Moses his choice with his eye fixed upon Heaven, discovering the happy condition of…

Yea not only so, but in the last place there is that virtue in godliness, to turn all evil into good, if it meet with any thing that hath bitterness; godliness is like that wood, that made the bitter waters sweet, it hath that excellency to turn evil, and make it not only profitable, but delightful. So that all these being put together concerning the commendation of the ways of wisdom, we must either put out our eyes, or acknowledge we do not know what the ways of wisdom mean, if we do not subscribe to this truth, that her ways are ways of pleasantness: Ways of pleasantness they are, and this pleasantness that is in her ways hath abundance of excellencies in it. Very many I thought to have spoken of, and enlarged, take ⟨p. 182⟩only the very mention of them, (because I must not be too long) and then we will answer to some queries, and apply all, and so conclude. For the excellent properties of this pleasantness, it is that which is the sweetest soul-satisfying pleasantness, the very rule it self is sweet, sweeter then honey; oh how sweet is the souls acting by it! it hath the very quintessence of all other delights extracted in it, it is the most solid, such as hath not vanity and froth in it, as other delights have; it is such a delight as ennobles the soul, it spiritualizeth the heart, it is immixt, not dangerous as others are; it is abiding, not vanishing, it is continually virid and fresh; though there is a fullness in it, yet it grows not to satiety by use, but grows more and more sweet, for it raiseth and enlargeth the faculty; it is Heavenly, it is divine, it is independent in regard of the creature, there needs no sharking out to the creature for the upholding it, all other delights depend on this; there is no pleasure had but in the ways of godliness: Una guttula malae conscientiae totum marae mundani gaudii absorbet: One drop of an evil conscience swallows up the whole Sea of worldly joy, says Luther; but one drop of this delight is enough to sweeten all sorrows; one drop of gall will embitter much sweet, but one drop of sweet cannot sweeten much gall; but here it is otherwise, one drop of this sweet sweetens all bitterness of afflictions, but all the bitter of afflictions cannot embitter one drop of this delight.

Yea not onely so, but in the last place there is that vertue in godliness, to turn all evil into good, if it meet with any thing that hath bitterness; godliness is like that wood, that made the bitter waters sweet, it hath that excellency to turn evil, and make it not onely profitable, but delightful. So that all these being put together concerning the commendation of the ways of wisdom, we must either put out our eyes, or acknowledge we do not know what the ways of wisdom mean, if we do not subscribe to this truth, that her ways are ways of pleasantness: Ways of pleasantness they are, and this pleasantness that is in her ways hath abundance of excellencies in it. Very many I thought to have spoken of, and enlarged, take