[6.] Do not only seek the light of the Spirit, but wait for his renew- ing grace, that you may make things unseen your felicity and portion : John iii. 6, ' That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.' Naturally there is in us a foolish inordinate desire after the dignities, honours, and pleasures of the world ; but we should earnestly desire the new birth : 1 Peter ii. 3, ' As new-born babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby ; ' 1 John v. 4, ' Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world ; ' and 2 Peter i. 4, * Whereby are given unto us exceeding
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great and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature.' That we may have a deep sense of and respect to the other world.
[7.] Think often and seriously what a vahie eternity puts upon things small, much more upon things great in themselves.
(1.) That eternity puts a value upon things in themselves small, whether good or evil : evil, as what a torment would an everlasting toothache be ? Though the pain be not very great nor mortal, yet the eternal length and duration maketh it intolerable. So in things good, if a man might have a cottage but for an hundred years, he would prize it more than to have liberty to walk in a glorious palace for one day ; so that things which are eternal do much more excel those things which are temporal, though there be otherwise a difference between the things themselves. As the toothache is not a mortal disease, but every man would die presently rather than live under an everlasting toothache.- A cottage is not to be compared to a palace, yet the inherit- ance of a cottage is much better than the liberty of a walk in a palace for an hour or a day. A small thing is greatened by eternity, much more a greater. Well, then, since things unseen do so far exceed things seen, and the one are temporal and the other eternal, why should, man be so foolish and perverse as to prefer the one above the other? Whatever hurts is but a flea-biting ; whatever delights is but a May- game. The good and evil of the world is not to be compared with the foretaste of the good and evil of the world to come, horrors of con- science or joy in the Holy Ghost. Horrors of conscience : Prov. xviii. 14, ' The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity ; but a wounded spirit who can bear ? ' Joy in the Holy Ghost : 1 Peter i. 2, ' Whom having not seen ye love ; in whom, though now you see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory.' Horror of conscience is a greater pain than any pain ; and joy in the Holy Ghost is a greater joy than any joy. Now eternity cometh and addeth a greater weight to it, as to the horrors of the wicked or the joys of the blessed. If these horrors be so burdensome, what is it to lie under them for evermore ? If we cannot sleep one whole night (as to a man in a fever a night is an year, though he lie in a soft bed), how do we long for day ! how tedious is it then to lie under eternal darkness, and to despair of ever seeing day more ! so for the joys of the blessed ; if a day in God's courts be better than a thousand elsewhere, what is a month ? what is an year ? what are an hundred years ? what is six hundred ? what a thousand ? what is eternity ? everything in the other world, as it is great, so it is eternal ; there is an eternity in the evil part of it. The bodies of men-are eternal, their souls eternal, the fire never goeth out, for the fuel never ceaseth ; the prison in which they are kept is eternal, the torment is eternal, because the judge is eternal, and his sentence shall never be reversed, Heb. x. 31, so the joys, as they are unspeakable and glorious, so eternal. The crown of glory is an incorruptible crown, 1 Peter v. 4, the inheritance an incorrupt- ible inheritance. The vision of God is not by snatches, but everlasting, the fruition of God is uninterrupted ; all is great, and all is eternal.
(2.) This must be seriously considered by us, and often and deeply. If we did so, what helo should we then have against temptations I
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It would make us obey God's commandments more cheerfully, sub- due the desires of the flesh, and make us more ready to every good work, to consider that eternity ensueth, that everlasting woe and weal is in the case. Meat well chewed nourisheth the more, but beiug swallowed whole, breedeth crudities, burdeneth the stomach, and defileth the body ; so to hear of eternity, and swallow it without rumination and due consideration, maketh these things lose their force, so that they do not excite our diligence, nor break the force of temp- tations : ' Oh, that they were wise, and would consider their latter end ! ' Deut. xxix. ; ' And my people do not consider,' Isa. i. 3. It is our carelessness and inconsideration that undoeth us. We read in story (which also hath been repeated in a late instance), but originally it is recorded of Agrippina and Nero, that when a prodigal prince had given away a huge sum, they laid all the money in a heap before him, that he might see and consider what he had given away ; to bring him to retract, or in part to lessen the grant. So it is good for us to consider what we lose in losing eternity, what we part with for these vile and perishing things. Invisible things, if they are small, yet they are eternal ; but they are great and eternal too ; but these other things are small and temporal.