Communion with God. in two sermons preached at Paul'sCommunion vvith God. in two sermons preach'd at Paul's

I suppose you have often heard of the Philosophers stone, that hath filled men with hopes of a golden age; but they could never yet find it: the most unwearied, and expensive search hath left them to sit down with shame and disappointment: aye, and just so will all your dreams of earthly happiness. I remember Augustine asks those that have a confluence of wealth and honour, that think themselves happy, but are void of true happiness, what comfort do these things bring you? 'tis better not to want them, then to abound in them; when they are gotten, they do as much torment you with fear of losing, as they did before with care to get them: Such good things (saith he) do not make us good men. But

I suppose you have often heard of the Phylosophers stone, that hath fill'd men with hopes of a golden age; but they could never yet finde it: the most unwearied, and expensive search hath left them to sit down with shame and disappointment: aye, and just so will all your dreams of earthly happinesse. I remember Augustine askes those that have a confluence of wealth and honour, that think themselves happy, but are void of true happinesse, what comfort do these things bring you? 'tis better not to want them, then to abound in them; when they are gotten, they do as much torment you with fear of losing, as they did before with care to get them: Such good things (saith he) do not make us good men. But

2. How many times already have you shifted your mark? and changed your thoughts about happiness, and yet are as far to seek as ever: one while you thought, if you could but get such an estate, such a competency (as you called it) then you should be happy. When men are low, they think if they were but Some-body in the worlds account, they should be happy; when they are advanced, they are more unsatisfied then before. How many here, that once thought if they should be worth but so many Hundreds, as they are now Thousands, they should be happy? and do not these very persons, in their own apprehension want more now then they did then to purchase happiness? What more ordinary, then for single persons to think, were their condition changed, they should be happy? and when it is so, they are as far from happiness as before. The reason of all this is, because men expect that in the creature, which God never placed there.