Besides, Faith discovers pure Rivers of pleasures, more noble and excellent delights, to be the portion of those that refuse to grate their teeth with such kennel water. As man is a rational creature, he would sell his wares to them that will give most. Now Faith showeth how infinitely God out-bids the world. Sense saith, The world offereth fair, it offereth comforts, suitable to thy flesh, such as they desire, and it offereth ready money, present possession: But saith Faith, God offereth thee better; The comforts he offereth are more excellent, being suitable, not as the Worlds, to a carnal brutish nature, but to an heavenly divine soul, and more durable, being eternal, when the pleasures of sin are but for a season. He that hopes for no better market, will take the present money offered him; But he that is assured of ⟨p. 718⟩greater gains, will refuse the lesser. An unbeliever who expects no better bargain then what this life affords him, may well take up with present pay, what ever it be; but the Believer who seeth the glory to be revealed, and fullness of joy in Heaven, and is assured that if he be faithful unto death, he shall receive that eternal crown of life, turns his eyes off the honours and comforts of this beggarly world. Those stars of creature joys do all disappear in the presence of this Sun. Gold bears little sway with the soul that knoweth his title to the new Jerusalem, that is paved with Gold, in which gold is trampled under foot; Those birds that fly aloft in the Firmament, are not so easily snared by the Fowlers Gins; Though the things of this world were glorious in his eyes, during his estate of unbelief, yet now he hath discerned a world beyond the Moon, and sent Faith as a spy to search and coast that Country which hath brought word back, that its a good land flowing with Milk and Honey, and in it there is want of nothing, they have no glory, by reason of that glory that doth so infinitely exceed. When a man is below, things above seem small; the great Stars that are bigger then the Earth, seem not so big as a bushel, and things below seem great: but when a man is above, as upon the top of a Steeple, then things below seem little, he beholdeth men like Grasshoppers. Were he conveyed to the highest hill in the World, men would not be discerned; great Kingdoms would be but small Cottages.
Besides, Faith discovers pure Rivers of pleasures, more noble and excellent delights, to be the portion of those that refuse to grate their teeth with such kennel water. As man is a rational creature, he would sell his wares to them that will give most. Now Faith sheweth how infinitely God out-bids the world. Sense saith, The world offereth fair, it offereth comforts, sutable to thy flesh, such as they desire, and it offereth ready money, present possession: But saith Faith, God offereth thee better; The comforts he offereth are more excellent, being sutable, not as the Worlds, to a carnal brutish nature, but to an heavenly divine soul, and more durable, being eternal, when the pleasures of sin are but for a season. He that hopes for no better market, will take the present money offered him; But he that is assured of ⟨p. 718⟩greater gains, will refuse the lesser. An unbeleiver who expects no better bargain then what this life affords him, may well take up with present pay, what ever it be; but the Beleiver who seeth the glory to be revealed, and fulness of joy in Heaven, and is assured that if he be faithful unto death, he shall receive that eternal crown of life, turns his eyes off the honours and comforts of this beggarly world. Those stars of creature joys do all disappear in the presence of this Sun. Gold bears little sway with the soul that knoweth his title to the new Ierusalem, that is paved with Gold, in which gold is trampled under foot; Those birds that flie aloft in the Firmament, are not so easily snared by the Fowlers Gins; Though the things of this world were glorious in his eyes, during his estate of unbeleif, yet now he hath discerned a world beyond the Moon, and sent Faith as a spie to search and coast that Country which hath brought word back, that its a good land flowing with Milk and Honey, and in it there is want of nothing, they have no glory, by reason of that glory that doth so infinitely exceed. When a man is below, things above seem small; the great Stars that are bigger then the Earth, seem not so big as a bushel, and things below seem great: but when a man is above, as upon the top of a Steeple, then things below seem little, he beholdeth men like Grashoppers. Were he conveyed to the highest hill in the World, men would not be discerned; great Kingdoms would be but small Cottages.
