Ver. 16, 17, 18. xtevth Chapter of St. MATTHEW. 8 i be faid, Prov. 17.16. Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to get wifdorri, feeing he bath no heart to t fe it. Reafon and Parts are a Price put into your hands, fo is Time and Strength, fo are Riches and Power, fo are Ordinances and Provi- dences, and indeed all the. Bleffings of this life. God muff be gainer, and all() your /elves. In a fpiritual fence he mull have a (hare in your Time, Strength, Wealth and Power ; and you mull gain by every Ordinance and every Providence 'lone- thing whereby you may be more fitted to glorifie his name, and to do good in your generation. But more particularly, Talents may be referred to two Heads, dona f.anaificantìa, and adminiftrantia; Graces, helps, and faving Gifts. (I.) Dona fanetificantia, San&ifying Gifts, or the Graces of theSpirit ; there are higheft, and are called the true Riches, Luk. 16. u.. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous Mammon, who /hall commit to your trait the true riches ? To be . nutted with an Eftate is not fo great a truft as to be trufted with trace : This is a Gift more precious, and ihould not lye idle. God trufts ordina- ry men with common Gifts, before he truth them with Grace. When we fuf- pea that a Veffel is leaky, we try it firft with Water, before we fill it with Wine. God expefleth more honour from NewCreatures, than he doth from all the World betides ; that they íhould do more good in their places : Partly, becaufe they have new obligations by Redemption, 1 Cor. 6. 20. Tou are bought with a price, therefore glorifie God in your Bodies and Souls which are Gods. You are twice bound, and a ' double Obligation will inferr a double Condemnation, if we anfwer it not. And Partly, becaufe by Regeneration they have new difpofrtions, they are more fitted to glo- rifie-God, and do good to others, Eph. 1. 12. That we fhould be to thepraife of his Glory. Their ,a H+ =t, their New -being fitteth them to honour God. They ferve mainly for this very ufe, and therefore this Duty of trading for God, lyeth firff and moft upon them Wherefore bath God created them a -new inChrift Jefus,but to glorifie his name, and admire his Grace, and live anfwerable to his Love, and to bring him into requeft among all about them ?. Mat. 5. 16. Let your light fo fhine before men, that they may fee yó.er good works, and glorifie your Father which is'en Heaven. They that are emi- nent for the profeffìon of Godlinefs, and are fet as lights in the World, or a city upon an Hill, thefè íhould bring much Honour to God, and provoke others to do fo ; as the Stars which are the fhining part of Heaven, draw eyes after them, if they íhould be eclipfed, they fee the World a wondring : fo íhould they thine . as lights in the midfi of a croaked, Generation, Phil. a. t 5. or as the Star that thined at Chriffs Birth conduced the Wile men to him ; fo íhould they by their Pro feflion and pra &ice lead others to Chrifl. (a.) Dona Adminfftranria, Subfervient Helps : Now thefe are of feveral forts. First, Either Gifts of Nature, both of the Mind, and of the Body: Of the Aliml, as promptnefs of Wit, clearnefs of the Underflanding, foundnefs of Judgment, or fdlid Wifdom; all thefe were given you of God, and he expeas an Improvement of' there for his Glory ; that every man íhould be what he is for his Creatour. 'Twas a good raying of Epiltetus in 19rrian ; Si effern Latina, &c. If I were a Night- ingale, I would fing as a Nightingale : Si effem Alaida, &c. If I were a Lark, I would piere as a Lark; but now I am a Man I will glorifie God as a Man: But alas how often do men of the belt endowments mifcarry? Ifa. 47. 10. For thou halt tru/ted in thy wickednefs, thou haft Paid, None feeth me. Thy wifdome and thy knowledge it bath perverted thee ; and thou haft 'aid in thine Heart, I am, and none betides me. Sathan made. ufe of the Serpent, who was the fubtileft of Beaffs of the Field, Gen. 3..1. The Devil loveth to go to work with the fharpefl Tools. God hath given great Abilities to Tome above others, to enable them for his Service : Nov the Devil to defpight God the more, turneth his own Weapons againft hìmfelf. But it íhould not be fo : We fhould remember that we have nothing but what we have receive, and who maketh us to di/l'er? r Cor. 4. y. So of the Body, as Health and Strength. Surely there Bona Corporis are Talents. God fitteth every man for the "work wherein he will be honoured by him, Gal. I. 15. Separated from his Mo- thers Womb, with a Body fit to endure travel and hardfhip. Strength 'tis not to be wafted in fin and vanity, but employed for God : It is better it íhould be worn out with labours, than eaten out with ruff. Secondly, Outward Interefts, fuch as Wealth, Honour and Power; thefe are com- fortable to the Animal life, and lay an Obligation upon us, and alto they give us many advantages of doing good, which íhould alwayes be taken hold of, and N ufed '
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