*Let us suppose that this man, instead of putting out his eyes, had only employed them in looking at _ridiculous things_, or shut them up in _sleep_; that instead of _starving_ himself to death, by not eating at all, he should turn every meal into a _feast_, and eat and drink like an _epicure_, could he be said to have lived more to the glory of God? Could he any more be said to act the part for which God had created him, than if he had put out his eyes, and starved himself to death?
Now do but suppose a man extinguishing his _reason_, instead of putting out his _eyes_, and living in a course of folly and impertinence, instead of starving himself to death, and then you have found out as _great a rebel_ against God.
♦6. *If we consider mankind as a redeemed order of _fallen spirits_, that are baptized into a fellowship with the Son of God; to be temples of the Holy Ghost; to live according to his holy inspirations; to offer to God the reasonable sacrifice of an humble, pious, and thankful life; to purify themselves from the disorders of their fall; to make a right use of the means of grace, in order to be sons of eternal glory: if we look at mankind in this true light, then we shall find, that all tempers that are contrary to this holy society; all actions that make us unlike to Christ, have every thing in them that can make us odious to God. So that tho’ _pride_ and _sensuality_, do not hurt civil society, as _cheating_ and _dishonesty_ do; yet they hurt that society, and oppose those ends, which are greater and more glorious in the eyes of God, than all the societies that relate to this world.
♦ Number 5 omitted in text.
7. *Nothing therefore can be more foolish, than to imagine, that because we are private persons who have taken upon us no charge or employment, therefore we may live more at large, indulge our appetites, and be less careful of holiness, for it is as good an excuse for _cheating_ and _dishonesty_; because he that abuses his _reason_, that indulges himself in _lust_ and _sensuality_, and neglects to act the wise reasonable part of a Christian, has every thing in his life to render him hateful to God, that is to be found in _cheating_ and _dishonesty_.
If therefore you rather chuse to be an _idle epicure_, than to be _unfaithful_; if you rather chuse to live in _lust_ and _sensuality_, than to injure your neighbour in his goods, you have made no better a provision for the favour of God, than he that rather chuses to rob a _house_, than to rob a _church_.
For the abusing of our own nature, is as great a disobedience against God, as the injuring our neighbour; and he that wants piety towards God, has done as much to damn himself, as he that wants honesty towards men.
8. Another argument to prove that all orders of men are obliged to be thus holy in the common course of their lives, in the use of every thing that they enjoy, may be taken from our obligation to _prayer_.
It is granted, that _prayer_ is a duty that belongs to all states and conditions of men. Now, if we enquire, why no state of life is to be excused from prayer, we shall find it as good a reason why every state of life is to be made a state of holiness in all its parts.
For the reason why we are to pray to God, and praise him with hymns and psalms of thanksgiving, is because we are to live wholly to God, and glorify him in all possible ways. It is not because the praises of _words_, or _forms_ of thanksgiving, are more particularly parts of piety, or more the worship of God than other things; but it is because they are possible ways of expressing our dependance, our obedience and devotion to God. Now, if this be the reason of verbal praises and thanksgivings, because we are to live to God in all possible ways; then we are equally obliged to glorify God in all other actions that can be turned into acts of piety and obedience. And as actions are of much more significancy than words, it must be a much more acceptable worship of God to glorify him in all the actions of our common life, than with any little form of words at any particular times.
Thus, if God is to be worshipped with forms of thanksgiving, he that is content and thankful in every accident of his life, because it comes from God, praises God in a much higher manner, than he that has some set times for singing of psalms. He that dares not say an ill-natured word, or do an unreasonable thing, because he considers God as every where present, performs a better devotion than he that dares not miss the church. To live in the world as a stranger and a pilgrim, using all its enjoyments as if we used them not, making all our actions so many steps towards a better life, is offering a better sacrifice to God, than any forms of holy and heavenly prayers.