IV. The next obfervation is, that which is inferred: furely every man is vanity; of which I will fpeak but a little, and fo conclude. Upon the confideration of the whole, the pfalmift doth infer, Surely every man is vanity. 1. Vanity, as being so subject to be mistaken; fo liable to miscarry. 2. Vanity, as being fo unable to bear himself up againft God, against whom he doth offend; when God comes to require an account, and to reprove and challenge. But a little further, to give you an account, though these two were enough. Vanity may be >charged upon men in a threefold way. 1. In a negative fenfe. 2. In a comparative fenfe; and 1. In a negative fenfe, man is vain: every crea ture is fo, because he is short of divine perfection. For a creature is primary to nothing, he hath no abfolute being; for he comes into being at God's call, continues in being by his maintenance and allowance, and must leave this being at his appointment. He is fubject to God's pleasure, so is vain in a negative fenfe; in no moment of his life is he independent, neither for existence, nor in execution : for in God, we live, and move, and have our being, Acts xvii. 28. 2. Vain, in a comparative fenfe, because he is fhort of the perfection of other beings; fhort of the divine perfection, nothing in comparison, Isaiah xl, 15, 16, 17. Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, bucket, and are accounted as the fmall duft of the balance, behold he taketh up the ifles as a very little thing; and Lebanon is not fufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof Sufficient for a burnt-offering. All nations before him are as nothing, and they are counted to him less than no thing and vanity. And then fhort in perfection of fome of his fellow-creatures, fhort of angelical perfection. Thou madeft him a little lower than the angels, Pfal. viii. 5. Yet it is faid, God chargeth the angels with folly, Job iv. 18. Not imputing any moral defect to the angels, but an incompetition to the divine perfections; and man made lower than the angels Now fhortnefs in thefe two confiderations is no body's disparagement; for this is to be a creature, and herein any man is as good as God would have him. But I wish I could excufe mankind from vanity in the 3d fenfe: that is our fault and our shame, for man is vain in a privative sense. This is that that doth fink and deface, and deform the glorious workman fhip of God in the moment of his creation: and this lies in fix things. 1. A man is divested of his innocence. He is out of the image of God, his high perfection, which he was invested with in the moment of his creation: he has loft his proper perfection, hath loft more than the whole creation can repair. 2. By his iniquity, he hath contracted impotency. By giving God offence, and departing from God, we have loft our innocence; and brought upon ourfelves dread and terror, and horror of confcience : for this always accompanies guilt. And then 3. By unnatural use, our faculties are marred and Spoiled; the ingenuity and modesty of a man's mind, and the nobleness of his understanding, is marred and spoiled moft grievously. In this a finner miferably wrongs himself by fin. For if a man do but one act that is unnatural and horrid, he abuses the inge nuity, candour and nobleness of his mind for ever. *If a man once let go the fairness of his nature, no man knows where he will stop. He is fit to do every defperate act of fin. So that man is vain, because he hath loft his innocence, and deformed himfelf by his fin; he hath marred his principles, and made himself unfit for many good acts that he might have done. 4. A man is vain, by his lying apprehenfions. Man walketh in a vain fhew, Pfal. xxxix. 6. A man is his own fool, flatters himself into a fool's paradife, cheats, delufions, lies rule in mens lives. Man gives his consent to impoftures. Man will believe, beCause he would have it. Man feeds upon lies, fancies, imaginations. Mens hopes and fears, confidences and refuges are laid, as lying apprehensions and conceits mifguide, If. xxviii. 15. 5. By his foolish undertakings. Man goeth rashly forth into act, neither well refolving concerning the enemies of his action, nor duly considering his fufficiency to grapple with, and overcome difficulties, Luke xiv. 31. The vanity of man in iffuing forth to act, confifts in this. (1.) That man is finifter in his intention: aims not right, mistakes the world for God. (2.) That man is irregular, and inordinate in mo tion, errs in choice, and application of means to his end. (3.) That man is frustrated, and disappointed in the iffue: after all cofts, curfeth his labour. After promising expectations, expenfive ways in the close of all, has a fhadow for the fubftance. Hope deferred makes his heart fick, and the defire is not accomplished, which is a tree of life. 6. By his inward perturbations, man is vain. The affections of the foul, have as well changed their name as their use. A man is always at difference, in conteftation with himself. 'Tis not in man, a monarchy of reafon, but a democracy of humours. Man disturbs his own content and quiet. To enjoy a man's felf, is the greatest good in the world: the ferenity and sweet composure of his mind, is happiness within; yet men eafily difcompose themselves, and throw themselves into mal-content. Were all the world elfe in a calm, yet man will not be at quiet; he raiseth ftorms and tempefts, makes foul weather within. We have not ourselves in our own hands : we are not masters of our paffions, ends, and undertakings. Man fears where no fear is, and fo creates himfelf an enemy, by his own fancy he dotingly loves what will return nothing for affection he runs out in hope, where there is no ground for expectation. The uses to be made of this, are these. 1. There is no caufe of pride. Prefumption, pride and conceit, are the most ungrounded things in the world. Self-denial is the moft rational act. Why should we believe a lie? Why do we make tools of ourselves, by fond felf-flattery? man is vain in his existence by opinion a liar, Pfal. Ixii. 9. Things are not to conform to our apprehenfions; but our thoughts are to answer things. 'Tis our mifery to be deprived, but 'tis our madnefs to be deceived, befooled; otherwife we affect to knowthings juftly as they are; why are we not willing to know ourselves? 2. What cause have we to magnify the rich grace of God, who gave fo great a price for us, fo little worth. The great physician hath dearly bought difcafed patients. God hath bought chaff inftead of wheat; vanity inftead of fubftance. It could not be therefore his gain by us, that did direct his choice, but his compaffion of our misery, that procured us mercy. What the grace of God finds us, and how grace leaves us, are two things of greatest confiderati on. From the depth of mifery, to the height of excellency. Who deals with the blind, halt and difeafed, but God? Luke xiv. 21. We may fay as Fob, Doft thou open thine eyes upon fuch an one? Job xiv. 3. 3. Let no man believe himself, or lean to his own underfianding, Prov. iii. 5. He that trufteth in his own heart, is a fool, Prov. xxviii. 26. Let the grace of God be acknowledged, both for wisdom, and for ftrength. Nothing is better grounded than that advice of wisdom; In all thy ways acknowledge him, Prov. iii. 6. If Egypt be a broken reed, Ifa. xxxvi. 6. which was never ftrong, because a reed; which will pierce him that leans on it, because broken: is not he rafh and unadvifed, that trufts, and hath confidence |