A70932:37
True gain, opened in a sermon preached at Pauls, Nov. 9. 1656
True gain, opened in a sermon preached at Pauls, Nov. 9. 1656 by Edward Reynolds, D.D.
London: printed by Tho. Ratcliffe for George Thomason, 1659
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
2. To a mans self, 1. It is unnatural, for nature hath set a commensurateness between objects end faculties. It is a miserable degrading of a reasonable soul, to grope for happiness on the backs of sheep, on the furrows of the field, to fish for it in ponds, or to hunt for it in parks, or to trade for it in ships, or to think to bring it home on the bunches of Camels. It cost more to redeem a soul, and it must cost more to attain that redemption. Christ the heir of all things, who could have commanded the attendance of all the creatures in the world, was pleased to live in a low condition, that he might make it appear that eternal life hath not the least cognation or dependence on worldly wealth, either in his procuring it for us, or in our deriving it from him. What an unnatural and incongruous thing would it be for Angels to turn worldlings, and reasonable souls have the self-same ⟨p. 20⟩blessedness to look after as Angels have.
2. To a mans self, 1. It is unnatural, for nature hath set a commensurateness between objects end faculties. It is a miserable degrading of a reasonable soul, to grope for happiness on the backs of sheep, on the furrows of the field, to fish for it in ponds, or to hunt for it in parks, or to trade for it in ships, or to think to bring it home on the bunches of Camels. It cost more to redeem a soul, and it must cost more to attain that redemption. Christ the heir of all things, who could have commanded the attendance of all the creatures in the world, was pleased to live in a low condition, that he might make it appear that eternal life hath not the least cognation or dependance on worldly wealth, either in his procuring it for us, or in our deriving it from him. What an unnatural and incongruous thing would it be for Angels to turn worldlings, and reasonable souls have the self-same ⟨p. 20⟩blessedness to look after as Angels have.
2. It is unnecessary. for had one man all the world, he could have no more out of it himself, then one back, and one belly, and the exigences of one person did require; whatever is more, he doth but behold with his eyes, Eccles. 5.11. God is said to give us all things richly to enjoy,