The Cure of the Fear of Death, Chapter 10
CHAP. X.
The vanities of the seeming felicities of the world.
NOW it followeth, that I should entreat of the vanities, that cleaue to the seeming felicities of the world: and proue, that there is no reason to be in louelove with life for any respect of them.
The best things the world can make shew of, What the seeming felicities of the world are.are Honours, Credit, Lands, Houses, Riches, Pleasures, Birth, Beauty, Friends, Wit, Children, Acquaintance, and the like. Now there be many things, which apparantly proue, there can bee no sound contentment, or felicity in these: For,
1. All things be full of labour, who can vtter it? Fifteene Argumēts to proue the vanity of the best worldly things.Ecclesiastic. 18. Men must gaine the blessings of the earth with the sweare of their browes; there is seldome any outward blessing, but it is attained with much difficulty, paines, or danger, or care, or grieuance some way.
2. How small a portion in these things can the most men attaine? If the whole world were posses sed, it would not make a man happy; much lesse those small parcels of the world, which the most men can attaine: Eccl. 1. 3.
3. It is manifest, men cannot agree about the chiefe good in these things. Life is therefore apparantly vaine in respect of these things, because there are almost infinite proiects, and variety of opinions: And in all these successions of ages, no experience can make men agree to resolue: Which of these things hauehave felicity in them? Who knows what is good for a man in this life, all the daies of his vaine life, which he spendeth as a shadow, Eccle. 6. 12.
4. In all these things here is nothing new, but it hath beene the same, or the like to it. Now things that are common, are out of request, Eccl. 1. 9. 10. & 3. 15.
5. The world passeth away, and the lusts thereof: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the eare with hearing. If a man liue many daies, his soule is not filled with good; the desire after these things will vanish; men cannot louelove them still: Our life is spent in wishing for the future, and bewailing of the past; a loathing of what wee hauehave tasted; and a longing for that we hauehave not tasted: which, were it had▪ would neuer more satisfie vsus, then that which wee hauehave had. Hence it is, that men weary themselues in seeking variety of earthly things, and yet cannot bee contented. The vexation, that cleaues vntounto them still, breeds lothing; We are like men, that are Sea▪ sick, that shift from roome to roome, and from place to place, thinking to finde ease; neuer considering, that so long as the same Seas swell, and Windes blow, and Humors are stirred, alteration of place will not profite: So it is with vsus; so long as we carry with vsus a nature so full of ill Humours, and that the pleasures of the world hauehave so much vanity in them, no change of place, or delights can satisfie vsus: Seeing there are many things that encrease vanity, what is man the better? Eccl. 6. 13.
6. How can these earthly things satisfie, whē the nature of thē is so vile and vaine? They are but blasts; a very shadow, which is some thing in appearance, but offer to lay hold vponupon it, thou graspest nothing. Man walketh in a vaine shadow, and disquieteth himselfe in vaine. He that loueth siluer, shall not be satisfied with siluer, Eccl. …. 9. Psal. 39.
7. Besides: There is a The amity of the world, is the enmity with God.snare in all these earthly things, they are like pitch to defile a man; there is euer one temptation or other lodged vnderunder them: and the fruition of them, and desire after the, breeds many no isome lusts in the soule, 1. Tim. 6. 9.
8. These outward things are also all vncertaine, and transitory: Riches hauehave wings, and will suddenly All subiect to vanity or violence, Mat. 6. 19, 20. They may be lost at the very seate of iudgemēt, Eccl. 3. 16, 18. & 4. 1, 2flye away; and Fame is but a blast: and the glory of man is but as the flower of the field, which is to day, and to morrow withereth: The fashion of this world passeth away: And at the last day, they shal all be burnt and consumed in the fire: I meane these senselesse things, we now set our hearts vponupon, Esay 40. 6. 1. Cor. 7. 31.
9. There is no support in these things; in the euill day they cannot helpe vsus, when the houre of temptation comes vponupon vsus.
10. A man may damne his own soule by too much liking of these things, the abuse of them may witnes against men in the day of Christ: Iam. 5. 1. & Philip. 3. 18.
11. In these things there is one condition to all; as it falleth to the wise man, so doth it to the foole, Eccl. 2. 14.
12. All things are subiect to Gods vnauoidable disposing: Let man get what he can, yet God will hauehave the disposing of it; and whatsoeuer God shall do, it shall abide: To it can no man adde, and from it can no man diminish, Eccl. 3. 1.
13. A man may hauehave all aboundance of these things, and yet not hauehave a heart to vse them: Euill is so set in the hearts of the sonnes of men, and such madnesse cleaues vntounto them here, that they cannot take the contentment of the things they hauehave; and so they be worse then an vntimely fruite, Eccl. 6. 1, 7. & 9. 3.
14. EueryEvery day hath his euill; and afflictions are so mingled with these outward things, that their taste is daily marred with bitternesse, which is cast into them; no day without his griefe: and vsually the crosses of life are more, then the pleasures of liuing; so as they that reioyce, ought to bee as though they reioyced not.
15. Lastly, If all these considerations may not suffice, then remember, that thou art mortall; thy life is short, it passeth as a dreame, it is but as a span long thy daies are few and euill; all these things are ged with a necessity of dying: Life was giuen thee with a condition of dying, Gen. 47. 9. Iob. 14. 1. thy life passeth like the winde: Iob 7. 7. Yea, our daies consume like smoake, Psalm. 102. 3. All flesh is grasse, Esay 40. 6. And hence arise Our mortality aggrauated by 4. considerations.many considerations deduced from this head of our mortality: For
1. All these things are but the necessaries of thy Inne: Thou art a stranger, and a pilgrime, and canst enioy them, but as a passenger, thou canst carry nothing out of this world, but in all points, as thou cam'st into the world, so must thou go hence, Eccl. 5. 13, 14, 15.
2. The time, place, and manner of thy death is vncertaine, there is no time nor place, but man may die in it; the Court, the Church, the Campe: yea the very wombe is not excepted. There is but one way to come into the world, but there are a thousand waies to go out; and therefore the possession of all things is wonderfull vncertaine.
3. When thou diest, all will be forgotten, there is no more remembrance of former things, nor shall there be any remēbrance of things which are to come, with those that shall come after, Eccl. 1. 11. That which was, in the daies to come, shall be forgotten, 1. Chr. 2. 16. Yea, a man shall be forgotten in the City where he hath done right, Eccles. 8. 10. For this very reason, Salomon hated life, Eccles. 2. 17.
4. When thou diest, thou shalt die either without issue, or leaue children behind thee. If thou dye without issue, how hast thou beene infatuated in seeking these outvvard things with so much care and toile, and couldest neuer say to thine own soule, For whom do I trauell, & defraud my selfe of pleasure? Thou gatherest these things, and knowest not who shall enioy them, Eccles. 4. 8. If thou die and leaue issue, thou maist be frighted and amazed with one of these things. For either thou maist bee despised while thou liuest, of those for whom thou endurest sore trauaile, so as they that shall come after thee, doe not reioyce in thee, Eccles. 4. 15, 16. Or else thou maist leaue the fruite of thy labours to a foole, or a wicked wretch. For who knoweth, whether he that shall rule ouer thy labours, shal be a wise man, or a foole? This very consideration made Salomon hate all his labour, which he had taken vnderunder the Sunne; and he went about to make his heart despaire of all his labours, that hee should vse all his wisedome and knowledge for attaining of great things, and yet might be in danger to leaue all for a portion to him, that hath not laboured in wisedom: and all this is vexation of spirit, Eccles. a. 18. to 24.
Or else, thou maist beget children, & thy riches perish before thy death, & then there is nothing in thine hand to leaue them, Eccles. 5. 14.