They are curfed like the earth, not only with barrenness, but with briars and thorns there is not only a fallacy, but a fting in them: and confequently they are rendered worse than nothing; a reed that not only deceives, but also pierces the hand that leans upon it.

But the exceeding vanity of every finful pleasure will appear, by confidering both the latitude of its extent, and the length of its duration.

1. And firft, for the latitude or measure of its extent, it feldom gratifies but one fense at a time; and if it fhould diffuse an univerfal enjoyment to them all, yet it reaches not the better, the more capacious and more apprehensive part of man, his foul: that is fo far from communicating with the fenfes, that in all their revels it is penfive and melancholy, and afflicted with inward remorfes from an unfatisfied, if not also an accufing confcience.

2. And then fecondly, for its duration or continuance, it is but for a moment; it affects and leaves the sense in an inftant, and scarce affords so much scope as for reflection: The whole course of fuch pleasures paffes like a tale that is told; a tale, that after it is told, proves a lye. How tranfient and vanishing are the pleasures of the Epicure, that expire with a taste, and determine with the poor and momentary gratifications of his palate! And yet, who thinks he shares fo largely of the pleafures of fin as he!

But

But when fin entices, it takes no notice of these littleneffes and flaws in the enjoyment: it fpeaks loftily, and undertakes largely; it offers mountains and kingdoms, and never fuffers a man to purchase a right judgement of it, but at the dear rate of a disappointment; and then he finds how thofe offers fink and dwindle into nothing; and what a pitiful skeleton of an enjoyment that is, that at first dazzled his apprehenfions with fuch glistering pretences and glorious overtures of pleasure.

He therefore, that would ftand upon his guard against all the enticements of his corruption, must fortify himself with this confideration, that fin never makes any propofal, whatsoever fhew of advantage it may have, but it is with an intent to abuse and deceive him. And confequently, that it is an infinite folly to feek for pleasure or fatisfaction but in the ways of duty: the only thing that leads and unites to the great inexhaustible fountain of fatisfaction: In whofe prefence is fullness of joy, and at whose right-hand there are pleafures for evermore.

SER

SERMON V.

ISAIAH XXVII. II.

For it is a people of no understanding: therefore be that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will fhew them no favour.

T

HIS chapter is one of the eloquent ftrains of the most oratorical of the prophets, defcribing a fevere judgement to be inflicted on the Jews, in the deplorable deftruction of Jerufalem, the demolishing their stately buildings, and the wasting their pleasant and delightful habitations. All this is fet down in the 10th and 11th verses: The defenced city fhall be defolate: No defence or munition can keep out a judgement, when commiffioned by God to enter. And the habitation

bitation for faken: When God forfakes a place, the inhabitants do not stay long behind. And there fhall the calf feed, there shall be lie down : When men forget their Maker, and degenerate into brutish affections, 'tis but just with him, that they who have changed affections with beafts, fhould change dwellings with them too. When the boughs thereof are withered, &c. For the expofition of these words, we must note, that they admit of a double conftruction.

1. They may be either understood literally, and fo they set forth the deftruction of Jerufalem, in the devaftation of the pleasant gardens and vineyards; which shall be left fo defolate, that the vines and trees fhall wither, and poor women shall come and gather them into bundles, for the making of fires, and heating ovens. Thus we see the vintage of fin, and the clusters of Sodom; they deftroy the vines, and fire the vineyard.

2. Another sense of these words is figurative and metaphorical: and fo this expreffion, When the boughs thereof are withered, they fhall be broken off, fignifies thus much: When the inhabitants have filled up the meafure of their fins, when they are spiritually withered and dead, and fruitful to no good work, then they shall be broken off, and ruined with the heaviest destruction. And to aggravate this judgement, to put an edge upon

this

this mifery, it is added in the next words, That women fhall come and fet them on fire: that is, a womanish and effeminate generation of men (for fuch were the Babylonians) fhall triumph over them. A hint of their luxury we have in the feventh chapter of Joshua; it was a Babylonish garment that enamoured Achan. We know how Lucian brings in Menippus, fpeaking of Sardanapalus, one of the womanish kings of Babylon. 'Ewirpefov μh ὦ Ἑρμη τὴν Σαρδανάπαλον πατάξαι κατά sopps. Now a generous fpirit, that has the κορρής. leaft fpark of honour and virility, does not feel fo much fmart in the punishment, as in the unworthinefs of the hand that does inflict it. And this was the emphasis of Sampson's difgrace, to be held in captivity by a woman. And it is the height and aggravation of this judgement, for men to be fired and deftroyed by women; the valiant to be made a prey to the luxurious.

And thus having defcribed the judgement, he does in the next words affign a reafon of it: For it is a people of no understanding. One would have thought that ignorance should have excused the fin: He that fins out of ignorance is rather to be pitied, than punished. Is

any father fo cruel, fo hard-hearted, as to difown and caft off his fon, because he is a fool? No; an innocent ignorance excufes from fin, both before God and man: and God himself will own that maxim of equity,