THE VANITY OF THE CEEATUEE. 45
Thirdly, Labour to exercise and to stir up those graces of the Sjnrit that Christ hath bestoived on ns ; and so much as faith lives, and as patience lives, and as charity lives, and the graces of God's Spirit live in us, so much we live, and live that life that shall never be determined-- and take end. That is another thing briefly.
Yet we add one thing more.
Use 3. In the third place, so this may serve to shew ivho is the wisest man in the icorld, who makes the wisest choice ; for wisdom is most seen in comparative actions. When things are compared together, and a choice is made of things that excel each other, lay the comparison. Who is the wisest man ? Some men are for outward things ; no man is admired of them but for his natural parts. We look who hath the finest hand, who hath the finest eye, who hath the finest wit, and the best memory for natu- ral regards. This man regards this man, and commends this. This man applauds a child, chooseth a wife, respects men for these things, and for these only. But now spiritual things, heavenly endowments, these things commend a man ; they make the man in truth, they are the whole man, as in Eccles. xii. 13. You know that Christ saith, when he comes to determine the question between two sisters, * Martha, Martha, Mary hath chosen the better part,' Luke x. 42. And why the better part ?^ She hath chosen that which ' shall not be taken from her.' So he makes the best choice then, that prefers those things that are most durable, those things that will last, those things that death cannot kill, those things that sickness cannot make sick, those things that weakness cannot weaken, that no out- ward thing can deprive us of, those supernatural, spiritual, heavenly graces. A wise man prefers these before all natural parts whatsoever. That is the second thing.
Voct. 3. There is a third thing that we should have spoken to, and that is this, that not only natural parts, but natural comforts and delights, u'ear aicay.
So Barzillai tells us, he takes no comfort in that he sees, in that he tasted, in that he heard. All matter of delights in nature were taken from him. So that natural delights and comforts they wear out, that as it is said of Sarah, ' it was not with her after the former manner ;' so we may say of all natural delights and comforts, in time it will be with the eye, it will be with the ear, it will be with the taste, that nature will be so, that it will not be with them after the manner of the eye, after the manner of the taste, after the manner of the ear ; they shall be as if a man had no eyes, as if he had no taste, as if he had no hearing at all. This we might shew in many instances, but this shall suffice, because we would pass to the grounds ; and the reason it is clear.
Reason 1. First, All natural objects from whence natural delights and contentments arise, they fail in time.
Beaso7i 2. Secondly, The natural senses and means whereby men appre- hend these, they wax dim, and slow, and heavy, and so they perform their actions and their functions with tediousness, because they do it not with alacrity, therefore it is not done with delight.
Reason 3. Further, again, because these very things in themselves in time will work a satiety of all natural delights, a man shall be filled with them, not only with the world, but with the lusts of the world. The desire of earthly things will vanish too, 1 John ii. 16, 17. So the eye is never satisfied with seeing, or the ear with hearing ; these things cannot quiet the appe- tite, they cannot fill the mouth of the desire, these things cannot give con- * That is, ' terminated'. — G,
46 THE VANITY OF THE CREATURE,
tentment. All natural things are so short and finite, that in time they wear out, that a man shall be dulled and tired with them.
Use. The use we should make of this should have been thus much : first of all it sen-es to teach us this lesson, that therefore %ce should not rest, we should not lean too much upon natural comforts and delights, trust not to natural cheerfulness, to natural courage, as if these would bear us through all perils, and dangers, and fears, and as if these would carry us through all griefs and heart-breakings. No ; nature is a little finite thing ; it hath its latitude and its extent as a bow hath, which, drawn beyond the compass, breaks in pieces ; or as an instniment, the string of an instrument, strain it to an higher pitch, it snaps asunder ; so it is with nature too, draw it beyond the pitch, it breaks. You cannot lay much upon the back of nature, but it crushcth it, and breaks it, it falls asunder ; and therefore rest not too much in natural parts, for wit and cheerfulness, all these shall fail in time.