554 1hc Excellmcy of Heavenly, Treafu,rcs. cafts in more to him, he values them as Mercies, hm not as his Treafurc · or if God call them back again, he looks upon them not as a Lo{s, but as a Ridd.aTJ~e. lf you make a thoufand Cyphers, yet t hey amount to nothing; add a Figure of One to thcfe, !till they ftand but for One. Such are the things of the \Vorld to a Child of God, all Worldly Enjoyments are but as f~ many Cyphers in his Accompt; he reckons only upon one God, and therefore he 1s at a polllt how God deals with him as to thefc things; if he gi~es, or if he t~kes away, he fays, .Ble/fed be the name of the Lord. Thus, Beloved, 1f you have latd up your Treafure m Heaven, you will have but mean and flight thoughts of all other Things bcfidcs. Secondly, Trcafurc luid up in Hett-ven will make all things fatisJaflory to you, becau{e e".Jery cmdition that you 111e in will be to )'our advantage. Nay, yon will look upon any condition that you are in as a condition of Love: Every Mercy that is beftowed upon you is a Love·token fent you by a gracious Father. The Soul that once can fay God is mine, will be able to fay, This Comfort and that Mercy 1va;given me from th; love of God; I have is Heart with it: I obferved the Countenance of my Father, and I Jaw him [mile upon my Soul when He gave it me. Nay, are you deprived of thefe Enjoy~ ments, it is from Love, and it !hall be for your advantage; God faw that they lay too near your Heart,and juftled him farther from his Seat and Throne,and he would not futfer you to make fo bad an exchange, as to quit Heavenly things for Earthly: He takes thcfe from thee, that fo he may take thee off them, and wean thy Heart from them, and that he may ftrengthen thy Faith and Dependance on himfelf, that he may enftame thy Affections after him, and to exercife thy Patience and Hurni· lity in the want of them ; nay, he then gives in the cleareft, and brighteft, and full eft Difcoveries of himfelf, and o( his Love in Chrift to the Soul; what ad van~ tageons Loffes therefore, 0 Chriftian, daft thou fuftain ! Yea, to ufe the Apoftle's Phrafe, thou haft but gained in this Harm and Lojs. And therefore in every ftate and condition a Chriftian, that bath laid up his Treafure in Ht:aven, may well be content and fatisfied, for all is to his advantage and gain, whatever'it be. And fo much for the Third particular. 4· Trta[urc laid. up in Hea'Ven will Jecure to you the crjoymcnt of all Earthly Com~ forts fo far forth as they P1all be for your good. This depends upon the latter part of th~ tanner particular. Our Saviour bath paffcd his word for it in Mat. 6. 23: Seek firfl the kingdom of Ged, and the righteoufnefs thereof, and aO theft things jhafl be added to you. Firft feek the Kingdom of Heaven, that is, lay up firft yourTreafure in Heaven, make fure of Heavenly Riches firft, and then all thefe things lhall be added to you. When the great Bargain is concluded in Heaven, betwixt God and the Soul, God never ftands upon thefe petty things of Earth, but throws them in, as vantage and overplus, into the bargain: Yea, and as Chrift hatb paffed his word, fa God bath given you a Pawn, that fo it fha\1 be in Rom. 8. 32. He that [pared not his own Sou, but hath gi'Ven him up for us all, how JhaU he not wirh him aljo freely gi'Ve us all things? Is the Heir of all things ours, and can there be any thing that lhaH not be ours alfo? Hath God freely given you his Son, and will he think much tO give you other thing;s, which are of no value and efteem, in comparifon of that great Gift Jefus Chnft? Hath he given thee hidden Manna, Angels Food? Hath he cloathed thee with the Robes of Chrift's Righteoufnefs, and fhalt thou want Food and Rayment? Are not thefe things convenient for thee? Or, doth God prize Worldly things at a higher rate than the th)ngs of Hea· ven? Thou eaoft not think God doth fo, for thou thy fclf doll: not prize them fo: Or, doth God fo much difregard them, as to take no regard to fupply your outMat.6.J2· ward Concernments? No, fays Chrift, your heavenly Father knoweth" thttt you have tJeed. of all thefe things. God doth take fpecial notice and regard of all your wants,_he knows you have need of thefe things. Thou needft not, 0 Chriftian, therd·ore envy the Grandecs and Potentates of the Earth, that ruftle and make a noi fe with their Greatnefs; believe it, were it for thy good thou lhouldft be exalted up to their pi tch, and they lhould be brought down to lick the Dull: of thy Feet. Con, fide~ but thefe two things; . F1rft , All Earthly things are to be accounted good or t'Vil, only as thry concem our eternal ftate and condition. You will greatly be deceived, if you look upon things as they appear in themfelves; then you will call Profpcri ty, lt.d Riche~, and Worldly Abundance,Good Things; and Want, and Poverty, and Afflidion, Evil things, if you account and efteem them as they appear in themfclves. But now, confider
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