The blessedness of the righteous discoursed from Psal. 17, 15 /The blessednesse of the righteous discoursed from Psal. 17, 15 /

For can any man imagine what other end Religion naturally serves for, but to bring men to blessedness? which being no other thing then what hath been here described, such, as are found not to desire it really, and Supremely, as their end, can have no real attainable end of their being religious at all. To drive on a continued course, and series of actions, in a visible pursuit of that which they desire not; and have no mind to, is such a piece of folly, so fond and vain a trifling; that, as I remember, Cicero reports, Cato to have said concerning the South-sayers of his time, he did wonder they could look in one another's faces, and not laugh (being conscious to each others impostures, and the vanity of their profession) so one would as justly wander, that the generality of carnal men (who may shrewdly guess at the temper of one another's minds) do not laugh at each other, that they are jointly engaged in such exercises of Religion, to the design whereof the common and agreed temper of their Spirits do so little correspond. As if all were in very good earnest for Heaven, when each one knows for himself, and may (possibly with more Truth then Charity) suppose of the rest, that if they might ⟨p. 353⟩always continue in their earthly stations, they had rather never come there. And therefore that they desire it not Supremely, and so not as their end at all; consider it then, that thy no-desire of this blessed state quite dispirits thy Religion, utterly ravishes away its Soul, leaves it a dead, foolish, vain thing, renders it an idle impertinency, not a mean to a valuable end. This desire is that life of Religion, all duties and exercises of piety are without it, but empty Formalities, Solemn pieces of Pageantry. Every service done to God, but the Sacrifice of a Fool, if not animated by the desire of final blessedness in him and be not part of our way thither, a means designed to the attainment of it. Which nothing can be, that we are not put upon by the virtue of the desired end. Without this, Religion is not it self. A continuance in well doing, is as it were the body of it; and therein, a seeking honour, glory, and immortality, the Soul and Spirit. The desire of an Heavenly Country, must run through the whole course of our Earthly Pilgrimage: It were otherwise a continued error, an uncertain wandering; no steady tending towards our end.

For can any man imagine what other end Religion naturally serves for, but to bring men to blessedness? which being no other thing then what hath been here described, such, as are found not to desire it really, and Supremely, as their end, can have no real attainable end of their being religious at all. To drive on a continued course, and series of actions, in a visible pursuit of that which they desire not; and have no mind to, is such a piece of folly, so fond and vain a trifling; that, as I remember, Cicero reports, Cato to have said concerning the South-sayers of his time, he did wonder they could look in one anothers faces, and not laugh (being conscious to each others impostures, and the vanity of their profession) so one would as justly wander, that the generality of carnal men (who may shrewdly guess at the temper of one anothers minds) do not laugh at each other, that they are joyntly engaged in such exercises of Religion, to the design whereof the common and agreed temper of their Spirits do so little correspond. As if all were in very good earnest for Heaven, when each one knows for himself, and may (possibly with more Truth then Charity) suppose of the rest, that if they might