The saints everlasting rest

6. Consult with experience, both other men's and your own; many thousands have made trial, but did ever one of these find a sufficient rest for his soul on earth? Delights I deny not but they have found; but rest and satisfaction they never found: and shall we think to find that which never man could find before us? Ahab's kingdom is nothing to him, except he had also Naboth's vineyard, and did that satisfy him when he had obtained it? If we had conquered the whole world, we should perhaps do as Alexander, sit down and weep because there was never another world to conquer. Go ask honour, is there rest here? Why you may as well rest on the top of the tempestuous mountains, or in Etna's flames. Ask riches, is there rest here? Even such as is in a bed of thorns. Enquire of worldly pleasure and ease, can they give you any tidings of true rest? Even such as the fish in swallowing the bait; when the pleasure is sweetest, death is the nearest. Such is the rest that all worldly pleasures afford. Go to learning, to the purest, plentifullest, powerfullest ordinances, or compass sea and land to find out the most perfect church; and enquire whether there your soul may rest? You might haply receive from these an olive branch of hope, as they are means ⟨p. 271⟩to your rest, and have relation to eternity; out in regard of any satisfaction in themselves, you would remain as restless as ever. O how well might all these answer us, as Jacob did Rachel, Am I instead of God? So may the highest perfections on earth say, are we instead of GOD? Go take a view of all estates of men in the world, and see whether any of them have found this rest. Go to the husbandman, behold his endless labours, his continual care and toil, and weariness, and you will easily see, that there is no rest: go to the tradesman, and you shall find the like: if I should send you lower, you would judge your labour lost: go to the painful minister, and there you will yet more easily be satisfied; for though his spending, endless labours are exceeding sweet, yet it is not because they are his rest, but in reference to his people's, and his own eternal rest: if you would ascend to magistracy, and enquire at the throne, you would find there is no condition so restless.

6. Consult with experience, both other men's and your own; many thousands have made trial, but did ever one of these find a sufficient rest for his soul on earth? Delights I deny not but they have found; but rest and satisfaction they never found: and shall we think to find that which never man could find before us? Ahab's kingdom is nothing to him, except he had also Naboth's vineyard, and did that satisfy him when he had obtained it? If we had conquered the whole world, we should perhaps do as Alexandr, sit down and weep because there was never another world to conquer. Go ask honour, is there rest here? Why you may as well rest on the top of the tempestuous mountains, or in Etna's flames. Ask riches, is there rest here? Even such as is in a bed of thorns. Enquire of worldly pleasure and ease, can they give you any tidings of true rest? Even such as the sish in swallowing the bait; when the pleasure is sweetest, death is the nearest. Such is the rest that all worldly pleasures afford. Go to learning, to the purest, plentifullest, powerfullest ordinances, or compass sea and land to find out the most perfect church; and enquire whether there your soul may rest? You might haply receive from these an olive branch of hope, as they are means