Heraclitus, or, Mans looking-glass and survey of life written in French by Peter du Moulin ; and translated into English by Sir H. L'Estr.

Vanity in the thoughts, de∣sires, and judgments of Men.

All that which is already said is but a rough draught,

or the first traces to represent superficially the vanity and misery of our nature, and the actions of men; we will now consider their thoughts. Da∣vid in the 94th. Psalm saies thus, God knoweth the thoughts of man that they are but vain.

If a man could at night ga∣ther together all the thoughts which have run through his fancy in the day, he would wonder and be amased at their number and vanity, much more at their folly; Painters antick works come nothing neer them.

One locks himself into his study, where he resolves to study very hard, but when he is in he does nothing else but tell the quarrells of his win∣dow,* 1.1 or (like Domitian) hunts after flies:

Another walkes up and down sad and solitary, and begins to rave in his own thoughts what he would do if he were a King; or if he had a million of Crowns how bravely he would spend them; or thinking of his domestick business, linkes together a chain of long hopes, and by little and little becomes ex∣ceeding rich in his own wa∣king dream, and when he comes to himself and sees his own poverty, he flings away and bites the lip at it.

Nay even in the times of preaching and prayer, when God speaks to us, or we to him, our minds wander up and down; and if our best a∣ctions be thus besmeared, and mixt with vanity, how much more our idle and

unprofitable houres?

These foolish thoughts ac∣companied with vain desires and ignorance suitable, tur∣moyl, and toss so the spirits of Man, that he can never rest.

When man is in his brown study then he gathers and heaps together all the evills that ever befell him, he frets and fumes at the present, falls to calculate what is to come, and more than ever shall happen, he changeth doubt∣full fears for certain miseries; Fear makes many miserable before they come at it; many dye out of fear to dye; every day hath affliction enough of its own; who can ever be qui∣et in himself, that continu∣ally sets before him all the e∣vills past, and to come, the one by memory, the other by fear?

This naturall restlesness makes a man toss and tumble up and down, as a sick man is ever changing his Bed, and ever worse at last, and finds no rest but when he is weary of stirring; he carries the e∣vill allwaies about him, and is never the better for remo∣ving: Nay I verily believe that if God had set man be∣twixt good and bad to take his choice (and to cut out of the whole cloath) he would chuse the bad, he is so blind in judgment; or if the good, he would make it bad, his na∣ture is so perverse; if God sent him no evill, he would provide some for himself; if his own evill could not vex him, he would be grieved at anothers good, for envy frets him more than affliction.

Hence it comes that men are alwaies coveting, but they know not what, they are hot in desire, but cold in perfor∣mance, like a bird that would flie, and can flutter but with one wing, nay they are often distracted with a desire of contrarieties.

One complaines that his wife is dead, another that his wife will not dye; one grieves for the loss of his chil∣dren, another that his chil∣dren are so leud as he counts them, all lost; one tired with forrein business commends home-peace, and like Saul had rather lye hidden among the baggage than shew himself a∣broad to preferment another that is out of publick ••mploy∣ment breaks his neck in cli∣ming for it;* 1.2 every thing

m••kes the best shew but that which we have; nothing pleases us so much as that we cannot get; we like nothing so well as ano∣thers loss; we laugh to see a∣nother man fall, but never laugh to see him rise a∣gain.

But alas in this vanity of our thoughts,* 1.3 and variety of our affections, we shew great weakness of Spirit, for the face and fashion of things move us more than the things themselves.

One sees a tragedy acted which he knows to be but a fable, and nothing concerns him, yet he cryes for pitie, but for his own miseries ne∣ver sheds a tear.

Another hangs himself with despair, who at the same

time would have run away as fast as he could if another had offered to run him through with a sword; the difference is this, the last comes with a horror and fear, the first is felt before tis seen.

Opinion moves more than the things; Many eat they know not what, but find they like it, and being told what it is, streight it goes against their stomacks, and they cast it up again.

Others are more afraid of Mouse or a Toad than of a Sword; sure our conceipts are often moved and transported with very childish toyes and fancies.

Again (but I cannot give the reason of it) sometimes a man studies to cozen himself; one tels a tale which he knows

to be false, yet he tells it so often, and with that assu∣rance, that at length he be∣lieves tis true.

Some husband knowes his wife but hard-favoured and a blowse, yet when he sees her sophisticated and painted he begins to think her fair, and she her self too begins to think she is well-favoured and beautifull.

What a number there are that believe a religion because they will believe it? who strive against their own know∣ledge, and whose Consci∣ence tells them thus, Me thinks that seems absurd, and agrees not with Scripture, but I will have it so, and I will thinke it so too; this is to have Faith in a string, and not subject Will to Religion,

but Religion to Will.

Above all things mans judgement shews it self wea∣kest in religion, for outward actions demonstrate what is inwardly apprehended of the service of God; in matters of news, we give more credit to one eye-witness than the re∣port of a Country, but in re∣ligion we are caryed with the common opinion, and love to follow the fashion, and to go with the croud; when a man puts out money he will be as sure as he can to lend to honest and sufficient men, and to take good security, but in matters of Conscience he nere looks farther than to the priest; I will now shew you some damnable trifles of reverend estimation.

1 To clad pictures of men

in silk and gold, when the poor goes naked who is the picture of God.

2 To put off the hat at the name of Iesus, but never at the name of Christ.

3 To carry a flaring Cross upon the belly, when the belly is the enemy of the Cross of Christ.

4 Going to a Bawdy-house, or returning from some ill act, to rumble over the beads.

5 To kneel as well before the empty Pix, when the Priest comes from a sick man, as if it were full.

6 To adore the Host in the Pix, and not as well to adore it in the stomack of him that received it.

7 To make his Creator with a few words, and then to eat him.

8 To revell and riot one day in Shrovetide; and the next day to be very grave and reserved.

9 To imploy some blessed Beads for the remission of sins.

10 When a great man dies to bestow a mourning gown upon our Lady that 〈◊〉〈◊〉 may bear a part of the sor∣row.

11 To Whip ones self o∣penly thereby to please God, and bring a Soul out of Pur∣gatory.

12 In honour of Saints to burn Candels at Noon.

These and many more such toyes man hath devised in his own brain, and God must not dislike them; Nay he goes so far as he bestows the Offices in Paradice, he makes

one a Patron of one Country, another a Physitian for one disease, another for another, as if the Ants should dispose the affairs of a Kingdom, all this (to say no worse) is a vanity and an extreme want of understanding.

We who have only the word of God for our rule are not exempted, for we mingle our one folly, and vanities, with the sacred verities of Gods word.

In Civill actions when we need advise we go to our friends, but in matters of re∣ligion we consult only with our own sense and inordi∣nate desires, which are our domestique enemies.

If a man owe us money we had rather have the money than his word; In matters

concerning God it is quite o∣therwise: For the Gospel is the obligation whereby God promiseth salvation to us, sea∣led with the blood of his own Son, yet we had rather keep the obligation, than be payd the debt when we die, and then we would fain give a longer day.

One tels a childish weak∣ness in Honorius the Emperor,* 1.4 who made so much of a Hen, (which he called Roma) that when it was told him that Ro∣ma was lost, Alas! (said he with a sigh) Roma was here even now. Sir, sayes one to him, we talk not of a Hen, but your City Roma, taken and sack'd by Alaric the Goth; when the Emperor heard that, he was prettily cheered again, as esteeming

that loss farre more tolera∣ble.

Such is our weakness, we give none leave to meddle with our money, but we give any man leave to draw us to Vice, to seduce us with Error, and to poyson our Souls: I will proceed, and shew more of the like.

None are so fond as to re∣fuse to take Physick but of a man of excellent language; Yet many refuse to hear a Preacher of the Gospel unless he be eloquent, and the Gos∣pel is the Souls Physick; were it not a brutish madness in a Malefactor to refuse a Par∣don, because it is not Rheto∣rically penned? and why may not the Word of God please well enough, although It be not flourished over, and trim∣med

with the graces of art, since it is the Letters Patents of Grace and Pardon, and the doctrine of our reconciliati∣on with God; As if we should like our Fathers rod best when it is tyed with silk? this is a peevish vanity, and a chil∣dish humour.

It is strange to observe how vain, absurd, and foolish our Judgement is of others, and in the esteem or dis-esteem of our selves.

If we talk of burthens, he is best, that bears most; if of injuries, he that will bear none; so we change strength and valour into weakness and impatience.

In matters of Ornament, we judge not of the Blade by the beauty of the Scab∣bard, nor of an Horse by his

fine Bridle or Saddle; why then doe we esteem of a man by his good or bad cloaths? If we salute a man for his Apparrel, we might as well complement with the Stuff in the Shop: why are we so considerate in slight matters, and so inconsiderate in our judgement of matters of mo∣ment.

We esteem well of a Mer∣chant or Auditor, that is rea∣dy and exact in accounts, though he live so as he can give God no good account of his life; one orders his gar∣den and grounds handsomly, and himself lies rude, wast and out of all order.

We are no less vain and childish in our feares;* 1.5 for e∣ven as little Children play with fire and burn them∣selves,

and are afraid as soon as their Father comes sodain∣ly upon them; so men play with pleasures (because they glister and look gay) till at length they hurt themselves. As Children are afraid of their Father, when he comes to them with a vizard on, we are frighted when God comes suddainly upon us under the mask of afflictions, sickness, or death.

Man also forges to himself dangerous or foolish fears; One fears that his Wife likes another better than himself, and hunts and seeks for that he would not find, and per∣haps the Wife grows angry, and revenges herself, by do∣ing as much as he feared.

Another fears he shall ne∣ver rise to Honor, and does

somewhat to bring him to the Gallowes, and to blot his memory with perpetuall in∣famy.

Another fears he shall ne∣ver have money enough, at last he finds the way to get it, and dies before he tasts the pleasure of it.

Another feares to die a Batchelour, but God sends him a Wife that makes him more miserable than he was before.

And when I consider the wisdom of the World,* 1.6 I find it like the labour of Moles, who digge cunning∣ly under ground, but dare not look out to the Sun; for we have many fine slights in worldly matters, sell, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 bargain, and to undermine one another, but let me see

him that is best seen in all these things, and bring him before the Sun-shine of Gods Word, and the Brightness of the Gospel, and then he is stark blind, and will be so still; and though he fore∣casts what future changes and chances shall be in the State, yet he sees not how nigh at hand his own destruction is, and though he can talk and discourse of matters of State, yet he is but the De∣vils slave; and this weak-sigh∣ted knowledge dares contest with God, and the folly of the children of darkness with the wisdom of the Father of lights; and mans prudence with Gods providence: for the wicked cover themselves with silence, subtilty, and dissembling, like little chil∣dren,

who think they are hid, when they shut their eyes; and that no body sees them, because they see no body; but God sees them all bare and naked, better than they see themselves. God who is not only all hand (as holding and guiding all) but also all Eye, (as seeing or searching all things) he sees through the thickest substance, and dark∣ness is light unto him, and therefore the Royall Prophet Ps. 94. justly taxes this sot∣tish wisdom, Take heed ye unwise among the people, ye fools when will you understand, he that planted the ear, shall not be hear? or he that made the eye, shall not he see? In this place the Prophet calls them unwise, not the fools that run mad up and down

the streets, not the Idiots, not the gross common people, but the great Politicians, who manage all their matters so smoothly, as if they thought to hide themselves from the All-seeing wisdom of God, or to dazle the eyes of his providence; but as those are the fiercest Fevers that have the coldest Fit at first, so that is the most desperate folly that is vizarded with wisdom and greatest discretion.

Thus the Godly man must observe the actions and af∣fections of men, and consi∣der all the unprofitable tra∣vell of this life, and accor∣dingly frame his Medita∣tion.

There are two sorts of peo∣ple in the life of man, as there is in a Fair; Some come to

buy and sell, others only to look about; He that fears God is but a looker on; he comes not to buy or sell, but onely to observe the workes of God, and the actions of men, that when he sees the glitter of vaine curiosities, which men ex∣pose to view, he may say, Oh! what a number of things there are in this world, that I have no need of? but if (while he be thus looking a∣bout) he happen to get some hurt, or be justled, or have his purse cut, (that is, if he be troubled, or afflicted) he will presently be gone, and remembring that he is but a stranger in this world, he will set forward towards his own Countrie, his home in the Heavens, ayming always

(as the Apostle saith) towards the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus.* 1.7 If the world contemn him, he con∣temns that contempt, know∣ing himself to be better than the world, and called to a better hope, he will esteem lightly of the promises of the World, and the businesse thereof base and tedious; and like Mary in the 10th of Luke, he will choose the better part, which cannot be taken from him; conclu∣ding all his Meditations of Vanity, as Salomon did in the end of his Ecclesiastes, The End of all is this, Fear God, and keep his Commandements, for this is the whole duty of, Man.

After this Meditation we must rest our selves upon

those two Maxims and Pro∣positions which are the two Sanctuaries of Religion, the first, That to love God we must contemn the world; the second, that to contemn the world we must be think our selves of our own worth and dignity, and the excellency of our vocation.

The first Maxime is taken out of the Epistle of St. John,* 1.8 Love not the world, nor the things of the world; If any love the world, the love of God is not in him, for all that which is in the world, as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, & the pride of life, is not of the father but is of the world, & the world passeth away, &c. Nothing drives us further frō the love of God than the love of the world, for the Scripture calls the world the Kingdom of Sathan; and as the Moon

hath no light but by oppo∣sition to the Sun, so our Souls are in darkness but when we look unto God; So again it followes, that as the Moon hath no light in the shadow of the earth,* 1.9 so our Souls lose their light (as the Scrip∣ture calls us Children of light) when they are obscu∣red and eclipsed with the love of earthly things,* 1.10 as worldly cares and covetous∣ness, which we ought to tread under our feet, like the Church in the Revelation,* 1.11 which hath the Moon under her Feet, that is tramples up∣on all the unchangeable un∣steadiness of these sublunary things. And as Christ would have the penny paid for Tribute to Caesar because it bare his Image, so we must give our selves to God because

we bear his Image; the misery is this, we often deface the I∣mage, and batter it against the ground, bemiring our selves with base thoughts and dirty desires.

Therefore to the end we may contemn the world, and all the World can promise or doe for us, we must come to the second point, which is to know the worth and ex∣cellency of Godly men; for when men by Fox-friendship and cruell subtilty would in∣tice a godly man to doe ill, and to sin against God and his own Conscience, then let him look into himself and thus Argue; I that am a child of God, of heavenly parentage, one of the first-born, whose names are writ∣ten in heaven, shall I value

the promises of the world any thing worth, which (if they were certain) yet they are too mean for me? Win a Kings Son with apples? tempt the Son of the great Prince of Heaven with mo∣ney to offend his Father? and like Esau sell his birthright for a Mess of potage? I will never doe it, God will never suffer me to be so hood-winked; He is not worthy of Christ that doth not think the world unworthy of him; was not the world made for the Godlies sake? and will not God destroy it again, and provide an house far more glorious for us, and a more beautifull heaven than that we now behold, which is in∣deed too mean for the dig∣nity of Gods children? thou

that fearest God, and hast faith in his Son, I would have thee know, that it is thou that upholdest the world, and for whose sake the wicked are yet suffered to live; so far are Gods enemies indebted to thee. And God suffers the world to continue for the E∣lects sake, whereof some are mixed with the wicked, o∣thers are not yet born, and (as it is in the 6th of the Re∣velation) God stayes untill the number of our Brethren be fulfilled; and that is one of the causes why our Savi∣our calls his disciples the Salt of the Earth,* 1.12 as a small part among men that pre∣serves the rest, and retards the dissolution; God continuing the Bad for the Goods sake, that the bad may profit at the

example of the Good, and by that means be driven to fear God, and trust in his promises; this being the ex∣cellency of Gods children, they must esteem of the plea∣sures, riches, and glory of the world but as trifles, and like the painted King∣doms which the Devill offe∣red Christ.

When men look down from the top of the Alpes to the plains below them, the greatest Towns would seem no better than little Cabins, how much would they seem far less to be seen from Hea∣ven? The Godly man must think he is in Heaven, and look down upon earth from thence▪ he will still keep his heart above, and thence be∣holding the Palaces of Prin∣ces

they will seem to him lit∣tle Ant-hills: and the tumul∣tuous tossing up and down of Nations as the swarming of Bees, when they are disquie∣ted, and then well observing what is most remarkable, e∣minent and conspicuous upon earth, he will say, Vanity of Vanities, all is Va∣ry.

This blessed magnanimity shall nothing hinder Christi∣an humility, for we ac∣knowledge our selves unwor∣thy, but are made worthy by Christ Iesus; If repentance cast us down, faith sets us up again; If of our selves we be nothing, yet through God and his Fatherly love unto us we are made something; thus the Godly quite differ from the worldlings, the last

lifts up his Pharisaicall eyes to heaven, but his heart is on earth, and set upon lust and covetousness, the first looks alwayes downward in humility like the Publican who durst not look up to Heaven,* 1.13 yet by faith and hope hath his heart there, he con∣temns the world not for the love of himself, but for the love of God.

Wickedness that now reigns.

This is not all, for if we contemn the world for the love of God, it will at last make us hate the world, when (besides the misery and vani∣ty thereof,) we see the dam∣nable wickedness that reigns, and stands in defiance with God; when (besides the va∣nity that is set to open sale) we are to consider the villa∣ny

that is kept close, Treasons, Murders, Adulteries, com∣mitted in secret, and when we consider the viols of the wrath and curse of God pou∣red out generally upon all men; For when we will en∣ter into a due consideration of the world, we must set it before us all at once, and behold it together, and then at one glance run over all the people of the world, among which a number are Pagans, who worship the Devil, and that not in Ignorance (not knowing what they do) but in expresse profession: the East-Indians build him Tem∣ples, and doe him all service; The West-Indians are com∣monly tortured and tormen∣ted with wicked Spirits; in most parts of the North they

make a sport to be War wolfs, and it becomes a tollerable custome; Witcherie is also a common profession there; there the Devil domineers without contradiction.

In the flourshing Coun∣trey (where the Apostles so happily planted the Gospel) the Churches are turned in∣to Mosquees, and Temples of Idolatry.

In the West, the outward face of the Church is be∣come an earthly Monarchie, and great Money-banks are set in the place where Gods house was once seated.

Amongst all these so ma∣ny sundry and severall Nati∣ons, the Iewes are scattered, who blasphemed, and perse∣cuted Christ while he lived, and have continued to doe

him all wrong ever since he died.

In the Countrey from whence the Decretals come, (and which rules Religion at this day) Bawdy-houses are common, and Sodomy grown a fashion, and yet the decision of the doubts of Faith must be coyned in the place of all this villany.

The other part of the world who serve God truly, are but an handfull, who have much a doe to live in so bad an ayr, who are upon earth as Fishes out of the water; the remainders of Massacres, and as scattered shivers of a broken ship. Yet for all this (even among this small number of people pick∣ed out of the rest of the world) evil increases, and

spreds like a Canker or Gan∣grene, Quarrels, Vanity, Excess in apparell, Ambition, (which lavishly layes out) Covetousness (which Idlely locks up) infect a part of Gods flock, God ill served in housholds, cold charity, neg∣lect of Gods word, to be short, a Contagion of Vices by the unwearied Industry of our Adversary, which is a step to superstition, from Vices we passe to errour, and from corporall to spirituall whoredom; If then God be so ill served where he is so well known, what will he be in other parts of the world? If vices lodge in the Pulpit how much more in the Porch and in the house of the wicked? therefore Christ calls the Devil fitly the

Prince of the World, and St. Peter justly cryes out in the 2d. of the Acts, Save your selves from this froward gene∣ration, for Sathan lyes in wait, seeking whom he may de∣vour; this Age is infectious, vices stick fast, temptations are powerfull, our enemies strong, and subtile, our selves weak and simple, the way to heaven straight and ragged, few there are (sayes Christ) that find it, and many that have found it cannot keep it, but having known the truth forsake it again, and return to their vomit, let us there∣fore take heed of the world, and keep our selves from so dangerous a place, let us pass by it (as Strangers) leaving the world and leaning to God; we are never truly at

rest, but when we rest wholly upon God and his promises: Heaven is in continuall mo∣tion and that is the place of our rest; and on the other side the earth doth alwayes rest, and that's the place of our agitation; Dyalls and Clocks follow the motion of the heaven, but the faith of the Godly imitates the rest above the heavens, for that teacheth us to set our rest up∣upon God; Ulisses liked bet∣ter the smoke of his own house than the fire of ano∣thers, yea how much more liked he his own fire than anothers smoke? we are strangers here, this is none of our house, our house is in heaven, shall we then pre∣fer the smoke of our strange habitation in another Coun∣try,

and the darkness of the earth, before the fire of our own house, and the glory of our own home which is the Kingdom of Heaven?

This is the Kingdom of Satan, that the Kingdom of God, this a vale of Teares, that the top of all bliss, here we sowe in sorrow, there we shall reap in joy; here we see the Suns light through two little holes, which we call Eyes, there we shall see Gods light on all sides as if we were all Eye, Then when God shall be all in all, to whom be Honor and Glory for evermore.

Amen.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Sutton.
• * 1.2

  1 Sam. 10. 22.
• * 1.3

  Weakness and Igno∣rance.
• * 1.4

  Zonaras.
• * 1.5

  Vain fears.
• * 1.6

  Vain Wis∣dom.
• * 1.7

  Phil. 3. 14.
• * 1.8

  John 16. 11.
• * 1.9

  Luke 16. 8.
• * 1.10

  Eph. 1. 8.
• * 1.11

  Rev. 12.
• * 1.12

  Mat. 5. 31.
• * 1.13

  Lu. 18. 31.