The works of George Swinnock, M.A

May I not say to thee truly concerning thy pains and time, what Judas did falsely concerning the Ointment, To what purpose is this Waste? To what purpose is thy waste of time, and strength, and health? Alas, what profit will all thy pains bring thee in?

May I not say to thee truly concerning thy pains and time, what Iudas did falsly concerning the Oyntment, To what purpose is this Waste? To what purpose is thy waste of time, and strength, and health? Alas, what profit will all thy pains bring thee in?

The Vanity of other labours will appear in that all other things are Unsuitable, Deceitful, Unsatisfying, Vexatious and Uncertain.

1. Unsuitable to thy soul. Gold is unsuitable to hunger, food to the sick, honour to the weary; so are all the comforts of this life to thy soul. What is an earthly treasure to the poor in spirit? what is the best Physic garden to a wounded conscience? what are all the dainties on the table of the Creation, to one that is hungry and thirsty after the righteousness of Christ, and the grace? of the Spirit? Bodily things are not suitable to our spirits, nor temporal substance to an immortal soul. The fattest increase of the earth, is from the excrements of beasts, which must needs be far from answering the nature of an heaven born spirit. 2. Deceitful. As Jael to Sisera, the world brings forth meat to us in a loudly dish, and saith, Come in my Lord turn in; but she puts her hand to ⟨p. 829⟩the nail, and her right hand to the Work-mans hammer; with the hammer she smites foolish Sisera's that trust her, she smites off their heads after she hath pierced their temples. It serveth its greatest darlings in their extremity, as Plutarch reporteth Pompey to have served Cicero; who when Cicero fled to him in his misery for succour, fled out at a back door, and left him to the mercy of his enemies. The world next mans heart is the greatest cheat and impostor in the world. Like an Host it welcomes us in our Inns with smiles and embraces, but kills us in our Beds when we suspect no such matter. As the wise man wisheth them to be moderate and abstinent at a full table, and to put a knife to thy throat, for they are deceitful meat; so I may say of all the dainties and delicates of the Creation, they are deceitful meat, pleasant but poison. Like the Bramble the world promiseth us protection and refreshment under its shadow, if we will suffer it to be our King and reign over us, but a fire comes out of it to destroy the Cedars of Lebanon; the souls of men. As the Plover to put a man out of his way, flieth before him clapping her wings, that he minding the noise she makes, and following her, might not find her nest. So the world with its noise and clamours, its songs and music, keeps men still in admiration of her, and hinders them from finding out her cozenage and thievery. He that trusteth in vanity, vanity shall be his recompense,