'Th; Excellency of Heavenly Trcafores. . Secondl y~ !hM you would r.cver reft fat_iJjied , ti~l )'Du have got a full Ajfurance that thu Treafurc u youn ~ flttd that you are ennched by 1t. The One is t o them ·rhat arc indeed poor, but thwk ~hcmklves rich and. encrea~erl. in Goods~ a11d ftand in need of noth tng. The other IS to them t hat are tndeed nch, but yet do think thcmfclvcs poor and miferable. · · Firit, To them that have no foare in this fiea:vcnly Treafurt: Is there fuch an infinite mafsof riches expofcd.not to falc, but to gift, Riches i ncft imable, invaluable, and unfearchable ; f~ch Rtches that he who would worthily dc::fcr ibe them, muft firft fuffer a tranfiauon, and learn the Tongue of an Angtl to fpcak whole God at every word; and lha\1 not this fl:ir up and quicken your defires to get theft: Riches? What, Sirs, is there _not l Covetous Pcrfon amo ng: you all? Is there not o11e that cares how to be RlCl~? ls Wealth grown fuch a vile and contemptible thing with you, a~ to ltand tn need of oth~r Exhorta tions and Motives bcfides it felf, to commend It to your Acccpta~cc? No, certainly Riches have not loft their AHu.rements; nor have Men loft t~etr Covetoufn.e.fs: If llh~uld tell you this Day of nch Purchafes and large Dot~auons, and of gamf11l ~argaUJs, and the fpecdieft and eaficft way to grow great m the World, and of mvalnable Treafures that you might have. fo_r fetching; how would moft Mens Ears drink in fuch ~cldea Eloquence as thts ~s? 0, where, and how, would bt:! the qneftion of all of you? Why, what then IS the reafon, that when we fet before you the glorious Excellencies of this H eavenly Treafure, th~ leaft_ du!f: and filings of which is enough to bankrupt all that the World calls prec1ous; lt gtves no lcfs than Crowns, Robes and Scepters, God, and Chrifl, and Glory, and Immortality? Wh<it is the reafon that Mens Hearts generally are fo frozen and cold towards thefe things? Why are they not covetous and earneft. in feckinl? after thefe things ? Why, truly, the orand comprehenfive Reafon 1s flat Atheifm; fo many as are carelefs of this Hea- ~enly Trcafure , fo many Athcifts a~e the.re in the World. St. Paul hath told us~ That he that is covetous of Eart.hly thm9s 1!. an ldol~ter; l may tell you, he that is not .Atbeifm a covetous after 8eavcnly thtngs he. IS a flat Arhei.f!• . But now more particularly; gr.wwife . F irft, ~en ar.e not throughly ~onvmctd th~t there.JS ~ndeed fuch aTreafure, or that thi1 of Mens Treafi.JrC tS fo nch, and fo prmous and glonous as Jt JS defcnbed. And why is this, but negl,·Eling becaufc it is hidden'Treajurc? Here thy fee what Pomp and Advantages Earthly Riches ;fTibea;jen~ bring with them; but they never faw the State that an Angel kceps,they never faw 'J rc.:nre. the dtory of the Spirits o( juft Men made perfeU: They never faw the Court and At.- tendance of the Eternal Kmg : They have heard indeed mighty and ftrange Things concerning all theft; but what fhall we do if they prove but Dreams and Fancies? And why then Ihould they trouble themfelves about Uncertainties ? PolliLly they are fuch as arc defcribed, poffibly they are not: Truly thefe are Mens Atheiftical Principles ; and though Men dare not own and profefs it, yet this is at the bottom · of all that deadnefs and indi/ferency that is in moft Men to the Things of Heaven. Now although the bare poOibility of the truth of thefe Glorious Things, and the little danger there is in attempting to obtaim them; though this might prevail with rat ional Men to put them upon earneft Endeavours after them, yet carnal Defires and earthly AffeCtions ftrikiilg in with thefe Loofe, Atheiftical and Carnal · Opinions concerning the certainty of thefc glorious Difcoveries, they fway them fo powerfully to Earthly_things, that all their Thoughts, and Care, and Contrivances are laid out upon them, to the neglt:B:, yea,. to the contempt of heavenly and fpiritual Things : In P[tllm 14. 1. The Fool bath faid in his heart, There is no God: It was but in his Heart, it was but a thin film of a thought that fcarce arrived at the forni of a Conception; yet fee how this bath influence into his Life; they are corrupt they have done abominable works., there is none that dothgood: 0 beware ~here. fore th'at you never entertain a thought in the leaft-wife derogat?ry to the 'nfinitl Glory of Heaven; doubting, or unworth~ thoughts of Heaven, wlllmfenrLbl~ ma~e you carelefs in your Endeavours after It : Be therefore firm :1nd unlh~ken m this belief, That Heavenly Gloty is unfearchable, Tha~ Heavmly Riches are mvaluable_; yea believe that whatever belongs to H ea'Utn, ts before and beyon~ all that IS her~ below ; the more the Eye, though but of an hiftoric~t. Faith~ d1fcovers. ~nd fees of thcfc things, the more will the H and labour and be dthgent 111 theobtammg of them. Secondly, Another rcafon why Men do not labour afte~ this Heaven~y Treafure, js, becaufe they Art not throughly con"..inced rha.t tbry ft a,:d m need of thu HeaT~~~
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