glorycloud's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- all these painted vanities "3. That it would not profit a man though he should gain the whole world, if he lose his own soul ; and that a man can give nothing in exchange for his soul. Christ himself said so. Suppose thyself crowned with the confluence of all worldly felicity, to have purchased a monopoly of all pleasures, honours, and riches upon the whole earth, to be attended with all the pomp and state thy heart could desire : yet what were this momentary golden dream unto a real glorious eternity 1 Kow stinging would be the most exquisite delight, curiously extracted out of them all, accompanied with this one thought — the soul is lost everlastingly 1 All these painted vanities might seem perhaps a gaudy paradise to a spiritual fool, who hath his portion in this life ; but what true pleasure can a man in his right wits, but morally enlightened no further than with philosophy, take in them, since, setting other respects aside, they are so fading and he so frain For the first, God hath purposely put a transitory and mortal nature into all things here below ; they spring, and flourish, and die. Even the greatest kingdoms and strongest monarchies that ever were, have had their infancy, youthful strength, man's state, old age, and at last the grave. See the end of the mightiest states that ever the sun saw shadowed by Nebuchadnezzar's great image (Dan. ii, 35). There was never empire upon earth, were it never so flourishing or great, was ever yet so assured, but that in revolution of time, after the manner of other vvorldly things, it hatli as a sick body been subject to many innovations and changes, and at length come to nothing. Much more, then, the pride and pomp of all other inferior earthly glory hath fallen at last into the dust, and lies now buried in the grave of endless forgetful ness. For the second ; imagine there were constancy and eternity in the forenamed earthly Babels, yet what man of sense would in the least prize them, since his life is but a bubble, and the very next hour or day to come he may utterly be cut off from them all for ever? " To-day he is set up, and to-morrow he shall not be found ; for he is turned into dust and his purpose perisheth." Take them both together thus. Set upon the head of the worthiest man that the earth bears, yet wanting grace in his soul, all the brightest imperial crowns that ever highest ambition aimed at or attained unto ; put upon him all the royal robes that ever enclosed the body of the proudest Lucifer, fill him with all the •wisdom and largest comprehensions which fall within the wide compass and capacity of any depths of policy or mysteries of state ; furnish him to the full with the exactness and excellency of ail natural, moral, and metaphysical learning ; put him into the sole possession and command of this and the other golden world ; in a word, crown him with the concurrence of all created earthly excellencies to the utmost and highest strain ; and lay this man thus qualified and endowed upon the one scale of the balance, and vanity upon the other, and vanity will outweigh him quite. *' Men of high degree are a lie : to be laid in the balance they are altogether lighter than vanity " (Psalm Ixii, 9). The rich fool in the gospel teacheth us that there is no man so assured of his honour, of his riches, health, or life, but that he may be deprived of either or all the very next night. Besides, by a thousand other causes, means, and ways, he may always be snatched away from the face of the earth in anger, for setting his heart and rest upon such rotten staves of reed, transitory shadows, and indeed that which is nothing. " Wilt thou cast thine eyes upon that which is not ] for riches (conceive the same of all other wofdly comforts) certainly make themselves wings: they flyaway as an eagle toward heaven " (Prov. xxiii, 5). How truly then is that mad and miserable man a son of confusion, who spends the short span of his mortal life in wooing the world, who was never true to those that trusted in her, ever falsehearted to ail her favourites, and at length most certainly undoes spiritually and everlastingly every wretch that is wedded unto her, who passeth through a few and evil days in this vale of tears, in following feathers, pursuing shadows, raising bubbles and balls like those blown up by boys in their pastimes, which ere they be tossed three times burst of themselves ; 1 mean worldly vanities ; but in the mean time suffers his immortal soul, more worth than many material worlds, and for which he can give nothing in exchange, to abide all naked, destitute, and empty, utterly unfurnished of that comfortable provision and gracious strength, which should support it in the day of sorrow, and leaves it at last to the tempestuous winter night of death, and all those desperate terrors that attend it like a scorched heath, without so much as any drop of comfort either from heaven or earth !" 'A Treatise On Comforting Afflicted Consciences' by Robert Bolton 7:04 p.m. - 2023-12-13 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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