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

O that God would fasten these thoughts upon you, when you are in the midst of your delights; But will this hold? Is not this one thing that is spoken of amongst the rest, that is but for a season? Think also upon this consideration; These things that are in the world, if they were a thousand times more then they are, yet being but for a season, this is enough to take off our hearts; but now when we consider they are but for a season, and but slight things, empty vanities besides, this should take off our hearts abundantly more; if they had a great deal in them, yet not being eternal, they are not very desirable. How vain then is mans heart, in being set upon such vain things? Well may man be said to be lighter then vanity; no vanity is so vain, as the trusting in vanity; all the vanity in the creature amounts not to so much vanity as the trusting in vanity.

O that God would fasten these thoughts upon you, when you are in the midst of your delights; But will this hold? Is not this one thing that is spoken of amongst the rest, that is but for a season? Think also upon this consideration; These things that are in the world, if they were a thousand times more then they are, yet being but for a season, this is enough to take off our hearts; but now when we consider they are but for a season, and but slight things, empty vanities besides, this should take off our hearts abundantly more; if they had a great deal in them, yet not being eternal, they are not very desireable. How vain then is mans heart, in being set upon such vain things? Well may man be said to be lighter then vanity; no vanity is so vain, as the trusting in vanity; all the vanity in the creature amounts not to so much vanity as the trusting in vanity.

And yet again consider, that the emptiness that is in these things, would make the eternity of them to be miserable. You will say this is a riddle, how can it be made out? Certainly it is so, there is such an emptiness in the things of the world, that they are ⟨p. 311⟩fain to borrow succession to make them comfortable, and it is the end of some, and the beginning of others that makes them comfortable, and not the continuance of any outward comfort; as now the laying in a soft down bed, is easy and comfortable, and delightful; but if one were condemned to this, to lie there forty years together, and never to come out, it would be a torment, but to lie eternally it would be more, so that eternity puts a misery upon the comfort: And so take any one comfort, and to be tied to that, if there were not a ceasing of one, and the beginning of another, the comfort would be miserable; and the reason is, because the comfort is so empty: But the enjoying of God, the eternity of it makes it comfortable; we shall as much delight in the comforts we have enjoyed of God, after we have enjoyed them hundred thousands of years, as we did at first moment we entered upon them.