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

I. Of the former (neglecting the strictness of Philosophical disquisition) no more is intended to be ⟨p. 24⟩said than may comport with the design of a popular discourse. And it shall suffice therefore, only to take notice of what is more obvious in the nature of man, and subservient to the present purpose. And yet we are here to look further than the mere surface and outside of man, which we only considered before; and to view his nature, as it is in it self: and not as the supposition of its having nothing but what is mortal belonging to it, would make it: for as the exility (and almost nothingness) of man's being considered according to that supposition, did best serve to express the vanity of it, in the former notion that hath been given of a vain thing: So the excellency, and solid substantiality of it, considered as it is in it self, will conduce most to the discovery of its vanity in this latter notion thereof. That is, if we first consider that, and then the supposition of such a Creature's being only made to perish. And if what shall be said herein, do, in the sequel, tend to destroy that above-mentioned supposition, ⟨p. 25⟩(as it, being established, would destroy the prime glory of Humane Nature) it can only be said magna est veritas, &c. In the mean time we may take a view, in the nature of man,

I. Of the former (neglecting the strictness of Philosophical disquisition) no more is intended to be ⟨p. 24⟩said than may comport with the design of a popular discourse. And it shall suffice therefore, only to take notice of what is more obvious in the nature of man, and subservient to the present purpose. And yet we are here to look further than the meer surface and outside of man, which we only considered before; and to view his nature, as it is in it self: and not as the supposition of its having nothing but what is mortal belonging to it, would make it: for as the exility (and almost nothingness) of man's being considered according to that supposition, did best serve to express the vanity of it, in the former notion that hath been given of a vain thing: So the excellency, and solid substantiality of it, considered as it is in it self, will conduce most to the discovery of its vanity in this latter notion thereof. That is, if we first consider that, and then the supposition of such a Creature's being only made to perish. And if what shall be said herein, do, in the sequel, tend to destroy that above-mention'd supposition,