On the Excellency of the Soul. 3411 the excellency of the knowledge of Chrift 3efur my Lord for whom I have fuffered the lofs of all things, and do count them but -dung, -but doggs -meat, that I may win Chrift. This was the .fleight eßteem that Paul had of all the things in the world, that men kept fuch a fair about. - - -- And fo when God did but begin to work upon Zaccheus, when hee did but hear of the falvation of his foul, when Chrift did but tell him, This day is falvation come to thy houfe, prefently ( being a covetous rich man that had gotten his efcate wrongfully) hee cries our , The half of my goods I give to the poor, and if 1 have wronged any man by forged cávtlla- tion, will reftore fourfold. And fo John the Beloved Dìf ciple of Chrifl, which lay in his bofome, and therefore knew fo much of the mind of Chrifl , you know what hee faith in his firft Epift. 2, 15. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world, if any mane love the world, the loire of the Father is not in him : for all that is in the world, the luff Of the fle(h, the loft of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the .Father. The lull of the flefh, that is pleafures and fenfuality; the loft of the eyes, that is riches; and the pride of life, that is honours ; there are not of the Father, but of the world, faith john; you may think they are great matters, they may bee great in your eyes , but they are not of the Father, but of the world; And the world paffeth away, and the loft thereof; but bee that doth the will of God, abideth for ever. It were infi- nite to fhew you this both in Scripture, and likewife in the whole courte of the Flory of the Church, how fleightly the Martyrs did account all the things of this world, as coon as ever God gave them any true fpiritual heavenly wif- dome; but becaufe that would cot+ a great deal of time, therefore wee proceed to thew by firength of reafon, fur- ther out of the Scripture; yet this may convince rational men, that that which thewifefl men in the world, that have had from God a teflimony of great w fdome, have thought to bee a little matter, certainly bath no_great matter in it ; but they have thought the gain of all the world to bee as no:hing ; thereto :e certainly there is no great matte: in X x get-
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