Book I!. CHRIST THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE. 379 METAPHOR. terrible Monfters of the Sea, faith Pliny, lib. ix. cap. 35· HI. It is not an eafy Thing to find Pearl; very few know where to feek for it, it lying ufually at the Bottom of very deep Waters. IV. Pearls are Things of very ·great Worth: 'Ihe richeft Mercban– dzze of all, and the moft foverezgn Commodity throughout the whole World, are thefe Pea..!s, faithPliny, lib. ix. cap. 35· Moreover, he tells us of one Pearl that Cleopatra had, which was valued at fix hundred thouiand Seftertii; hence Men will part with ail for Pearl. V. Yet notwithftanding, many Men and Women do not know theWorth a"d Value of Pearls, and hence they through ignorance ef– teem them not above Pebbles ; Swine tread them under their Feet, they value Peafe above Pearls. VI. Pearls have a hidden Virtue in them; though in Bulk but fmall, yet in Efficacy they are very great. V!I. Pearls are ofa fplendid and Oriental Brightnefs; for which rea– fen the Greeks call them I""PY"f'T"', a nitore fplendente; their Beauty is as much within as without. VIII. A Pearl is round, which is an Emblem of Eternity, it hath .no End. IX. Pearls are firm, ftrong, and well-compaCt, fo as Fire cannot con· fume them, nor ordinary Strength break them. X. They need no other Riches, that find a Pearl of great Price and Value; they are made for ever, as the Proverb is, in refpeCl: of this World. XI. Pearls are a rich Ornament: Such as have precious Pearls in their Ears, or rich Strings of them about their Necks, are looked up– on as honorable Perfons. XII. Pearl is a very rich and fo– vereign Cordial, and is ofexcellent Ufe and Virtue to prevent Poifon, to preferve natural Strength, and purge Melancholy. 2 PARALLEL. tend the Way of true Piety and Godlinefs, Eccl. ii. 4· III. It is no eafy Thing to find Chrift, and ob– tain an Intereft in him; many feek him where he is not to be found, in the broad Way, and by the Merit of their own Performances; few they be that find this precious Pearl, Cant. iii. 2. IV. Chrift is of an ineftimable Value, may well be called the Pearl ofgreat Price. The Worth and Excellency of Chriil: far exceeds the Riches of both Indies. He is the rareft Jewel the Father hath in Heaven and Earth, more precious unto Believers than Rubies, and all that can be deftred cannot be compared unto him : No mwtion jhall be made of Pearl, Job xxviii. r8. Hence the Saints part with all for him, and do account the beft of earthly Things but Dung, that they may win Chrift, Phi!. iii. 8. V. The Lord Jefus, though in himfelf he is fo precious, and prized above all by the Godly; yet wicked and carnal Perfons, by reafon of that fordid Ignorance and Blindncfs that is upon their Underftandings, efteem him not ahove the perilh– ing Things of this World; nay, fome hvini!h Men prize their own beaftly Lufts above Chrift. VI. Chrift hath a hidden Virtue, moll: excel– lent inNature: Though he feems weak, fmall, and defpifed in the Eyes of the carnal World, yet he is the Power of God to Salvation, Rom. i. ro. VII. Chrift is beautiful, ' fair, and lhining ; his Oriental Brightnefs is far above the glorious Splendor and Brightnefs of the Sun lhining in his Strength: He is the Brightnefs of his Father's Glory, and the exprefs Image of his Perfon, Heb. i. 3· Chrift's Beauty is as much within as without. VIII. Chrift in refpeCl: of his Divinity, is from Eternity to Eternity, without Beginning, and without End. IX. Chrift is called a Stone, a tried Stone, and fure Foundation; there is no Fire can confume him, nor can all the Powers of Hell break or mar him. X . They that find Chrift have enough, they need no more Riches ; they are not only made happy here, but alfo to Eternity, and may fay, with Jacob, they have all. X I. Chrill: is the Saints richeft Ornament: Thofe that are graced and adorned with this Pearl, are the moft renowned and honorable Ones in the World : The Righteous are more excellent than their Neighbors, Prov. xii. 26. · X II. There is no Cordial to a difconfolate and drooping Spirit like Chrift; the Virtue of his Blood, and the Comforts of his Spirit, revive im– mediately the lick and fainting Soul. It is he that keeps us from the Poifon and venomous Sting of the old Serpent, that ftrengthens us, and purges our all our Corruptions. XIII. Chrift
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