Chap. IV Creator, when it is evident, that every man's foul na turally is bent towards the creature, to feek a reft ther

meat at

Evan. For anfwer hereunto, I pray you confide that naturally man's understanding is dark an blind; and therefore is ignorant what his own for doth defire and ftrongly afpire unto. It knowet indeed, that there is a want in the foul; but, till be enlightened, it knoweth not what it is which th foul wanteth. For indeed the case standeth with th foul, as with a child new born, which child, by na tural instinct, doth gape and cry for nutriment yea, for fuch nutriment as may agree with it tender condition: and if the nurfe, through ne gligence or ignorance, either give it no all, or elfe fuch as it is not capable of receiving the child refufeth it, and still crieth, in ftrength of defire, after the dug. Yet doth not the child, in this eftate, know, by any intellectual power and understanding, what itself defireth. Even fo man's poor foul doth cry to God, as for its proper nourishment (z): but his understanding, like a blind igno rant nurse, not knowing what it crieth for, doth of fer to the heart, a creature inftead of a Creator: thus, by reafon of the blindness of the understanding, together with the corruption of the will, and diforder of the affections, man's foul is kept by violence (a) from its proper center, even God himself.

§ 2. O how many fouls are there in the world, that are hindered, if not quite keep, from reft in God, by reason that their blind understanding doth prefent unto their sensual appetites varieties of fenfual objects! Is there not many a luxurious perfon's foul hindered, if not quite kept, from true reft in God, by that beauty which nature hath placed in feminine faces (b), especially when Satan doth fecretly fuggeft into such feminine hearts a desire of an artificial dreffing, from the head to the foot; yea, and fometimes painting the face, like their mother Jezebel ?

And is there not many a voluptuous epicure's foul hindered, if not quite kept, from reft in God, by beholding the colour, and tasting the sweetness of dainty delicate difhes, his wine red in the cup, and his beer of amber colour in the glafs? In the fcripture we read of a certain man, that fared deliciously every day, as if there had been no more but one fo ill difpofed; but in our times, there are certain hundreds, both of men and women, that do not only fare deliciously, but voluptuously, twice every day, if not

more.

And is there not many a proud perfon's foul hin-" dered, if not quite kept, from reft in God, by the har monious found of popular praise, which, like a loadftone, draweth the vain-glorious heart to hunt fo much the more eagerly, to augment the echo of fuch vain windy reputation ?

And is there not many a covetous perfon's foul hindered, if not quite kept, from reft in God, by the cry of great abundance, the words of wealth, and the glory of gain?

And is there not many a mufical mind hindered, if not quite kept, from fweet comfort in God, by the harmony of artificial concord upon mufical inftruments?

And how many perfumed fools are there in the

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(b) i. e. Womens faces.

world,

Chap. IV. world, who, by fmelling their sweet apparel, and their fweet nofe-gays, are kept from foul-fweetnefs in

Chrift?

And thus doth Satan, like a cunning fisher, bait his hook with a fenfual object, to catch men with: and having gotten it into their jaws, he draweth them up and down in fenfual contentments, till he hath fo drowned them therein, that the peace and rest of their fouls in God is almoft forgotten. And hence it is, that the greatest part of man's life, and in many their whole life, is spent in feeking fatisfaction to the fenfual appetite.

Nom. Indeed, Sir, this which you have faid, we may fee truly verified in many men, who spend their days about these vanities, and will afford no time for religious exercifes; no not upon the Lord's day, by their good will.

Evan. You fay the truth: and yet let me tell you withal, that a man, by the power of natural confcience, may be forced to confefs, that his hopes of hap pinefs are in God alone, and not in thefe things; yea, and to forfake profits and pleasures, and all fenfual objects, as unable to give his foul any true contentment: and fall to the performance of religious exercifes,and yet reft there, and never come to God for reft. And if we confider it, either in the rude multitude of fenfual livers, or in the more feemingly religious, we shall perceive that the religious exercifes of men do ftrongly deceive, and ftrangely delude many men of their hearts happiness in God

For the first fort (c), though they be fuch as make their belly their beft God, and do no facrifice but to Bacchus, Apollo, or Venus (d); though their confcience do accuse them, that these things are naught: yet in that they have the name of Chriftians put upon them in their baptifm, and forafmuch as they do often

(c) Namely, fenfual livers, who yet perform religious exercifes.

(d) i. e. Give up themfelves to drunkenness,mufic, and lafcivioufnefs.

Eten repeat the Lord's prayer, the apoftles creed, And the ten commandments; and in that, it may be hey have lately accustomed themselves to go to hurch, to hear divine fervice, and a preaching now and then; and in that they have divers times receiv ed the facrament; they will not be perfuaded, but that God is well pleafed with them: and a man may as well perfuade them, that they are not men and women, as that they are not in a good condition.

And for the fecond fort (e), that ordinarily have more human wisdom, and human learning, than the former fort, and feem to be more holy and devout than the former fort of fenfual ignorant people; yet how many are there of this fort, that never pafs further than the outward court of bodily performances; feed. ing and feasting themselves, as men in a dream; fuppofing themselves to have all things, and yet indeed have nothing, but only a bladder full, or rather a brain full, of wind and worldy conceptions?

Are there not fome, who give themselves no more efpecial fearching, and feeking out for knowledge in fcripture-learnednefs, and clerk-like fkill, in this art, and that language, till they come to be able to repeat all the historical places in the bible; yea, and all thofe texts of fcripture, that they conceive do make for fome private opinion of theirs, concerning cere monies, church-government, or other fuch circumstantial points of religion, touching which points they are very able to reafon and difpute, and to put forth fuch curious questions, as are not eafily an fwered?

Are not fome of these men (f) called fect makers, and begetters or devifers of new opinions in religion; especially

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(e) Namely, the more feemingly religious.

(f) viz. Ofthefe fpoken of in the paragraph immediately preceeding, whom he

begins to diftribute here into three claffes or forts; all belonging to the fecond fort, to wit, the more feemingly religious.

Chap. IV. especially in the matter of worshipping God, as they ufe to call it, wherein they find a beginning, but hardly an end? For this religious knowledge is fo va riable, through the multiplicity of curious wits and contentious fpirits, that the life of man may feem too short to take a full view of this variety: for tho all sects say, they will be guided by the word of truth, and all feem to bring fcripture, which indeed is but one, as God is but one; yet, by reafon of their feveral conftructions and interpretations of fcripture, and conceits of their own human wisdom, they are many.

And are there not others of this fort of men, that are ready to embrace any new way of worship; efpecially, if it come under the cloke of fcripture-learning, and have a fhew of truth founded upon the letter of the bible, and seem to be more zealous and devout than their former way: efpecially, if the teacher of that new way can but frame a fad and demure countenance; and, with a grace, litt up his head and his eyes towards heaven, with fome ftrong grone, in declaring of his newly conceived opinion; and that he frequently use this phrafe of the glory of God? O then, these men are, by and by, of another opinion; fuppofing to themselves, that God hath made known fome farther truth to them: for, by reason of the blindnefs of their understanding, they are not able to reach any supernatural truth; although they do, by literal learning, and clerk-like cunning, dive never fo deep into the fcriptures: and therefore, they are ready to entertain any form of religious exercifes, as fhall be fuggefted unto them.

And are there not a third fort, much like to these men, that are exceffive and mutable in the performance of religious exercises? Surely St. Paul did perceive that this was the very God of fome men in his time : and therefore he willeth Timothy to inftruct others, That bodily exercife profiteth little, or, as fome read it, nothing at all; and doth oppofe thereunto godli

nefs,