Chap. 22. An Expofttion upon the Booke of Jo a. Verf. 2. Secondly, I anfwer, a wife man cannot be profitable tohim- felfe as the founder ofhis own happineffe, or as having a fuffici- ency in himfelfe tomake himfelfe happy ; but a wife man may be a meanesor an instrument ofhis own happineffe ; and walk- ing in the wayof wifdorne, he walks in the way to his own hap- pinefíe. Thus he that is Godly wife, or that feareth God, may may be profitable to himfelfe. Hence Obferve, Ne that is trulywife, godlyand holy, /ballfindfruit andbenefit by it. The Apoftle (t Tim. 4.8.) affureth us that Godlinefe ra profitablefor ali things. Thegreateft gain in the world is God- lineffe, It bath the promifes of thie life and of that which is to come. Whatfoever drops out ofany promife of the Gofpel, falls into the lap ofa godly man the promifes are his, and therefore the good of thepromife is his. When thepromifes open at any time, andgive forth their vertue, they muff needs give it forth to him that is wife, to him that is godly, for godlineffe bath the promifes. When the Apoflehad rcbuk'd a fort ofmen that made godlineffe only a ftalking-horfe to get gaine, he pre - fently adds, But godlineffe le great gaine, ifamanbe content with what be bath. Godlineffe it felfe is great gaine, if we have no more, but godlineffe brings in gaine, abundance of gaine, be- tides it felfe. ((Atom 6. 3 5.) Seekfsrf the Kingdom of god, and the righteoufneffe thereof, and all theft things /ball be added (or caft in as an advantage) toyou. TheApofile ( Rem. 6. 2, z. ) pats a kinde of holy fcorn upon finners, come, tell me, bat fruit badyou of thole things whereofyou are now alhamed ? What fruit have you by your folly, pride, worldlineffe, envy, what fruit have you found in thefe things ? Bring mein an account of your gaine by traiding in any fin. The end of thefe things u death ; there is nogreat profit in that. But now being madefree fromfin, and becomefervants to God, ye haveyourfruit unto boll nefe, and the end everlafting life. Here are fruits good fiore, and all good fruits both for here and hereafter. We can never want fruit ourfelves, while we are bringing forth fruit unto God All obedience is attended with a blefling, and though as was toucht before, we cannot be the founders of our own blèfíed- sreffe, nor muff we meerlydefigne our own happinef e, or aime D at
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