I Do not know of any one Tem­ptation, that in all Ages has more sollicited and perplex'd the Minds of Good men, than that which springs from the Prospe­rity of the Wicked; a Scandal that [Page 2] the best of Men have been ever apt to take against the Dispensations of God himself; Quod malis bene fit, & bonis bene; it hath therefore pleased God, in compassion to the [...] [...], fre­quently to obviate this Temptation, by causing many parts of holy Scriptures to be written purposely upon this Ar­gument, amongst which this 39th Psalm is one, the main Proposition of which is, an Exhortation, that we be­holding the Prosperity of the Wicked, do not doubt of the Divine Care and Providence: Be not broken in our Minds, do not murmure against God, nor fall away from him, but patiently endure Adversity, and hold fast our Profession. I shall not spend time to analize the Psalm, and shew the metho­dical and artificial Composure, but di­rectly fall upon the Illustration, Confir­mation, and Application of the Words.

[...], Profectò, surely or verily; an Adverb of Asseveration. But what, is not every Word of God sure and true, [Page 3] and equally true? What then needs any Note of Asseveration to one more than another? Though every Sen­tence of Scripture be equally true, yet some Sentences are harder to be re­ceiv'd and believ'd than others; Durus hic sermo, said the Disciples, Joh. 6. 60. concerning the Doctrine of spiritual Manducation; and some are of greater weight and importance than others. In these two Cases especially the Adverb of Asseveration is wont to be prefix'd, as may appear by many Texts, both in the Old Testament and the New; you have an Example of the first Case in Mat. 26. 34. Peter was confident of his own faithfulness and stedfastness, and would not believe any thing to the contrary; Though all men should be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended: To whom our Saviour answers with this Asseveration, Verily I say unto thee, that this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Of the latter Case there are abundance [Page 4] of Examples; in the Old Testament, take that famous Text, Psal. 58. 11. Verily there is a reward for the righ­teous; verily he is a God that judgeth in the Earth. And in the new take that as famous, Mat. 18. 3. Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. This most important Doctrin is twice again usher'd in with the same asseve­ration, Joh. 3. 3, 5. Verily, verily, ex­cept a man be born again, &c. And upon both these accounts it is well used here, for there is no Doctrine that vain Man is slower to believe, nor more ne­cessary to be believ'd; than the Doctrine of his own Vanity.

[Man] i. e. every man. By a He­brew Idiom Man is put to signifie any man, or every man. Thus both the words, Ish and Adam, are used. So that Man here is no less than Man­kind, or, as it is rightly translated in the Text, Every man. So Job 14. 1. [Page 5] Man that is born of a Woman is of few days, and full of trouble. The Greeks imitate the Hebrew Idiom in this, as in many other things. What is a man profi­ted if he should gain the whole world and lose his own Soul? Mat. 16. 26. And again, Mar. 8. 36. What shall it profit a man, &c? In short, it cannot be bet­ter exprest in English, than by every man, or by Mankind, which compre­hends Women as well as Men. Surely all Mankind walketh in a vain shew, Betselem, in imagine, in a shew or sha­dow. This word is put in oppositi­on to substantialness or to duration; in both sences, man walketh in a vain shew. He seems to be something when in­deed he is nothing. We talk much of Apparitions of the Dead; certain­ly every living man is but an Appa­rition, he comes upon the Stage of the World, and acts one part or other, but he is not that which he seems to be: And as to his duration, he is a shew or a shadow too, soon passing away [Page 6] Apparentia subito evanescens, says the learned Ravanellus, He fleeth as a sha­dow, and continueth not. That Text of the Apostle, 1 Cor. 7. 31. comprohends both these sences, [...], the Fashion or Scheme of this World passeth away. It is but a Scheme, a Draught, a Resemblance of something, and that soon passes away too: So that there is neither reality nor durability in Mankind.

[Walketh]. This in the Hebrew Idiom signifies lives or converses, and the word here is of a conjugation that makes it signifie very briskly; it is verbum, not only efficax, but frequenta­tivum, and is as much as to be busie, and make a great bustle, even as when Jupiter, in Homer, look'd down upon Men conversing upon Earth, and saw them buying, selling, working, play­ing, trading, fighting, &c. thought they resembled a company of Pismires running to and fro about a Hillock: So indeed it is, Man bustles, and makes [Page 7] a mighty stir about just nothing, and wearies himself in very Vanity.

This word Walking comprehends the whole Way and Work of Man, and may be reduc'd, for method sake, to three Heads, to what he is, to what he has, to what he does.

There are a great many men in the World, concerning whom every one that sees them may say, They walk in a vain shew. The fool, says Solomon, Eccles. 10. 3. when he walketh by the way, his wisdom fails him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool: So I may say of these men, they proclaim their own Vanity. There are those, saith Solomon, that make them­selves rich, and yet have nothing, Prov. 13. 7. There are a great ma­ny confident Pretenders to Piety, Learning, and other Accomplishments, who indeed are but a sounding Brass, or a tinkling Cymbal, as the Apostle phrases it, 1 Cor. 13. 1. There are many bold Huffs, that look big, and [Page 8] talk loud, and run down the mo­dester sort of Mortals, when indeed vox sunt praetereaque nihil; or, in the Apostle Peter's Phrase, Wells without Water: But I speak not of these, who do loudly proclaim their own Folly and Vanity, to make it notorious to all men; but I am speaking of the Condition of Mankind in general; surely every man walketh in a vain shew, or, as it is in the Verse going before my Text, Verily, every man at his best estate is altogether Vanity. Every word has an emphasis with it: In the Hebrew it is very elegant, Col hebel col Adam, omnimoda vanitas est omnis homo. Adam called his Son Abel, but David here calls every. Adam an Abel, elsewhere he speaks more parti­cularly, That so neither great nor small may excuse themselves, Surely men of low degree are Vanity, and men of high degree are a Lye; to be laid in the balances, they are altogether lighter than Vanity, Ps. 62. 9. Solomon the Son, is of [Page 9] his Father David's Mind, Eccles. 1. 2. Vanity of Vanities, saith this Preacher, Vanity of Vanities, all is Vanity. See also Eccles. 6. 12. All the days of his vain life, &c.

But, let us a little more distinctly view Man in the several Ages and Conditions of his Life.

Every Age of Man is vain, and wal­keth in a vain shew.

Childhood. We are born into the World like wild Asses Colts, rude and ignorant, nay, more infirm, naked, and helpless than they; when we have, to the great toyl, trouble, and weari­ness of our Nurses, past our Infancy, how light and vain, toyish and unpro­fitable is our Childhood, how fickle and unconstant are we, hugging and reje­cting in the same instant,—Hodie mihi Jupiter esto, cras mihi truncus eris ficulus, inutile lignum; we hug that in our Bosoms to day, which we despise and are ready to throw into the Fire to morrow.

Youth is nothing but a further de­gree of Childhood, grown yet more vain, by the addition of wildness, wan­tonness, and untractableness.

And, what is Manhood but a little graver sort of Childhood? There is no more real solidity in Bags and Lands, in order to true Happiness, than there is in Pins and Points: There is but little more consistency in the De­lights of Men, than in the Raptures of Children. He was past a Child, that confest his own Levity in these words, Romae Tybur amo ventosus, Tybure Ro­mam.

We laugh at Children running after Butterflies, and following Crows, testa (que) lutoque, with Clods and Stones. And what is building and planting, fighting and toyling, but a graver sort of Vanity, commonly attended with a great deal of Sin and Wicked­ness.

Old-Age is Childhood of the second Edition, and that oftentimes auctior, much augmented, for this frequently adds Morosity to Vanity, and Wilful­ness to Unsatisfiedness.

But Decrepit Age, what is it but the meer Carcase of Man, Life drawn off to a caput mortuum.

Every Condition of Men is also Vanity.

Rich men indeed do think them­selves to be something real; they sure are more than a shew, they are sub­stantial parts of the Creation, they therefore call their Estates Substance; as if nothing but Riches were substan­tial: But indeed, these Riches are so far from being Substance, that they are in Scripture-phrase a kind of a Non-Ens; the Spirit of God does not allow them so much as a Being, before a man can well say they are, they are gone, Prov. 23. 5. Wilt thou set thine Eyes upon that which is not? For Riches certainly make themselves [Page 12] Wings, they fly away as an Eagle to­wards Heaven. Our Saviour indeed ranks Riches amongst the least of good things, Luke 16. 10, 11. He that is faithful in that which is least, &c. and then he explains himself, ver. 11. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous Mammon, who will com­mit to your trust the true Riches? But Solomon goes further, and disparages them much more now, by discarding them out of the number of Beings, Wilt thou set thine Eyes upon that which is not?

Honours, Grandeur, and Pomp, what! they are but a bubble, a meer shadow. The Honour that is receiv'd from Men is but popularis aura, the Breath of the People, and that commonly a stinking Breath too, proceeding from Inwards corrupted and putrid, which is the rot­ten Constitution of all those, who, as the Apostle phrases it, have mens per­sons in admiration because of advantage. That which we call Grandeur, and tran­slate [Page 13] by Pomp, Acts 25. 23. the inspi­red Penman of that Book calls [...], with much Fancy, much Appearance. It could not have been more fitly translated, than by the words in the Text, with a vain shew: And the Apostle Paul uses a word much like it, [...], the Fashion of this World: As if all sublunary things were nothing but Apparitions. A Scepter has really no more substance in it than an ordinary walking-Staff; fine and costly Appa­rel are but a shew, and indeed for that end are they mostly made and wore. A splendid Retinue is a fine Shew too, but it is a vain one, to maintain them and command them is more Cost and Trouble than Worship: And the mea­nest ragged or leathern Saint that goes abroad continually with his Lifeguard of Angels, those menial and ministring Servants of the Almighty is better guarded. What a vain Shew was He­rod's Royal Apparel, when it could not [Page 14] stave off the Lice and Vermin from eating him up alive? What a vain shew was the Gospel-Rich-man's Pur­ple and fine Linnen, which could nei­ther preserve him from Death nor Hell; when Lazarus, notwithstanding his Rags and Sores, has a Convoy of Angels into the Bosom of Abraham? And is not a Table richly furnish'd with costly Dishes and variety of delicious Fare a vain shew, when it serves no more for Health, nor the strengthening of the Constitution, than the Prophet's Cake and Cruise of Water, in the strength of which he travell'd forty days and forty nights, to Horeb, the mount of Gad, 1 Kin. 19. 7. King So­lomon is the most competent Judge in this case of any man that ever liv'd; for, besides the great Ingenuity he had to contrive, and the vast Power and Wealth he had to purchase all the De­lights of the Sons of men, (such as stately Houses, fruitful Vineyards, plea­sant Orchards and Gardens, abounding [Page 15] with all sort of Fruits, Pools of Water, Servants, and Maidens, great and small Cattel, Men-singers and Women-sin­gers, as you may read in Eccles. 2. and 2 Chron. 9.) I say he not only had all these things, and many more, but also a vast largeness of Soul, and Wis­dom put into him from above, beyond all men upon Earth, whereby he was able to make a right estimate, and give a right Judgment of things, and yet after all this, passes this Verdict upon them all, they were all Vanity and vexation of Spirit, Eccles. 2. 11, 15, 17, 19.—And now having pro­ved, that the Rich and the Grandees of the World, with all their Wealth and Grandeur, do walk in a vain shew, it is no great matter for speaking of the Poor, for if the Rich be Vanity, certain­ly the Poor are lighter than vanity; they stand for Cyphers in the World, whereas the Rich seem to make some Figure: Poor men are the Picture of men, without the Respect of men. [Page 16] There is no Advantage (alas!) for which men should have their persons in admiration. Where is the man that honours God in a poor man? Where is the man that regards or reverences an immortal Soul, if the same happen to be caskt up in an unseemly Body, especially if that also be hoop'd in filthy Rags? Let the poor man be industri­ous and laborious, he is therefore va­lued as an Ox or an Ass is valued, and no more: Let him be stout and coura­gious, he shall meet with no Preferment but what the valiant Ʋriah met with, to be set in the fore-front of the Battel: Nay, let him be wise and ingenious, so wise as to preserve the Island, so wise as to deliver the City, yet he shall be rewarded as Solomon's poor wise man was, in Eccles. 9. 15. the poor man's Wisdom is despised, and his Words are not heard.

Men in a conjugal state walk in a vain shew, molested with Family Cares, distracted with domestick ill [Page 17] Accidents or Broils, and a man is at variance with his Father, the Daugh­ter with her Mother, the Daughter-in-law with her Mother-in-law, and a man's Enemies are frequently those of his own House; there is either Disloy­alty, Undutifulness, Idleness, Profuse­ness, Unagreeableness of Tempers, Un­successfulness of Undertakings, or one thing or other, that imbitters that state also. At best it is but a poor and a mean Union, in comparison of what the rational Creature is capable of.

The Single Life is no less molested with Desires, than the Conjugal is with Cares; yea, this does with as much Vanity seek to get into the Net as the other to get out of it. If that Precept of the Apostle's, 1 Cor. 7. 27. (Art thou bound to a Wife, seek not to be loosed: Art thou loosed from a Wife, seek not a Wife;) were to be accom­modated to these times (as I suppose it is not) I believe it would be as hard a [Page 18] Command to observe as any in the Gospel.

Kings and Princes are not exempted from Vanity. King Solomon complai­ned of the vanity and emptiness of things more than any man: Our Sa­viour, a man of Sorrows, and ac­quainted with Grief, wore a Crown wholly made up of Thorns. But I suppose there is no man upon Earth wears a Crown, but there are Thorns in it: If they be severe in ruling, they will be feared, and consequently hated; if gentle and merciful, they will be contemn'd and disobey'd: If they make chargeable Wars, perhaps they may get the Necks of their Enemies, but then they lose the Hearts of their Sub­jects: If they be peaceable or coward­ly, they may possibly preserve the Per­sons of their Subjects, but then they betray their Liberty and Estates, and make them a Prey to foreign Princes. In a word, all Crowns are lin'd with [Page 19] Cares, and edg'd with Fears, and per­haps an ordinary Felt sits easier upon the Head. At best, mens ruling over one another, whether they be Kings or other inferior Masters, is but a sem­blance, a shew of Rule; the meanest Saint whom Christ Jesus hath washed in his Blood, and made a King and a Priest to God and the Father, has a more real, glorious, durable Dominion than they upon that account.

When we consider the wise Counsel­lors and profound Statesmen upon Earth, and how often and strangely they are hallucinated, baffled, and infatuated, we cannot but say they walk in a vain shew. Let Achitophel the Gibonite bear witness for this sort of men, whose Counsel was overthrown by Hushas, and himself by a Halter. If you will, you may help out his Testimony by the Examples of some late Judges and great Ministers of State of those amongst our selves. How often have we seen these men falling by the fury of an enraged [Page 20] People, whom they had for some time ridden, and been made a Sacrifice to those to whom they had been a Ter­ror.

The foolish and ignorant look like Men, when indeed they are excelled by the Ox that knows his owner, and the Ass that knows his Master's Crib, Is. 1. 3. The Psalmist therefore joyns these two together, Psal 73. 22. So foolish was I, and ignorant, I was as a beast before thee. Sine doctrina vita, est quasi mortis imago, without Wisdom men may rather be said to be dead than alive.

The wise and the learned walk in a vain shew; they trouble their Heads with many Thoughts, and disquiet themselves in vain, seeking to come to the Knowledge of many things, and the Causes of things, which they shall never attain to, and give themselves a great deal of Torment to little or no purpose. If they do find out some things, they find them out to their cost, and to their grief; He that en­creaseth [Page 21] Knowledge encreaseth Sorrow; he comes to know many things which afterwards he could wish he had never known. Our Mother Eve coveted to know Good and Evil, and so she did, but it was sorely to her Cost, and to ours too; in her much Wisdom she found much Grief, which is entayled upon Us her Posterity to this day. Eccles. 1. 18. Much study is a weariness of the flesh, Eccl. 12. 12. That you will say is Vanity; yea, but there is Vexation also added to it; for, Would it not vex any man, to study hard only to know what abundance of things there are that he is guilty of?

The idle, slothful, and unconcern'd, walk in a vain shew, if indeed they may be said to walk at all; these are unprofitable Burdens to the Earth,—Numeri sunt fruges consumere nati; They only serve for tale, to make up a Number, and devour the Fruits of the Earth; they are asleep all their days, [Page 22] and what is a man good for when he is asleep?

The active, brisk, and lusty walks in a vain shew; he is up late and early, makes a bustle and clatter in the World, disquiets himself and all his Neighbors, defrauds his Carcass, troubles his House with restless Motion and Business, and all this is but as Childrens sweating and running after a painted Butterflye; he is alwaies catching at something or other, in which he is commonly dis­appointed, and cannot catch it; and if he do happen to catch it, he opens his Hand to view it, and behold, it is a Flye.

Bad men are but like men, even as Nebuchadnezzar, who had the Heart of a Beast, under the Shape of a Man.

Yea indeed, and Good men too, in this World, walk in a vain shew. How ignorant of many things are the wisest of men? How uncertain and fickle in their Resolutions? how uneven in their [Page 23] Tempers? how ebbing and flowing in their Devotions, are the Best of men in this World?

And although Religion be something solid, real, and substantial, yet it is but a shadow of what is to come. The best men are but like good men in this World. It is but a kind of typical Religion that we have here. What a scant Resemblance is the holiest Life upon Earth, to the Life of the other World? We rather make a shew of per­forming religious Duties, than perform them. As Angels sometimes make a shew of eating and drinking, and sitting and walking, and doing as we do, so we make a shew of serving and praising God, and doing as they do. This Knowledge of ours is but seeing in a Glass, like a Fable or Parable, in com­parison of the intuition and vision of the other World. Our Love is but like a going Fire, in comparison of the Ardours and Amours of that World. As men laugh at little Children when [Page 24] they measure heights, so shall we here­after disdainfully look back upon our dwarfish stature of this present World. The whole Life of the best man upon Earth, is but a Dream in comparison of that state that we shall be in when we awake in the Resurrection. Read 1 Cor. 13. 9, 10, 11, 12.

Every man walketh in a vain shew. Walks, I told you, according to the Hebrew Idiom, is as much as lives or converses, and comprehends whatsoever a man is, has, or does. I come now therefore to speak particularly to these.

First, It relates to what he is. Eve­ry man is but a Shew, a Resemblance, a kind of an Apparition. Tselem, the word in the Text, signifies the Image or Resemblance of a Body, which doth not exist truly and really, but in the Fancy only. Thus the Psalmist uses it, Psal. 73. 20. As a dream when one awaketh, so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image; i. e. [Page 25] them who are rather a Resemblance of something, than truly or really any thing. To the same purpose speaks Sophocles, in his Ajax, [...] We mortal men are nothing more than Images or light Shadows. Man is a Shadow, as to any Reality or Substantialness; and also as to duration, he is fickle and slitting, evanid as a Vapour, Jam. 4. 14. as a Bubble, as a Person that comes upon the Stage, and represents a King, or a Peer, or a Peasant, for a short space, and then disappears. He is a Flower, a pretty thing to look on, for a time, but heunimium breves rosae. Alas, how short liv'd are Roses! Man cometh forth like a Flower, that is sweet and is out down; that is sad, Job 14. 2. yea, he fleeth as a shadow, and continueth not. The eloquent Prophet uses the same elegant comparison, Isa. 40. 6. The voice said. Cry; and he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is Grass, and all the [Page 26] goodliness thereof as a flower of the field: The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it; surely the people is grass: The Apostle James applys the comparison to Rich men, Jam. 1. 10. 11. As the flower of the grass he shall pass away; for the sun is no sooner risen with a bur­ning heat; but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth, so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways: But the Apostle Peter applies it to them in particular, and also to all in general, 1 Pet. 1. 24. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass; the grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away. The Heathen Sages used the same compari­son, [...] Poor Man is no better than a Garment fretted and half eaten with Moths, which, you know, is then no better than a Rag; he dwelleth in a House made of Clay, whose Foundation [Page 27] is in the Dust, and is crush'd before the Moths, Job 4. 19. he consumeth as a rotten thing, as a Garment that is Moth-eaten, Job 13. 27. The greatest Bravery of Man is but like a Moth, a thing that men alwaies kill by crush­ing it; it needs no Knife to shed its Blood, no Halter to strangle it, no Ax to behead it, no, nor so much as a Womans Nail to dispatch it; do but catch it and crush it, and it ceases to be; Ps. 39. 11. When thou with re­bukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: Surely every man is vanity. They speak of the Apples of Sodom, fair and beautiful to look upon, but touch them and they drop into Ashes. Such a comely Vanity is Man, do but touch him, and he drops to Dust in his Body, and his Soul takes its flight into another World; so vain a thing is Man, as to his duration. But this Do­ctrine of Man's frailty, flittingness, and undurableness, is so well known to all [Page 28] men, and so readily confess'd by all, that I think I need not further insist upon it, though it opens to any man a great Field of Discourse, at the very first view. A little therefore to re­assume the former Argument concer­ning Man's seeming to be something, when indeed he is nothing. I say there­fore, there is no solidity, no consistency in Man.

His Beauty is but a Paint, a Varnish, in comparison of true and substantial A­miableness, and falls as far short of it as a patcht and painted Face falls short of of the native loveliness and sweetness, which is to be discerned in the Com­plexion of a pure uncorrupted Virgin, or the Virginity of a Damask Rose The Beauty of this corruptible Body is no more to be compared to the sweetness and lustre of the glorified Body, than Moses's Sun-burnt Face, when he was Shepherd to Jethro the Midianite, was to be compared to his shining Face, when he came down from the Mount [Page 29] of God, and was fain to put a Veil upon it, that the Children of Israel might behold him; or indeed, no more than the glistering of a Glow-worm is to be compared to the bightness of the Sun at mid-day.

His Strength, alas! it is but weakness and rottenness. Men, especially young­men, are apt to glory in their strength, and to pride themselves in their running, riding, wrestling, and fighting; whereas the ablest, stoutest, strongest of the Chil­dren of men, is a meer Child, in com­parison of one of the Angels of God, yea, or of one Devil either; yea, I may add, in comparison of any Child of the Resur­rection; for, these Bodies of ours are buried in Weakness, but shall be raised in Power, 1 Cor. 15. 43. Besides, this Strength of his, which he pretends to, has no duration with it, it vanishes away in a moment, and Man as a rot­ten thing consumeth, as a garment that is moth-eaten, Job 13. 28. Who could chuse but pitty Peter, stretching out [Page 30] his Hands to be bound and carried away whither he would not, who had for­merly seen him girding himself, and walking whithersoever he would; or Sampson grinding in the Prison, who had formerly seen him carrying away the Gates of Gaza upon his Shoulders, Doors, Posts, and Bar and all? Who, I say, can chuse but bewail the vain shew that the strong man makes, who sees his Iron Sinews become like Straw, and his Brass Bones turn'd into rotten Wood, as the Almighty loftily expres­ses it in the 41st of Job. And as his Beauty is but a Paint or Varnish, his Strength but Infirmity and Rotten­ness, so

His Valonr is but a Flourish, and a meer Vapour. The bombast words, and prophane brags of the Philistine-Champion Goliah, who defied the Ar­mies of the living God, and disdain'd the little Champion of Israel, Come un­to me, and I will give thy flesh to the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the [Page 31] field, prov'd to be nothing but the blasphemous Bravado of an uncircum­cised Tongue, which was presently si­lenc'd, and carried away with the wic­ked Head that contain'd it, and his mighty brandish'd Blade was wrapp'd up in a Clout, and laid behind the Ephod in obscurity. Besides, this Va­lour and Prowess will, in a short time, be turn'd into such Cowardise and Da­stordliness, that it will not dare to en­counter, no, not so much as the Worms, that will crawl and feed upon the valiant Hero, and then he that sees it will wonder, and say, Loe, here's all that remains of great Saladine; or, Loe here that Limb of a man, who is now a Worm, and no Man. His Valour is but a Flourish and a meer Vapour.

His Constancy and Faithfulness is but a shew of Stedfastness: Ten thousand Instances do tell us how frail, fickle, and deceitful the Affections, Words, Promi­ses, Oaths and Vows of the Children of Men are; they love to day and hate to [Page 32] morrow, and the Hatred with which they hate, perhaps, is greater than the Love wherewith they loved. Ammon is sick for his Sister Tamar to day, to morrow, having spoil'd her of her Glo­ry, he is as sick of her; Arise, be gone, 2 Sam. 13. 15. And again, Put now this woman out from me, and bolt the door after her, v. 19. Though all the world should deny thee, cries Peter to his Master, yet will not I deny thee, I will dye with thee rather, Mat. 26. 33, 35. But before morning his note is changed, ver. 72. I know not the man: And ver. 74. He began to curse and swear, saying, I know not the man. Peter, I warrant ye, thought he had a substantial stedfastness, but see what a vain shew it proved to be. It seems, by the Apostle Paul, that the Purpo­ses and Promises that are made accor­ding to the Flesh, i. e. according to men in the Flesh, are doubtful and un­stable, on and off; they are yea, yea, and nay, nay, 2 Cor. 1. 17. And in­deed, [Page 33] there is so much lightness and unsteddiness in humane Minds and Re­solutions, and so much variableness in their Affections, that their Constancy is no more to be compared to substan­tial Steddiness, than the levity of a Feather to the stability of a Mountain.—Besides, let men be never so firm, faithful, and constant in their Affecti­ons, alas, their time comes presently, when all their Thoughts perish: Let them be never so just, punctual, and true to their Word, their Breath, and with that all their Words, will vanish into Air in a short time; so vain a thing is Man: Surely every man walketh in a vain shew.

His Patience is but a shew of Pati­ence, mingled with a great deal of Im­patience, and soon worn out too. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, says the Apostle James; yes, so we have, and we have heard of his Impatience too, witness the third Chapter of his History, when he opened his mouth, [Page 34] and cursed his day;—(read the Cha­pter). We have heard of the Meek­ness of Moses too, who was the meekest man upon Earth, Numb. 12. 3. but we have heard of his Passion too, and rash Anger, Psal. 106. 32, 33. It went ill with Moses for their sakes, because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake unad­visedly with his lips. And be Man's Patience never so pure, it is rare to find it have its perfect Work; one Evil after another, one Battery upon the back of another, will shake it, if not de­molish it. Elijah long endured the Perverseness of Israel, the Affronts and Gainsayings of Ahab and Jezabel; but when word was brought him, that not­withstanding all his good Offices, Jeza­bel would have his Head to morrow, he arose, and went for his Life, and prayed in the anger and anguish of his Spirit, that he might dye, saying, It is enough, now, O Lord, take away my life, 1 Kin. 19. 4. His Successor Elisha pa­tiently endured many Provocations and [Page 35] Persecutions from that idolatrous Ge­neration in which he lived; but when the wicked and ungrateful King of Israel, for whom he had done so many good Offices, sent a Messenger to take away his Head, he falls into a sit of Impatience, 2 Kin. 6. 32. See ye how this son of a murderer is sent to take away my head: And still worse, in ver. 33. he said, Behold, this evil is of the Lord; what should I wait for the Lord any longer? Loesa patientia fit furor.

And as the Patience, so the Charity of Man upon Earth is imperfect, it is but a shew of Charity, in comparison of the pure Kindness and Benevolence of the Angels of God, or of the Spi­rits of just men made perfect. Alas! how great an Allay, a mixture of Bit­terness, is to be found in the sweetest Temper upon Earth? The Children of Men indeed, so far forth as they are Children of God, i. e. followers of him, are Children of Love, for God is Love. [Page 36] But alas, the most God like, and the best-natur'd of them, do love but in part; they have Gall mingled with their Honey, the root that beareth gall, as Moses calls it, Deut. 29. 18. is not perfectly eradicated, no, not out of the Trees that are of the Lord's own planting. Paul and Barnabas were men beloved of God and his Church, Lovers of God and of his Gospel, great Lovers one of another, constant and dear Companions in Travel, in Prea­ching, in Persecution, yet for a small matter (one would think) this loving pair sell out, and the Controversie grew so hot and, fierce, that they par­ted one from the other, when indeed they had more need to have gone to­gether, Acts 15. 39.—Besides, this very Charity, as it is imperfect, so it is evanid, and apt to decay, whilst men are in this Bodily state. Be it a holy Fire, kindled from above in the Souls of men, yet the very Fire of the Altar will decay, if Fuel be not administred [Page 37] to it. Distance of Place, want of In­terviews and Correspondence, the de­cay of that which we apprehend love­ly, any apprehension of Affront, or so much as a Neglect, with many an other Accident, is apt to quench this Flame, or at least abate the heat of the Passion. How often do we hear Men complaining of their conditions, which sometimes they seemed well pleased with, Husbands saying to their Wives, and Wives to their Husbands, I would we had never met together; the Fa­ther saying to his Son, I would I had never begotten thee; and the Mother to her Daughter, Woe is me, that ever I brought thee forth; so poor, impure, imperfect, and unconstant is this Passi­on, which yet certainly is the noblest that belongs to the human Nature.

View poor Man in any of his Ages, Conditions, Qualifications, Passions, or the effects of them, and you will find him vain, and walking in a vain shew: What's his Mirth, but a light and [Page 38] empty Jovialty, without any real Con­tent or solid Satisfaction? We may all justly say as Solomon said, Eccl. 2. 2. I said of laughter it is mad, and of mirth what doth it? What doth it indeed? for the very contrary to it is commen­ded above it, and preferred before it, Eccles. 7. 2. It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: And then, v. 3. Sorrow is better than laughter: And again, v. 4. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools in the house of mirth: And again, v. 5. It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than to hear the song of fools; for, as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of a fool; loud perhaps, but it is but a blaze, neither of any use, nor for any duration. And if man's Mirth be so vain, that even Sorrow itself is preferred before it, it might be worth the while to enquire wherein lies the solidity of Sorrow, and to say of this al­so, What doth it? For, what doth it [Page 39] profit a man to sorrow for the Losses that he cannot retrieve, the Disappoint­ments that he cannot amend, for things past that cannot be recover'd; for things present, that cannot be reme­died; for things to come, which can­not be prevented? Sorrow is an un­hinging of the Soul, and why should Man disquiet himself in vain? And how much of the strength of their Souls do men mispend in sorrowing? They oftentimes grieve for an Evil which really was not befaln them, and oftentimes for a thing, which though it was befaln them, was not really evil. Did not old Jacob walk in a vain shew, when he walked heavily and mourn­fully many years, for the Death of his dear Joseph, who was at that time Lord of all Aegypt. And suppose he had known that he was sold into Egypt, I warrant he would nevertheless have grieved, although really it was no evil to Jacob that he was sold thither. Mary was troubled that she could not find [Page 40] her dead Lord in the Sepulchre, when indeed it was good for her that he was risen, and was not there: So vain, ven­turous, and foolish a thing is the Mirth and the Sorrow too of the Sons of men.

Poor man, Is he awake? By Seeing or Hearing he is continually betray'd, or at least molested: He is either apt to speak what he should not, or sure to hear what he would not; he is ei­ther dissolved in Pleasure, distracted with Cares, or tired with Business; ei­ther vex'd with seeing other men do amiss, or envies them doing well; he is either wearied with very Idleness, and having nothing to do, or surfeited with doing the same things over and over again, all the days of his life. He is (forsooth) ever and anon hungry or thirsty, or weary, and a great part of the waking time of his life is spent in relieving these Necessities.—Well then, may some one say, Commend me to Sleep, for this frees the poor Mor­tal [Page 41] from all these Inconveniences. True indeed; But then (alas!) what is he good for? Then the Wise differs nothing from a Fool, nor the Champi­on from a Child. As the Grave is, so is the Bed, and all lye down alike in both, and Sleep like Death sweetly feeds upon them all. There is an old Que­stion in the Schools, An proestat miserum esse an non esse? One might almost in­terpret and illustrate it by waking and sleeping, whether is better, to be awake and be disquieted, or asleep, and not to be at all. That so great a part of our little Age passes away so unsensibly, and is spent so unprofitably, must needs trouble any wise man, who reflects upon it when he is awake. But, alas! there is somewhat worse than Unpro­fitableness in it. If it were possible for men to be asleep, and yet awake at the same time; I mean, if we did know how our time is spent, and how it goes on when we are asleep, it would add Shame to our Trouble, and Vexation [Page 42] to the Vanity. Many men do dream, even waking, the whole life of the greatest part of Mankind is nothing but a Dream; but the best and wisest of men dream sleeping, yea, and so dream, as that in the morning they have cause with shame to confess, it was no part of their Goodness or Wis­dom either. Other while poor men are affrighted with Visions or strange Apprehensions in the night-time, so as that their sleep itself is not sweet unto them: The Inconveniences and Evils of the Night are so many, that it may well be doubted whether any man li­ving (if a man asleep may be said to be alive) do pass any one night of his life in that Peace and Purity as he de­sires, and as becomes his noble Na­ture.

And now I am speaking of Man, as to what he is, and that therein he walks in a vain shew. I may fitly consider also what he knows, he walks in a vain shew as to that also. As his Beauty is but a [Page 43] Paint, his Valour but a Flourish, his Strength Rottenness, his Constancy, Pa­tience, and Charity but a Resemblance of some such things, so indeed that wherein he is so very apt to glory,

His Knowledge, is but a Conjecture: He thinks he knows many things, which indeed he does but guess at; And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know, 1 Cor. 8. 2. To know things is properly to know the causes of things; and, alas! how little is there of this sort of Knowledge, that a mo­dest man dare pretend to? We all allow Solomon to have been a wise and knowing man, and yet who is there that confesses his Ignorance more plain­ly and frequently than he, as appears by that form of speech that he so often uses, Who knoweth, and who can tell? Who knoweth whether his heir shall be a wise man or a fool, Eccl. 2. 19? Who knoweth the spirit of a man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast, that [Page 44] goeth downward to the earth, Eccl. 3. 21? Who knoweth what is good for man in this life, Eccl. 6. 12? Who knoweth the interpretation of a thing, Eccl. 8. 1? Who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun, Eccl. 6. 12? Who can tell him when it shall be, Eccl. 8. 7? And what shall be after him, who can tell. Eccl. 10. 14? Our knowledge of things past is by Tradition, of things present many of them by Hear-say, and of things to come by meer Conjecture: And is not all this very uncertain? How vastly do the Sentiments of the men of this Age vary from the Senti­ments of the men of the last Ages? and it is very likely, that many of the Opinions and Doctrines, both in Phi­losophy and Divinity, which this pre­sent Generation embraces, will in the next Age be rejected and exploded: Nay, the same man, in different stages of his own Age, and different circum­stances of his own Life, varies from himself. Who can chuse but wonder [Page 45] and confess, that man walketh in a vain shew, as to his Knowledge, who shall look into a Church in the beginning of an Age, and find it wholly Calvini­stical, and look upon it again towards the end of the same Age, and find it almost wholly Arminian, or Bellarminian, the Schools then wholly Aristotelian, and now mostly Cartesian. How easily and suddenly does Worldly Interest al­ter the Minds of men, who force them­selves to believe certain Propositions or Doctrines, because it is for their secular advantage to profess them. Add to this Vanity the Vexation that attends Man as to his Knowledge; this might be made out in many particulars, some few of which I touch'd upon before. To say nothing therefore of those, con­sider a little the vexatious Ʋnresolved­ness that attends the most ingenious and inquisitive of the Sons of Men; and this Vexation does most haunt the finest Heads, and the tenderest Hearts. They that are most conscientious, are careful [Page 46] to act judiciously, that their Conscien­ces may not condemn them, as to the things wherein they allow themselves; which whilst they seek to do, that they may approve themselves to God, they make many Enquiries, beat their Brains, turn over their Books, summon all the Powers of their Souls to give a right Verdict in the case. In this Contest many poor Souls spend all their days, and can come to no Resolution, but flu­ctuate to and fro, like Waves tossed with the contrary Winds, and never arrive at true Rest, Resolution, and Satisfacti­on of Mind all their life long. When after all (if after all) they seem to ar­rive at some satisfaction, and as King Agrippa says, are almost perswaded, then presently arises some Storm, some Blast from some Author or Argument or other, and shakes their not well fix'd Resolution, ravels all again, and drives them back into the same Per­plexities as before; so that their Minds are restless and raging, one while af­firming, [Page 47] another while denying, but al­ways in some degree doubting. And is not this Ʋnresolvedness a vexatious Va­nity, wherein men, yea, the best of men, do walk: Which so troubled the modest Philosopher of old, that he cried, Hoc tantum scio, me nihil scire.

A man may, upon the whole mat­ter rather be said to seem to be, than to be any thing that is good.

In short, if there be any thing solid or substantial in Man, it is that where­by he denies himself to be any thing, and empties himself of himself.

And yet this is but very imperfect neither; for, our very Self-denyal is mingled with much Pride and Selfish­ness, whilst we are in this poor Pil­grim state.

And so I come to consider, that Man walketh in a vain shew, as to what he hath or possesseth. The Possessions of this World are but a shew, a shadow of good things, in both the forementio­ned respects, but empty and fleeting; [Page 48] they are thin and meagre, have no bulk, weight, nor substance in them, nor any considerable duration. In short, they have neither solidity nor stability. All Earthly Possessions, even the finest, sweetest, and bravest of them, are cry'd up, or cry'd out on rather for Vanity, by the most competent Judge that ever liv'd upon Earth; read Ecc. 2. And what can be lighter and emptier than Vanity? And it is but an imaginary kind of Happiness, which the Rich, the Honourable, the Learned, the Valiant, and Victorious do enjoy. So then both the Possessions themselves, and the de­light that is taken in them are both Vanity; Surely every man walketh in a vain shew.

The Possessions themselves.

Riches are but a shadow of some substantial and durable Good; they are but a Fancy. Abstract them from [Page 49] the Love of God, separate them from their End and Use, and they are as meer Husks, as those that the Prodigal in the Parable fed upon, in comparison of the Bread of his Father's House: I say, separate them from their End and Use, for what is a Coffer of Gold bet­ter than a heap of Counters, if no body may touch it nor use it? What is a rich Palace better than a heap of Rub­bish, or a Castle in the Air, if no man may be permitted to inhabit it? What is costly Apparel better than rotten Rags, if no one may be suffer'd to put it on? Well, suppose this Wealth to be us'd, it is a thousand to one but it is abus'd and mispent upon vain Plea­sures, unprofitable Curiosities, or need­less Superfluities. The Paint and Pi­ctures of a House render it never the more safe nor strong: The costly Ap­parel of Scarlet and Velvet keep the Body no warmer than the Prophet's Girdle of Leather, or the Baptist's Coat of Camels Hair.—Again, abstract [Page 50] Worldly Wealth and Riches from the Love of God; i. e. Suppose a man to have much Gold and no Grace, much Wealth and no Virtue, much of Earth in his Hands and nothing of Heaven in his Heart; suppose his Riches to be gotten by Fraud or Violence, by wic­ked Cunning or Covetousness; suppose them to be given him for a Curse and a Snare, and an aggravation of his Condemnation, does not this man walk in as vain a shew as those Slaves that are continually emyloyed in the Mines of Silver and Gold, carrying many a heavy load for the service of their Masters, themselves all the while remaining miserable Slaves for all that?—Again, compare this Worldly Wealth with the true Riches, with Grace and Glory, which do enrich and adorn the Mind; and, what shall we call it then? Let the Prophet speak for me, and tell you, Hab. 2. 6. it is thick Clay; Woe to him that ladeth himself with thick clay. Thick Clay! this is Substance [Page 51] indeed, but it is dirty and nasty for a Soul to wallow in, fitter for a Swine than for a Soul. Let another Prophet speak, Zech. 9. 3. Tyrus heaped up sil­ver as the dust; and fine gold as the mire of the streets. Or, let holy Job speak, Job 27. 16. He heaps up silver as the dust, and prepares raiment as the clay.—Nay again, we will suppose that Riches be made use of, yea, and good use of, (which is the best that can be suppos'd) yet when Goods encrease, they are encreas'd that eat them; and What good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes, Eccl. 5. 11? In a word, there is a Curse entail'd upon all that covet af­ter Riches, which does unavoidably light upon them all, viz. they shall go on still hungring and gaping after more, and shall never be filled, Eccl. 5. 10. He that loveth silver shall not not be satisfied with silver, nor he that loveth abundance with encrease. And then he adds, as with good reason he [Page 52] might, This is also vanity. The worth of these things is placed principally in the Fancies of Men. You have heard perhaps of some Rich men, who un­der a melancholick Distemper have fancied themselves to be very Poor, and I wonder then what good their Riches do them. And I have read of a poor man, who in his merry Me­lancholy would stand upon the Shore and clap his Hands, and laugh and rejoyce at the coming in of the Mer­chants Ships, fancying them all to be his own. And I wonder what he could have done more, if they had been all his own indeed: And is not that a Vanity, that a man may fancy himself into, or out of, when he plea­ses?—Besides, in the latter sence, these Riches are Vanity too, because they soon vanish; They take to them­selves wings, and fly away, as Solomon, expresses it, yea, and that swiftly and irrecoverably, as an Eagle towards Heaven. Now these Wings are made [Page 53] up of many sorts of Feathers, such as Thieves, Knaves, violent Enemies and Oppressors, false and deceitful Friends, Fire, Sword, Wind and Tempests, Suits at Law, Forgery, Perjury, Moths and Rust, and I know not how many more. I will quit this point, leaving with you that good and grave Advice of your best Friend, Mat. 6. 19, 20. Lay not up for your selves treasures up­on Earth, but lay up for your selves trea­sures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.

Friends are a Worldly Possession, highly prized by some, and indeed needed by all: They are a very pre­cious Possession, a very great, but a very rare Treasure. True Friends are sel­dom acquir'd, hardly kept, and with great Grief parted with. There are so many things go to the making up of a true and rightly-accomplish'd Friend, that it may well be doubted, whether every thousandth man in the World [Page 54] have one. They that live in populous places have many Neighbors, the Rich have many Servants, the Elo­quent have many Auditors, the Lear­ned have many Pupils and Clients, the Honourable and the Worshipful have many Flatterers, and perhaps not one of these has a true Friend; for neither Affinity, Riches, Eloquence, Learning, Honour, or Grandeur can purchase true Friendship: And indeed, there are few men in this depraved state of Mankind fit to make Friends of. If a man be foolish or false, if he be covetous or selfish, if he be cowardly, proud, or passionate, if he be [...], self-concei­ted, humerous, inconstant, or an intem­perate self-lover, he cannot be made a Friend of. And (alas!) where is the man that is not some of all this?

To keep a Friend is no less difficult than to get one. The tenderer any part of the Body is, the sooner it is [Page 55] hurt, and the easilier-offended. Friend­ship is a tender and delicate thing, and easily grieved; every small In­firmity, Passion, or so much as Neg­lect, is apt to wound, if not to vio­late it, and Friendship, when it comes to be suspected is half broken. If no man can be properly called a Friend, but such an one as Solomon describes, Prov. 17. 17. Who loveth at all times, I doubt there will very few be found, so inconstant is all human Love, so apt to be abated, if not abolish'd. Is this thy kindness to thy friend, said Absalom jeeringly to Hushai, because he did not willingly go with his Friend David into Banishment, why wentest thou not with thy friend, 2 Sam. 16. 17? How often have all men cause to reflect as tartly upon their pretended Friends, upon the account of some Commission or Omis­sion or other? Is this your Kindness to your Friend? Why did you not go hither or thither? Why did you [Page 56] not do this or that? Why did you not speak thus or thus for your Friend? Friends were ordain'd for a time of Adversity, but (alas!) they will not abide it, few of them are Adversity-proof.—But, at best, Friends must part. If they have lived lovingly and faithfully all their days, (which is rare to be found) yet Death, worse and crueller than the Whisperer that Solomon speaks of, will separate the chiefest Friends that ever lov'd or liv'd together, and then behold what Lamentation and Mourning; The beau­ty of Israel is slain; O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thy high places: I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant hast thou been unto me, thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women, 2 Sam. 1. The taking away of such a Friend, is like the rending of Limb from Limb, or the violent tea­ring of Soul from Body. Oh the desire of mine Eyes, cries one; Oh the delight [Page 57] of my Soul, cries another; how art thou taken away as with a stroke, and hast left me to grapple with the Misfortunes of an injurious and vexatious World a­lone! Surely every man walketh in a vain shew.

Children are a pleasant Possession. With what Ardours of Soul, with what unparallel'd Ravishments are these em­brac'd? These are Images of our selves, nay, Parts indeed rather than Pictures; these are, in a sound Sence, Bone of our Bone, and Flesh of our Flesh; in them we enjoy our selves whilst we live; in them we live when we are dead. Well, all this, and a great deal more may be said concerning this Dar­ling of human Nature, but does not poor Man walk in a vain shew as to this Possession too? After they are begotten and born in Sin and Sorrow, and nurst up with much Wakefulness and Wearisomness, they become pret­ty [Page 58] Playfellows, and enchant the fond Parents with their sweet Smiles and lisping Rhetorick, and every little Trick, that is any thing akin to Wit or Ingenuity. In the midst of these Charms, it may be, comes some Di­saster or other, and breaks a Leg or an Arm, an Ague, or the Worms, and de­prave the Constitution, or the Small Pox, and quite spoyl the Complexion; nay, it is great odds, but some of these prove fatal and mortal, and the Child never lives to see itself a Man or Wo­man, but is quite taken off the Stage of the World, before it was able to take a turn upon it, or knew how to walk before the Living: Oh then, what bitter lamentation, mourning, and weeping is there! If the Child be sick, we have David fasting, and ly­ing upon the Earth, and in the an­guish of his Soul refusing to eat Bread, 2 Sam. 12. 16, 17. If the Child dye, then you have Rachel weeping and [Page 59] wailing, ready to tear her Hair, yea, her very Heart, and refusing to be comforted, Jer. 31. 15.—Well, but suppose they escape this first Rencounter, and grow up to be young Men and Women, then behold what Perplexity follows, about their Educa­tion, and disposing of them into a set­tled Condition in the World; what perpetual Care and Fear for them, lest they should be infected, insnared, depra­ved, lest they should take bad ways, or come to any bad end. Alas! how many prove to be the greatest Heart-breaking to their Parents, in their Manhood, who were the desire of their Eyes, and delight of their Hearts in their Childhood? They please our Eyes when they are Children, and when they are grown up, are oftentimes as Smoak to our Eyes. We play with them at Two or Three, and it may be weep over them at Twenty or Thirty: We dandle them in our Hands at first, and afterwards wring our [Page 60] Hands over them. Children are com­monly said to be the Staff of their Parents Old-Age, and yet how often do we see Men beaten with this Staff of their Old-Age? If they prove bad and useless, we are ready to wish we had never been the Instruments of their Being. If they prove good and useful, oh then how are we tormented with Fear, lest they should dye before us, lest the Encrease of our House should fall in the Flower of their Age. If they be wicked, and yet live on, it is but to consume the Parents Eyes, and grieve their Hearts: If they be cut off in their Wickedness, Enemies to God, and unprepared for another World, then, O my son Absalom! O Absalom my son, my son, 2 Sam. 18. ult. If they be good and useful, and yet cut off in the flower of their Age, then there is the greatest Complaint, and the bitterest Cry of all, I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning, Gen. [Page 61] 36. 35. If Children dye before the Parents, there is a sad loss and disap­pointment; if they survive, yet the Parents are not free from Fears or Jea­lousies, so long as they live, For who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool that shall be after me, yet shall he have rule over all my labour? This is also Vanity, Eccles. 2. 19.

Yet on the other hand, As to be full of Children is to be full of Folly, Fear, Care, and Anxiety, so to be Childless, is to be full of Envy and Discontent, and Unsatisfiedness: This is also Vanity. There is one alone, and there is not a second, says Solomon, he hath neither Child nor Brother; q. d. he has no body to take care of, or to provide for, yet there is no end of all his labour, neither is his eye satisfied with riches, neither saith he, for whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of [Page 62] good? This is also Vanity, yea, it is a sore Travel, Eccles. 4. 8. See the grievous Vanity of Humane Life in that one Instance of Rachel; before she had Children, she was carried away with Envy and Anger, Give me chil­dren, or else I dye, Gen. 30. 1. Well, she has them, but take them away, and then she is transported with bitter Grief and inconsolable Sorrow; she weeps for her Children, and would not be comforted for her Children, be­cause they were not. To have Chil­dren puts us to trouble to get Estates for them, whilst we live: To have none, puts us to trouble how to dispose of our Estates when we dye.—Sure­ly every man walketh in a vain shew.

And what shall we say of Victory and Success in Warlike Actions? Why, I say, it is a pretty kind of Pageantry, a vain shew, like all the rest. What a rare sight is it to see one man beat [Page 63] another? a rare thing for a rational Soul to contemplate, two silly Mor­tals striving upon the Stage of the World, and one too hard for the other. That which one man carries away from another is but a shadow of Victory, in comparison of that Victory which the diligent and watch­ful Soul gets over itself and its own Passions and vile Affections: And in a short time, the brave victorious Hero, that now carries his Head so high, must lay down Head and Hands and all, at the Feet of Worms and Ver­min.

And what shall we say of Reputation and Credit? Solomon indeed says, A good name is better than precious oint­ment, Eccles. 7. 1. Well, be it so; yet precious Ointment itself is but a Vanity: Let but a few dead Flyes fall into it, and it makes it send forth a stinking Savour: So doth a little [Page 64] Folly, a small Mistake, quite spoil the man that is in much Reputation for Wisdom and Honour, Eccles. 10. 1. One false Step taken, one Error com­mitted, one malignant But clapt in, spoils the Beauty and Braveness of a man's Character. Naaman the Syrian Prince had a brave Character, Naaman Captain of the host of the King of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria; he was also a mighty man in valour. This was a noble Character indeed, and yet all blurr'd with one mischievous But, But he was a leper, 2 Kin. 5. 1. What pity was it that this fair Por­traicture should all be dash'd with one Blot, But he was a leper? This very good Report or Reputation is so ensna­ring a Vanity, that the Apostle Paul, found there was need to watch a­gainst it, as well as against bad Re­port, 2 Cor. 6. 8. It is so vain a shew, [Page 65] that our Saviour tells us, that the more universal and uncontroulable it is, the more dangerous and mischie­vous it is, Luke 6. 26. Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you. The Approbation and Praise which is solid, and makes men happy, is of God, and not of men, as the Apostle phrases it, Rom. 2. 29.

In a word, whatever Solidity or Sub­stantialness may be fancied to be in any of these Worldly Possessions (as certainly some do bid fairer for it than others, yet their flittingness, va­nishingness, and want of Duration, renders them a vain shew after all. The things, all the things that are seen are [...], temporary; but the things that are not seen, these are eter­nal, 2 Cor. 4. 8.

I told you, that both the Possessions themselves, and the Delight and Con­tent that is taken in them, are a vain [Page 66] shew. Having spoken to the first of these, I now come to speak a word or two to the latter, viz. the Delight of the Sons of men do take in these Pos­sessions. I am wont to distinguish between Possessions and Enjoyments, though in ordinary Discourse men are apt to confound them; for I can make good these two Propositions, viz. That many men possess many things which they do not enjoy.

As the covetous Worldly-minded man possesses Bags of Gold & Silver, which he dares not touch, except it be to count it, and lay it up again, and many other sorts of Riches, which he dare not make use of, either for his own Relief, or the Relief of the Poor.—Secondly, That some men enjoy many things which they do not possess. He that is so refin'd and spiritualiz'd, as to view all things in God, and to take notice of the Goodness, Sweetness, and Bounty of God in the whole Creation, [Page 67] and has such an Interest in Christ Jesus, and in the Love of GOD, as to ena­ble him to say, All things are mine; and so much Charity, as to delight in the Good of his Neighbour as his own, enjoys even the very Possessions of other men, and all that is sweet and excellent in them, as truly, and more purely, than if they were his own. As the little Bee, that flies from Flower to Flower in any man's Gar­den whatsoever, and sucks out the sweetness thereof, so does the Chymi­cal Soul extract true sweetness out of all the Works of God, though they be the Possessions of other men, and by this rare Art makes them his own, at least takes more Pleasure in them than the Owner.

But this is a Digression not here to be handled, and perhaps too curious to be well understood; to return therefore,

The Delight and Pleasure that is taken in Worldly Possessions is but fanciful and imaginary; the Fancy is tickled, but the higher Powers of the Soul are not really satisfied, nor indeed pleased. As the Sports and Delights of Children are inferiour to the Sensa­tions and Satisfactions of grown Men; and as the Laughter of Fools differs from the Pleasure and Contentment of Princes; as the crackling of Thorns under a Pot differs from a Fire made of a good substantial pile of Coals; as the uncertain, unsteddy, and smoa­ky light of green Wood differs from the strong, steddy, and pure flame of the dry Tree; so much do the Re­lishes, Pleasures, and Delights which men have and find in sublunary Vani­ties, fall short of the true, pure, perfect Satisfactions and Ravishments which are the Entertainment of the other World. As the crackling of thorns [Page 69] under a pot, so is the laughter of a fool: this also is vanity, Eccles. 7. 6. Yea, Solomon was no Fool, yet he said in his Heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure; and behold, this also is vani­ty, Eccles. 2. 1. In the midst of this fanciful Laughter the Heart is often sad, sorrowful, pincht, and pin'd; and generally the occasion of our sensual Merriment, if it were well consider'd, deserves indeed to be the cause of seri­ous Grief and Sorrow.

And this imaginary kind of Pleasure and Delight that we take in Earthly Possessions, is flitting and evanid too. The Pleasure that the greatest Sen­sualist in the World takes in his Meat or Drink, or any other sensual En­tertainment, lasts no longer than whilst the Necessitys of Nature are in supplying, or the Appetites are grati­fying. When the Appetites and Cra­vings [Page 70] of Nature are once gratified, then farewel all Pleasure, no more Delight, no more Relish remains: And till these Appetites and Cravings are re­newed, all sensual Pleasure and Delight is wanting; and, Who would desire to be hungry on purpose, only that he might have the pleasure of eating? Surely every man walketh in a vain shew. As to what he possesseth, and as to the Delight he takes in those Possessions, they perish with the using.

And so I come to the third Head, Every man walketh in a vain shew, as to what he does or undertakes.

Under this Head I comprehend all humane Plots, Projects, and Contri­vances, as to all which one may safe­ly say, Man walketh in a vain shew. There are many Devices in the Heart of Man, which ought not to be there, [Page 71] and there are many there that never prosper, many that do take effect, and it had been better they had been abortive: And after all, in a short time, this plotting Head is laid in the Dust, and all Man's Thoughts do pe­rish with him.

There are many proud, revengeful, ambitious, covetous Devices in the Heart of Man, which ought not to be there. I am resolved what to do, says the Rich man in the Gospel, I will pull down my barns, and build bigger; and I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years, take thy ease, eat, drink, and be merry, Luke 12. 18. q. d. I am resolved now to lead a merry Life for many years. What a vain Con­ceit, what an infirm Device this was, the next words declare; Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee, &c. Therefore we read of [Page 72] an heart that deviseth wicked imagina­tions, Prov. 6. 18. and of the Heathens, that were vain in their imaginations, Rom. 1. 21. and of imagining a mis­chievous Device, Psal. 21. 11. Such a mischievous Device was that of Esau against his Brother Jacob, The days of mourning for my Father are at hand; then will I kill my Brother Jacob, Gen. 26. 41.

Again, There are many Projects and Devices in the Heart of Man, which never prosper; according to that of Solomon, Prov. 19. 21. There are many devices in a man's heart, ne­vertheless the counsel of the Lord that shall stand. Balaam plotted and con­spired, and used all Charms imaginable against Israel, to curse and destroy them, and yet it came to this at last, Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, nor divination against Israel, Numb. 23. 23. Nay, honest Plots, [Page 73] and innocent Contrivances, which men, yea, good men, employ their Heads and Hearts about, often prove abortive; yea, when they are, as one may say, come to the birth, there does not prove to be Strength enough to bring forth. Jonathan set his Heart upon making David King, and pro­mised himself a great Contentment in it, because he loved him, and knew that he was wonderfully and passio­nately beloved of him; Thou shalt be King, and I shall be next unto thee, 1 Sam. 23. 17. A very fair and probable Plot, a very likely Conje­cture; but alas, it miscarried: David indeed liv'd to be King, but Jona­than never liv'd to see it. Let a Project be spun as fine as a Spider's Web, a little Accident, some small Circumstance no bigger than a Bee may break it.

Again, There are many Projects and Devices in the Hearts of the Sons of men, that do take effect, and it had been much better they had been abortive, and these purposes frustra­ted. Who knoweth, says Solomon, what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life, which he spendeth as a shadow, Eccles. 6. 12? Who know­eth? Indeed many men have thought they have known, but they have been miserably mistaken. It had been a thousand times better for many men to have had their Plots and Contri­vances frustrated and disappointed, than gratified or perform'd. Amnon con­sulted with his Cousin Jonadab, and subtilly contrived to fulfill his ince­stuous Lust upon his Sister Tamar; And Jonadab, says the Text, was a very subtile man, 2 Sam. 13. but Jo­nadab had better have been a Fool, than to have given such Counsel; and [Page 75] Amnon was a Fool for following it, vers. 13. Thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel. And indeed by this subtile Plot he lost not only his Re­putation, but his Life too, ver. 28, 29. Haman the Agagite plotted and con­trived cunningly against Mordecai, by obtaining a Decree from the King for the murdering of a whole Nation at once, for so he knew that Morde­cai could not escape. Well, he ob­tain'd the Decree, and thought to glut his Eyes with their Blood, little thinking that the Queen herself was a Jew, and that unhappy Mistake brought him to the Gallows. What Contrivances and Plottings are to be found every where, for the procuring of Places, the getting of rich Matches, the establishing of Trade, the encrea­sing of Riches, which after a short time the Projectors wish had rather been frustrated and disappointed than accom­plish'd.

And lastly, After all, vain Man lays his plotting Head in the Dust, and then, at least then, all his thoughts perish, Psal. 146. 4. His Breath goeth forth, he returneth to his Earth, in that very day his Thoughts perish. Sennacherib plots against poor helpless Judah, and makes himself sure of her; With the multitude of my chariots I am come up to the height of the moun­tains, to the sides of Lebanon, and will cut down the tall Cedar trees thereof; and I will enter into the lodgings of his borders, and into the Forest of his Car­mel, 2 Kin. 19. 23. Well, the next News is, It came to pass that night, that the Angel of the Lord went out and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand, ver. 35. The King himself returned (with shame enough you may ima­gine) and whilst he was at his Idol­worship, his Sons smote him with the [Page 77] Sword; ver. 37. Thou fool, this night shall thy soul be required of thee, and then, &c.

And so I come to consider Man as to what he enterprizes and under­takes, and to shew, that therein also he walketh in a vain shew. Solomon was a man of the greatest Undertakings that the Sun ever saw: You may see an Epitome of his Labours and Underta­kings, and the many things that he set his Hand unto, Eccles. 2. and af­ter all, he turned himself, and looked on all the Works that his Hand had wrought, and on the Labour that he had laboured to do, and behold, all was Vanity, and there was no profit un­der the Sun, ver. 11. As to that which Man undertakes, he disquiets himself in vain, says the Psalmist here in the Text; the Verb is of the plural number in the Hebrew, because of the Collective Ish, or every man, going be­fore, [Page 78] and is translated tumultuantur, turbantur, perstrepunt: They make a great deal of bustle and clutter, and disquiet themselves, and indeed they disquiet the neighbouring World round about them, as Alexander the Great did of old, and Lewis the Fourteenth does at this day, and all in vain. Surely every man walketh in a vain shew, they disquiet themselves in vain.

It would be endless to run through all the Actions, Undertakings, and En­terprizes of men in the World in par­ticular. In general, there is a great deal of bustle, commotion, disturbance, distraction, made by this silly Ani­mal called Man, upon the Stage of this World, and all to no pur­pose.

One arms himself and all his Vassals cap-a-pee, and goes out into the Field, to amaze and affright the impotent [Page 79] and on-looking World, he wins Towns and Countries, he adds Kingdom to Kingdom, enlarges his Dominions, spreads his Language, advances his Name, erects Statues and Trophies, and yet this great Undertaker obtains no real Interest, Love, or Honour in the Hearts of his fellow-Creatures, he does not approve himself to God, he has no Favour from his holy Angels; His exalted Name will soon be forgot­ten, his stately Trophies in a short time demolish'd, and himself to the end of the World confin'd to a few feet of Earth; and after all, the great Hero shall be judg'd as another man, as the meanest private Centi­nel.

Another is continually contriving for his Appetite, how to gratifie that; he searches the Air, the Earth, the Seas; he ransacks the World for Meat for his Belly, or Sawce for his Meat, [Page 80] or curious Cookery for both. These Dainties are hard and costly to be got­ten; when they are gotten, they gra­tifie but for a Meal, they perish with the using, and lose all their sweetness, af­ter the cravings of this silly whining Ap­petite are once gratified. After these, fresh Entertainments must be sought out, and after those still new ones, or else the childish whimpering Appetite cannot be quieted: In all which much Mo­ney is spent, many Hands employed, much of Man's vain short life wasted, and great Estates many times exhau­sted, many men feeding their Capons with Currans so long, till themselves have not a Capon nor so much as a Hen to feed upon. In the mean time the Stomach is rather cloy'd than truly gratified, and the Constitution rather surfeited and depraved, than nourished or strengthened; and after all, that heavy Doom of the Apostle takes place, 1 Cor. 6. 13. Meats for [Page 81] the belly, and the belly for meats, but God shall destroy both it and them. And the Worms will make no distin­ction, nor find no difference between their Carcasses and the Flesh of meaner Mortals.

Another runs up and down the World, catching here and there, goes into this City, and that Country and Kingdom, to buy and sell, and traffick, and get Gain; where there is any Market, or Fair, or concourse of People for Trade, there is he. His whole Enquiry is, Who will shew us any Good? and his whole business to acquire it. The whole design and business of his vain and vexatious Life is to gather Riches, and yet (see how he walks in a vain shew!) perhaps he can no more catch these Riches than a man can catch a Shadow; or if he do catch them, they are but a Shadow still: And to whom he shall leave them he cannot tell. [Page 82] Perhaps (I say) he can no more catch them than a Man can catch a Shadow. Riches in this respect are much a-kin to Honour, of which it uses to be said, Sequentem fugit fugien­tem sequitur; it flees him that follows it, and follows him that flees from it. They look for Riches; they look for much, but lo, it comes to little; and if they bring it home, the Providence of GOD, the Blast of the Almigh­ty bloweth upon it! Haggai 1. 9. Or, as the same Prophet speaks, ver. 6. They sow much and bring in lit­tle, eat and have not enough, cloth them, but there is none warm, earn wages, and put it into a bag with holes. La­ban the Syrian, a plodding Mammo­nist, left no Stone unturn'd, no way unessay'd to multiply his Flocks, and grow very pecorose; he changed his Servants Wages ten times; he requir'd the stoln and the torn at the Hands of his Shepherd; but Heaven found out a [Page 83] way to frustrate him, and after all, his Shepherd died as rich as he.

Or if he do catch them, they are but a shadow still, no substance, weight, or solid worth in them, no Virtue to fill the Soul, to satisfie the Desires, to still the Cravings, or allay the raging Appetites of a Worldly Mind. It is with vain Man in this respect, as the Prophet elegantly expresses it, Isaiah 9. 20. He snatcheth on the right hand, and yet is hungry; he eats on the left hand, and is not satisfied. The Desires and Cravings of Minds and Spirits can be no more satisfied with Gold and Silver, than the Hungerings of the Body can be allay'd with Words, or satisfied with Notions and Specu­lations. Solomon, that had all things, was satisfied with nothing, but still cries out, All is vanity; and there is no profit under the sun. He that lo­veth silver, shall not be satisfied with [Page 84] silver, nor he that loveth abundance with encrease, Eccles. 5. 10. Nay, it is a thousand to one but Vexation is added to the Vanity. Worldly Wealth does only not satisfie, but oftentimes mo­lesteth the Owner, tempts him to Pride, Security, Forgetfulness of God, and disdaining of Men; exposes him to Envy, and that lays him open to Thieves, and abundance of Snares and Dangers, makes him lead an unquiet life, anxious days, and wakeful nights, whilst he is sollicitous how to keep them whilst he lives, and how to be­stow them when he dyes: And it's ten to one, he is as much hated or laugh'd at when he is dead, as he was envied whilst he lived; which brings me to the third thing.

To whom he shall leave them he cannot tell. If he have no Child of his own Body begotten, he is all his Life time sollicited by his own, or it [Page 85] may be his Wives Relations, and at his Death he is sollicitous how to distribute his Wealth; if he give all to one, the rest will judge him un­natural, and be ready to curse his Ashes; if he distribute it amongst ma­ny, it spoils the great design of making one only very great and rich, and the pretty Plot of keeping up the Name and Grandeur of a Family. If he have an Heir of his own Body to transmit his Wealth to; then if it be a Daughter, he fears her great Portion will betray her to some idle swag­gering Gentleman or other, that will first impoverish her, and then hate her; first get rid of what she has, and then seek to be rid of her too. If it be a Son, still (alas!) who knows whether he shall be a Wise man or a Fool, whether he will be industrious or profuse? This fretted King Solomon whilst he was alive, Eccles. 2. 18, 19. I must leave it unto [Page 86] the man that shall be after me; and who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? And indeed (as Job speaks) the thing that he feared came upon him; for his Son and Heir Reho­boam foolishly forsook the Counsel of the grave Senators, and follow'd the rash Advice of his giddy beardless Courtiers, and in one day lost ten parts in twelve of that great Estate which his Grandfather with so much Hazard and Courage had pur­chas'd, and his Father with so much Care and Prudence had so long pre­serv'd. Was not this a foolish Prodi­gal Son, who at one sitting rent off ten parts in twelve of a Kingdom, which his Father had kept together forty years? And does not this sort of men walk in a vain shew?

Another plods day and night, spends his Time and Strength in endless En­quiries after Knowledge, which Enqui­ries [Page 87] are sometimes bootless, com­monly painful, and always imper­fect.

They are sometimes bootless; for, how often do poor Mortals search for the hidden Treasures of the knowledge of many things both in Nature and Divinity, which they find out even as they find out the Philo­sopher's Stone, sought by many, but found by none; who whilst they seek an Art to turn all things into Gold, only find a way to turn all their own Gold into nothing. The Apostle, I remember, speaks it to the reproach of some silly Women, that were al­waies learning, and never yet were able to come to the knowledge of the Truth, 2 Tim. 3. 7. I believe the Character may as well be ap­ply'd to foolish and vain men, as to silly Women; for how many in­dustrious men are to be found in the [Page 88] World, who by the most diligent search could never arrive at the know­ledge of many things which they de­sir'd; and because God did not re­veal it to them, resolv'd to consult the Devil, and make him their Intel­ligencer and Interpreter? Certainly the Thirst after Knowledge is no less vehement than after Silver and Gold: I doubt not, but that many curious, inquisitive, and fine Minds are as ear­nest and vehement in this Case, as the Merchant that we read of in the Parable, who sold all his Possessions to buy the Field in which was the Pearl of great price: As appears by the Saying of a young Nobleman of this Kingdom (not then Two and Twenty years old) in a Book entitu­led Seraphick Love, that he would gladly exchange all the Honour and Estate that he had in this World, for the knowledge of Natural things, and their Causes.

These Enquiries after Knowledge are commonly painful; to which I may add costly. The knowledge of things indeed by Inspiration, may seem to be easie, (and yet the inspired Priests and Priestesses of the Heathen gods labour'd under great Distress and Dif­ficulty, whilst they were pleni deo, as they call'd it, and in plain English, besides themselves). This Knowledge (I say) by Inspiration, may seem to be easie; but yet Solomon, who him­self was also sometimes (at least) in­spir'd, tells us, That much study is a weariness of the flesh, Eccles. 12. 12. And the expence of the Animal Spi­rits, and the fatigue of the Brain, is confest by all men skilful in human Bodies, to be greater than the travel of the Feet, or the labour of the Hands. To speak nothing of the cost­liness of enquiring after Knowledge, in some respects, (though the charge [Page 90] of Education, Books, and Travels might be reasonably suggested) the most studious and inquisitive men do find to their Cost and Vexation of Mind, many things, which they may wish they had been ignorant of, and by the pretence of knowing many things, come to this miserable pass, to be forc'd to confess their own Ignorance, and to acknowledge, that they know nothing. But of all the Painfulness and Vexation which belongs to the Enquiries after Knowledge, nothing seems to me to be a greater, than the Ʋnresolvedness and Ʋnsatisfiedness of mens Minds, after they have made all these Enquiries. After all, to hesitate and be doubtful, and to cry out in the anguish of ones Mind with Solomon, Who knows, and who can tell? Lord, what a Disease is this in the human Na­ture, and what a state of Vanity does it argue! but this I pass by, as having spoken something of it before.

Lastly, This Knowledge we get by all our Enquiries is very poor, mean, and imperfect, in comparison of the Visions and Intuitions of the other World, when we shall see as we are seen, and know as we are known, feast upon Truth itself, and behold all things in God, and him in the pure Rays of his own Divinity. The Apo­stle Paul knew much, but he did not know the whole, and that which he did know he knew but in part, 1 Cor. 13. 9, 10. We know in part, but when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. But this also I toucht upon be­fore.

What shall I say of vain Man? It is impossible to enumerate his Fa­tigues and Vanities. In short there­fore,

Does he work? Then he wearies himself, and exhausts his Strength. Does he play? Then he forgets him­self, and emasculates his Spirits.

Does he Trade by Land? Then he is either tempted to cheat, or liable to be cheated, either to get another mans unduly, or to have his own got from him deceitfully.

Does he Traffick by Sea? He may indeed see the Wonders of the Lord in the Deep, but no greater Wonder, than that he himself is not there. Who but vain Man would expose his Life to so eminent Dangers, for things not necessary to Life, yea, some that are more hurtful than useful; and all the Sweets of his Family and Country for a few foreign Spices?

Does he go into Wars? He lies at the Mercy of every random bit of Lead, shot by a Fool, or a Child, or a Mad-man: If he conquer and kill, here is no cause of glorying, one would think, to have sent his Bro­ther's Body to the Grave, and, it may be, his Soul to Hell.

Does he purchase? He is either mistaken in the Title, abus'd by the Law, envy'd or hated by his Neigh­bour. However, would he but be pa­tient, and stay a while, he should have Earth enough to serve his turn, with­out any Cost or Charge at all.

Does he marry? He does certain­ly fall into Incumbrances. Does he vow a single life? He does as certain­ly fall into Snares. If he marry, he is fain to endure the Yoke; if he do not, he has much ado to endure to be curb'd.

Does he study Day and Night? Poor man! with a great deal of Pain and Weariness he comes to understand, that all things are Uncertainty and Va­nity, a thing that one had better ne­ver to have known. And after all, How dyeth the wise man? even as the fool dyeth, Eccles. 2. 16. Does he ar­bitrate differences, and make peace? blessed is he, saith Christ: But for all that, he shall be sure to meet with many a Curse. To go about to please both Parties, is as if a man should un­dertake to serve two Masters; which no body can well do.

Does he court the Favour of great men by Fawning and Flattery? It is a great Slavery to an ingenuous and ge­nerous Mind; the Favour of wise Prin­ces will not be so gotten: And if they be foolish and inconstant, it will be soon lost.

Is he active, and brisk, and a lover of business? He disquiets himself; yea, active Tempers, that cannot ma­nage their own Metal, many times dis­quiet the World about them. He that does much, will certainly sometimes do amiss; if he should do all things well, he will yet be accounted a Busie­body.

Is he idle, careless, and unconcern'd? He is then a selfish Sot, an unprofitable Member of the Universe. He that re­gards nothing, does not himself deserve to be regarded.

In a word, Cast your Eyes over the World, and behold the Diseases and Di­stresses of some, and what will you call it but an Hospital? Behold the Di­stractions and Disorders of all the rest in one kind or other, and what will you call it but a Bethlehem?

And so I come, in the last place, briefly to consider Man in the highest acts of Human Life, viz. his religious acts, and to shew, that even in them also he walketh in a vain shew; or, to give it you in the Psalmist's words else­where, Every man at his best estate is altogether vanity.

Now, these Religious acts are either outward or inward. As to outward acts; Men do not only work and trade, but even pray and come to Church in a vain shew. Not only Markets and Fairs, but even religious Assemblies and Congregations are a shew too, which men walk in, whilst they pretend to walk with God. Those make a great noise in the Ears of Men, and these are little better than a noise in the Ears of Heaven. Who can deny, but that the Worship of the Prophane is a vain shew, who to day swear by the [Page 97] Name of God, and to morrow call upon the Name of God; to day eat unto Gluttony, and drink unto Drun­kenness, to morrow eat the Flesh and drink the Blood of the Son of God; to day pray to God to damn them, and to morrow pray him to save them; to day behave themselves so reverently, as if God were in the Head, and to morrow live as if there were no God in Heaven? Who can imagine but GOD and Men too must loath such impious Vanity as this is? Who can deny, but that the Idola­trous and Superstitious Worshippers walk in a vain shew, who worship ei­ther they know not what, or they care not how, offering up strange Fire to God, and indeed affronting him, whilst they pretend to adore him? Who can deny, but that the Worldling, who has set up the World in his Heart for his Idol, walks in a vain shew, who sits before God as an attentive Hearer of [Page 98] his Word, and makes much love to him with his Lips, when his Heart is far from him, and runs after his Covetousness? Who can deny, but the Hypocrite walks in a vain shew, who comes with his God I thank thee, in his Mouth, when he has no love for him in his Heart, who confes­ses the Sins which he has no mind to part with; who begs the Grace which he has no mind to receive, who seems to condemn and humble himself before God, in the mean time is great in his own Eyes, and ceases not upon all oc­casions to magnifie and applaud him­self before men.

But some one will say, All men are not prophane, worldly, idolatrous, hy­pocritical, there are some substantial Worshippers, that worship the Father in Spirit and Truth.

Answ. It is true indeed, The father seeketh such to worship him, Joh. 4. 23. but I doubt he findeth few; for (not to strain the Apostle's words to the ut­most and most uncharitable sence, 1 Joh. 5. 19. Totus mundus positus est in maligno) though Prophaneness may be easily discerned, yet sure I am, predominant Worldliness and Hypocri­sie are in many Hearts, where they are not discover'd; nay, it is to be feared, the false Heart itself will not be con­vinc'd of them. And as for Idolatry, though the foreign Reformed Chur­ches do all put it off from themselves, to the Heathen and Antichristian Nati­ons, yet I fear, concerning some of them, one may take up Samuel's words to Saul, If ye have indeed destroyed Idolatry utterly, what▪ means this bleat­ing of the sheep, and lowing of the oxen which I hear? If any one should an­swer as Saul did, we have reserved these [Page 100] innocent, safe, and significant Cere­monies, to sacrifice to the Lord, to adorn and grace the Worship of God; it will perhaps be replied, as Samuel replies, Obedience is better than Sacri­fice; or, as another Prophet expresses it, Quis ne quisivit hoec?

I answer further, What man is there upon Earth, in whom these Sins are not found in some degree or other? And so far as they are found, they do pollute the Worship, and subject it to the denomination of Vanity.

But I answer, thirdly, That the word Tselem in the Text does not sig­nifie a vain shew properly, but a shew, a resemblance, a representation, or image, in opposition to substantial; as the Picture which we see in a Look­ing glass is the representation or re­semblance of the Face that looks into it. And so every man, without ex­ception [Page 101] may be said to walk betselem in imagine, in a shew, as to his religi­ous acts; which I shall further explain under the next Head, viz. his inward religious acts.

The internal actings of Grace are but a shew, a resemblance of some such thing, in comparison of what they were in Man innocent, or shall be in Man glorified. The inward pious acts of our Minds do make us approach the nearest to Substance of any thing that we have or do: For as a man thinketh in his heart, saith Solomon, so is he. If any thing will denominate a man a substantial Christian, it is these inward Acts of the Mind, the Acts of Faith, Hope, and Love, the Acts of Self-denial and Contempt of the World, and of the whole Creation in com­parison of the Creator: And yet even these are but a shew, a resemblance of something rather than any thing sub­stantial.

The Love that the most affectionate, devout, and refined Soul exercises to­wards GOD in this mixt state, is but a shadow, a resemblance of Love, in comparison of the Ardours of ano­ther World. I love thee, said Peter, I love thee, yea, Lord thou knowest that I love thee, John 21. 15, 16, 17. Poor Peter! I believe in a degree he did love him; yet I believe he was grieved that he could love him no better. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, with all thy strength, Mark 12. 30. This is the first and great Commandment; a great one in deed! [...]; And who is able to perform it? How many Alls are here? All and All, and All and All. Lord, what mortal man can with any Modesty pretend to such a generous Love as this is? Eve­ry man that has his Senses exercised, [Page 103] to discern between Good and Evil, will confess that this Command is just, equal, and reasonable, yea, and very pleasant too, (for what is, what can be sweeter than a Life of Love?) But yet the most devout, the most amorous and ardent Soul that this day inhabits a mortal Body, must needs confess his Straitness, and bewail his Unaffectionateness; and though he may seem to be drench'd in this ho­ly Passion, yet has cause to pray, Lord, shed abroad the Love of God in me. Perfect love (says the loving and beloved Apostle) casts out fear, 1 John 4. 18. Alas! Where is this perfect Love then? for Fear, yea, some degree of slavish Fear, is found in every Heart of Man; yea, though he love GOD sincerely and ardent­ly too, yet he is apt to fear he does not love him enough: The hottest of our Love is cold, the strongest is weak and faint, in comparison of what [Page 104] Adam's once was, and Abraham's now is. We call it Love indeed, but it is rather Liking than Love, rather han­kering than either. It is but a going Fire, a Glow-worm, at best but a Blaze or a Blazing-Star, in comparison of the Fervors, the Delights, the Com­placencies of the Spirits of Just men made perfect. The greatest zeal of mortal Man for GOD, (which yet is the Flower of Love) is in compa­rison of the angelical Ferver, but as a Fire painted upon the Wall, in com­parison of that which burneth upon the Hearth. The Apostle Paul was as zealous for his Lord, and did and suffer'd as much for him as any of his Disciples whatsoever, so that in nothing was he behind the chiefest Apostles; yet he esteemed himself as nothing, which is not so much as a shew, 2 Cor. 12. 11.

How weak and tottering is the Trust and Confidence in GOD, which the most steddy Soul can pretend to in this World, in com­parison of the unmixt and unshaken Affiance in him, which constitutes the Joy and Security of the other World? The three unmartyr'd Mar­tyrs in Dan. 3. are renowned for their Faith and firm Dependance upon their GOD, ver. 17. He will deliver us out of thy hands, O King. This was their Confidence in GOD; but it had its If for all that, ver. 18. But if not, be it known to thee, O King, &c. But the Affiances and Assurances of the other World are above all Buts and Ifs: The stoutest of our Confi­dence here, is but a shadow of that Confidence, which shall have no sha­dow of turning. What fear of miscar­rying can there possibly be to him, who perpetually walks in the light of [Page 106] God's Countenance? what Danger, what Suspicion can there be of being pluckt from thence, to a Soul folded in the Arms, and wrapt up in the Bosom of the Almighty?

And what is our Hope in this mor­tal state? A poor languid thing, a faint Velerity, a dull yawning, ra­ther than a greedy gasping, a lifeless stretching forth the Hands towards, rather than an eager laying hold upon Eternal Life. It ought to be an ear­nest and vehement Longing, and alas! it scarce amounts to a sincere Desire or Expectation.

And what are our Acts of Self­denial, in comparison of the exinani­tion of the glorified Saints, who cast down their Crowns before the Throne, Rev. 4. 10.—What is our Con­tempt of the World, in comparison of that Disdain with which refined and [Page 107] glorified Souls behold all earthly Pos­sessions, eying and enjoying all things in GOD alone? Alas! what mor­tal man can oculo irritorto spectare acervos, with an Eye altogether un­dazzled, or with a Heart altogether unaffected and disengaged, contem­plate the Bravery and Grandeur, the precious and glistering Possessions of this World, (whether his own or other mens) perfectly free from Enchant­ment; I mean, who can do it, and nei­ther dote nor envy? But they that are got above the Sun, and look down with the Eyes of Angels, do see all things under the Sun to be a con­temptible Vanity, a sore Vexation and Labour, and that there is no Profit in them, as Solomon expresses it.

How pinch'd and narrow are the most enlarged and capacious Souls upon Earth in their Thanks and Praises to the Almighty Goodness, in compa­rison [Page 108] of the noble Raptures and Ra­vishments of glorified Spirits, who ne­ver cease to chant forth the Praises of God, singing the Song of Moses, and saying, Blessing and honour, and glory, and power be unto him that sitteth up­on the throne, Rev. 5. 13. Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgi­ving, and honour, and power, and might be unto our God for ever and ever, Rev. 7. 12.

In a word, How poor and insipid, how dull and stagnant are the Joys and Delights of the best assured and most satisfied Souls upon Earth, in comparison of the pure, strong, active, and ravishing Complacencies which are the Portion of the Spirits of just men made perfect; when all their Facul­ties are filled up to the very brim of their respective Capacities, with the Communications of Divine Grace, Light, Life, and Love, and the blessed [Page 109] creature is made all that which the ever blessed Creator is, so far as his finite and limitted nature will permit. How mean is the Satisfaction that im­perfect Souls do reap, who sit down by the Streams, and drink a little to allay their Thirst, in comparison of the Solaces of glorified Souls, who are always in an extasie of fresh and unfading Joys, who are still drenching themselves in Fulness of Joy, and ba­thing themselves in Rivers of Pleasure, which are at God's right hand for evermore. It was properly said there­fore to the good and faithful Servant, Mat. 25. 21. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord, because it was impossible that the infinite Joy of his Lord should enter into him.

But here some one will be apt to cry out with the passionate Psalmist, complaining of his own and the Chur­ches Afflictions, Psal. 89. 47. Lord, [Page 110] wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?

To this I answer, GOD made Man upright, holy, blessed, and sub­stantial, but Sin hath brought Vanity upon Mankind; yea, the whole Crea­tion is thereby subjected to Vanity. Man, in departing from his GOD, who is Life and Substance, is become vain, and whatever he is, has, or does, is but imperfect, is but a shew. But yet GOD has not made all Men in vain neither, because he has yet or­dain'd for all believing Souls a sub­stantial and durable state of Happiness; so that though they be mean and im­perfect in this World, they shall be perfect and compleat in another.

Let us rather cry out with the same Psalmist, when he was in a more se­rene and undisturbed Temper, Psal. 8. 4. Lord, what is man, that thou art [Page 111] mindful of him, or the Son of man, that thou visitest him? What is poor Man, whom his Sin and Apostasie has made so vain and despicable, that thou after all this shouldst think Thoughts of Love towards him, and prepare such excellent Honour and Happiness for him? How great cause have all the poor crippled Souls of Men to admire the infinite Bounty of the Great King, and to cry out with lame Mephibosheth, in 2 Sam. 19. 28. we were all but as dead Souls before God, yet has He set us amongst the Angels of Heaven, and will entertain us with them that eat at his own Table.

And this indeed might serve for one use that I would make of this Do­ctrine, but this is not all; there­fore,

Secondly, This may serve to humble the Children of Men, to pull down their proud Crests, and to reduce them to a sober Temper. This is one of the most notorious and odious Vanities of vain Man, that he does think highly of himself, and magnifies himself in his own Eyes, and is ambitious to be Great in the Eyes of other men. There is nothing more miserable than the Devils, and yet nothing prouder than they. Even Simon Magus himself, the Sorcerer, that Child of the Devil, was desirous to be accounted [...], some great one amongst his Neighbors. It is a common and true Observati­on, that by how much the less worth any man has, the more he is concei­ted of his own Worthiness, and seeks to put off himself in the estimation of the World: Whereas the Wise and the Good, suâ se virtute involvunt, are satisfied in and from themselves, and [Page 113] are sufficiently defended by a concious­ness of their own Worth and Inno­cence, and goodness of their Cause, and had rather be accounted to have nothing to say, than to answer Fools according to their Folly; had rather forseit their Reputation than their Di­scretion. Now, what can be thought of more effectual for the correcting the Insolence of vain Man, than to be throughly convinc'd of his own Vanity? If the Bubble could be per­swaded it was but a Bubble, surely it would swell no more. If Man could be perswaded, that he was a Worm, and no Man, he would be content with a humble crawling upon the Earth, and not magnifie himself, as if he were not a creeping thing. If any thing in the World can enoble Man, and make him something, it is Hu­mility; and if any thing in the World can humble him, it must be the con­sideration of his own Vanity and No­thingness. [Page 114] [...] was justly esteemed by the wise Greeks as a Voice from Heaven, as an Oracle of God, è coelo descendit; and I think the Christian Divinity acknowledges the same. When the noble Souls of men do consider their own original, how pure and excellent it was, how they are now sunk into Prisons of Flesh, and inverst in Sence and Sensuality, how dark they are in their Apprehen­sions, how unsteddy in their Resolu­tions, how uncertain in their Know­ledge, how irregular in their Affecti­ons, how boisterous and unreasonable in their Passions, how easily carried away to Vice, how imperfect in Vir­tue, how weak, distempered, and di­seased in Body, how disappointed in Relations, how vex'd, tir'd, deceiv'd, or opprest in their Estates, how per­plex'd in this World, and how doubt­ful of a better; in a word, what a bundle of Vanity Mankind is become, how [Page 115] can it be, but that it must needs make him sober and humble, and consequent­ly contribute something to the resto­ring of him to his primitive Excellen­cy; Nam quò minus sibi arrogat homo, eò evadit clarior & nobilior; The less Man arrogates to himself, the more ex­cellent he is.

Thirdly, Let this Doctrine of Hu­mane Vanity affect our Hearts com­passionately towards the miserable apo­state Sons of Men. Of all Sights in this World, this is the saddest, and most to be lamented; Nations unhin­ged, Kingdoms weltering in Blood, the most devilish Plots, the most un­natural Wars, the most barbarous Per­secutions that ever the Eye of a Spe­ctator beheld, or the Pen of an Histo­rian recorded, if they were all regi­stred, would not make up such a tra­gical Volume, as the third Chapter of Genesis alone does. We pitty the [Page 116] Wounded when we see their Wounds bleeding, and their Limbs broken; we pitty the Sick, when we see their rest­less and painful state, and hear their lamentable Shrieks and deadly Groans; we pitty the Poor and the Forlorn, the Fatherless, Motherless, Friendless, Harbourless, Helpless, when we see them with naked Feet, and half-naked Bodies, in the pinching Severity of Frost and Snow, seeking their Bread in desolate places; we pitty poor Pri­soners, that lye in Dungeons, are brui­sed with Irons, sink in the deep Mire, or else are made fast in the Stocks, sed with black Bread and cold Water, lodg'd on a little Litter amongst Toads, and Newts, and noisom Vermin; we pitty poor banish'd men, driven out of their own sweet Country, and from amongst their dear Relations, wan­dring amongst wild Beasts, or barba­rous men, more savage than Beasts, enjoying no Liberty, except it be that [Page 117] of wandring from one Cave or Den or Desart to another; we pitty un­happy Princes, whose Crowns are fal­len from their Heads, and the Children of prodigal Gentlemen, Lords of Towns, who come to be reliev'd by the Towns whereof their Fathers were sometimes Lords. Oh! but how much more reason have we to pitty and bewail vain Mankind, the miserable Posterity of Adam, wounded in Soul with a most deadly wound, all their Bones broken, sick of the most painful Disease and loathsom Leprosie, poor and desolate, naked and forlorn, Slaves and Prisoners in the Dungeon of the Body, and un­der Sathan their Jayler, bunisht from Paradise, estranged from God and his holy Angels, and wandring in the Wil­derness of this World in a thousand Wants, Necessities, Dangers, Uncer­tainties, and Perplexities, degraded from their excellent Honour and Dig­nity, and now feeding upon Husks or­dained [Page 118] to be Ment for Swine! When Peter and John saw the lame man that could not walk at all, they pittied him and healed him. When we consider poor Mankind walking in a vain shew, though we cannot heal them, let us pitty and pray for them, and bewail our own and their Degeneracy. Nay,

Fourthly, Let us not only bewail the Vanity of Mankind, but be in a godly sence weary of our vain Life. The highest pitch which most men aim at, is but this, to be desirous to live, and content to dye: But the Apo­stle Paul was of a higher form, he was only content to live, but desirous to dye, desirous to depart, and to be with Christ, because it was far better, Phil. 1. 23. Possibly you will not al­low me to argue from the Prophet Elijah, 1 Kin. 19. 4. Lord, take away my life; nor from holy Job, chap. 7. [Page 119] 15, 16. My soul chooseth death rather than life; I loath it, I would not live always, for my days are vanity. Per­haps you will say, these holy men were either in a Passion not to be ju­stified, or in a Rapture not to be imi­tated; but yet sure, in good earnest, and in sober Temper, without either Passion or Extasie, the consideration of our poor imperfect state, and vain life, ought to beget in every Pilgrim Soul a holy and comely weariness of this state of alienation and elongation from its GOD; I dare not venture to call it the Grace of Discontentment, be­cause the Grace and Art of Contentment has obtained so great a Name in the World, but methinks a degree of Wea­riness or Discontentment, may well enough stand with a predominant sub­mission to, and satisfaction in the Will of God. One thing cannot be desired, (especially not with such a desire as [...] imports) but the contrary to [Page 120] it, must be in some degree rejected or undervalued: So that I suppose the Apostle Paul's desire to depart com­prehends in it a kind of weariness of Commoration in the Body. And in­deed, who can reasonably blame a man that is weary of a state of Bondage, Banishment, Imprisonment, Poverty, and Vanity, and desires a state of Liberty, Enlargement, and Perfecti­on? Which brings me to the last thing.

Fifthly, Study, covet, love and long after things durable and substantial. As we ought with a holy kind of Wea­riness to lead [...], a life void of Pleasure in things here be­low, so ought our life to be [...], a flight of our Souls to God alone. The whole Creation is subjected to Vanity, but the Creature shall be delivered from the Bondage of Corruption; therefore the whole Crea­tion [Page 121] groaneth and travaileth in pain, Rom. 8. 20, 21, 22. And shall not we much rather long to be delivered from our state of Vanity? Can we seriously think of our Vanity, Misery, and Indigency, and not cry out, Oh that we were as in times past, when we came out of the Hands of God at first! or, Oh that we were as we shall be in time to come, when we shall be put into the Hands of God again. It is lawful, it is reasonable, it is safe, it is seemly, to look for and long after a state of Purity and Perfection, a state of compleat Health and Liberty, a Re­union with our God and Center, to be absent from the Body, and present with the Lord. It is most natural and comely, for every thing to tend to its own Perfection; and the most health­ful Constitution of a Soul, is to be sick of Love. The description of regene­rate and sanctified Souls is, that they love the appearing of Christ, 2 Tim. [Page 122] 4. 8. that they look for his appearing, Tit. 2. 13. that they look for, or long for the Mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto Eternal life, Jude, ver. 21. that they look for, and hasten to the co­ming of the day of God, 2 Pet. 3. 12. And so we find they have done, Paul desiring to depart and to be with Christ, and David longing for the Salvation of God, Psal. 119. 174. his Soul breaking for very longing, Psal. 119. 20. wai­ting for the Lord more than they that watch for the Morning, I say, more than they, Psal. 130. 6.

To conclude, Lament not intempe­rately the removal of any out of this state of Vanity and Vexation of Spirit, into a state of satisfaction and perfecti­on of Spirit. Rejoice not immode­rately in the fairest and sweetest Cir­cumstances of this present life, but live under a painful sense of your own Indi­gency, breathing after a state substan­tial [Page 123] and durable, blissful and eternal: And God of his infinite Mercy grant, that we always endeavouring to perfect Holiness in the fear of God, at our re­moval hence, may have an abundant Entrance administred unto us, into the Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Je­sus Christ;

To whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be all Praise, Honour, and Glory, for ever­more. Amen.