The Excellency of Heaven& Treafares. though hereby is not required atl t1 al reno~ncin!! of all, b~ t. only _a difpof1t ion ?f Heart ro part with a\1, \~hen t hey ft and :1ther m compep non wtth , or: oppo fit~ on to thcfc Heavenly Thmgs; t hough thts only be req.mred: Yet Men's Alfect: Jons are fo glued to the World, and the Follies and Vaniti es be re below, that they count this a hard Bargain, and they had rather forego God, and Chri(t, and the grea t :1nd glorious Thin~s of Eternity, than t? buy thein at fo dear a rate, as to be willing to part wit~ them all for Heavenl~ Thmgs. . .:- . You fee now what hmders Men from makmg Heavenly Thtngs then· T reaji1re ; beware now that tbefe Things be not charged upon you as your praC\ ical Errour at the laft Day: Let me tell you, it will be fad and dreadful for you to fee poor defpicablc S:~ints let into the full poffeffion of this Treafurc, which here they believed and hoved, and longed for; and you your felves for cleaving to thefe vain and w~rldly Enjoymcnts, to be fhut out in Eternal Torments; what Hor.rO\)f and Dread will this caufe within you? Thus much for the firft · Branch of this Exhortation, Labour to get thefe Heavenly Things to be your Treafure. Secondly, The other branch is, Never reft fatisfied without a full A!furance thar this H eavenly Trea[ure is yours; that you have a fhare in it, and a right to st, Confider, Firft Without this .Ajfurance you can never lii"Jc Comfortably; for though it ba fufficient fo~ your eternal Safety and Security, that God is your Treafurc, and your e1:- ceeding great Reward; yet it will not be fufficient for your prefcnt Comfort, unlefs you know and apprehend him fo to be. And then, Secondly, Without this Aj{urance you can neither live gmeroujly, tU1 d as it becomes a Chrijt ilftJ .: That is, you cannot live above the World without it, nor above the Fears and Flatteric:s, above the Frowns and Fawnings of the World, un.. lefs you have affurancc that God is your Treafure. A Chriihian that knows God is his Portion, he can do thus, he can rejoyce in Tribulat ion, .ind triumph in Affii· /lions, and live fplendidly upon his God, though all the things of this World fail him. In Habbak. 3· 17· Though the Fig-1"ree Jhollld not Bloffom, neither Fruit be in the Vine, the labour of the Olive jhould fail: Though th~ FLock Jhould be cut ,o 1f from rhe Fold, and there fhould be no Herd tn the StaU: What then? Muft not he languifu and perifh with other Men too? No: Yet will I rejoyce in the Lord, and joy in the God of my Salvation. What is the reafon there is fo much bafe compliance, and cringing, and fervilenefs to every humour of Men,, ,but only becaufe Men have no Affurance of any Treafure, b1it what may be taken away from them by Men? 1 need not tell you what Times we are now fallen into; they are perillousTimes, wherein nothing is worth the making fure; nay, indeed nothing can poffibly be made fure: We fee changes and viciffitudes upon every thing, and therefOre make that furc that alone can be made fi1re, and that is God, and HeavenlY, and Spiritual Things : And then, Though the Earth be removed, and the Mountains hurled into the midft of the Sttt; though the Waters roar, ~tnd the Mountains jh4ke; yet God will be Olir Re{l1ge and Strength, a very prefent help. iu time of Trouble, Pfalm. 46'. I, 2, 3· ' Now to thofe that have had this full Affurance, 1 lhall only fpeak two words briefly. I. Liw upon your Trea{ure, by Faith fetch in Supplies f rom it f or all your Exigencies and Nfce!fuies; yea, live "<LE a far higher rate than what the Men of the World can do, that fo they may be convinced, that the vooreft Chriil:ian bath greater fufficiency in himfelf than all the World befides; that theWotld may be convinced, that a Chriftian hath more in God than the greateft Worldling can have il1 all hi,s worldly Poffeffions. l. 7"ake heed of wafting drtd [pending this T"reafure. Indeed, the main Stock cannol. nor fuallnot be fpent; yet take heed of diminifuing the Heap, be ftilt adding rather than wafting of it; truly Sin will both wafte your Treafnre1 and blot your Evidences, and dil.rken that Knowledge a.ndAffuranc:c that you have that thisTreafure is yours. I have but one word more, and that is to exhort you to lay up your Ea~·thly TreA[ureJ in Htavm ; you cannot lay them up in a fafer place. · But you will fay, Horo may thdt be done? Why, if you lay them out for the Honour and Glory of God, and in his Service, you !hall thereby lay them up in Heaven; this is the way to carry Ccccc · Earth
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