*When we see a man brooding over _bags_ of wealth, and labouring to die _rich_, we do not only accuse him of a poor littleness of mind; but we charge him with great guilt; we do not allow such a one to be in a state of religion. Let us therefore suppose that this covetous man was on a sudden changed into another temper; that he was grown _polite_ and _curious_; that he was fond and eager after the most useless things, if they were but _ancient_ and _scarce_; let us suppose that he is now as greedy of _original paintings_, as he was before of _money_; that he will give more for a _dog’s head_, or a _snuff_ of a candle done by a good _hand_, than he ever gave in charity all his life; is he a wiser man, or a better Christian than he was before? Has he more overcome the world, or is he more devoted to God, than when his soul was locked up with his money? Alas! his heart is in the same false satisfaction; he is in the same state of ignorance, is as far from the true good, as much separated from God, as he whose soul is cleaving to the dust; he lives in the same vanity, and must die in the same misery, as he that lives and dies in _foppery_ or covetousness. X. Here therefore I place my argument for _Christian perfection_. I exhort thee to labour after it, because there is nothing else for thee to labour after; there is nothing else that the reason of man can exhort thee to. The whole world has nothing to offer thee in its stead; chuse what other way thou wilt, thou hast chosen nothing but vanity and misery; for all the different ways of the world are only different ways of deluding thyself: this only excells that as one vanity can excel another. If thou wilt make thyself more happy than those who pursue their own destruction, if thou wilt shew thyself wiser than _fops_, more reasonable than _sordid misers_, thou must pursue that happiness, and study that wisdom which leads to God; for every other pursuit, every other way of life, however _polite_ or _plausible_ in the opinion of the world, has a folly and stupidity in it that is equal to the folly and stupidity of _fops_ and _misers_. For awhile shut thine eyes, and think of the _silliest creature_ in human life; imagine to thyself something that thou thinkest the most _poor_ and _vain_ in the way of the world. Now thou art thyself that poor and vain creature, unless thou art devoted to God, and labouring after Christian perfection; unless this be thy difference from the world, thou canst not think of any creature more silly than thyself. For it is not any _post_, or condition, or figure in life, that makes one man wiser or better than another; if thou art a proud _scholar_, a worldly _priest_, an indevout _philosopher_, a crafty _politician_, an ambitious _statesman_, thy imagination cannot invent a way of life that has more of vanity or folly than thine own. XI. Every one has wisdom enough to see what variety of fools and madmen there are in the world.