Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n
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A90884
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The vanity of the lives and passions of men. Written by D. Papillon, Gent.
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Papillon, David, 1581-1655?
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1651
(1651)
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Wing P304; Thomason E1222_1; ESTC R211044
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181,604
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424
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his soul of all that he desireth yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof but a stranger eateth it this is vanity and it is an evil disease And in another place o Eccles 2.24 There is nothing better saith he for a man then he should eat and drink and that he should make his soul injoy good in his labor This also I saw that it was from the hand of God By these things it appears that worldly riches are painful in their acquisition full of cares in their preservation and in their losses grievous and full of sorrow The third Chap. of the vanity of riches and that in their dispensation do consist the bliss or the wo of the owners of them As for the spiritual riches of a Christian they are the immediate gifts of the blessed Trinity for his Election is the gift of God the Father his Justification is of God the Son and his Sanctification the gift of God the Holy Ghost and the riches of his other graces proceed from the same Spring and therefore these riches are supernaturally excellent and free from all changes and mutations whatsoever Neither can the Elements or any creature in heaven or upon earth nor the Prince of darkness nor death deprive him of these riches for as St. Paul saith p Rom. 11.19 The gifts and calling of God are without repentance And every good gift and every perfect gift saith St. James q Jam. 1.17 is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variableness neither shadow of turning Spiritual riches are then that treasure laid up in heaven where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and where theeves do not break thorow and steal It is that treasure r Matt. 6.21 hid in the field the which when a man hath found he hideth and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all he hath and buyeth that field It is that precious Pearl of great price Å¿ Matt. 13.44 which when a man had found he went and sold all he had and bought it t Mat. 13.46 To conclude the gifts and graces of God of his Son and of his blessed Spirit are the true riches that men should endeavor to attain for they onely are able to rejoyce his heart and content his minde and to comfort him at the hour of death This is the wisdom that Salomon saith u Pro. 8.11 is better then rubies and all things that may be desired are not to be compared to it It is in these mercies and graces in which the Prophet David x Psa 1. and 119.77 took all his delight and meditated upon day and night for they are more to be desired then gold yea then much y Psal 19.10 fine gold and are sweeter then hony and the hony comb whereas riches are but meer vanity and vexation of spirit CHAP. IV. Of the vanity of worldly pleasures THere is also two sorts of pleasure first the Worldly secondly the Spiritual the last are rather spiritual ravishments then pleasures for their superlative excellency but the worldly pleasures are like the morning dew that vanisheth away at the rising of the Sun even so worldly pleasures have no substance and in the continuance they become irksome and yet is one of the dieties of worldly men in the injoyment of which they conceive doth consist their supream good Their original spring is the five senses first the Sight secondly the Hearing thirdly the Tast fourthly the Smel fifthly the Feeling and every one of these have their peculiar delights the Sight takes pleasure in beautiful objects the Hearing in Musick the Tast in delicious Savors the Smel in oderiferous Odours and the hand in lascivious Feelings so that all the worldly pleasures that can be imagined proceed from one of these senses how can it then be possible that rational men should be so mad as to conceive their supream good should consist in such momentary vanities besides it is daily seen that mens pleasures are rather guided by Phansie then by Reason and more by inclination then judgment for what is pleasant to one is distastful to the other throughout the five senses First in the Objects some love a flaxen hair'd others a black hair'd woman some love to hear a doleful melody others a joyful some love to eat one thing and some another nay their very taste will vary although they eat of one and the same meate some love a sweet milde odour others a strong perfume and for their Feeling they are as various and in the Election of their calling they differ as much some love a Souldiers life others love Learning others to be Merchants other Shop-keepers others will be Artificers others will be Sea-faring men others will feed cattel and others will till the ground Likewise in their Recreations some love Hawking others Hunting others Shooting others Bowling others Gaming and so in all things their pleasures differ varie If it be then granted that their supream Good doth consist in the injoyment of their pleasures then there must of necessity be as many different supream Goods as there is variety of pleasures but as I have said before all these pleasures or inclinations are but meer phansies vanities and vexations of Spirit as it shall be proved by these insuing Discourses Observe then for method sake that worldly pleasures may be distinguished thus 1. By necessary and natural 2. By violent and superfluous 3. By moderate and lawful 4. By vitious and unlawful And for conclusion I will give a hint of the spiritual Pleasures that are superexcellent and free from vanity First under the necessary pleasures are comprised eating drinking walking resting and sleeping with the actions and imployments about our just and lawful Callings for in all these things there is a naturall delight for he that eateth when he is ahungry and drinieth when he is athirst and resteth when he is weary or sleepeth after a long watching finds a delight in all these necessary things without which men cannot subsist but in all these men are to be moderate otherwise they become vitious but they must be laborious in their caling therefore as Salomon saith a Prov. 5.12 Sleep to a labouring man is sweet as Souldiers in their Military exercises Students in their Studies The necessarie and natural pleasures Merchants in their Negotiations Shop-keepers in their Shops and Artificers in their Work otherwise their professions will seem tedious and irksome unto them and as a rowling stone never getteth Moss so fickle and inconstant men in their calling never attain to honor nor riches for it is diligence activity and a constant assiduity in in any profession that make men thrive in the world He becometh poor saith Solomon b Pro. 10.4 5. that dealeth with a slack hand but the hand of the diligent maketh rich he that gathereth in Summer is a wise son but he that sleepeth in Harvest is a son of