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A17320 The Christians heauenly treasure. By William Burton of Reading in Barkeshire Burton, William, d. 1616. 1608 (1608) STC 4168; ESTC S115749 64,773 170

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more then they knew of and at last made himself knowen vnto them Gods spirit is called the Comforter and his words are the words of Comfort Sonne bee of good cheare thy sinnes are forgiuen thee Hee hath thy pardon with him in thee and when thou hast most neede hee will deliuer it thee and thou shalt see it with ioy and great gladnes In thee meane time that hee is in thee know by this that thou dost not hate the Lord but loue him and hast an holy desire with some earnest endeauour to serue him to liue honestly and to keepe a good Conscience in all things and art afraid of falling away And surely all good desires are of the Lord. Waite the Lords leysure with Patience seeke for Peace which though thou canst not finde awhile yet by Prayer thou must wayte on the Lord and say Lord because there is mercy with thee that thou maist bee feared I will wayte on thee euen as the eye of a Maid seruant waiteth on the hand of her Mistresse I will condemne my selfe of folly and say O my Soule why art thou cast downe wait on God for hee is thy present help and thy God And thus shalt thou bee restored to the ioy of thy Saluation And as Iob after his manifold tryals had both of Gods goodnesse of Sathans malice his friends vncharitableness and his owne weakenesse had all seauen folde restored vnto him againe So thou after thy supposed losse of heauenly Treasure shalt finde heauenly treasure plentifully restored vnto thee againe When Christ stept aside from his earthly father and Mother to doe the businesse of his heauenly Father hee meant to come againe but in the meane time they sought him with heauy hearts and at the last they found him in the Temple disputing with the Doctors to their great ioy and astonishment So Christ sometimes doth as it were step aside from vs to the end wee may seeke after him and wee may perhaps seeke him with heauie harts but yet at the last we shall finde him with great ioy for they that sowe in teares shall surely reape in ioy Thou hast heard what high commendations are giuen of the Christians heauenly Treasure doest thou beleeue it then lay vp thy treasure in heauen say not as the buyer doth it is naught it is naught for if thou couldst obtaine it with the losse of all the world thou mightst and wouldst brag of thy bargaine But alas how few regard this The poorer sort care not but for backe and belly and neuer repaire with good will to the house of God but when they thinke to receiue an almes like the criple at the gate of the Temple or like the people that followed Christ to haue their bellies filled of free cost Others come to the sermons and prayers of the Church but loaden with their sins their mindes cumbred with pleasures cares of this world to whom the house of God is as a house of correction and they sit there to bee whipped and euery sentence of the Preacher that crosseth their delights or beloued sinnes is as so many lashes and ierkes tormenting and tearing their guiltie Consciences Others againe make the Lords house as it were a market place repairing thether onely to muze and studie of the prizes of their commodities or to make some bargaines or to doe some busines with some whom they haue appointed to meete there Others againe make the house of God their play house and the Pulpit the Theater the Preachers are their fooles and Scripture phrases are their Iests to make themselues merry withall And others goe to the Lords house as children goe to schoole the one for feare of the rod and the other for feare of Lawes and Presentments whereupon the Prouerbe is growen as willingly as euer I went from schoole but these may say as willingly as euer I went for Church but alas poore soules long it will be before any of these kinde of hearers get any heauenly Treasure except they seeke after it with better mindes and affections But now as wee haue heard these Treasures commended for their Excellencie for their Perpetui●y and Security so it will not bee amisse to consider of the Place wher we must seeke for them of the Time when of the Manner how to lay them vp and lastly of the Reason why All which are questions necessarie for the Serpent commended knowledge but withall shewed a wrong way thereunto so all commend the heauenly Treasure but all take not a right course to obtaine it therefore saith the Apostle Sorunne that yee may obtaine Christ is the Treasure and Treasurer And this Treasure is in the ship of Christ that is his Church and no where else The Ministers of the Church or Masters of the Assembly as Salomon calleth them are the factours Now in what roome to search or in what Vessell is the question In Ierusalem there were many chests yet but one Ark that had the holy things and sacred Monuments in it Though there were many Waters yet was there but one Poole of Siloam in which Lepers were cleansed In Christs Ship bee many places but the place of the treasure is but one Saint Paul saith it is in earthen Vessels so say wee too meaning the Ministers of the Gospel because we are in shew contemp●ible and in substance brittle These vessels haue a booke that will shew all if any man can open it and vnderstand it and it is the Word of God contayning the holy Scriptures of the old and new Testament which Christ would haue vs to search because they beare witnesse of him and containe in them eternall life Like a Merchants bill they are which sheweth what commodities are in the ship This booke hath ben by gods prouidence mightily miraculously preserued from time to time from burning drowning and loosing and this priuiledge it hath that it endureth for euer and when heauen earth shall faile yet not one iot or title thereof shall fall to the ground The places then that wee must frequent if wee will finde this Heauenly Treasure are the holy Assemblies of Gods people where God is called vpon by the publike Prayers of the Saints the Word is truely taught and the Sacraments sincerely ministred for the working and increasing of faith and not the conuenticles of Schismatikes who haue seperated themselues from the publike assemblies of Gods Church and are at open defiance with their mother the true Church of Iesus Christ who first brought them to that knowledge and Faith that they haue if in truth and soundnesse they haue any at all That which must discouer vnto vs this heauenly Treasure is the holy Bible and sacred Scriptures of God and not the reuelations of Anabaptists nor the Dreames of the Familie of Loue nor the Iewes Ta●mud nor the Turks Alcaron nor the Popes Portuise nor the Tridentine Counsels nor the Traditions or decrees of the Church of Rome all which will leade
vs to trash but not to Treasure to hell but not to heauen to the flesh but not to the spirit and so from God to the Diuell And being come now to the place and hauing found the Booke that will rcueale this Heauenly Treasure what must wee doe Search the Scriptures saith our Sauiour Christ to shew that there is some hidden Trasure in it more then is seene outwardly or more then they make shew of and so there is And therefore the Word is preferred before Gold albeit most men had rather haue Gold then the Word but Da●id could say that of Gods Word which he could not doe of Gold nor all the world besides and that was this Except thy word had beene my comfort in my Affliction I had perished And Salomon auoucheth that man to bee blessed that findeth wisedome and him happy that getteth Vnderstanding and doubteth not to yeeld this for his reason That the marchandise thereof is better then the Marchandise of Siluer and the gaine thereof is better then Golde It is more precious saith he then Pearles and all things that thou canst desire are not to be compared vnto her Length of dayes is in her right hand and in her left hand riches and glory Her pathes are the pathes of pleasure and all her wayes prosperitie Shee is a Tree of Life to them that lay hold on her and therefore blessed are they that receiue her But to see these are required very heauenly and spirituall eyes euen the eyes of a liuely ●aith for carnall sence cannot comprehend them and worldly wisedome cannot conceiue them yea many laugh at vs because we seeke for life in the death of Christ grace in his curse righteousnesse in his condemnation and comfort in his holy Gospell Verely say they so floweth cold water out of a burning Furnace and so springeth light out of darknesse and hereupon they conclude that none are more foolish then wee which hope for Life at a dead mans hand which aske forgiuenesse at a condemned person which fetch the grace of God out of one that was accursed and flye for refuge to the Crosse as to the onely author of euerlasting Saluation which are all the Treasures that the word of God doth offer vs and therewithall laughing at our simplicitie they think themselues very sharp-witted but alas they want the chiefest thing in true wisedome namely the feeling of Conscience and the ●eare of God-Let vs but enter deeply into our selues and so soone as wee acknowledge our owne wretchednesse the way for vs vnto Christ and for Christ vnto vs will bee by and by paued and made l●uell for as to the attaining of humane Sciences is requisite a fine and well furnished wit so to this Heauenly Philosophie is required a subdued minde for what tast can there bee where is lothing As many then as will not willinglie bee deceiued and perish let them learne to begin with this l●sson to know that they haue to doe with God to whom they must giue accompt let them set before their eyes that iudgement seat that makes euen the Angels to tremble let them hearken to their owne conscience bearing witnesse against them let them not harden their harts against the pricks of sinne and then they shall find nothing in the death of Christ to bee ashamed of And let not their astonishment bee a stumbling blocke to vs but rather let vs bee carryed from the humane nature of Christ to the glory of his Godhead which may turne all curious questions into admiration And let vs goe from the death of Christ to his glorious resurrection which may wipe away all slaunder of his Crosse Let vs passe from the weakenesse of the flesh to the power of the Spirit which may swallow vp all foolish thoughts And let vs still pray with holy Da●id that the Lord would open the eyes of our Vnderstanding that wee may see the wondrous things of his word for not euery one that readeth the booke of God doth come to the Treasure for it is like a Nut with a double shell both which must bee broken before the kernell can bee found or like a Chest with many locks and euery one must be opened before the Treasure can bee met withall To which end the Lord hath appointed Preaching and Preachers and endued them with the tongues of the learned and all to open the hidden Treasures of the Gospell of Christ. To which must bee ioyned a diligent eare a minde to meditate and a sober tongue to confer with thy Pastor and familie and an humble Spirit to bee enformed and reformed by the counsell of God These meanes are called digging and searching laborious exercises indeed to shew what paines and diligence must bee vsed in searching after the heauenly Treasure My Sonne saith Salomon if thou wilt receiue my words and hide my commaundement within thee and cause thine eares to hearken vnto Wisedome and incline thine heart vnto Vnderstanding if thou callest after Knowledge and cryest for Vnderstanding if thou seekest for her as for Siluer and searchest for her as for Treasures then shalt thou vnderstand the feare of the Lord and finde the knowledge of God But if wee bee negligent backward and indifferent or luke-warme then will it fare with vs as with Laodicea wee shall thinke wee are rich and increased with goods and haue neede of nothing when indeed wee are wretched and miserable and poore and blind and naked And alas so it is with too too many and therefore when you come into their houses if the booke of God bee there you shall finde it couered ouer with much rubbill and drosse as Cards and Tables merry Tales with sorry or sorrowfull tailes profane and scurrilous discourses and paultry pamphlets and such like stuffe which domineere ouer the booke of God as the Iewes did ouer Christs in Pilates hall all which should bee swept out of doores or sacrificed in the fire and as for such humorists as do nothing but feede mens humours with idlenesse and ply them with the pleasures of sinne to the losse of their precious time which should bee spent in seeking of the heauenly Treasure say vnto them as Christ did vnto Peter when hee solicited him against the will of God vnto carnall courses Turne thee behind me Sathan thou art an offence vnto mee and sauourest not the things of God The next thing to bee considered is the time of gathering and laying vp this heauenly Treasure for there is a time for all things saith the holy Ghost All in time saith the World hereafter when old age comes or when sicknesse comes or at the houre of death It is not good to bee too forward in Religion or to meddle too soone with matters of God and Godlinesse for a yong man may prooue an old Diuell But heare what God saith thou foolish man Remember thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth