The Glory of the GoJPel; &~. calls Ptar!s, and Gold, and Silver; and all the· enticing words of man's wif– dom, Hay and Stubble. Yea, Prov.~.15,16; Sulomim fays, Wzfdom and Vnder– Jiallding, is better thanGold and Silver, which yet commands all in the World. And,:<. If R116ies and PrtcioM Stotus be more. worth than Gold, She u mort precious th,m Rubies, And what is it that makes things precious, that is not found in thefe faving Truths and Promifes of the Gofpel ? 1. Antiquity makes things precious; fo fmall pieces of Coin and Meddals, if Ancient, ~re precious. And this was coined in Heav~n, and in God before all Ages and Generations, and bears the Image of the Great King. It is.the EverlaflingGojprt, Rev.I4·'5· · . - ' . :<. Things far fetcht are precious. Not a word of this but fell from Heaved. Chrzft came from Heaven, where he heard and faw all the Truths revealed in it, and fo delivered them to us, John~-~1,~2. And this difference is put between the Law and the Gofpel, Heb.12. "5. The Lawwas fpoken from the Earth, the Gojpt! from Heaven. . .. 3• Things dearly bought are precious. Every Truth of the Gofpel cofi Chri!l: his Blood to make itfo; Tht Law came 6yMoju, but Grace and Trrzthcame ~ Je(.u Chrifl. As Grace cofi his Blood, fo Truth alfo ; for both cofi the fame price. A/J the Promzfes are Tea and Amm In him; they had all been blanks, if he had not fet his Blood as a Seal to them. 4· Things charily laid up are precious. The GofPel hath had the richefi ea: binetin the World, God'sBreafl; there is the Original of it,Eph-3-g. The Original Copy lies there, the Counterpart in the heart of God's EleCl:,:t Cor.~-~· Te are the Epzjlleof Chrifl,writttn 6y the Spirit of the Livi11g God, In whom therefore it is faid to a6idt for evtr, I Pet. I. ult. Lockt up in the €hurch, the Pillar, and ground of Truth. 5· Things which peri!h not are precious, efpecially if fiill they preferve them· (elves from what attempts to corrupt them, I Pet. I.?• Faith is therefore faid to .l>.e Precious, becaufe it peri1l1eth not, though tried itl the fire, Such are the Truths of the Gofpel, which though men have endeavoured to corrupt it, by a world of the Drofs of humane Errors and Inventions; yet God hath Uill come wi1h fire and tried it. And fiill the more men labour to mingle Drofs with God's Truth, fiill it endures the lire, and comes out clearer and clearer in every Age, P(al.12,6. The words of the Lord are p11re words, as Silver tried in a Fur11dce of Earth,pt~rifitdjtverz times. There is no Truth of God, but hath been tried in one Age or other. Hereftes have been brought in, yet it remains pure, main– tains it felf. The Truth was mingled with Drofs in Pe!agitH's time, and then purified. So in Bradwandine's time, and then alfo it came out purer; and fo now with line Drofs, but God will purilie it. A Third thing in Riches is Profitablenefs ; and in that refped- the Gofpel to the Saints is a rich Gofpel. It talks not only of Riches as Stories do; as that of Solomon's time, when Silver was as Stones of the Streets; nor doth it open Hea– vens Treafu'ry Gates, and !hew them the RiChes of it only, as Hezekla did the Amba!fadours that came to viut him. A man may thus hear and fee the Riches of another, and be a poor man fiill: But Riches is ChrJjl i11 ; •ou, faith the Text. When he bears and receives the Gofpel aright, it fills his Lap full, he carrie• Chrifi and all his Riches home with him. · Well might Solomo1t fay, as Prov. 3· 14, '5· Happy is the mdn thtit.findeth Wi(doill, and that gets Vtlder{/mzdi11g; for her Merchm1dize ;., better thmz Silver, and thegailz thereof than fine Gold; Aril:l if any thing· in the world be better than thefe, which yet the World bath, as Ru6ies and precibut Stones feem to be; She ir more precio.u (faith he) thau R116ifs. And if frill the hedrt of man !hould enlarge its vafi deftres, and wide gapings to fame more conceived precious things than thefe, though unknown. Do, fays Solotno11; firetch the compafs of your deftres to as great a widenefs as you can; deftre what you can, .A11daUyou can dtjirt is 11ot to be compared to her. It is not only exceeded, out there is no comparifon. And this he fpeaks not of the precioufnefs, as in it felf, but of the gain and profit it brings to the Poffeffors, Theirgai11, fays he, &c, L 2 But
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