Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A17320
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The Christians heauenly treasure. By William Burton of Reading in Barkeshire
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Burton, William, d. 1616.
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1608
(1608)
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STC 4168; ESTC S115749
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64,773
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170
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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 Daâ—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 â—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 â—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 lâ—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 lâ—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 Daâ—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
increase his strength that hee was able to beare it on his shoulders when it was an Oxe so doth the Christian Soule by inuring his patience and faith to beare smaller crosses that in time hee is able through daylie exercise of the spirit to beare greater crosses and to put vp mighty wrongs Through negligent slothfulnesse cursed ingratitude prophane abusing of Gods heauenly Graces they may dye and decay in thee but the more they are vsed the more they are increased The glorious Garment and royall Robe of Christ that Sonne of Righteousnesse wherewith Saint Iohn saw the Church clothed is neuer worne out nor shall euer be put off vntill faith and Hope bee abolished their pure Gold that they buy of him is neuer spent and their Sunne is neuer set though sometime perhaps it may bee vnder a cloud The Oyle of gladnesse wherewith they are annointed is like the widdows Oyle of Sarepta wherewith shee paid her debts maintained her selfe her house and yet her Cruse was still full Nay Christ turneth the water of his seruants that loue to enuite him vnto their feasts into wine and the oftner it is powred forth the sweeter it is One Helmet of Hope one Shield of Faith one Sword of the Spirit c. shall last all thy life and saue thee in a thousand battailes of temptations and spirituall conflicts and neuer bee worne for whom the Lord loueth hee loueth â—to the end and his mercies endure for euer There is but one Faith one God one Lord one Baptisme one Word one Spirit and one Hope though there bee many misbeliefes many Diuels many falsehoods many doubts there is but one supreame goodnes though many euils that one shall ouercome all and remaine alwayes the same that we may still sing with the Psalmist The mercies of the Lord endure for euer And as the Christians heauenly treasure doth excell for Perpetuitie so also for Securitie for it is laid vp in heauen where the Lord himselfe dwelleth and from whence hee laugheth all Theeues both infernall and terrestiall to scorne Many lay vp their treasure in the bottome of a ship and the sea swalloweth it vp but what sea can deuoure those Treasures that are layd vp in heauen Many put their treasure into other mens hands who spend it vainely or runne away secretly but who can spend or runne away with that which is laid vp in heauen Many bestow their Treasure vpon their backe belly and building three such Bees as will sting the land to death if they be not taken heed of and all perish in the vse by fire or by age or by sicknesse or by death but no such thing can happen to those treasures which are laid vp in heauen Many haue houses and lands and riches and friends to day in very good securitie as the world thinketh and by to morrow they are gone or sold or wasted or stolne or dead or turned to another minde but they that haue once laid vp the Treasures of a good life and a good Conscience in heauen shall bee sure to finde them there and to enioy them for euer for they are so kept to his vse that no Theefe can euer steale them from him And howsoeuer some vaine and presumptuous Persons will not sticke through greedinesse of gaine to vndertake for a quantitie of money to secure a mans goods at sea or at land yet considering the miserable vnquietnesse that mans life is exposed vnto and the vniuersall disagreement and warre that is betweene man and all the Creatures in the world yea betweene the Creatures themselues nay more betweene man and man in all estates and degrees nay more than that between euery man in himselfe I see no reason why any man should be so vnwise as to promise vnto himselfe any secure enioying of any worldly commoditie or why another should so confidently or desperately rather vndertake to secure any mans goods or estate when as hee cannot secure himselfe one minute of an houre to an end And first for the miserable and vnquiet estate of this life I see not what can bee said more to discouer the same then hath beene already said by Petrach that learned Italian Oratour the substance of whose discourse concerning this point I thinke will not bee lost labour to lay before thee which briefly is this that considering the vncertaine and sodaine chaunces changes whereunto the affaires and estates of men are subiect nothing can be more fraile nothing more vnquiet then the life of man In other liuing creatures saith hee it is not so and why because nature hath prouided for them a wonderfull kinde of remedy but what is that remedy might not wee enioy it with them Oh no for it is a certaine ignorance of theÌ„selues by reason wherof they inioy their life and being in lesse misery and more quiet then man doth for in vs onely that haue degenerated both our memory vnderstanding our prouidence and all the diuine gifts of our minde are conuerted or peruerted rather vnto our owne toile destruction for are wee not haunted alwayes with vaine and superfluous yea with noysome and pestiferous Cares which cause vs to bee grieued with the present time to bee vexed with the time past and to bee afraid of the time to come If our life were well gouerned it were the most happy and pleasant thing that wee possesse but now so many causes of miseries and nourishments of sorrowes doe wee daylie heape together that we make our life a wretched and wofull toile whose Entrance is blindnes whose Progresse is labour whose End is sorrow and the whole Course error What Day doe we passe oueâ— in rest and quietnes or rather that we finde not more painefull and troublesome then other What Morning haue we euer passed so merry and pleasant that hath not been ouertaken with some sorrow and heauinesse before night What perpetuall warre is it that wee make against Fortune as some speake which know not the diuine prouidence to be the gouernor of all things Wee onely being weakelings and vnarmed take vpon vs to encounter a most fierce foe in vnequall fight and bee againe as lightly as things of naught tosseth vs vp and throweth vs downe turneth vs round about and playeth with vs so that it were better for vs to be quite oâ—ercome then continually to bee had in scorne And the cause heereof is nothing else but our own lightnesse and daintinesse for wee seeme to bee good for nothing else but to bee tossed hetâ—er and thither like a tennis-ball being creatures of a very short life of infinit carefulnes and ignoraunt vnto what shore to fall with our ship or vnto what resolution to apply our mindes And besides the present euill we haue alwayes somewhat to grieue vs behinde our backs and before our eyes to make vs afraid which thing hapnâ—th to