The Excellency of Heavenly Treaforcs. they oot that ftrer\gth in them as ~s i_n his fober Affetl:.ions fo: the things of _Rea~ ven. How violent foever your Afted:tOn$ be to temporal Merctes, fuj)pofc Fnends, Children, Eftate, or the lik.e, yet if you d? value and eftcem Heavenly _things as your Trcafure, this valuation and efteem will have the fway and pre·emmeucy ia two things efpecia\ly. . . . . 1, It will enforce the Soul to u{e more diitgcnce and care ~o mcreafo.lts [ptruur.l Trea[t~re, than to encreafc any temporal good thing whatever. . That IS a Mans Trcafuc,_ to whiCh he is fiill adding and throwing on_e precious thmgs after anpthcr; nor will he cv~r think it can be too full and too nch : And therefore you have that expreffion 1n 2 Pet. 1. 4, 5· Add to your (aith 'tlirtue, and to virtue knowlulge, and to knowledge t cmperanu, and to temperance patience, 11nd !~patience godlincft, 11nd to gotlli~ejs brotherly kindneft, and to br~therlJ kindncfs chanty. See how. the A: poftlc ftnngs up thefe Pearls. Now what is tt you arc moft careful and Jllduftnous to add unto? Truly that which moft Men make their Bufinefs, is to add houfo to hou[c, ttnd land to land, that their names may dwell alone upon the earth. St:ppofe we live~ in Solomon's time when Silver and Gold was as common as Stones m the Street, 1f one Ihould fpend all his time iu gather ing up of ·Straws and ~e~thers, c~uiJ you in rcafon • think that he he made God his Treafure? Yet th1s Js the foohfu and bufie care of worldly Men, that though they might gather up tha~ which is far more prethan Gold and Sil't!er, yet they rather employ themfelves in picking up Straws and Feathers, and think with them to build their own Neft. 13m now there is a holy Covccoufnefs in a Child of God, that makes him frill to be gathering up of , Heavenly Riches, !till he is adding Grace to Grace: And though he thinks, to be the meaneft Chrift:ian in the World is more worth than the \Vorld, yet he would not be content to be the meaneft. As to outward refpetl:s, he is well contented to keep his ftation wherein Providence hath fet him; if he fiand at a ftay in \Vorldly Eujoymcnts, it is no great trouble to him: But he cannot bear a ftanding at a ftay in Grace, there be muft b£ growing, and thriving, and going forward : Let his AffeCtions be fct never fo eagerly 11pon his outward Comforts, yH he is not fo eager to encreafc them as he is his Heavenly Treafure. And that it is fo, appears in two things. Firft, in that he jets an higher price upon opportunitie.r, for the encrcafing of his Heavenly Trett}Ure, tha,1 upou any other feafons and opportunities whntcvcr. 0 what gain and enrichin~ doth he make on a Market-day for his Soul~ SJbbaths to him are precious, Ordinances to him are precious; why? But becaufe in them he fees the Glory of Chrif1 difpla y'd, and the fulnefs of the Promifes unfolded, bccaufc by them his Faith is ftrcngthned, his Love is enflamed, his Hope is confirmed, he goes far more wealthy from them than he came to them; and therefore it is an Argument that he labot1rs to encreafe his Hea'Venly Trc~tfure, becaufe he fets an higher price and value upon Opportunities, to encreafe that Treafure, than he doth 11pon any other whatever. Secondly, It appe~trs, in th~tt he .U willing to ftand ttt .a flint in outward Enjoyments, but he cannot br11r a flint iu Grace. He cannot live upon a fet allowance there; let God deal how he plcafeth w ith him in outward things, let him reduce him to a morfel ot Bread, and to a Cup of Water, it is enough; fo he g ives him but a Benjamiu's Portion in himfelf, let him feize upon all his Ternporals, and take them away: If fo be he doth but in!l:ate him in a great poffeffion of Spiritt1als, he is content; My Body, fays he, can fubfift with a little, but my Soul cannot: 0 my Spiritual charges and expences are great, and multiply upon me daily: 1 have many ftrong Temptations to be refifted, and many prevailing Corruptions to be mortifi ed, and many holy and fpiritual Duties to be performed, and Ihall l be able to defray all this with no. better a fupply? My prefent Stock is not able to maintain it. Still he is complai ning, that he hath too little to maintain him in his work, that he may be fuch a Chriflian as he aims at, and would be; and therefore be cries out, Lord, though I thank thee for what 1 do poflCfs, yet he frill craves more of himfclf, rhou art Infinite, and what is itto enjoy a little of an Infin i te God? More of thy Son , he is All·fufficient : And what is it to have an ln·fufficient Portion in an All ·fufficient Saviour ? More of thy Grace, that is free: And, what is it .to enjoy a limited Portion of unlimited and boundlefs Grace? This is the property of Heavenly Rkhes, that th~y make them that have them ftill to be covetous after Bbbbb> more:
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=