A word in season to this present generation, or, A sober and serious discourse…

First, The Crown of life signifies, solid and substantial, honour and glory; as a Crown is a solid and substantial thing: Heaven admits of no honour and glo•••, but what is solid and substantial; the Crown of life is a massive Crown, a ponderous Crown, to show that the glory above is a massive glory, substantial glory. That you ¹may see it is massive and substantial, observe what a word the Apostle useth: The weight of glory, the exceeding eternal ²weight of glory: Such a weight as infinitely overpoyseth all afflictions. The Apostle alludeth to the Hebrew and Chaldee wor••, which signify both weight ³and glory. The Arabic version renders it, Worketh for us a weight of glory in the most eminent and largest degree and measure. The Syriac reads it, Infinitam gloriam, ⟨p. 99⟩An infinite glory. Haymo reads it, Magnitudinem glory supra omnem modum & mensuram, A greatness of glory, beyond all bounds and measure. Beza reads it, Excellenter excellens, Exceedingly excellent. Yet none of these reach the height of the Apostle's Rhetoric, neither is any translation able to express it. Glory is so great a weight, that if the Saints were not upheld by the infinite power and strength of God, it were impossible they should be able to bear it. To gold and precious things the weight addeth to the value; as the more massive and weighty a Crown is, the more it is worth: The glory of Heaven is not only Eternal glory, but it is a weight of glory; yea such a weight as exceeds all expressions, all comparisons: The honour and glory of this world is but like the cracking of thorns under a pot; it is but like a blaze, a shadow, a dream, a vapour; it is but like a fading flower, or the picture of a Prince drawn upon the Ice, with his purple Robes, and his glorious Crown, &c. which melts away as soon as the Sun riseth; the consideration of which, made one Prince say of his Crown: O Crown! more noble than happy! A crown is the the choicest and chiefest of all humane rewards: Amongst all terrene gifts none more honourable and glorious than a Crown; this is the height of humane excellencies, and for the attainment of which many have made most sad, desperate and dangerous adventures; but alas! what are all earthly Crowns for honour & dignity, to the Crown of life? No more than shadows to substances, pebbles to pearls, or dross to gold. But