The Excellency of Heavenly Treafores. ------- it. cutfeth for ever. Tell me now, 0 Sinner, art than rich enough in thy felf eo dtfchargc all thefe Debts? Canft thou pay of God to the full for every Mercy thou l13ft received? Canft thou fatisfie him to the full for every Si a thou haft commit~ ted? Doft thou think fl:ill ~ow that thou h~Jl: no need of a 1Y.eaf~~r~ to difchargc all thefe? Poffibly by thts tune thou art convmced thou ftand'ft it need of a Treafure, but it may be thou thinkeft there is none rich enough to do all this: Truly the:e is non: but the 1~reaft!re o~ t~e infinite Merit of Chrijf, who for thofe that bel~eve on h1~1 hath pcud oft all thetr Score; that netth~r God's Mercies, nor yet their own Sms !hall ever be charged upon them to their condemnation· they can plead, L<~rd, here is a full Price, the predo~s Blood of thine own Sod; it was Indeed tlunc own _frc: Grace t.hat beftowed H1m upon us, who is fuch a boundiefs TreafiHc; but bemg mftated Ill that, we do 110 longe r defire to deal with thee u.pon terms of Grace, but upon moft fevere, rigorous,~nd ~da Juftice; what Mer~ cres we have had, they were purchafed for us by thts Pnce; w bat Sins we have committed, they were fatisfied for us by this Expi:nion: And therefore we ftand acquitted in Law. Thus may thofe that have a part in this Heavmty Tre4fure make up their Accounts with a great deal of Confidence: When others that have nothing to difcharge their ~ebts withal, fhall be cafi: into Prifon, whence they fhall never return.. Be convmced therefore of the abfolute need and necefilty that you Itand in of this Heavenly Treafure. Thirdly, Anot~er rufon why 'flo_m_ore labour after this Heavenly Treafure, is, be ~ caufe there are fo je1vMen that are WJilmg to go upon truft. Truly the Riches of a Child of God are in believing? in tru~in~, a~d therefore we h.ave. that Expreffion, Jam. 2. )· The poor of ~hu ~orld nch ~n fmth. Now to bench m Faith only, the World counts a fanta1tlck kmd of Riches, they had rather be rich in prefent Poffenions, they know not the myftery of growing rich by believing, and having nothing: Now the People of God go on truft for their Treafure! and that two ways. Fir It, Their Trcafu.re are iwvijible, in 2 Cor. 4· v. 18. We look not m the things that are fcen, but at the thmgs that are not feen. The greateft part of what a Chriftian doth enjoy, lyes in Invifibles, in the Love of God, in Intereft in him, in Communion and Fellowlli ip with him, in the Actings of Faith, and Dependance upon him. Now tell an earthly carnal Man of fuch a Treafure as this is, he wonders where I yes the Glory and Excellency of it; h€ fees not God, nor Chrift, he fees not that fweet Communion and lntercourfe that there is betwixt God and the Soul; the Things of the World he fees, the Pomp, and Glory, and Splendnr of the Earth, thefe are ObjeUs of his Senfe, they are fenfible Things: And therefore thefc are Things that do aflCa him, but he prizes not invifible Things, becaufe out of fight, out of mind. Secondly, TheJ"r Treafure is not only invi/ible, but future; it is to come: It is but little that a Saint enjoys for the prefent, his great Eftatc lyes in Hope, and in Reverfion; now he lives it may be upon Glimpfes and half Smiles, and very refented Communications of God unto· his Soul: He hath only enough to make hiru to know what that Inheritance is that he expeCts; and where it not that his Faith tells him fometimes how rich and glorious it is, truly he could not live and fllbfift uppn his prefent Incomes: Now there is a body of Sin and Death that keeps him low and mean in his actual Enjoyments; thefe keep in nonage, and barr him from the pofit'!JTion of his Eftate; yea, but when this old Man dies, then there falls to him a large and glorim1s Inheritance, then he is inflated into the prefent polfeffion of all his Hopes, and then he can live as much by fight and fenfe, as the Men of the World now do. Now this doth not affeCt earthly Men, they have fomewhat for the prefent, and they care not for the future; the World is in their Hands, but Heaven is afar of; Eternity is looked upon by them as it is that Which lhall never end, fo it lhall never begin with them; and fo fOolilli Creatures, while they are pleafing themfelves with Empty Enjoyments here be.. low,Eternity comes upon them unexpeB:ed, and they,unprovided for it: And that's a third Reafon. . Fourthly, Few Men are willing to come up to the price of this Heavenly Treafure. Why, what is the Price, you will fay? Truly it is nothing lefs than all, Matth. I3· 46. where our Saviour fpcaking of the wife Merchant, fays, That when had found the P~arl of great Price, he rornt and fold nil that he had, arui bought it, Now though
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