THE WORD OF GOD COMPARED TO GOLD. Book IlL SIMILE PARALLEL it is taken to be, whether it be fo and found to be what it is taken to be, viz. pure good, pure, &c. Gold, facred Truth; yea, and fweeter than the Honey, or the Honey-comb, Pfa!. cxix. 103. It never failed them that trufl:ed to it. As for God, his Way is perfetJ. 'The Words of the Lord are pure Words, as Silver is tried in a Furnace of Earth, purified feven 'Times, PJal.. xix. 10. and xii. 6. XI. Men that get much Gold, are fometimes fer upon by Thieves; and are in great Danger of being robbed; and from hence take care to fecure it and themfdves as well as they can; XI. Thofe People, or particular Souls, that do poife(, and enjoy much of the glorious Word of God, are in danger of being fet upon by [pi– ritual Thieves and Robbers; Satan, and many other his Emiflaries, will be fure to a1fault fuch. What Experience hath Englahd had of this for . . . many Years, but more efpecially of late I Hew is it befet by bold, impudent, and bloody Romifh Thieves I What is the Reafon I Why, England is rich, it hath got much Gold in it, much of the Word of God: Here are a rich People, many rich Churches, rich Souls; and therefore this grand Thief hath confulted with many of his Company, to fer upon us, and rob us of all our Treafure. And hence it is we take, or ought to take fuch Care, to fecure the Word of God, and ourfelves from being undone by lofing it. . XII. Gold is known to be a rich XIL So the Word of God is by all true Chrifand fovereign Cordial, and exceltians known, and by common Experience found, lent good to cure feveral Difeafes tO be a moO: fovereign Cordial for the Soul, to of the Body,particularly theKing'srevive and comfort, a defponding and drooping Evil. Spirit, excellent good to cure inward Difiempers. SIMILE. I. GOLD, and earthlyTreafLires, are, bv the Permiffion of God, at the Will and Command of Men. Daniel tells m, that the vile Perfon fhall have Power over the Treafmes of Gold and Silver, &c. They may take away, and difpof– fefs us of the befl: of earthly Things. 1!. Golcl may canker and cor– rupt: Your Gold and Silver is can– kered, and the Ruft of them jhall be a Witnefs agail!ft )'OU, ]ames v. 3· D l S P A RI T Y. I. Tl-IE Word of God received into the Heart, viz. into the AffeCtion and Underfl:and– ing, &c. no Man can take it from us; it is not in their Power to rob and dilpo1fefs us of this facred Gold. They may take away our Bibles out of our Hands, but cannot take the Word of God out of our Hearts, as it is engraven upon the flefhy Tables thereof. II. The Word of God is incorruptible, fo pure, that it can never canker, neither lofc any of its excellent Glory, Bc·auty, and Virtue, it ad– mits not of any Rufl: or Pollu;ion : Being born again, not of corruptible Seed, but of incorrttptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever, t Pet. i. 23. !IL ThouohGold will do many III. The Word of God enriche,, beaotifies, Things for the Body, yet it canand purges the Soul: Now are you clean, through not profit the Soul; it will beau· the Word that I ha-ve fpoken unto you, ]ohn xv. 3· tify and enrich the outward Man, He is fpiritually the richefl: Man, that hath moft but it cannot beautify, purge, or of the Word of God abiding in him, who hath enrich the inward MJn. fiore of precious Promifes laid up againfl: a Time. IV. Gold and Silver will not farisfy or fill rhe craving Defires of Man: Neither is bis Eye Jatif– jied with Riches. He that loveth Silver, jhall not be Jatisjied tbere– with, Ecclef iv. 8. and v. 10. of Need. IV. The 'Word of God received in Truth, is of a Snul-fatisfying Nature: 'Tix Fear of the Lord tendetb to Life, and he that bath it jhall abide fa– ti.rfied, &c. Prov. xix. 23. This is that -water of Life, that whofoever drinketh thereof fhall thirfl: no more, have no more an inordinate and unfati– able Deore after worldly Things. See Water. I N F E R E N C E S. 1. pROM hence you may fee who are the richefl: Men in the World. I!. It reproves them that defire Gold above the Wor.l, and tha~ labor for it above the Bleffings of the Word, and gneve more for the Lofs of It, and . cl
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