gracions God, wilt thou pleafe for the time to come, to take off my Heart from the inordinate Love of Riches, and all other things of this World, and to place my Affections upon thy bleffed Majesty, who art my Souls fupreme and ultimate Happiness, and its exceeding great Reward: Convince me more and more of the Wickedness as well as Folly of my former Life, in forfaking Thee the Fountain of Living Waters, and hewing out to my felf Cisterns, broken Cisterns that could bold no Water: Suffer me, O Lord, no longis to follow after Lying Vanities, and fo to forfake my own Mercy: And let thy Love, O thou God of my Life, purge my Soul from the love of all other things whatsoever: Thou haft faid in tby Word, That those that love Thee fhall inherit Subftance, whilft 1, like a wretched Prodigal, have been feeding on Husks, and grafping at Shadows: 0 let me not benceforth truft in uncertain Riches, but in Thee the Living God; and buy of Thee Gold Try'd in the Fire, that fo I may be truly rich, and white Rayment, that I may be cloathed. Grant this, O Lord, and whatsoever else Thou feeft neceffary for me,

for

for Jefus Chrift his fake. Amen. Our Father, &c.

Meditation III.

Of the Vanity of Worldly Pleasures.

LEASURE is that which all purfue and covet, tho' most mistake the Object of it: It is that for which Men value their lives, and without which they think it wou'd fcarce be worth the Living: But if they ran the Pleafures of this World, abfra from the Love of God, and those wanable Delights that are in him, there's nothing in which men are more mistaken: So far is Worldly Pleasure from making of Men happy, that it puts 'em in a state of Death: This St. Paul affures us, 1 Tim. V. 6. She that liveth in Pleasure, is dead while fhe liveth. And large Experience confirms this Truth; for those that have most affected it, have always found it fatal.

LET us give a few Inftances: (For we

are

es

are apter to be led by than Precepts) The Philistines had taken Sampfon thro' the Treachery of Dalilah; Sampson wou'd needs enjoy his Pleafure with Dalilah, but the refus'd to let him, unless he told her where his ftrength lay; which when she knew, fhe ftraight betray'd him to his Enemies: And this was the effect of Sampson's Pleasure. When the Philiftines had obtain❜d this Prize, it made 'em mighty merry, and they must needs go take their pleasure too: And Sampfon (whom they barbarously had blinded) must be sent for, that he might makė. them Sport: But it was fatal Sport to the Philistines; for oumpfon having with fome affistance grop'd out the two Supporters or chief Pillars of the House, praying to God to ftrengthen him that he/ might be aveng'd for his two Eyes, was heard and anfwer'd, and Sampfon pulls the House about their Ears, whereby they all were flain, which put a bloody Period to their Pleasure.

THE Perfians were a People given up to Pleasure above other Nations, which made

made 'em fo effeminate, as render'd 'em an eafie Conqueft to their Enemies : Belshazzar was a Prince given to Pleafure, and liv'd in great Voluptuousness; and that not only in a time of Peace, but when he was furrounded by his Enemies, and Darius lay with a Vaft Army on the other fide the River Euphrates: This notwithstanding, Belshazzar was refolv'd to take his Pleasure, and makes a great Feaft to a Thousand of his Lords, and drinks Wine before 'em, even out of the facred Veffels taken out of the Temple of the House of God which was at Jes rufalem. But while Belshazzar was taking of his Pleasure, and Carroufing with his Lords, there appears fuddenly a Hand Writing upon the Wall, which tho' the King understood not, yet his Countenance was chang'd, and his Thoughts fo troubled him, that the foynts of his Loyns were loofed, and his knees fmote one against another: This quickly put an End to all their Pleasure, and fill'd 'em with Confufion and Aftonishment: And the fad Epilogue to this Jovial Feaft, was, That

God had number'd his Kingdom. and fini fhed it; and that he was weigh'd in the Ba lances and found wanting, and his Kingdom was divided, and given to the Medes and Perfians: And that Night Belfbazzar himself was flain, which put a final End to all his Pleafure. So that it is very evident that what is affirmed of Wordly Sorrow, is much more true of Worldly Pleasure, That it worketh Death. And Solomon, who of all Men was beft able to Extract the quinteffence of Pleasure, and tafte what was in it, gives us this poor yet true Account of it, after he had made the Experiment, Behold this alfo is Vanity, Ecclef. II. 1, 2. Not only Vain, but Va nity it felf, in the Abstract; and as if this was not enough, he lays a greater Imputation on it in the next Verfe, where he tells us, I faid of Laughter, It is mad; and of Mirth, What doth it? And this he further Exemplifies, by telling us, Ir is better to go to the Houfe of Mourning, than to go to the House of Feafting Ecclef.

VII. 2.

INDEED all Pleafures, if they die not like