with celestial Milk that you may be strong in the Lord and able to put on the whole Armour of God and grow up into a perfect Man in Christ what if it will not suffer you to please your Flesh beyond what is necessary for it's Subsistence must it therefore be your Enemy Will you count it a Foe because it denies you the Sword which would kill you How lovely should this very thing make it in your Eyes How dear should this make its holy Precepts to you How should you rejoyce that you have such a Monitor to prevent your Ruine What Praises do you owe to God that witholds you from that which would precipitate your Souls into the gulf of Perdition I conclude the Inference with this Story Two Brethren were travelling one a very prudent Man the other rude and silly coming to a place where two Ways met they dispute which of the two they should take one look'd as if great Art had been bestow'd upon it Flowers grew on both sides and it seemed to be most frequented the other look'd rough and uneven liker a Foot-path than a High-way the weaker Brother charmed with the out-side was clearly for making choice of the former but the wiser though he saw that the pleasant way invited the Eye yet I fear saith he it will not bring us to a commodious Lodging the rather because I have heard that the less beaten Path leads to an Inn where we may have excellent Accomodation The foolish Fellow was peremptory in it that the most pleasant way must be the right way and prevails with the Brother to bear him Company and being advanced considerably in it they light upon a Company of Robbers who immediately clap Shackles on their hands and feet and hale them both to their Captain and Governour Here one Brother accuses the other the wiser charges the other with Stubbornness the weaker blamed the other's Facility and alledged That since his Brother pretended to greater Wisdom than he he should not have been perswaded In fine both are found guilty and both laid up in Prison These two Brethren are your Souls and Bodies your Soul is the wise your Body the foolish Brother Let not your Body by its Importunity prevail with the Soul to consent to its Desires and Fondnesses of the dangerous Delights of the World O! hearken not to the Perswasions of a sensual Appetite that chooses a present Satisfaction but considers not there are Robbers at the end of the way which will certainly throw both into outward Darkness 5. The great Day is at Hand let 's prepare for it So Christ told his Disciples and so the Apostles taught the Christian World nor must we wonder that the Blessed Jesus should fright his Followers with the Approaches of that day when he knew it would not come in sixteen hundred Years and more which are past since his appearing in the World I omit here the Calculations of curious Men who have been bold to determine the Year in which the day of Judgment will happen some that follow the Tradition of Elias have allow'd two thousand Years to the Oeconomy before the Law two thousand to that under the Law and two thousand to that under the Gospel and after this have placed the Succession of that tremendous day But I doubt that this is rather a Jewish Criticism than a real Prophecy for God having created the World in six days and a Thousand Years being as one Day with the Lord it 's like Men have concluded from this Notion That as the World was created in six days so after six days i. e. six thousand years it would be destroyed Some when they have seen any extraordinary Judgments of Hail or Rain or Thunder or Locusts or great Confusions happen in the World have from thence inferr'd the immediate coming of this Day Some have placed it in one Year some in another but all these are needless Speculations It 's enough that the Decree is sealed in Heaven that there will be such a prodigious day and it was as truly at hand in Christ's time as it is now and now as much as it was then nay as much now as it will be but a Year or a Month before it comes in good earnest for the day of our Death is at hand and we know not when or how soon whether this hour or the next the fatal Messenger will arrest us in our Journey The day of our Death is the fore-runner of that greater Day and according as our Souls are found at the day of our Death so they will be judged in that glorious day the Judgment that will be pronounced upon our Souls at our Death will be proclaimed aloud before the whole World another day and if they be so unhappy as to be condemned upon their departure hence they will all that while till the great day comes torment themselves with the thoughts of that Sentence and the Shame that will ensue upon it as holy Souls will comfort themselves with the Thoughts of their Absolution Therefore when our Souls leave this Body that day and hour is really a day of Judgment to us and that this day is at hand none but a Sot can deny and accordingly all Men of Sense have made and do make early Preparation for it and he that doth not imitate them is so far from giving Proof to the World that he is wiser than they that he proclaims his Stupidity and in a manner renounces his Portion in the Inheritance of the Saints in light But then by Preparation I do not mean those little Sprinklings of Devotion which Hypocrites and Men who pretend to love God yet will not part with their Lusts usually lay upon his Altar not the Pharisees Alms and Fasts and Prayer which were performed with sinister designs out of Vain-glory and Ostentation not Ahab's Repentance who put on Sac◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 walk'd softly but still kept an unmoâ—â—â—ed Heart not the Harlots Piety Solomon speaks of who said her Orisoâ—â— and paid her Vows and her Peace-offerings and thought to make God amends for the Crimes she lived in by these Services not Judas his Sorrow who lamented his Sin because he saw the Hell he was like to drop into not Demas his temporary Severity which soon chang'd into fondness of the World not the Angel of Sardis his Profession of Religion who had the name that he lived but was dead not the Jews Zeal for the Ceremonial Part of God's Worship while they neglected Justice Mercy Chastity Sobriety and Charity not the Zeal of Ezekiel's Hearers who loved to hear but were loath to do but if you would prepare for this day of Account so as to be commended by the Judge the Preparation must have these following ingredients 1. Pity those inconsiderate Men that live as if there were no future Judgment Say not where are they to be found There is no Country no City no Town no Village no Street but the greater part of
MENE TEKEL UPHARSIN THE SIRENES OR DELIGHT AND JUDGMENT Represented in a DISCOURSE Concerning the Great Day of Iudgment And its Power to Damp and Imbitter Sensual Delights Sports and Recreations By ANTHONY HORNECK D. D. Chaplain in Ordinary to Their Majesties The second Edition Corrected and Enlarged LONDON Printed by H. Clark for Henry Mortlock at the Phoenix in St. Paul's Church-yard 1690. The PREFACE THough Practical Writers have this advantage of Controversial that they do not make themselves so many Enemies as the other yet I know not what the fate of the ensuing Discourse may be For tho' the subject relate to Manners and the Behaviour of Men as Christians yet it is to be feared that not a few who think themselves Religious and notwithstanding their pretended Piety securely bathe themselves in Delights this Book condemns may put no very favourable construction on such endeavours as being levell'd against things they are used to and the Humour of the Age hath allowed of and rendred unquestionable and such it 's like will call these attempts pragmatical and bid us as Constantine did Acesius in another case erect a Ladder to Heaven and climb up thither by our selves But it 's God's Mercy that while Christianity is decay'd in the Glory and Brightness of its Life the Bible is still among us and that we are not to regulate our Religion by the sickly Fancies of half Christians but by the standing Laws of that Jesus whose Disciples we profess our selves to be and whom the Primitive Believers thought themselves obliged to follow in external as well as internal simplicity It 's true the Church is not now under Persecution as it was in former Days when Men made those mighty Progresses in Self-denial but it is to be observed that when the Saints of the first Ages pressed those Severities they did not lay the stress on their persecuted Condition and the necessity of the dismal Times they lived in but on the Laws of their great Master which they look'd upon to be as immutable as the God that gave them Nor can prosperity make any alteration in those Lessons which Christ required as Essential to his Religion Prosperity indeed was intended to prompt us to a more cheerful discharge of our Duty but not to a neglect of those Austerities which are the best Ornaments of the best Religion in the World As Men have managed Prosperity it hath been the greatest Bane of Religion and the wisest Men have taken notice how Christianity since it hath crept out of the Thorns Briars of Barbarous Tyranny and Oppression hath been unhappily decreasing in its Zeal and Fervour Whether it is Fable or History that tells us that a Voice came from Heaven saying This Day Poyson is poured out into the Church when Ease Plenty and Rivers of Gold flowed into it I shall not now enquire Certain it is that external Felicity hath smilingly undermin'd the Foundations of that admirable Doctrin and that which was formerly built on the greatest Innocence hath since changed its bottom and stands too much on shew and formality Prosperity at this Day to the great Sorrow of all considerate Persons gives Law to Mens Religion and whatever crosses Prosperity is thought to cross Religion too What is consistent with our ease is allow'd of as good Divinity whatever runs counter to our sensual Satisfaction appears so aukward that we fancy it no Religion because Flesh and Blood would not have it so all which must necessarily arise from Unbelief or a wavering Faith of a Life to come either that future Life the Son of God hath purchased and promised is not look'd upon to be so great as it is represented in the Gospel or it is not seriously thought of for if it were the Pleasures of this Life would grow pale and their Beauty vanish if compared with the glorious delights hereafter and the Satisfactions of this World would soon lose their Charms if view'd by that Light which irradiates the Holy Cherubim If that Life deserves not Self denial in the Pleasures of this present Christ and his Apostles must needs have been out in the lofty Descriptions they have given of it and our Faith is vain and in vain did the Son of God take all those pains and suffer all the Agonies he did to purchase a thing so trivial and inconsiderable If it were a thing of no great moment the but moderately Pious would not be excluded from its Glories But when nothing but Heroick Virtue can promise it self a share in that Felicity it cannot be otherwise but that the Prize doth answer the difficulties in the pursuit of its attainment They are Great and Masculine Acts that Christianity prompts us to and wherein can this Heroick Vertue be expressed better than in a Noble contempt of what foolish Mortals count pleasant and tickling to their Flesh and Fancy Such acts are arguments of a brave and generous Mind and signs that our understandings soar above the Moon and rely more on what God hath promised than on what the World for the present pays This shews that our Souls do act like themselves and not to be biassed by vulgar Sentiments is that which gives a Man Reputation with the Best of Beings Christ in pressing these Lessons hath only made a clearer Revelation of what the Philosophers of old guessed at by the glimmering light which Nature gave them and what can be more for a Man's Credit than to do that which both Nature and Grace have judged to be most honourable and glorious There is no Question but if that Eternal Life hereafter were shewn in all its Glories and Riches and Contents to a sensual Man at the same time that he beholds the most charming delights of the Flesh and had he as lively a view of the one as he hath of the other the infinite brightness of the one would so eclipse and darken the feebler splendour of the other that he would not only be content to quit his inferiour delights for the enjoyment of the other but would very much wonder at that Monster that should refuse the greater for the lesser pleasures so that all the difficulty is how to make that Eternal Life so visible that it shall move and affect and preponderate above all Earthly satisfactions And the way to do this is the same with the Method that must be taken in making the Day of Judgment visible to us which is the attempt of the following Discourse in which I hope I have said nothing but what is agreeable to the Doctrin of the Primitive Church If any shall find fault with some passages in it because they contradict the Vanity and Luxury of the Age we live in or charge me with medling with things which do not belong to me to determine all I shall reply is this that I have done no more but what I have excellent Precedents for even some of the best Divines of our Church since the Reformation whose
Example as I am not ashamed to follow so since they thought it their duty to discourage such Vulgar Errours it cannot be a Crime in us to follow their Faith knowing the end of their Conversation THE SUMMARY Of the whole DISCOURSE THe Explication of the Text Pag. 1 6. The Proposition That the Prospect of a future Judgment is enough to imbitter all the Sensual and Carnal delights of Men particularly of young Men and to bring a damp upon the most Youthful and most Jovial Temper imaginable p. 7. The illustration of this Proposition p. 8 13. The Heads of the Discourse I. What Reason we have to believe that there is a Day of Judgment The Reasons drawn 1. From the Universal consent of the wiser sort of Mankind 2. From the Being and Justice of God II. What there is in that future Judgment that 's able to cast a damp on the Mirth and Jollities of Men especially the younger sort 1. In the Prospect of this Judgment there appears a very serious Judge the mighty Jesus the Son of God p. 22. 2. A very strict Examination of what we have done in the Flesh p. 33. 3. A very wonderful Scene The Person that is the Judge is the Law giver too the Party offended the Witness and his own Advocate p. 49. 4. The unspeakable anguish and misery of those who have been most jolly and merry in this life p. 67. III. How the Prospect of that future Judgment must be managed that it may actually damp and put a stop to these Carnal delights 1. By thinking reflecting and ruminating upon that future Judgment p. 78. 2. By applying the particulars of this future Judgment to our selves p. 87. 3. By seconding all this with earnest Prayer p. 95. IV. Whether every Man is bound to imbitter his Carnal delights with this Prospect Aff. 1. Because if not imbitter'd they will infallibly lead the Soul into innumerable dangers p. 104. 2. Because to imbitter such delights to our selves is a thing of the greatest concernment p. 108. 3. This imbittering our sensual delights with such a Prospect is that which men will certainly wish they had done when they appear at the great Tribunal p. 111. V. Whether a Christian that would be saved is upon this account obliged to forbear and abandon all Sensual and Worldly delights and recreations whatsoever The Answer to this Query laid down in several Articles 1. Spiritual delight is and must be the chief delight of a Christian p. 117. 2. Worldly delights as are neither sinful in themselves nor apparent occasions of evil are allowable p. 119. 3. Delight in Gardens Rivers Orchards c. considered p. 121. 4. Of delight in Musick either Vocal or Instrumental p. 123. 5. Of delight in Books p. 125. 6. Of delight in Drinking and Tipling p. 127. 7. Of delight in Cards and Dice p. 130. 8. Of delight in Feasting and going to Feasts p. 136. 9. Of delight in fashionable Cloaths and Habits p. 142. 10. Of delight in Painting and Patching and artificial Meliorations of the Face and Skin p. 160. 11. Of delight in Dancing p. 175. 12. Of delight in Seeing and going to Stage plays p. 186. Inferences drawn from the Premises 1. How far sorrow is better than laughter explained p. 247. 2. How differently Spiritual things affect men as they either attentively or inattentively think upon them p. 262. 3. How much the greatest part of the World is to be pitied that can delight in nothing but what they can grasp and feel p 271. 4. How unreasonable it is to harbour any hard Thoughts of Religion because it debars us of dangerous sensual delights p. 283. 5. How necessary it is to prepare for the Great Day of Account DIRECTIONS 1. To pity those inconsiderate Men that live as if there were no future Judgment p. 297. 2. To spend some time every Day in reflecting upon this Day p. 299. 3. To walk circumspectly every Day and to use that conscientiousness we would use were we sure we should be summon'd to Judgment at Night p. 307. 4. To reflect and think on this Day whenever we see or hear of the judicial Process of a Malefactor p. 310. 5. To reflect on this Day whenever we converse with sick and dying men or are present when their Breath leaves their Bodies p. 315. 6. To reflect on this Day whenever we go to a Funeral p. 319. 7. To judge our selves here on Earth in order to avoid the terrour of God's future Judgment p. 324. 8. In our actions to regard not so much how they are relished with Men as whether they will endure the Test before the Judge when our Souls shall appear before him p. 328. 9. To bear injuries patiently out of regard to this Day of Judgment when God will set all things to rights and take care that we shall lose nothing by our sufferings p. 333. 10. To consider particularly that it will be more tolerable for Heathens and Professed Infidels at this Day than for Christians p. 337. 11. To make this Day a Motive to Christian Charity and Compassion p. 342. 12. Not to suffer our selves to be discouraged from admiring those men who have always lived in the Thoughts and Contemplations of this future Judgment p. 347. Advertisements of two Books Published by the Reverend Doctor Horneck and Sold at the Phoenix in St. Paul's Church-Yard THe Happy Ascetick Or The Best Exercise To which is added A Letter to a Person of Quality concerning the Holy Lives of the Primitive Christians Octavo THe Exercise of Prayer Or A Help to Devotion Being a Supplement to the Happy Ascetick or best Exercise Containing Prayers and Devotions suitable to the respective Exercises With Additional Prayers for several Occasions Twelves THE SIRENES OR Delight and Judgment Eccles. xj 9. Rejoyce O young Man in thy Youth and let thy Heart chear thee in the days of thy Youth and walk in the ways of thy Heart and in the sight of thine Eyes but know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into Judgment THere is no Man certainly better able to give us so true an Account of the Nature Extent Danger Exit and End of sensual Pleasure as Solomon the Son of David a wise Son of a wise Father a Man wise to a Prodigy wiser than all the Children of the East to whose comprehensive Brain nothing came amiss whose penetrating Mind contained the whole circle of Arts and Sciences and whose insatiable desire after Knowledge made him enquire into the Nature of Sin and not content with the speculation of the Delights it caused in corrupted Souls ventured even upon the practice of them he walked through the whole Garden tasted of all the Fruits smelt to every Flower and I believe many times sinned not so much out of fondness to the Sin as for Tryals sake to acquaint himself with the Nature of the Folly and to see whether there was really that satisfaction in it which the
upon Heaven and all that time look'd very ghastly recovering out of the Extasie and being asked by his Friends where he had been and what his Thoughts had been during those three days and what made him look so strangely O my Friends said he Do you ask me where I have been Alas I have been these three days standing before the great Tribunal and seen how the most just Judge sentenced divers Souls to Eternal Darkness and who would not stand amazed at the dreadful Spectacle It was therefore a very good Prayer of St. Ambrose I do most vehemently desire O Lord that thou wouldest be pleased to imprint and very deeply imprint the Land skip of the future World the Miseries of the Disobedient the Groans of the Stubborn the Agonies of the Impenitent the Shrieks of the Prophane the Vexations of Hypocrites the Fears of the Careless the Destruction of the Covetous the Perdition of Worldlings the Flames of the Revengeful the Terror of Damnation and Eternal Torments and the future Felicity of thy Kingdom upon my Mind for it is impossible that he that thinks much of these things should not become thy Child and Servant and one of those whom thou host predestinated to Eternal Life Dost thou laugh said the Old Man in Ruffinus to a Youngster whose Behaviour was very light when you and I are to be judged before Heaven and Earth And indeed that Person that surveys what the Divine Jesus hath said of this future Judgment thinks how in that Day the Powers of Heaven will be shaken the Sun turned into Darkness the Moon into Blood and the Stars forbear to give their Light how the World and all the Elements will be on Fire the Universe melt like Wax the Earth be burnt up the Seas dried and the Rivers consumed and with what Glory and Bravery the once afflicted Son of God will then appear with an Army of Angels about him displaying their Banners and carrying the Sign of the Son of Man before him how before him all Nations will be assembled and all that are in their graves upon hearing the Voice of God loud as Thunder and more dreadful too will be summoned to appear before his Bar the Judge shining in his Meridian-glory brighter than Moses clearer than the Sun and how the Consciences of guilty men will quake at this sight their Hearts misgiving them that their Portion will be in outward Darkness how formidable all the Transactions will be how immutable the Sentence after it is once passed not to be altered or deprecated by Saints or Angels how all Evasions Subterfuges will be out of doors there and all possibility of transferring our Errors upon others who have been Partners with us in our Sins will vanish how those that make themselves Fools for Christ's sake in this Life were reproached reviled derided and laughed at for their Severities would not lose their Souls for a Trifle nor sell their Birthright to Eternal Bliss for a Morsel of Meat would hold fast their integrity though solicited by innumerable Losses and Crosses and by their nearest Relations to curse God and die how these who were here made the off-scourings of all things will then be absolved and quitted and have Seats appointed them in the Mansions of Glory there to reign and sing the Goodness of God to all Eternity I say he that seriously surveys these things if he be a Person who hath not debauch'd or lost his Reason cannot but be affected by passages of this Nature and think it time to curb himself in his sensual Delights and Satisfactions But 2. Bare thinking is not enough but the Particulars of this future Judgment must be actually applied to our selves General things and what is done to others though they may touch the Heart yet do not subdue it till particular applications give them force and power A Fire that is a Mile off from me though it causes in me some sense of the Calamity yet if it threatens the House I live in my Faculties soon bestir themselves and I fall to work and secure my self in good earnest so here when I behold the tremendous Process of this Judgment I must reflect that as God deals with others so he will certainly deal with me that I have no greater privilege than others but must stand and fall by the same Law that they stand and fall by that to fancy any more favourable proceedings towards me than God intends to others is but a Dream and contrary to the impartiality of the Judge that as I have a Soul to be saved as well as my Neighbour so God will expect I should live here as he bids my Neighbour live that neither my Estate nor Dignity neither my Offices nor Friends neither my Riches nor my Greatness will excuse my living more carelesly than my poorer Friends nay that my outward Advantages make my Account greater and as I have had greater Talents bestowed upon me so more will be required of me than of them who have not had those opportunities of being good and holy which I have had that as God hath advanced me in the World placed me in a higher station given me a considerable figure here on Earth made his Candle to shine upon me caused my Root to spread by the Waters and the Dew of Heaven to lie all night upon my Branch and afforded me Credit and Respect among men so he looks for greater Fruitfulness in good Works and more than ordinary exemplariness to advance his Glory and to spread the Power of Religion among my Inferiors and Dependants and therefore upon a view of this future Process I must needs rouze my Soul by such Questions as these If God be resolved to judge the Secrets of mens hearts according to his Gospel what will become of me Should God call thee to Judgment O my Soul this Night or this Hour art thou in a condition to appeat before so great so dreadful a God Is this Foolery thou pleasest thy self with this wanton Dress this jolly Life these merry Hours this Gaming this Carousing this extravagant Laughter this Fondness of the Humor of the Age this immodest and frothy Talk this foolish Garb this phantastick Fashion this mispending thy Time this keeping of vain Company this unprofitable way of Living this thy being intent altogether upon the Profits and Pleasures of the World this Indifferency in Religion these faint Resistances of Temptations this Neglect of known Duties this unfaithful Discharge of the Duties of thy Relations this unwillingness to mind any thing that 's serious this Aversion from Spiritual Discourses and Actions this want of Gravity c. Are these fit Wedding-Garments to come before the King of Heaven in Thou maist be summon'd to come to his Bar within this day or two think what an infinite Majesty thou must be presented to Should God speak the word within a few Minutes Come away come away and give an Account of thy Behaviour how unprepared art thou
be more ready to affront him that is the same yesterday to day and foâ—ever Nor will it follow becausâ— Books that treat of Heathen God may be read that therefore those Deities may be Acted and mentioned oâ— the Stage for there is a great difference between reading a thing anâ— seeing it acted with all the vanitâ— and boldness that usually attends iâ— In reading a mans serious thought are not dispersed or scattered buâ— keep within the compass of modesty and weigh things in the ballance oâ— reason whereas being Acted to thâ— life they naturally strike vanity intâ— the mind affect the sensual part drivâ— away seriousness and leave an unhappy tincture behind them And if it be against the Divine Law familiarly to mention or talk of theâ— fictitious Deities it cannot be very agreeable to the sense of it for Christâ—ans to go and hear that idle talk foâ— as in other concerns the receiver is aâ— bad as the thief so he that with delighâ— hears that which another is forbid tâ— speak makes himself accessory to hâ— sin and draws needless guilt upon his Soul Flatter not your self Sir with a fancy that these Plays are no where forbid in the Bible and that therefore it may be lawful to see them for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Revelling I mentioned before and to which the Apostle threatens exclusion from the Kingdom of Heaven Gal. 5. 21. and from which the word Comedy in all probability is derived though I know others fetch it from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a village because in ancient times they did sing Songs about Country Towns I say this word includes all such vain lascivious Ludicrous and Jocular representations not only Dancing and luxurious Feasting but wanton light and amorous Interludes and all that belongs to the pampering and satisfying of the Flesh such as amorous Songs Complementing of Mistresses Love-tricks and immodest parts and speeches which make the vainer sort of the company merry for the word is very comprehensive and being so one would think should fright every serious person from coming within the guilt of that which hath so severe a threatning annex'd to it And is it worth losing Heaven and eternal happiness for the sight of such jocular Shews Are the pleasures arising from hence of that consequence that they will counter-ballance so great a loss Had you rather forfeit Gods favour than these ludicrous transactions Are these momentary satisfactions of that value that you would run the hazard of being for ever deprived of the beatifick vision for them That usual exception that God will not be so cruel as to condemn Men for such harmless sports is of no weight at all for God hath no where declared that he will govern himself by Mens fancies but his eternal wisdom is the rule he 'll go by if men will have their pleasures he hath thought fit to forbid they must thank themselves if they go without his favour and since they were warned of this danger they can have no excuse but are as the Apostle speaks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 condemn'd of themselves Tit. 3. 11. Let 's but consider the Nature scope and drift of our Religion it commands us decency modesty sobriety vigilancy or watchfulness over our thoughts and words and actions simplicity in the inward and outward man redeeming the time employing the hours God hath lent us in profitable discourses and things useful and tending to edification It bids us abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul it condemns all Rioting chambering wantonness and making provision for the Flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof It commands us to walk after the Spirit to be heavenly minded to have the same mind and temper in us which was also in Christ Jesus to grow in grace to advance in goodness to grow strong in the Lord and in the power of his might it bids us stand up for the glory of our God and to be concern'd when his Name or Religion or things Sacred are abubused it bids us avoid Scandal and take heed we do not by our example either draw people into errors oâ— confirm them in their sins it bids us take heed of discouraging our neighbours from goodness and of laying aâ— stumbling-block in the way of weaker Christians it bids us exhort one another daily and beware lest any of us be hardned through the deceitfulness of sin these are some of its principal rules and I need not add what our great Master hath told us ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you Joh. 15. 14. how these rules can be observed by persons that delight in these shews I cannot apprehend is it modesty to be a hearer of that ribaldry and filthy communication which some Plays are stuffed with Or to be a spectator of so many undecent and wanton gestures postures and actions which in some Comedies make up the greatest part of the shew Is this sobriety to stand by and hear men curse and swear and talk of things which should not be so much as named among Christians Is this decency to afford your presence in a place where the most debauched persons assemble themselves for ill ends and purposes Is this your fear of God to go and hear the most solemn ordinances of God railled and undervalued such as marriage and living up to the strict rules of reason and conscience Is this your watchfulness over your thoughts and words and actions to go and expose your selves to temptations to run into the Devils arms and give him an opportunity to incline your heart to sinful delights and being pleased with things which God abhors Is this that Godly simplicity the Gospel presses to pay for your being affected with the vain shews of this sinful World and to take liberty to hear and see what men of little or no Religion shall think fit to represent to you Is this redeeming of your time to throw away so many hours upon fooling and seeing mens ridiculous postures gestures and behaviours Is not this making war against youâ— soul Is not this fighting against youâ— happiness Is this the way to groâ— in grace and to advance in goodness and to abound more and more in the love of God which your Christianity obliges you to Is not this to cloâ— your soul Is not this to throw impediments in her way to felicity Is not this the way to make her inamour'd with the World from which a Christian is to run away as much as he can By your Saviours rule though you are in the World yet you are not to be of the World These shews alienate other mens affections from the best of objects and what security have you that they will not alienate yours Or have you a peculiar exemption from that danger If you have shew us your warrant let 's see your patent if you take the same way that profane persons take to dull their religious desires how can it be otherwise but it will
enough except you add your Neighbours offences to make his wrath the heavier All those persons of your acquaintance that go to a Play because you do are all Scandalized by your example and is not this putting a stumbling-block in your Neighbours way especially if people believe that you have some goodness in you or have a name that you are Religious how bold doth this make other persons to venture on these vanities And how dreadful must this make your account Either you do not think much of another World or if you do you cannot but conclude that these things will lie very heavy upon your conscience one day What if you do not think it to be sin will your thinking so excuse you Willful ignorance is as bad as a known sin and how easily might you know such doings to be sinful But being unwilling to be better informed judge you whether it will not agravate your Condemnation how could the Primitive Christians know these things to be sinful And is it not possible for you to know it They had the Bible so have you They had the same precepts that you have only they did not read the Scripture so superficially as perhaps you do and that was the reason why they came to the knowledge of this sin while you halt betwixt two opinions Their affections did not lean and bend so much to the the World as perhaps yours do and therefore they might easily perceive Christ's and the Apostles meaning while you who dote too much upon these outward things have a cloud or mist before your eyes that you cannot discern the sense of the Holy Ghost Your present divertisements may hide the guilt from your sight but when the Summons of a terrible God to appear at his bar shall rouze your Conscience one day you 'll be of anothermind How Did Christ come down from Heaven and die and spill his blood for you that you might securely indulge your carnal Genius Did he sacrifice himself for you that you might please your self with such fooleries Hath he appeased the Almighties wrath for you that you might spend your time in a Theatre Is this a proper end of the mighty purchase he hath made Did such phantastick actions deserve so great a condescension Is it likely that he would have astonish'd all the Angels of Heaven with his descent into this valley of tears if this security in carnal satisfactions had been his design One would rather think that so deep a humiliation called for the greatest severities and was shewn on purpose to engage poor mortals to the profoundest acknowledgments of his favour One would think that such miracles of charity challenged a most serious behaviour and that after this men should not dare to think of trivial and impertinent things This is more likely to be the end of his Incarnation and Suffering than the other To delight in such vanities is a disparagement to his love a blemish to his charity a disgrace to his condescension and an undervaluing of so great a mercy And do you thus reward him Do you thus requite his kindness Is this the return you make him for his sweat and agonies for his sighs and groans for his pains and all his labours Did he bleed that you might grow strong in sin Did he die that you might cherish the lusts of the Flesh Did he make himself of no reputation that you might please your self with divertisements invented only to affront him and to render his endeavours to convert our souls ineffectual Have not you observed it Have not you taken notice how men and women who have had some zeal for Religion and very pious inclinations how that zeal hath decreas'd upon their frequenting these Houses how their goodness hath decay'd how flat they are grown in Devotion how weak in their Holy Performances how dull in the work of Meditation how slovenly and superficial in Gods service may be they have kept up some outward shews some external formality some earnestness for the fringes of Religion or for the ceremonial part of Christianity But have not you seen how they are become strangers to that life which must adorn it to that contemplation of good things they formerly delighted in to that strictness they once professed Have not you seen how they have remitted in their warmth and how the holy fire that once burn'd in their breasts is gone out And is your Christianity so fierce and violent that it needs a bridle Is it so hot that it must have an extinguisher Is it so flaming that it wants this stolen water to quench it With what face dare you approach the Table of your Lord who have been a spectator of such shews but a little before With what eyes can you appear in the presence of that King of Kings who have but a little before prostituted your Soul to the Devil With what conscience can you promise the Lord Jesus to follow him when you intend to expose your self again to these temptations Do not you blush to think how you serve both God and Mammon Christ and the World contrary to your Redeemers protestation that you cannot serve two Masters If you come to the Lords Table one day and run to a Play-house another do not you destroy all that you built the day before If you come to the Supper of the Lord there to profess your sorrow for loving the World are you in good earnest sorry for it or are you not If not why do you play the hypocrite or do you think to put a cheat upon the Almighty as if he did not see your heart or would be taken with shew and pomp If you are how can you run into the same temptation again or go to a place where you will infallibly be tempted to the love of the World Is not this to shut the gates of mercy against you Is not this to make your self odious to that God whose favour you expect in the last day Is not this to live in contradictions In this Sacrament you profess to imitate your Lord in despising the World and is this imitation to go one day into the house of God and the next into a den of Thieves for so the Stage may justly be called where men are robb'd of their rellish of spiritual objects Whence hath come that Atheism that looseness that indifferency in things Divine that low esteem of the tremendous mysteries of Christianity which of late like a Land-flood hath over run us Have they not deriv'd their boldness from these places Have not the vices represented there in jest been practised by the forward youth at home in good earnest And can a Christian have a good opinion of these houses where so many have lost their vertue Can any man of reason think that after all this mischief they may be safely hugg'd and applauded Those many notorious Fornications and Adulteries we have heard and know of those bare-faced cheats mens boastings of their sins and
Scripture speaks of cannot but conclude that there is less Danger in Seriousness and Sorrow than in Mirth and Jollity because there are fewer Temptations in the one than there are in the other Our Natures certainly are not so prone to sin in a Charnel House as they are at a Theatre nor our Affections so apt to run out into Licentiousness in a Church as they are at a publick Shew And though a Man may be strong and couragious and able to defie all Dangers yet a Sampson may be overcome by a Dalilah and if he be not overcome yet something may stick by him which may put an everlasting stop to his Growth in Grace and Virtue He that goes much to the House oâ— Mourning provides infinitely better for the Safety of his Soul than he that frequents the House of Mirth and Feasting the former walks in a beaten Path whereas the other ventures over a narrow Bridge or treads on the edge of a Wall where it 's possible he may come off with Safety but for one that escapes without a Fall there are twenty and forty that miscarry He that presses through a Hedge of Thorns may possibly get through without tearing his Cloaths but he that hath Patience till he comes to a Gate and opens it and so passes on takes the surer way The wisest Men in all Ages have judged it better to converse with Spectacles of Misery than with Objects savouring of external Splendour He that visits a Hospital where he beholds variety of distressed Creatures some lame some blind some wounded some deaf some sick some roaring under grievous Pains will certainly go away more edified than he that feeds his Eyes with all the Gayeties of a luxurious Court the former may leave some kindly Impressions upon him and oblige him to admire the distinguishing Mercy Goodness and Compassion of God who hath suffer'd no such Accident to befall him and season his Heart with Pity and Compassion with Tenderness and Charity whereas the excess and extravagance of the other will do what he can leave a touch of Lightness and Vanity upon his Affections That 's the Reason why some provident Men heretofore have carried their Winding-Sheets with them in their March others digg'd their Sepulchres and Graves in their Gardens others at their Solemn Feasts have had a Death's-Head served up and placed upon the Table others in a certain Room in their House have set an empty Coffin on purpose that looking upon these Spectacles often their Minds might be taken off from Admiration of worldly Satisfactions and placed upon Objects which might furnish them with more melancholick Contemplations and this in all Probability will be the effect of conversing with such Objects if we view them not as they belong to our Trade but as thinking Men and Philosophers The Sexton that digs his Neighbours Grave hath an Object serious enough before him but he goes to it as a Man that must maintain his Family with the Gain and therefore is never the wiser for his Familiarity with such Spectacles The Chyrurgion that goes among the Lame and Bruised and Wounded with no higher ends than to fill his Purse and to discharge the Office of his Art will come home as little edified as he went but he whose choice of such mortified Objects is voluntary and deliberate attended with suitable Designs of meliorating and advancing the Mind cannot but return enrich'd with that Wisdom the Merchandise of which is more precious than that of Gold and Silver Whatever the merry Sinner may think it 's better to weep than to laugh Our Great Master the Lord Jesus who is a good Christian's Pattern was of this Opinion and in Imitation of him not a few eminent Saints have preferr'd a Feast of Tears before a Banquet of Mirth and sensual Pleasure Arsenius Olympias Domnina Abraham the Hermite the solitary Pambo and St. Austin are famous in History for their Tears to St. Jerom they were in the nature of daily Bread and he professes that when his Eyes were fullest of Tears he saw the Quires of Angels and could discern the Orders of Seraphim and Cherubim such a Perspicuity of sight do Tears give to a Holy Soul That which made these great Men weep so much was either a Sense of their own and other mens Offences or a lively Prospect of the Love of God or a glorious foresight of the Joys above But worldly Sorrow is no Virtue and he that weeps much either because he cannot have those Conveniences he would have or is cross'd and disappointed in his Designs or because he hath lost such a great Man's Favour or because some other Loss befalls him weeps in vain nay sins by his weeping and his Sin if he continue impenitent brings on Death 2 Cor. 7. 10. Floods of Tears upon a mere temporal Account are insignificant in Heaven and no more than Water spilt upon the Ground such Tears God doth not put into his Bottle nor have the blessed Angels any Charge to number the drops that fall but where Religion and a mighty Sense of God and Tenderness of his Honour and Glory causes Rivers of Tears and where the Soul hath so delicate a Taste that it cannot think of God without weeping nor speak of him without weeping nor reflect upon his Goodness without weeping there the Man is come up to a Perfection which is the very Suburbs of Heaven It 's true all People cannot weep nor are they therefore in a damnable Condition for they may be sincere in Goodness and yet not be able to express their Sincerity in Tears though I am apt to believe that it is for want of refining the Soul into a high Relish of Divine Objects that puts a stop to these sacred Floods in most Men yet where they can weep and something they see â—n God or in the Word of God or in the Providences of God is the true Cause of those Tears every drop is richer than a Diamond and such a Soul may vye Happiness with the greatest Monarchs They are inestimable Treasures and though Man knows not how to value them yet the Spirits above esteem them at a mighty rate and magnifie them in Gods Presence Luke 15. 10. It 's a huge Mistake that Men cannot rejoyce except they laugh there are Tears of Joy as well as Tears of Grief and the very Heathen saw that true â—oy was a very serious thing Hence 〈◊〉 was that they confined true Joy to their Philosophers and left the louder â—aughter to Slaves and Carters and â—loughmen and how often have I â—en the richest Joys bubble forth from â—â—e largest Tears Nor would Men in those Circumstances change Condition with the most potent Prince in the World such Content such Satisfaction such Riches such Wealth appears in these Tears which Religion forces How much better is it to be afflicted where our Prosperity and a good Conscience are inconsistent than to enjoy Kingdoms and Principalities without the light of Gods Countenance
from you and be unmoved at the want of it Can you see how other Men by thinking arrive to Perfection and will you lye groveling in the Dust O! think while thinking may do you good In Hell you 'll think but it will be too late there you 'll think but your Thoughts will be your Torment there your Thoughts will be the undoing of you there you 'll think what happy Persons you might have been if you had imitated Abraham's Faith and Moses's Resolution David's Candour and Josiah's Piety St. Paul's Courage and St. Peter's Tears St. John's Love and Lydia's Attentiveness the Berrhoeans Zeal and the Macedonian Churches Charity Zachoeus his Restitution and the Publican's Repentance but these Thoughts will then be your Vexation since the working time is past and the day of Vengeance come There you 'll think that Christ was your Friend indeed when he made himself of no Reputation but took upon him the form of a Servant became obedient to the Cross and dyed for you but to think that he is your Enemy now because you refused Obedience to him because you made light of his Offers and would not accept of him for your Governour must needs fill you with endless Grief and bitterness of Spirit Now consider this ye that forget God lest I tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver Psal. 50. 22. 3. And is not the greatest part of the World to be pityed that can delight in nothing but what they can grasp and feel The Covetous can delight in nothing but in Gold If he want Money all his Joy is gone If his Coffers be full and his Barns stock'd with Corn and Plenty doth surround him his Heart rejoyces his Soul triumphs and Cheerfulness plumps his Cheeks but without this his Mind is disturbed his Faculties languish his Countenance is dejected and he looks like a dying Man Who would imagine that this Man hath a rational Soul Who would think he were created after the Image of God Who would conclude him to have lived in a Land where the Gospel is preach'd Who can inferr from his Actions or Behaviour that this Man believes a Word of Scripture Who would take the Wretch for a Disciple of the poor and afflicted Jesus Who that looks upon him would not be apt to cry with him Sit anima mea cum Philosophis Let me die the Death of some brave self-denying Heathen Philosopher For these certainly are in a likelier way of Salvation at least of escaping the Wrath to come than the covetous Christian. Diogenes being desired of Alexander the Great to beg either Gold or Silver of him received this Answer Do but stand out of the Sun and do not hinder that glorious Light from shining upon me and I have enough The brave Crates having sold what he had and turned it into Money generously threw it all into the Sea saying It is far better I should drown thee than that thou should'st drown me in Perdition Alexander having sent to the great Phocion two Talents of Gold the wise Man ask'd the Messengers Seeing there were so many good Men at Athens why the King should of all Men make choice of him to present him The Ambassadour answer'd because of all Men he look'd upon him as the honestest Say you so replyed the Philosopher Then let Alexander give me leave to be still an honest Man which I can be without all these Presents and glistering Treasures Cimon had two large Cups sent him from a Persian King the one full of Gold the other of Silver He looks upon them smilingly and asks the Man who brought them Whether his Master intended that Cimon should be his Friend or his Servant The man replied It was out of Ambition to have him for his Friend that he sent it Oh! then saith he take them back again for being his Friend when I have need of them I can send for them at any time Epaminondas when some came to corrupt him with gifts invites the Ambassadours to Dinner and there entertains them with Roots and Herbs and with small sour Wine Dinner being done Go home saith he and tell your Prince that Epaminondas being content with such a Dinner is not easily to be drawn by Bribes into a base and trayterous Action Fabritius the Roman General having concluded a Peace with the Samnites the Magistrates of the Samnites by way of Gratitude send six Ambassadours to him with vast Sums of Money begging of him to accept of it but he stroaking his Head and Face and Breast and Knees Gentlemen saith he while I can command these Limbs I have no need of Money and so dismissed them Curius gave the same Answer to them adding that he had rather rule over Persons that had Money than be possess'd of Money himself These Men were Heathens whose Delight in Virtue drown'd their Delight in these outward Comforts They saw what an Impediment to Goodness these Heaps of Silver were and therefore scorn'd to delight in a thing so base and trivial they were sensible that the Soul had her Riches as well as the Body as the former by the Confession of the wiser sort of Mankind went beyond the other in value so it was reasonable they should delight in the one more than in the other These Men were better Christians by the Light of Nature than thousands among us are with all the helps that Revelation and Grace affords not that the Fault lies in the means which are larger and richer than Pagans and Infidels have but that men stupifie their Souls more under these Advantages than Heathens did under the lesser Irradiations of the Divine Light and Splendour So then the very Heathens saw that the more spiritual the Delight was the nobler it was and the more it was refin'd and purified from the Dross of the World the more rational it was and therefore more amiable and fitter to be embraced and sure God must have provided but very ill for Mankind when he embued and impregnated their Souls with a Sense of Religion if he had not put something into Religion that 's charming and lovely whereby their Souls might be attracted to delight in it Religion being derived from him who is the Fountain of Delight and Satisfaction must necessarily have that in it which may make humane Souls rejoyce and exalt their Delight into a victorious Supremacy above all worldly Pleasures What did the Lord Jesus delight in who lived upon Alms What did the Apostles delight in who were in much Patience in Afflictions in Necessities and Distresses in Stripes in Imprisonments in tossings to and fro in Labours in Watchings in Fastings What did all the Primitive Believers delight in that were poor and naked driven into Exile banish'd forced to work in Mines chased away from the Comforts of Wife Children and Relations Something certainly they delighted in for humane Nature cannot well subsist without delight in something It could not be the Riches of this World for
are fitter for Swine than for rational Creatures it separates us from delights which will lead the Soul into the Shadow and Valley of Death from Delights which dethrone the ruling part in us make the Master serve the Man and from Princes debase us to a state of Thraldom It denies us such delights as make God our Enemy move him to depart from us and provoke him to Indignation It will not suffer us to meddle with Delights which destroy the Glory of the Mind damp our Zealâ— alienate the Heart from God and drive away his holy Spirit from us It is against all such delights as would make us miserable and enamoured with Sin and the World and in being an Enemy to such Delights it consults our good It is more favourable to us than we are to our selves and seeks to make us like God God is above all sensual Delights he is not taken with the Beauty of the Face in Man or Woman he undervalues a great Table and hates the Prodigality of the Spend thrift he hath no Body to please no Eyes to satisfie with glittering Objects no Ears to delight with artificial Sounds no Blood to cherish with studied Cordials and though the World be his and the fullness thereof yet he solaces not himself in the Pleasures of it his Delights are great like himself spiritual like his Essence infinite as his Glory eternal as his Being he delights in himself and is to himself the Object of his Pleasure he delights in the eternal brightness of his own Glory and the express Image of his Person he delights in his own boundless Understanding whereby he knows all things past present and to come and sees all Beings before they are and what will come to pass and dives into their nature ends designs and the Accidents that befall them his delight lies in doing good and communicating the Rays of his Holiness to his Subjects He delights in his own Perfections and Virtue is the amiable Spectacle of his Eyes he delights in a Soul that loves him and an humble Heart is to him a glorious sight The Soul that loves her own Lowliness and is content to be little and despised in the World embraces Contempt and Reproaches and like the mighty Jesus runs with Patience the Race that 's set before her this causes Joy in Heaven To this likeness Religion would advance the Soul not that it attempts to give it the same Perfection but that it designs to work some Resemblance betwixt her and that Sovereign Being The Soul being in some measure capable of this Delight its Endeavour is to bring her to a sense of it In a word it seeks to reduce Man to the first state of Innocence from which by Sin he fell And though Adam had all the Riches and Glories of the World concentred in his Paradise yet his Delights were more spiritual than sensual since his Joys were not so much from the Flowers and Trees and Animals themselves as from the Excellency Power Wisdom Greatness of God which glistered in their Make and Use and the Ends for which they were created He saw indeed the proud Tulip the fragrant Rose the odoriferous Jessamin and rejoyced he beheld the Cherry the Fig the Almond and the Apple and triumph'd he cast his Eyes on the laden Trees and how they seemed to let down their Arms to put their richer fruits into his Mouth and was glad he took a view of the Fishes that danced and leap'd in the Chrystal Rivers that water'd the glorious place and his Spirits were enliven'd but at the same time the Bounty Liberality and Omnipotence of the great Architect of all appeared so lively to his Mind that he made his Garden a true Emblem of Heaven fell down and Day and Night sung the Praises of his Creator as if he vyed with the Angels of the upper World and were trying who should hold out longest at melodious Hallelujahs This Kindness Religion intends to our Souls and therefore suggests unto us the Promises and Threatnings of God to keep our Feet steddy in the way they are to walk in to this purpose it tells us That he who loves sensual Pleasure shall be a poor man poor in Grace poor in gifts of God's holy Spirit poor with Respect to God's Favour poor even to contempt destitute of those richer incomes which sanctified Souls receive deprived of the Juice and Sap which flows from the flourishing Vine the Lord Jesus in want of a fore-taste of Heaven and of a sense What the hope of God's calling is and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance is in the Saints and what is the exceeding greatness of his Power toward them that believe according to the working of his mighty Power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right Hand in heavenly places Eph. 1. 18 19 20. Who can grumble at Religion after all these advantages Who can find fault with it after this prospect of its benefits Who dares asperse that beauteous Virgin after such Fruits it bears Who would not esteem it Who would not prize it Who would not honour it Who would not speak well of it Who would not look upon it as a horn of plenty and a treasury of the greatest comforts Who would not maintain the honour of it against all opponents who would not vindicate it when it is abused Who would not rise up in defence of it when blasphemous Tongues would traduce and revile it Let no man say here I can follow my Carnal pleasures and yet be religious too Alas What Piety can that be where thy Affections are divided betwixt Religion and Worldly Pleasures and where these Delights commonly have the greater share May be thou sayest thy Prayers so have I seen Parrets and Magpies repeat a few Sentences which they have been taught May be thou goest to Church so have I seen a blind man sit down by a Candle but to no purpose Thou mayest attempt to reconcile the Temple of God and Idols but these attempts are as vain as thy pleasures are while these sensual delights ingross thy Mind the Word must needs be a dead Letter to thee Heaven cannot supple thy Soul Hell cannot fright it the Thunders of God are insignificant to it and thou art unfit to dye unfit to appear at the great Tribunal The Heathens tell this Fable That Ceres coming down from Heaven one day gave out that she was a Nurse whereupon King Eleusius took her to attend his Son Triptolemus and having him under her Tuition in the day time she sed him with celestial Milk and in the night she cover'd him with Fire to give him Immortality Religion is that Fire which must make you immortal this purges away your dross and cleanseth you Hearts from the dregs of Sin and Death makes you bright and shining and capable of eternal Light No Nurse is so tender of you as Religion is it feeds you
they had them not nor indeed did they care for them when they were offered them it was Religion that engrossed their Delight This made them joyful in all Conditions this raised their drooping Spirits under the Rage of their Persecutors and certainly it would be hard if a glorious God with all his Attributes and the wonderful things he hath revealed to our Comfort were improper Objects of Delight and since these are the genuine Delights of a Christian O besotted Soul why dost thou delight in broken Cisterns when thou hast the Fountain of living Waters to delight in Why dost thou delight in Apes and Peacocks when thou hast the Creator of all these to rejoyce in Why dost thou delight in a morsel of Meat when thou hast the Birth-right of eternal Glory to delight in Why dost thou delight in the shade of the Bramble when thou hast the shadow of God's Wings to delight in Why dost thou delight in the nether Springs when thou hast the upper Springs of Mercy to delight in Why dost thou delight 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when thou hast a House made without Hands to delight in Why dost thou delight in the Rivers of Damascus when thou hast the River of God's Pleasure to delight in Why dost thou delight in a fading Beauty when thou hast him that 's altogether lovely to delight in Why dost thou delight in the Voice of a deceitful Siren when thou hast him whose Voice comforts the Mourners of Sion to delight in Why dost thou delight in the Slavery of thy Lusts when thou hast him whose Service is perfect Freedom to delight in Why dost thou delight in a little Gain in Drops of Happiness in Crumbs of Bliss in shining Dust when thou hast a Sea of Glory to delight in How deep must thy Soul lye immerst in Body if such illustrious Objects cannot delight it How far must thou be yet from the Kingdom of Heaven if things of this nature cannot content thee How earthly must thy Heart be how debauch'd how perverted from the end of its Creation if these spiritual Delights are insipid to it There are some among us I believe who have tasted of both Delights the sinful ones of the Flesh and those which are proper for holy Souls tell me I beseech you whether you think a Fit of Laughter or a drunken Bout or a merry Meeting you once delighted in so sweet so comfortable so refreshing as the gentle and soft and kinder Influences of God's Spirit when you have been engaged in Prayer and Praises and Contemplations of a future State When you have been wrestling with God and after that work of Love have felt a holy assurance of God's Favour upon your Spirits can any thing be more pleasing or charming than those divine Communications When you have entred into Meditation of God's goodness and the Love of God hath shined bright upon your Souls have not you felt that which hath been as much beyond all sensual Delights as an oriental Pearl is beyond Brass or Copper or such baser Minerals Have not you found a Joy stealing upon your Souls after such refreshing Considerations as hath transported you even into love of Martyrdom How contented have you been after such Exercises or after some signal Self-denial How harmonious have your Spirits and Affections been after such Enjoyments of God's loving Kindness and how like soft and curious Musick have these Gales of the Divine Goodness composed your troubled Thoughts and hush'd them into a lasting Peace And is not this infinitely better than the Pleasures of Sardanapalus of Dives and other luxurious men Will not this turn to better account at last than fleshly Lusts which war against the Soul Look upon Heliogabalus who tryed how great a Monster a man could make himself in his Cloaths you should see nothing but Gold and Purple his Beds were embroidered and the Feathers that were in them must be the softer Feathers of Partridges taken from under their Wings mix'd with the finest Rabbets hair He would ride in a Chariot shining with Rubies and Diamonds and not only in the out-side of his Shooes but even within he would have precious Stones he would not ride abroad under six hundred Coaches with him his Beds and Rooms were strow'd with all sorts of curious Flowers and an everlasting Perfume filled his Halls and Parlors sometimes in a Frolick he would be drawn in a Chariot by four Mastiff Dogs sometimes by four Stags sometimes by four Tygers as Bacchus sometimes by four Lions as Cybele sometimes by four beautiful Women Now and then he would cause Ships to be richly laden with all costly Commodities and then sink them in the Sea At some of his Meals he would have six hundred Estriches Heads at the Table And when the Humour took him all his Courses should be nothing but Pheasants heaped and piled together in Dishes sometimes they should all be Pullets sometimes nothing would serve him but to have all sorts of deformed men at his Table eight lame Men eight blind eight Blacks eight gouty eight fat eight bald eight deaf In such Fooleries he delighted and because the Syrian Priests had told him that he would die an unnatural Death he would keep Poison in golden Vessels to kill himself before any Person should be able to lay hold on him to this purpose he would have silken Halters about him and Penknifes set with Diamonds to dispatch himself when he should see occasion And he built also a Tower which he over-laid with Gold that in Case of any sudden Attack he might throw himself from the top of it These were the sottish Delights of this man and yet after all he died in a Jakes I have mention'd this Brute and his Actions because there are in his short Life all the extravagant Actions that a distemper'd Brain can invent and all the Delights that a mad man could think of yet who would not prefer a Delight in a good Conscience and delight in God's Worship and delight in Acts of Charity and delight in heavenly Thoughts before it Sensual Delights must at last expire but spiritual Delights do not die but as you have seen those vast Balls of burnish'd Brass on Church-Steeples cast a glorious lustre assoon as the Sun shines upon them so at a serious man's Death his delight in Holiness upon God's favourable Acceptance of it instead of expiring and decaying immediately grows bigger in its Glory the Rays of it spread and enlarge their Borders and stretch themselves into Eternity And therefore 4. Who can harbour any hard Thoughts of Religion because it debars us of disorderly sensual Delights In doing so it does us a kindness is our Friend prevents our Danger saves us from the Pit delivers us from Hell makes us live like Men. It doth not debar us of that which will make us happy nor hinder us from solid Joy nor deprive us of such sensual Delights as are necessary for our Preservation The Delights it keeps us from