The book of nature translated and epitomiz'd. By George Sikes.

Sect. I.

The temporary fruit of self-love.

THe temporary fruit of self-love, in this world, cannot be any true joy, but only a so∣phistical, deceptive, seeming joy, carrying reall sadnes in the womb of it. He that loves his own will, praise, honour, glory, and bodily pleasur's, loves and seek's after such things as conduce thereunto; worldly riches, dignities, offices, scien∣ces, &c. Such a man, when he has any conside∣rable hopes or enjoyment of such things, he has a proportionable kind of joy. And because all these things may pass away, be lost or destroy'd, he fear's to lose them, and hates all that would dimi∣nish or destroy them. From such danger, fear, and hatred, sadnes must needs arife. His joy then, at

best, in such delusive, transient vanities, hath sor∣row and vexation of spirit, most intimatly con∣nexed with it.

From the properties and conditions of self-love, may we certainly conclude the properties of the joy, arising there-from. If such love be an in∣ordinate, unjust, tortuous, false, vicious, corrupt, unclean thing, contrary to the nature of God and man, as also to the order of the whole universe; if it be a most wicked, filthy, malignant, abominable thing, the joy arising from it must needs be of the same complexion, and have the self-same evil qualities, properties and conditions. Self-love is the leading injustice and injury, dishonorable to God, and destructive to man. It sets up a false God, in the room of the true; the will of man, in opposition to the will of God. Any joy man can have in such a course, must needs be a false, de∣ceptive, inordinate, unjust, vicious, corrupt joy, contrary to the nature of God and man, as also to the nature and order of all creatures. Tis a most wicked, filthy, poisonous, mortal, dark, lying joy. As the root is, so is the fruit. And forasmuch as self-love render's a man the capital enemy of God (as thereby usurping a power of living in the ab∣solute Soveraignty and unsubjected exercise of his own will, which is the peculiar prerogative and incommunicable priviledg of God alone) all the joy he can possibly find in such a course, is but yet a higher strein of enmity to God. All his joy, and

complacency in things temporal, is but a rebelli∣ous exulting, and rejoycing in his contempt of, and enmity to God. The more a man has of such joy, the greater enemy of God is he.

Self-love and the love of God cannot stand or dwell quietly together in the same will, but, as ca∣pital enemies, will destroy and expell one ano∣ther. In like manner is it with the two opposite joyes, thence arising. The joy that spring's up from the love of God, strengthen's man's union with God. The joy which spring's from self-love, divides, separat's, and alienat's a man more and more from God. For the maintenance of a false joy, such a multitude of temporal things appear's requisite, as cannot usually be gotten without da∣mage and destruction to others and ourselvs. The love of such riches as are the nourishmēt and main∣tenance of a false joy, will put us upon the exer∣cise of many such foolish and hurtful lusts, as drown men in destruction and perdition. 1 Tim. 6. 9.

True joy in the lord render's a man bountiful, courteous, merciful, humble, mild, and sweet. False joy in the creature, make's him cruel, wic∣ked, proud, implacable, revengful, and all that's naught. The former preserv's peace, unity, friend∣ship, and all that's good amongst men: the latter tend's to the dissolution of all right friendship; sowes envy, strife, divisions, animosities, and all that's evil, amongst them. The former alway's profit's, the latter alwayes hurt's him that has it.

The former enlighten's and cleer's up mans un∣derstanding: the latter more and more darken's and blind's it. The former will have the greatest reward: the latter, the greatest punishment.