treacherously broken. Every man turns aside to vanity and lies, and is
guilty of heart whoredom from God, and spiritual idolatry, because the
affection that should be preserved chaste for him is prostitute to every
base object. So then, this divorcement of the soul from God cannot but
follow thereupon, even an eternal eclipse of true and real life and
comfort. And whoever draws back from the fountain of life and salvation,
cannot but find elsewhere perdition and destruction, Heb. x. ult. My
beloved, let us set thus aside all other things which are the pursuits and
endeavours of the most part of men. Men's natural desires are carried
towards health, food, raiment, life and liberty, peace, and such like, but
the more rational sort of men seek after some shadow of wisdom and virtue.
Yet the generality of men, both high and low, have extravagant illimited
desires towards riches, pleasure, preferment, and all that we have spoken
is enclosed within the narrow compass of men's abode here, which is but
for a moment. So that, if it were possible that all these forementioned
desires and delights of men could attend any man for the space of an
hundred years, though he had the concurrence of the streams of the
creatures to bring him in satisfaction, though all the world should bow to
him and be subject to the beck of his authority without stroke of sword,
though all the creatures should spend their strength and wit upon his
satisfaction, yet do but consider what that shall be within some few
years, when he shall be spoiled of all that attendance, denuded of all
external comforts, when the fatal period must close his life, peace,
health, and all, and his poor soul also, that was drowned in that gulf of
pleasure, shall then find itself robbed of its precious treasure, that is,
God's favour, and so remain in everlasting banishment from his presence.
Do ye think, I say that man were happy? Nay! O happy Lazarus, who is now
blessed in Abraham's bosom, who enjoys an eternity of happiness for a
moment's misery! But, my beloved, you know that it is not possible even to
attain to that imagined happiness here. All the gain that is found is not
able to quit the cost and expense of grief, vexation, care, toiling and
sweating that is about them.

But if ye would be persuaded, there is that to be found easily, which you
trouble yourselves seeking elsewhere, and believe me, though the general
apprehension of men be,--that peace, plenty, preferment,