'!'he befl'Bargaine. J time, VeritiW nihil erubrfcit pr~ttrqu•m abfcondi ; Trmh blulheth or nothing bur fecre - A cy, as Ttrtul. I How ever then fond, or falfe heorrs value the Truth,let us,thar lhould be wife ChriLlians, elleeme itasrhe pearle hid in the field, wh_ich the man fold all that ever he had to purchafe.Would ic nor fer any heorc on fire w_lth an holy a~ger, to fee. what the enemies ofTruthbid,and give for fallhood, for faet.•on ~ Theu hbeny, the" country; the life of their Soveraigne, che ecernall llace ofthclf foules bath nor feemed too deare w call away upon oniU bargoine ofmif.religion;and !hallnot we bid fo much os our zealous well-wilhes, ouretfeduall endevours, our careful!obfervances for the undoubted truth ofour Maker and Redeemer~ What lh.tl I fay to the mifcrable and ftupid carelefndfe of thefe thrifdeffe and godletfe times; wherein every thing is apprifed,every B thing is bought, favethot which is moll precious, moll beneficiall, Truth. Yea great ones are made for precedents totbe inferiour world; your example is able to bring either good or<vill into falhion; For Gods fake, for your loules fake, what ever tranf. aCtions ye make forthe world, lay your plots for the bletfed purchafe ofTruth; Oh let not your fickle honours, your unfatisfying plcalurcs, your worthlelfe profits, yea yourmomentany lives feeme deare to you in compuifonof heavenly Truth. lt is no lhamc inother parrs for great Peeres to bee Merchants ; Merwores tui '"nt Prin<ipts, faith the Angel! concerning Babylon,Rrvtl.r8.Th7 MmhAnts wm the Pri11ces ofthe euth. And why lhould notyee great ones be the Merchants of Truth? Bleftd'be tbeCodof Tr•th,,eare fo. It is no proud word to fay, that no Coun under heoven hath fo rich a c llock oftruth, as this of Great Erit•ine, yet let me tt!l you, the very Angel' knewnot fomuch,buttheydeliredtoknowmore,Ephe( 3· ro.And ifye had already that velpertine knowledge ofthe Saints which yee !hall once have in heaven, yet know that this Bargaine llands not more in the judgement, than in the affe~ions. What ever our fpeculationsmay be, ifour hearts be not fer upon Truth, we may be Brokers, wee are not Merchants; Brokers for others, not Merchants for our felves. As our Sniour then, when he bids us fell all, forfake all, holds it done, when in preparation ofmind we are ready toabdicate all for his name, though wee doe it not: fo doth God hold us to buy Truth, whenwe bellow our bell thoughts, our dearell well-wilhes upon it, thoughwe haveitalrcady. Oh I! ir up your!anguilhing zeale, ye noble Courtiers, rouze up your D droupingloveto divine Truth; Give your hearts toit,ye cannot but givea!lforir; And ifyoudoe not find the fweet gaineofthis Bargaine, in this lower Region oferror and confulion, ye !hall once find it in thofe etemall and etnpyreaU habitations oftruth, where the God ofTruth !hall make up the Truth of his promifes, with the ever- ' Jailing Truth ofhis glorious performances; where Mercy and Truth !hall fo meet, and i embrace one another, 1hat both of them !hall embrace the lilithfull foule, for ever land ever. . This for the BargaineofTruth;The forbidden fale followeth;{e/1 it mi.Commonly ' what we buy, we may fell. Alexander, not the Great, butthegood,foldMiters, Keyes, Altars; the verfe gives the reafon \ Emerat i/le prim, He bought them. So s. Aujlen of E Simon Magtn, Volebat emm fPiritumf•nllum , quia 'lltndere volrb•t fPiritumfanllum; Hee would buy the Holy Gho!l, becaufehe meant to fell it. Give me a man that buyesa Seat of Judicatcre; I dare not rrull him for not felling of Jullice ; he rbat !its in the chair of Simony,will not giveOrders,will not llick to fell foules.Some things we may buy to !ell, as I.jeph did the Eg"Jpti•n corne; fame things we mull fell, ifwee buy, as an lfraelites inheritance, Lev.zj .But here Wt are charged to buy wharitha fin to feii ,B•T the Trmh •ndfell it not; There is many agood thing ill fold;Ef mfels his birth-right for pottage; H •mm and sbechem [ell their Country for love; D4/tl•h.fels her lover fora bribe; The Patriarchs fell their Brother for tWenty filver rings; Ham•n felsthe /tll'tt for nooght.TIe Grntiles fell the Jewilh girlesforwine,Ioe/.; . 3· I(r•el [els the righteous for filver, ond the poore for lhooes, Amos z,6. Their Judgeslell fins orinnoccncy for rewards, E[a1 5·'3· Ah.V fels himfelfe to wickedftefle; IudM fels his maller ; DtmM lels the Truth; All thefe make an ill market; And in all it is a fure rule, the beuer the commodity is, the more pernicious is the fde. The indefinitenetfe ofthe chargeimp\iesagenerality. Buy it atany·price1 At no price fell it. It is the lilvourofGod, that it
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