Religion & morality > Human nature in its four-fold state ... in several practical discourses

Head II. in good Terms whhDeath. 415
furrounded with thorny Cares. Honour many
Times paves the Way to deep Dilgrace: Riches,
for the moft Part, are kept to the Hurt of the
Owners. The taireft Rofe wants not Prickles;
and the heaviefk Crofs is fometimes found wrapt up
in the greateft earthly Comfort. Spiritual Troubles
attend the Saints in this Life. They are like Tra¬
vellers travelling in a cloudy Night, in which the
Moon fometimes breaks out from under one Cloud,
but quickly hides her Head again under another :
No wonder they long to be at their Journey’s End.
The hidden Alterations the bell Frame of Spirit is
liable to, the perplexing Doubts, confounding
Fears, fhort-liv’d Joys, and long running Sorrows,
which have a certain Affinity with the prefent Life,
muff needs create in the Saints a Defire to be with
Chrift, which is beft of all.
Lajily, Confider the great ImperfeSlions attend¬
ing this Life. While the Soul is lodg’d in this
Cottage of Clay, the Neeeflities of the Body are
many; it is always craving. TheMud-Walls muft
be repair’d and patched up daily, till the Clay-
Cottage fall down for good and all. Eating,drink¬
ing, fleeping, and the like* are in themfelves but
mean Employments for a rational Creature ; and
will be reputed fuch by the Heaven-born Soul.
They are Badges of Imperfettion, and, as fuch, tin-
pleafant to the Mind, afpiring unto that Life and
Immortality, which is brought to Light through
the Gofpel; and would be very grievous, if this
State of Things were of long Continuance. Doth
not the gracious Soul often find its felf yok’d with
the Body, as with a Companion in Travel, unable
to keep Pace with it ? When the Spirit is willing,
the Fldh is weak. When the Soul would mount
up-
I