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

Fourthly, hence the great scandal of the ways of godliness, that the world stumbles at, is taken away, they call them dumpish ways: The Saints of God never knew the mind of God if this be so. The world deals with the ways of God in this case, as they did with the Christians in the Primitive times; they used to put Christians into Bears and Dogs skins, or ugly creatures, and then bait them; and so the men of the world put Religion into ugly conceits, and then speak against them: and truly that they speak against, is only their own conceits, and not any thing in themselves; they are lovely and excellent, ⟨p. 190⟩and glorious, only they appear to be sad and evil, by the conceits thou hast put upon them.

Fourthly, hence the great scandal of the ways of godliness, that the world stumbles at, is taken away, they call them dumpish ways: The Saints of God never knew the minde of God if this be so. The world deals with the ways of God in this case, as they did with the Christians in the Primitive times; they used to put Christians into Bears and Dogs skins, or ugly creatures, and then bait them; and so the men of the world put Religion into ugly conceits, and then speak against them: and truly that they speak against, is only their own conceits, and not any thing in themselves; they are lovely and excellent, ⟨p. 190⟩and glorious, onely they appear to be sad and evil, by the conceits thou hast put upon them.

In the fifth place, by that which hath been said, ¹let all be drawn to the love of the ways of godliness. I have often hinted upon such an argument as this, and therefore will pass lightly over it. Fear not pleasure, trust God with it, thou shalt find enough. Wouldst thou never be sad? live well, says Bernard: Tell me, wouldst thou embrace the ²