be an account for these things; know then this is Cap.11. certain,it is no fancy,a conceit; know it, be throughly convinced of it, as a thing moft certain: for all these things, there is not one merry meeting, not one hour spent in pleasure, yea, not one pleasurable act or thought, but an account must be given for it; God will bring thee, though thou be unwilling to come, yet thou canst not avoid it, God will bring thee to judgement. You think fuch delights as you have, are no fuch things as God takes notice of, they are but matters of fport; thou thinkeft thou haft liberty in them,to do what thou lifteft, thou shalt never hear of them again; but affure your felf, God will bring you to judgement, to be examined, condemned and punished. Of all men, voluptuous men least think of judgement, they put far from them the evil day, Amos 6. 2. but above all men, God hath an eye upon them, to bring them to judgement, and therefore 2 Pet. 2. 9, 10. The Lord referves the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished, but chiefly them that walk after the flesh, in the luft of uncleanness; mark, chiefly them, if it were poffible for any to escape, it is impoffible for you, for God looks at you chiefly. Thou now art riotous, and calleft for all the delights thou haft a minde to, but there comes a reckoning behinde that will damp all.

There are three heads, upon which the enquiry at the day of judgement will be concerning thy pleasures.

First, What kinde of pleasures they were, whether wicked in their own natures, or not.

Secondly, What time was spent in them.

Thirdly, How far thy heart was let out upon them.

K

Laftly,

Cap.11. Laftly, let the fearful end of these delightful things be confidered. Those morfels which were fo fweet in going down, they must come up again as bitter as gall: Feb 20. 12, 13. Though wickedness be fweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his tongue, though he spare it, and forfake it not, but keep it ftill within his mouth, yet his meat in his bowels is turned, it is the gall of Afps within him. And Prov. 23.31, 32. it is faid of the wine that moveth its felf, fparkling in the cup, at the laft, it bitch like a Serpent, and ftingeth like an Adder. The yong man that follows the enticings of the Whore, Prov. 7. 22, 23. He goes as an Ox to laughter, and as a fool to the ftocks, till a dart ftrike through his liver, he knows not that it is for his life. And cap. 5. ver. 11 he is faid to mourn at the last, when his flesh and bis body is confumed, and he cryes out, How have I hated inftruction, and my heart defpifed reproof? and have not obeyed the voyce of my teachers, nor enclined mine ear tothem that inftructed me? Senfual pleafure leads to, and fits for deftruction. Efay 5.14. Hell hath enlarged her felf, and opened her month without measure, he that rejoyceth shall defcend into it: Job 21. 12, 13. They take the Timbrel and Harp, and rejoyce at the found of the Organ, they spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to hell.

The fish fwim down pleasantly in Fordan, but fall at laft into the dead fea: the black fea of eternal horror, is the conclufion of all these sweet delights. As Abner to Ioab, 2 Sam. 2. 26. Knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? These are they who come to a fearful end, yea many times in this life; as Efay 50. 11. Behold, all ye that kindle a

fire, that compass about your felves with parks, walk Cap. 11. in the light of your fire,and in the sparks that you have kindled, this hall ye have of my hand, ye shall lie down in forrow. You now frame a delightful life to your felf, well, walk in the light of your fire, enjoy your delight, fatisfie your felves in your own ways, but this fhall you have of the Lord, You shall lie down in forrow, yea, and that in proportion to your pleafure, Rev. 18.7. How much he hath glorified her felf, and lived deliciously, fo much torment give her. And how grievous will eternal pain be to thee, who art now altogether for delight and pleasure Thou canft not now endure any fad thoughts, thou cryeft out, they make thee melancholy; how wilt thou endure the difmal thoughts of an accufing tormenting conscience everlastingly those fearful gnawings of that never-dying worm that was bred in thy fweet delights Now thy flesh is dainty, delicate and tender, it muft lic foft, and fare deliciously, it must have all to fatisfie it that can be devised; how will it endure thofe everlasting burnings? If after every intemperate draught, there fhould be a draught of fcalding lead poured down, how grievous would it be the end of thy intemperate pleasures will be worse; for, as Iob 21.20. Thou shalt drink of the wrath of the Almighty, and this fhall be the portion of thy cup, now thou delighteft in thy long fittings at it, thou fhalt drink of this eternally, thofe cursed delights in burning lufts, fhall end in eternal burnings.

132 Cap. 12.

CHAP. XII.

Who are the truly wife men; with the encouragement to the Saints in the happy choice they have made.

H

Ere you fee who are the wife men in the earth; wisdom does most discover its felf in choice,for choice requires understanding to compare and weigh things: The will of every man is for fome good he would have; every man wills to be happy, this is as natural for every reafonable Creature, as for the fire to burn: But herein appears wisdom, to make a right choice of thofe means that may bring us to that happiness that we do will, here is the infinite miftake of the world, they would be happy,but they choose means that are quite contrary to happiness, but those that choose right, and pitch upon the means that will indeed bring to that happiness that an immortal foul is capable of, furely thofe are wife; this is the wisdom that is from above, that can difpofe of fuch means, as to obtain this end, and the greater the means are, and the more excellent the end is, the greater is the wisdom that orders thereunto,& guides therein: every one can propound an ordinary end to himfelf, and means to attain it; but if the bufinefs be of high confequence, as for a General to manage an Army, his end is a high end, that concerns the profperity of a whole Countrey, and because his end is fo high, that wisdom that can order means to attain this end, is admired in the world,it is not an ordinary skil that is able to do this.

Now

Now the attaining of God himself the being bleffed Cap. 12. to all eternity, if there be any end that is high, this must be it, for one therefore to be able to order and difpofe of means, fo as not to mifcarry in fuch a high end as this, fuch a glorious and great worklas this, it must be wonderful wifdom. The men of the world think themselves wife men, and bless themfelves in their wisdom, because they can order and difpofe of means to get money and fine cloaths; they are poor, and bafe, and low fpirits, who minde and regard no higher, and no better things then thefe bafe things that are below, whereas the godly, becaufe God hath let the fear of eternity fall upon them, and they regard nothing but in fubordination to that, therefore they fometimes miscarry in the things of the world; hereupon the men of the world looking at them, and feeing no higher end but the enjoyment of pleasure, and the like, they count them a company of fools that will undo themfelves, and prove to be beggers, and fo flight them in that refpect.

But there is an infinite mistake in this; were it that Gods fervants did propound that end to themselves, and had no higher then that which other men have, they would shift as well as they; but because they have a higher end, therefore their thoughts in wif dom are drawn out about that: As St. Paul faid, 1 Cor. 2. 12. We have not received the spirit of the world, we cannot shift and plot in the world; but we have received the Spirit of God, that spirit that fhall order us, and difpofe us to enjoy communion with God and his Angels for ever. A fwine that wanders up and down, can make better shift to get K 3 home