unto thee; it will be only an exchange of sinful delights, for those that are holy, and of carnal for those that are spiritual, and of ⟨p. 362⟩earthly for those that are heavenly;¹ Isaac was not to be sacrificed, but the Ram; all the delights that holiness will put thee upon to sacrifice, are but the Rammish and rank delights of sin and the world, which may better be sacrificed then spared;

O sirs, there is no real pleasure in sin, all the pleasures of sin are counterfeit pleasures, they are but the shapes and shaddows of pleasure, they are the seeds of future grief, they are but an earnest laid down for sorrow or ruine. It is observed by the Mythologists, that pleasure went on occasion to Bathe her self, and having stript off her cloaths by the water side, sorrow having hid her self at hand, steals the cloaths away, puts them on, and so departs: So that carnal pleasures are nothing but sorrow in pleasures cloaths. Certainly if there were the lest real delight in sin, hell could never be hell, yea then it would follow that hell should be the greatest place of pleasure, for doubtless hell is the greatest place of sin. O don't deceive your own souls, there can be no real joy in sensual pleasures. What real delight or pleasure can there be in Tipling and Fudling in an Ale-house or Tavern, in swaggering and swearing, in Dicing and Carding, in Dancing, Masking and Whoreing, in slighting of Sabbaths, in scoffing at Saints, in despising of Ordinances, and in pursuing after lying vanities? surely none. And as for those seeming pleasures that attend the ways of sin; Ah how soon do they vanish and leave a sting behind them. Now all the pleasures that holiness deprives you of, are only such that you may better ten thousand times want, then enjoy. Look as all the pleasures that manhood takes a man off from, are Babish and toyish pleasures; as from delighting in a Rattle, a Pipe, a Feather, a Hobby-horse, a wooden Sword, &c. So all the pleasures and delights that holiness takes a man off from, they are babish and foolish, yea they are base, dangerous, and devilish; and therefore it must needs be rather a high felicity, then a misery, for God to take thee off from such sinful pleasures and delights, by laying principles of holiness into thy heart. O! remember that holiness will be no loss unto thee; it will be onely an exchange of sinful delights, for those that are holy, and of carnal for those that are spiritual, and of