to cast away thy sins and to cast thy self upon him to come unto Christ that thou mightst be saved and yet hast slighted and rejected his gracious invitations and quenched the good motions of his Spirit therefore thy case is far different from his 4. Though the Thief continued in his wicked and ungodly course of life to the last and then became a true Convert yet can it not be proved that he purposely put off his repentance to that day But questionless he persisted in his sinful ways till the hour of death through ignorance and not through wilfulness whereas thou designest to follow thy sinful lusts and pleasures all thy life long at least the best and greatest part thereof and then at the last to resign up thy self to God and his service Therefore his late repentance can be no ground of incouragement unto thee who wilfully resolvest to go on in thy wicked courses so long as thou hast time and strength CHAP. VI. Containeth Directions suitable to Young Men. HAving answered the Objections of some Young Men against their early serving of God I come now to give you some Directions suitable to your state and condition 1. Labour to be well rooted and grounded in the principles of Religion otherwise you will soon be carried away with every wind of Doctrine and so made a prey to every seducer Observe who they be that are easiest seduced by Papists Quakers and false Teachers and you will find that they were such who were never well grounded in the Principles of Religion Ephes. 4. 14. They are said to be Children in understanding who are tossed to and fro and carried away with every wind of Doctrine implying that weak and ungrounded Christians are aptest to imbrace every false and erronious Doctrine Whereas the Martyrs being well grounded in the Principles of Religion could not be removed from the Truth by all the Arguments of the most Learned Doctors As therefore thou wouldst be preserved from all erronious Doctrines and damnable Heresies labour in the use of all means God hath sanctified that thou mayst be well rooted and grounded in the truth To that end 1. Learn some good and sound Catechism If thou canst not get it by heart then read it over again and again Thou mayst read and hear much and yet never attain to a well-grounded knowledge in Religion till thou beest well instructed in the Principles of it This the Apostles well knew therefore they delivered to their several Churches a Form of Doctrine which contained the Fundamental Principles of Religion which every Member thereof was perfectly to learn Rom. 6. 17. 2 Tim. 1. 13. Heb. 5. 12. and 6. 1. Whosoever shall think to attain unto any sound knowledge in Religion meerly by hearing the Word preached before he be well grounded in the Principles thereof will find it a hard work and understand by his experience how necessary the laying a good Foundation is to his building up in Faith and Holiness 2. Take all opportunities of reading the writings of godly learned men who by their labours have cleared the main and principal points of Religion And amongst the many Books now extant be sure you rather make choice of such as do soundly inform the judgment and work powerfully upon the heart and affections than of such as containing little but frothy conceits of wit do only please the phantasie with fruitless flashes 3. Especially be frequent in reading the holy Scriptures which contain not only the Principles of Religion but also all necessary truths to be known and practised Yea as David speaketh Psal. 119. 105. Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path It giveth wisdom to the simple and to the young man knowledge and discretion For this Timothy is commended That he had known the Scriptures from his Childhood 2 Tim. 3. 15. II. Return to the Lord Repent and be converted to God Conversion being so great and necessary a duty and so especially included in that remembring of our Creator required in the Text I shall insist a little the more distinctly upon it and shall 1. Open the nature of it 2. Press thee to it 1. For the nature of Conversion it is a turning or coming back to the Lord. Sin is our departing or going away from God Impenitence in sin is our keeping away from him Conversion is our return or coming back to God It is our coming back 1. From unbelief to faith in God 2. From our enmity and rebellion unto friendship and obedience to God 1. It is our coming back from unbelief to faith in God Every Convert is become a Believer The unconverted World are all concluded in unbelief Rom. 11. 32. In Conversion we are fetched out from that wretched multitude of unbelievers Converts and Believers signifie the same persons in Scripture-sense This faith we are converted to comprehends in it three things 1. Our sealing to the truth of God 2. Our adventuring upon the truth of God 3. Our resigning our selves to the government of the truth 1. Faith is our sealing to the truth of God or our belief of the truth of the Word of God Ioh. 3. 33. He that believeth hath set to his Seal that God is true It is our belief of the truth of the Scriptures in general and in special of the truth of the Gospel It is our sealing to Christ or our believing that he is the Messiah of God and the Saviour of the world that this is the Stone that is laid in Sion on whom whosoever believeth shall not be confounded 1 Pet. 2. 6. that in him there is Salvation and none other Act. 4. 12. 2. Faith is our adventuring upon the truth of God an adventuring our lives an adventuring our Souls upon the truth of the Word of God and upon that Jesus concerning whom this Word bears witness Faith is an adventuring for the other world The object of Faith are things not seen Heb. 11. 1. that is the invisible world The Scripture tells us of another stare a more blessed and glorious state than that we here are in this blessed state is in the other world which however it cannot now be seen yet Faith hath such evidence that there is such a state that it will adventure for it Believers are Merchants Matth. 13. 45. Merchant-adventurers that will adventure all they have their whole Stock and Patrimony for the riches of that good Land Believers are adventurers for the other world and they trust their whole adventure with Christ he shall be their Pilot yea he shall be their Ark to bring them into the holy Land above Whither art thou bound O believing soul For Canaan for Ierusalem which is above I am bound for Heaven But art thou sure that there is such a place as Heaven and such blessedness there So sure I am that I will adventure all upon it But who is it shall bring thee to Heaven Iesus of Nazareth he who suffered the just for
works are enough to take up thy whole life How then canst thou imagine that the short remaining part thereof should be sufficient for them Ah sinner be convinced that these things must be done by thee or else thou wilt be undone for ever And then judge whether it be not high time for thee to bid adieu to all sinful pleasures and delights and seriously to mind the Concernments of thy precious and Immortal Soul Surely thou canst not be so simple as to flatter thy self with a conceit that all those things may be done either in time of sickness or in old age First For the time of Sickness that must needs be very unfit in regard of the many lets and impediments which then usually fall out to hinder the performance of them as pains of body faintness of spirit dulness and deadness of heart perplexity of mind partly through fear of Gods Judgments and partly with care of disposing thy outward estate for the future maintenance of Wife and Children which will not suffer thee so to collect thy spirits as is requisite for such weighty works Secondly As for Old Age which is scarce able to bear the infirmities of Nature how unfit must that needs be for such hard and difficult services How can it be expected that such who are in a manner past working should go thorow the greatest works that in this world are to be performed Eccl. 12. 1 Solomon calls the days of Old Age evil days not because they are so in themselves but because of the manifold weaknesses and diseases pains and aches which do accompany them whereby they are very much disinabled unto any good work And therefore to put off the main business of our lives the things which concern the Salvation of our Souls to our Old Age must needs be the greatest folly in the world because in so doing we put it to the hazard whether ever it will be done Besides that God who requireth the First-fruits of all we have will not be put off with the Devils leavings If a Souldier should spend the strength of his days in service against his Prince and in his Old Age offer his service to him would he think you accept thereof and not rather reject him and his service Canst thou then imagine that God will accept the service of thine old Age when thou hast spent the strength of thy years in the service of sin and Satan 4. Thou who sayest thou hast time enough before thee and thereupon resolvest hereafter to be for God and Holiness know that thereby thou deceivest thine own Soule For no resolution can be hearty and sincere but what is present He who is willing to indulge his sinful flesh but a Day longer would as willingly do it a Year longer yea to Eternity if he might He who is not willing to cast away his sins and to close with Christ to day would never do it by his good will Thy purposes and resolutions for the time to come are but deceitful and hypocritical O trust not to deceitful purposes 5. Thou who delayest to serve God out of a pretence thou hast time enough before thee I would ask thee what shew of reason thou hast for it Happily thou wilt say Oh the contentment I find in my present course is so sweet and delightful to me that I cannot as yet deny my self therein But is thy Lust sweeter than Christ than pardon of sin than peace and reconciliation with God yea than the joys of Heaven Sure thou art a Bruit if thou say so And if not why dost thou not presently reform and return to the Lord Is it too soon for thee yet to be happy Thou art worthy to die for ever who chusest to lie longer in the estate of the dead when thou mightest presently turn and live 6. Thou who sayest thou hast time enough before thee hast thou not served the Devil and Sin long enough Hast thou not done enough to the damning thine own Soul but thou must go on further in thy wicked and ungodly courses Certainly if thou hadst any of the ingenuity of a Christian within thee thou wouldst rather say I have long enough wallowed in the filth of sin and mire of sinful filthiness I have long enough slighted the free grace of God and rejected the invitations of Jesus Christ 't is a shame I have stood out so long Well I have now done with iniquity from henceforth I will be for Christ and Holiness farewel my former sinful courses and Companions farewel my carnal peace ease and pleasure 't is high time to mind the eternal welfare of my Soul and to give up my self to God 7. Consider Though sound repentance is never too late yet late repentance is seldom sound like untimely fruit it rarely cometh to any perfection as may evidently appear from the usual practise of such as recover of their sickness who in the time of affliction seemed mightily troubled for their wicked lives and outwardly bewailed their sins crying out against them yea made many vows and promises of newness of life and better obedience professing for the time to come utterly to renounce their former lewd courses and to serve God in true holiness and righteousness all the remaining part of their days yet being recovered to their former health again forgetting the vows and promises they made in the time of their sickness with the Dog they have returned to their former Vomit and with the Sow wallowed again in the filth of sin and mire of sinful filthiness imbracing the same sins which they had formerly lamented and so become worse than before It was the observation of that worthy Divine Mr. Robert Bolton that he never knew or heard of any man unwrought upon under conscionable means who after recovery performed the vows and promises of a new life which he made in his sickness and time of extremity which methinks should be a strong Motive to perswade every one of us to turn from our sin and to givup our selves intirely unto God in our health and strength that so we may have some comfortable Evidence of the truth and soundness of our Repentance 8. Consider the desperate hazard thou runnest by delaying to close with Iesus Christ. For what if thy great change should come before the change of thy heart how sad would thy condition be What if Christ who hath long been knocking at the door of thine heart should withdraw himself and never knock again Surely as it was one of the greatest mercies that ever was vouchsafed to thee that Jesus Christ should condescend to stand and knock at the door of thine heart so it will prove in the event the heaviest Judgment that ever befel thee if thou wilt not now open unto him but put him off with delays It will be just with Christ finally to withdraw himself from those who will not hearken unto him in this his merciful day of Visitation Beware that this be not thy case
credit and prosperity in the world Thou maist be and be happy without all this there 's many an honest poor man who hath lived comfortably and contentedly that hath scarce been worth a groat besides his labours and it may be hath scarcely had one friend in the world to relieve him But it 's necessary to keep thee out of Hell to keep thy soul out of the hands of the devil this is more necessary than to have a Being better thou hadst never been born than at last to be damned 2. It 's necessary to be converted that so thou maist live Thou diest without remedy thou diest without mercy if thou turn not Ezek. 18. 31 32 Why will ye die turn and live Intimating that it 's impossible but men must perish everlastingly if they turn uot Except ye repent ye shall all perish Luke 13. 3. Sinners will sometimes acknowledge and say 't would be well for me if I could mind my Soul 't would be well for me if I could repent of my sins If I could leave this Drunkenness or this Company-keeping or this Covetousness 't would be well for me if I could bring my heart to it to leave off this carnal course of life and give my self to Christianity and Godlyness 'T would be well for thee Why is that all â—…hou hast to say in so important a case How will it be with thee if thou repent not 'T would be well for thee dost thou say to turn to God Why man it 's necessary for thee a necessity is laid upon thee and wo be unto thee if thou turn not If thou wert in extream poverty and hadst no bread to eat no house to dwell in nor friend to relieve thee or if thine house were all on fire over thine head would such a cold or low expression suffice to set out thy case 'T would be well for me if I could get bread or a house or a friend to relieve me 't would do well for me if I could get out of mine house ere the fire devour me No thou wouldst then cry out of thy necessity of thy extremity I starve I am ready to perish for want I shall be burnt to ashes if I fly not out of my house Escape for thy life sinner thy soul starves it dies is like to burn for ever in the bottom of hell Oh its necessary for thee to get thee out of this fearful case why lingrest thou haste thee haste thee let the extremity of the danger and misery thy soul is in press thee to make a sudden escape thy case will not bear delayes flie for thy life flie unto Christ and live II. Thy commodity or profit perswades thee to turn to the Lord. Commodity is the great argument of the thristy World that puts them upon all their labours What will not men undertake and endure for their commodity This chooses their habitations builds their houses plants their Orchards this animates their Tradeâ—… and is the encouragement and reward of all their labours the profit that is expected to come in by them Why now sinner consider Godliness is the great profit It 's profitable to all things 1 Tim. 4. 8. There 's nothing truely profitable besides Sinners count that Godliness is good for nothing unless to make men proud and conceited Fools cry out with those Job 21. 15. What is the Almighty that we should serve him and what profit shall we have if we pray unto him They count that this is the onely thing that stands in the way of their profit their great hindrance in the world they think they might get more and thrive better if it were not for this Godliness this Conscience hath been many a mans undoing How many a man is there that hath lost a good living because he would keep a good Conscience If it were not for this Conscience men might get not only by honesty but by fraud or by violence lying or false swearing might then bring them in many a penny but Conscience pares off all that gain But yet whatever Fools think Godliness is great gain 1 Tim. 6. 6. It is our onely profit Nothing can truely be counted our profit but that which is or contributes to our happiness Wilt thou call that thy profit which when thou hast it thou art like to be never the better for it neither the honester man nor the happier man Nothing can be accounted our happiness or conducing to it but that which either will abide by us or do us good when it is gone Holiness will abide by us and the exercises of Holiness will do us good when they are over and past In such times when through sickness and weakness or some other invincible hindrances we cannot pray or hear or labour in the work of our souls 't will then be a great comfort to us that we have prayed and heard and laid up against such a time of need when we had ability The fruits of praying will remain and the very remembrance of our faithfulness to God will be a comfort to us in our greatest weaknesses and distresses Sinners when their estates are gone their labours are done their pleasures are over then they will know whether these things be their happiness or no. This getting life this merry life which thou now blessest thy self in will not last alwayes with thee and when 't is gone then thou wilt see how wise a man thou wert in promising thy self happiness in such things as these where is the hope of the Hypocrite though he hath gained when God shall take away his Soul Job 27. 8. Thy soul Man thy soul must be gone the time is at hand when God will take away thy sâ—…ul and lay it in the dark for ever and when that day comes where then will thy gains be What shall it profit a man to win the whole World and lose his own soul Matth. 16. 26. Young man what art thou for Art thou for profit Wilt thou study thy own commodity Wilt thou count that thy pâ—…ofit which will make thee the honester man and the happier man Wouldst thou get something to comfort thee when thou art old Wouldst thou be really happy Then go to God joyn thy self to him give thy self to him to be his servant for ever Get the Lord to be thy portion and then thou maist say Return to thy rest O my Soul for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with me Psal. 116. 7. Wilt thou now Young man take these arguments and urge them home upon thy heart stand in the presence of God and in his fear reason thus with thy self Why should I not now become a sincere convert to God 1. Is there not a necessity laid upon me Must I not either turn or burn Is it not necessary for me to look to the salvation of my soul and is there any way for that but turning from my sin My flesh pretends necessity for my serving of it I must have bread I must have
cloaths I must have money I am sure these things are necessary for me for I must not starve I but is there not an higher necessity here whether I have bread or no whether I starve or no I must look to it that I be be not damned for ever Skin for skin and all that a man hath will a man give for his life Job 2. 4. I but skin and flesh and bone and life and all must go rather than lose my soul. If I can live and maintain my self here in an honest way it must be done If I can be a rich man and a good Christian a wealthy man and a godly man 't is well enough But whether I be rich or poor I must have Christ and Life and Christ I cannot have without turning from my sins to him What O my soul art thou such an enemy to Godliness that thou wilt rather die than become a Godly man Art thou so in love with a carnal and earthly life that thou wilt sell thy life to the Devil rather than change thy course will thy necessity prevail nothing with thee Thou art in necessity O my soul in necessity of Christ in necessity of pardon in necessity of Grace and holiness Thou art ready to perish a slave to Lust a slave to the Devil these Tyrants are thrusting thee down to the eternal prison thou art in necessity of Christ there 's no hope of escaping but by getting thee into Christ. 2. Would it not be for my profit to turn How can I spend my time to better advantage than by making the everlasting Kingdom sure to me Whom dost thou O my Soul account to have been wise men and the best husbands in the World whose care and whose labour have best turned to account either those who have gotten oyle into their Lamps that have been sowing to themselves in righteousness that have been laying up to themselves treasure in Heaven or they that have had their occupation wholly about this earth or else loytered their time in mirth and idleness which of these two sorts dost thou think are best provided for whose Harvest or Vintage is like to be the most plentiful and blessed However thou judgest now in this sowing day yet when the reaping-day comes then in which of the two cases wouldst thou be either of those who had sown in Righteousness and reap in mercy or else in case of those which have sown in the flesh and reap Corruption which have sown in Iniquity and must reap in wrath and fire would it not be more to thy profit to reap with the righteous and the godly than with the wicked and ungodly Why does the case stand thus Is it both necessary and profitable for me to be a sincere Convert to the Lord Come my Soul away with all excuses away with all delayes come in this day and yield thy self to the Lord come give thy self come joyn thy self to him in a perpetual Covenant that shall never be forgotten CHAP. VIII Containeth a direction unto Young men how to get a stock of Grace III. AT thy first setting up content not thy self with a competent stock of mony to begin the World withal but be sure likewise to get a good stock of Grace Thou art to drive two Trades together a trade for thy body and a trade for thy soul and each trade must have its distinct stock to be maintained upon 'T is like to be but poor trading where there is no stock to begin upon Thou maist as well drive a Trade for thy body without a stock of mony as a Trade for thy soul without a stock of Grace Get a stock of saving Grate a stock of Faith and Love and habitual holiness upon the wise improvement of this thou wilt grow rich unto God This is the true riches the best riches a little of it is more worth than all the world For 1. Riches oft prove hurtful to the owners of them Eccl. 5. 13. There is a sore evil which I have seen under the Sun namely riches kept for the Owners thereof to their hurt proving oftentimes occasions of sin unto them being the bellows of pride and the fuel of Lust. But Grace always proveth an exceeding great advantage to the Owners thereof Never any man suffered by having too much grace It s good upon all accounts For it sanctifies mens earthly riches teaching them how to use and improve them to the glory of God the good of others and comfort of their own Souls Yea grace sanctifies not onely blessings but likewise crosses and afflictions turning them to their good For all things shall work together for the good of every gracious Soul of every one that loves and fears God Rom. 8. 28. Whereupon saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 4. 17. Our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory 2. Worldly riches are uncertain they make to themselves wings and fly away Prov. 23. 5. Sure it is that within a short time either they will be taken from us or we from them either they will leave us or we must leave them Yea they are such slippery ware that the harder we graspe them the sooner they will slip out of our hands Whereas Grace is a blossome of Eternity which will abide with us for ever It doth not only continue with us so long as we live here but it endureth with us to all Eternity therefore called durable riches Prov. 8. 18. I know some tell us of falling away from Grace True it is a Christian may lose 1. The comfortable sense and feeling of Grace so that in his own apprehension it may be utterly lost 2. He may lose some degree of saving Grace for Faith is sometimes more lively and strong and sometimes more dull and weak Yea all Graces have their full and wane their ebbings and flowings 3. He may lose the powerful operation of Grace I mean the acts of Faith and other Graces may be intermitted and suspended when as the Graces themselves are not abolished but continue with us for ever In which respects you may discern the transcendent excellency of Grace above riches How should the consideration thereof prevail with you to labour in the use of all means God hath sanctified for the attainment thereof To help you therein take these Directions 1. Mourn and weep if possibly for thy graceless condition take up a lamentation and say Woe and alas that ever I was born especially that I have lived thus long in a graceless condition without God and without Christ in the World O what will become of me if I die in this estate Surely hell and damnation must needs be my portion to all Eternity Thus make thy closet an House of mourning and know that the mourning of thy Soul will cause the earnings of God's bowels towards thee so that he will not deny grace to a mourning Soul 2. As thou wouldst have grace
enough to keep them when they are old which is a sinful anxiety however vailed under the appearance of providence against future necessity whereby they do but anticipate their cares and create a needless Distraction to themselves 2 The manner of labouring when temporal things are preferred before spiritual and Heavenly therefore our Saviour addeth but labour for the meat which endureth to everlasting life that is chiefly and especially Look how much more excellent the soul is than the body things eternall than those that are temporal so much more ought we both in our judgements and affections to prefer and pursue spiritual grace and Heavenly glory before these temporary trifles 3. The measure of labouring when we never think we have laid up enough but are continually and eagerly seeking after more our hungry hearts crying still in our ears Gather Gather lay up for the dayes to come When we cannot be content with food convenient but seek after more than is needful both for the present and future maintenance of the charge God hath committed to us It is recorded of Esau that though he was a Prophane earthly-minded man yet could say to his Brother Iacob I have enough Gen. 33. 9. Oh then what a shame is it for such as make a profession of Religion and would seem to be of the seed of Iacob yet cannot say they have enough Oh how many Christians herein come short of Esau Should you by your extraordinary care and pains attain to a considerable estate here what would be your advantage thereby Happily you may wear better cloaths fare more deliciously provide greater portions for your Children and at last go to Hell with the more credit than the poorer sort And is this a priviledge to be so much desired and laboured after to descend with pomp into the pit Consider I beseech you how little good your wealth can do you Can it free you from cares Can it lengthen your dayes Can it keep you from the Dropsie Feaver Gout or other bodily Diseases Can it preserve you from death or obtain the pardon of your sins You may indeed procure the Popes pardon but will God sell you a pardon for money Had you all the wealth in the World it could not purchase Heaven for you nor free you from hell no nor procure you a drop of water to cool your tongue or quench your thirst there O who would lay out himself wholy upon that which cannot help him in his greatest distresses Riches avail not in the day of wrath I beseech you therefore in the name of Christ to cast out this Worldliness and cherish it no longer know it will prove a Murtherer of your souls it will cheat you of everlasting happiness and entice you into Hell by pretences of profit and advantage It is observable that we 〈◊〉 not in all the Scripture that any Saint was guilty of this sin of setting his heart upon the World and seeking immoderatly after earthly riches We read of Aarons Idolatry Lots Incest Noahs Drunkenness Davids Adultery Peters denial of his Master But where do you read in Scripture of any Saint that was overcome with this sin It is not to be denyed but that as the seeds of all sin are in the best of men so likewise the seeds of this sin but that any Saint was given up to the power thereof we do not read How should this consideration stir you up to a greater watchfulness against the same For the better taking you off from an immoderate seeking after worldly riches weigh these few considerations 1. Consider the Vanity of all earthly things which appeareth by the Testimony of Solomon whom God for his Wisdom chose as it were to be the Fore-man of a grand-Inquest empanelled to make enquiry into the state of the World and the things therein Having seen and experienced and suck d out the juice and even extracted the Spirits of all worldly things to make the fuller proof of what there was in them at length he gives in his verdict that they were meer vanity not only vain but vanity in the abstract and therefore altogether ineffectual to render a man truly happy which he layeth down in this proposition Eccles. 1. 2. Vanity of Vanities vanity of vanities all is vanity that is All worldly things are most vain for thus the superlative degree in the Hebrew is usually expressed as the highest Heaven is called the Heaven of Heavens the most excellent Song the Song of Songs All worldly things are said to be extreamly vain 1. Because there is no permanenâ—…y in them Being all subject to change and corruption 2. Because they are false and deceitful deceiving such as trust in them They promise much content and satisfaction but they are so far from yielding the same that they often bring much grief and trouble of mind 2. Consider they are not only vanity but vexation of Spirit Eccles. 2. 11. Though riches are nothing in themselves yet are they full of power and activity to inflict vexation upon the spirit of a man For there is vexation in getting them vexation and care in keeping and vexation in parting with them So that Worldliness is not only a sin but a torment and vexation it is its own punishment Most sins carry a delight in their face as this also doth but they have a sting in their Tails That which is so beautiful in thine eye will be gall in thine heart and Wormwood in thy belly As those that live godly so thou also that wilt live worldlily must suffer tribulation and through those many tribulations must thou enter into the Kingdom of everlasting darkness 3. Consider that they are empty and unsavoury yielding no true contentment to them who enjoy them For how many do we see abounding with wealth who yet have unquiet and discontented spirits whereby it appears that it is not in the power of outward things to satisfie the heart of man True it is these worldly riches promise contentment and the Worldlings heart deceiving him makes him believe that when he hath raised his Estate to such a proportion he will then rest satisfied and contented but when he hath obtained the Estate where is the contentment He shall not feel quietness in his Belly but in the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits Job 20. 20 22. Be wise O Young Man if thou hast no more Grace yet learn more Wit than thus intensely to mind and immoderately to seek after earthly things which when thou hast them cannot add one Cubit to thy contentation It is God alone that can satisfie the otherwise insatiable heart of man That Soul that seeketh contentment in any thing below God is like to have the same success with that unclean Spirit which sought rest in dry places The full Bags or Barns will be as empty things as his dry places thou mayst seek rest in them but wilt find none 4. Consider that worldly riches as they are unsatisfactory so