Book III. THE WORD OF GOD COMPARED TO GOLD. 557 airy and empty, and, when weighed in the Ballance, as light as Vanity, and hot to be reo-arded; but what God fpeaks, is firm. And fuch as find it not heavy and weigh~y now, fo as to let it fink into their Hearts, !hall find it will one Day fink them down to Hell: "fhe Words that I fpeak jha!l judge )'OU at the /aft Day, John xii. 48. S 1 M I L E. P A R A L L E L. IV. Gold hath much Beauty IV. So is the Word of God. The Gofpel is and Splendor in it; the Calor faid to be glorious, it is indeed tranfcendenrly !hines and is glorious. excellent; its Glory lhines forth, and may be de– monftrated many ways, 2 Cor. iv. 4See Meta– V. Gold is made ufe of to deck and adorn with. The Father of the Prodigal called for a Ring to pur upon his Finger. Nay, more than this, the Crowns of Kings and Princes are ufually made of Gold. phor Light. V. The W0rd of God moll: gloriouny decks and adorns every true Chriftian, that hath Store of it in his Heart, in whom it dwells richly. The Church is faid to be clothed with wrought Gold; the Word of God, and the Graces thereof, are doubrlefs intended thereby. The Gofpel is the Saint's Crown and royal Diadem ; lhould God fuffer it to be taken away, they may cry out with lfrael of old, '!'he Crown is fa/Jm from our Head, wo to us that we have .finned, Lam. v. 16. The Law of God IS fard to be an Ornament unto the Head, and Chains about the Neck, calleu, Cant. i. 10, Chains of Cold. VI. Gold is ufed to make VefVI. The vVord of God is made ufe of by fels. vVe read, that God appointed Jefrts Chrift, to make many golden Veffels, go!-· under the Law many Veffels to be den Saints, golden Churches, called by the Spi– made of pure Gold; divers fuch rit goldm Candlejlicks, Rev. i. 20. No People in were in Solomon's Temple all which the World are fo glorious, precious, and amiable, were fio-urative. as God's People. See Cand!ejlick and Vejjet. VII."Gold is durable : It abides VII. The Word of God is durable. All the the Fire, it will not lofe or waite Endeavors of wicked Men from time to time by being put into the Furnacc, as have been to delhoy the Word ; it hath been in o:her Metals wtll. many Fires, as I may fay, and yet it remains and abides the fame. Heave~~ and Earth /hall paft away, but my fVord jha/1 110t paft a·way, Matt. v. 18. All Flefh is Craft, and all the Glory of Man as the FloweF of the Field: '!'be Craft witbereth, and the Flower thereof fadeth away. But the Word cf the Lord mdureth for e·ver: And this is the Word -.vhich by the Gofpe! is Preached to you, 1 Pet. i. 24, 25. VJII. Gold enriches him that Vll l. The vVord of God is of a Soul-enrichfinds much of it: It is eftecmed as ing Nature; it enriches rhe Mind wit h the Wif– a precious and principal Treafure; • dom and glorious Knowledge of Jefus Chrift, and as fuch , both in former and and bleffed Experience of his rich Love and later Times, hath it been hid and Grace : Let the Word of God dwell in JOlt richly, laid up: 'J'hou jhalt heap up Cold in all Wzfdom, Col. iii. 16. No Treafure is like to as the Dufl, &c. Job xxii. 25. Tythe Treafureof God's \Vord: We have this 'I'rea– rus heaped up Silver as the Dufl, Jure in earthen Vef!els, 2 Cor. iv. 7· (See Metaphor and fin" Gold as the Mire of the Treafure.) David hid it, Pfal. cxix. 11. and Streets, Zech. ix. 3· Mary, as a precious Treafure, laid it up in her Heart. IX. Men take much pains to get Gold, they dig through Hills and Mountains for it, and end Lire much Labor and P.tin before they can obtain it. IX. So thofe that woulc! be enriched with the Word of God, have much of it in their Heads and H earts, mufl: take Pains; they mufl: dig in thefe golden Mines, as it were, for it. Search the Scriptures, faith Chrifl:, John v. 39· It is a \Vord taken from Miners, fuch as ferk for Gold ; they mull: do it carefully, vigorouOy, and refolvedly. If they would find the Power, Vir– tue, and Excellency of the Word, fo as to make it their own, they mufl: feek for it as hidden Treafure, Prov. ii. 4· X. Gold is a Sort of Metal that is often tried, to fee if it be what X . The Word of God is called a tried Word it has been tried by many thoufand Chrifl:ians: • Plin. lib. 33• p. 45'· 7 c and
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