The vanity of this mortal life, or, Of man, considered only in his present…

And should we, pretending to such an expectation, omit such endeavours of preparing our selves, it were alike thing as if an unbred Peasant should go about to thrust himself, with an expectation of high Honours and Preferments, into the Prince's Court; or as if a distracted man should expect to be employed in the greatest and most intricate affairs of State; or an uninstructed Idiot take upon him to profess and teach Philosophy.

Therefore let us consider; Are we conscious of no unfitness for that blessed state? To dwell in the presence of the holy God? To be associated with the Heavenly Assembly of pure intellectual spirits? To consort and join with them in their celebrations and triumphant Songs? Can we espy no such thing in our selves, as an earthy mind, aversation to God, as pride, disdain, wrath, or envy, admiration of our selves, aptness to seek our own things, with the neglect of others, or the like? And do not our hearts then misgive? and tell us we are unready? not yet prepared to approach the Divine Presence, or to enter into the habitation of his Holiness and Glory? And what then have we to do, but set our selves to our preparatory work? To set our watches, make our observations, take strict notice of all the deflections and obliquities of our spirits, settle our methods, and hasten a redress? Do not we know this is the ⟨p. 132⟩time and state of preparation? And since we know it, how would the folly torture us, by reflection, of having betrayed our selves to a surprisal! None are ever wont to enter upon any new state without some foregoing preparation. Every more remarkable turn or change in our lives, is, commonly (if at all foreknown) introduced by many serious fore-thoughts. If a man be to change his dwelling, employment, condition, common discretion will put him upon thinking how to comport with the place, business, converse, and way of living he is next to betake himself to: And his thoughts will be the more intense, by how much more momentous the change. If he be to leave his Country, with no probability of returning; If he be designed to a station, the circumstances whereof carry any thing of awfulness in them; if to public business, if to Court-attendances, With what solemnity and address are such things undertaken!