saith Jer. 9 23. Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom neither let the mighty man glory in his might let not the rich man glory in his riches but let him that glorieth glory in this that he understandeth and knoweth me that I am the Lord. But let him glory in this that he knows me Here is the sweetness of all Gospel commands the Lord is pleased to fet them upon a right Object he doth not forbid laying up of Riches but be rich to God he doth not forbid adorning and bravery but saith he be adorned with humility love not the world nor the things of the world not absolutely forbad but comparatively only sets it upon the right object still That 's the first thing I observe by way of premise Secondly it is observable also that there are divers ways of treasuring the Text names two some there be their treasures are on earth and some there be whose treasures are in heaven But observing the Scripture I finde there are three sorts of treasures among men men do lay up treasure three wayes and in three places First Thesauri in terra men lay up treasures upon earth that is they place their happiness in the things below they savour nothing else they mind nothing else look only to the things that are seen and have no higher end in all their ways Now these men all their treasure is upon earth It s well observed by one finis amatus intentus thesaurus dicitur that which a man doth love and aim at that 's his treasure for a mans chief good and utmost end are the same Now men that have no End beyond this life have no treasure beyond this world but all the projects of their lives they are terminated here below that look for nothing beyond the life that now is only in this world let me be rich and honorable and let me live in bravery and gallantry while I am here in this they please themselves and take this for their portion now these are the men that lay up treasures upon earth But there are Secondly Thesauri in Gehenna another sort of treasures some men lay up treasures in hell you have such an expression Rom. 2. 5. Thou after the hardness of thy heart and impenitency dost treasure up wrath against the day of wrath Here is a man that lives in sin this man is a treasurer too but he lays up treasures in hell there is a treasure of sin and a treasure of wrath and as the manÌ„ adds to the one God adds unto the other therefore you must know that as sin doth ripen so doth judgement as sin increases so doth wrath Ezek. 7. 10. the prophet hath this expression The rod hath blossomed pride hath budded spoken of Gods bringing wrath upon the Jâ—ws by Nebuchadnezzar for as sin ripens so the affliction ripens nay in Zach. 5. 8. there is an ephah that notes the full measure of their wickedness and a talent of lead propoâ—tionable to the sin that covers the mouth of it as you fill up the measure of your sins so you fill up likewise the measure of the Lords wrath oh that men would but consider this then you only think you carry on one treasure but remember there is another treasure goeth on you treasure up sin God treasures up wrath 3. Thesauri in coelo There are a third sort of treasurers that lay up treasures in heaven place their happineâ—◠〈…〉 good in nothing 〈…〉 â—â—â—ven that take aim◠〈…〉 this life the things present are the succors of their way but far from being made their journeys end The Philosopher could observe every man is as his utmost end is what thy utmost End is what thy chief good is that art thou if thy end be earthly thou art a man of earth if thy end be heavenly thou art a Citizen of heaven therefore the Scripture speaks as in Psalm 10. last verse That the men of the earth may no more oppress and Psal 17. 14. They are the men of this world Why the men of this world their portion is in this life they have no good beyond this life therefore their utmost end is not beyond this world and so likewise why are the people of God said to be Citizens with the Saints Eph. 2. 19. and to seek after a Câ—ty whose builder and maker is God Hebr. 11. 10 16. what is the reason that he hath prepared for them a city they are therefore said to be Citizens of heaven because their End their chief good is beyond this life that 's the second thing to be premised There are several sorts of treasures some lay up upon earth others in Hell and some lay up in heaven Thirdly we are to observe here Modum praecepti the manner or nature of this command Lay up treasures in heaven Christs meaning is not that men should lay up nothing upon earth that 's not the meaning nay to lay up upon earth is their duty Prov. 6. 6. Vain man is sent to the Ant upon that account that lays up in Summer against Winter T is a lesson that the bruit Creatures must teach nay 2 Cor. 12. 14. Parents ought to lay up for their children saith the Apostle He that provides not for those of his own house is worse then an infidel Then t is not unlawfull to lay up upon earth but what then is the meaning I finde three hints given by Interpreters which all will help to explain it Not upon earth Non ut adversetur sed ut subjiciatur Coelo Do not lay up treasures on earth as contrary to treasures in heaven but lay up treasures on earth as they may be helpfull to treasures in heaven There is a second hint Camnissius and others give Non absolute tanquam ex necessitate objecti do not lay up treasures on earth as if there were an absolute necessity of it and a man could not live without it according as God gives opportunity so men may make provision for their own comfortable being and those that God hath given them but not as if I and my posterity were undone without it They think they cannot live without so much by the year How many poor simple people have we heard of that cannot live happily without so much a year Luk. 12. 15. Take heed and beware of covetousness for the comfort of a mans life comes not in from the abundance of things that he possesses Happily thou mayest have so many thousands a year and yet be a poor miserable man and live a wretched life all thy days for all that There is yet another hint Coelo neglecto do not lay up treasures on earth how that is so as to neglect heaven Let not this be a means to take off your hearts from higher things if it be your treasure on earth it is your curse and plague therefore look to it you whose estates take off your hearts from the things of God and eternity God hath given
29. But the soul of my Lord shall be bound up in the bundle of life with the Lord thy God but the soul of thine enemies them he will sling out as out of the midst of a sling to have Davids soul bound up with God in the bundle of the living that you may a little understand but to have ungodly mens souls slung out by God out of the midst of a sling what is that to sling souls truly there are three things in it First it notes distance as when you sling a stone you cast it far from you The Lord shall put the wicked far from him Such expressions are frequent in Scripture Secondly it notes a distance in Judgement as the Lord binds up souls in the bundle of the living in mercy So in wrath he slings out the souls of ungodly men Thirdly it doth not only note distance but violence when the Lord will do it with a sudden violent motion as when stones are slung out of a sling when the souls of ungodly men have nothing to rest upon but yet some chief good they fancy to themselves which they think if they could obtain they would be at rest I am perswaded there is many of them do think if I had as much riches as much honors as much pleasures as I would my soul would then be satisfied and be much content as the fool in the Gospel Soul take thy rest thou hast goods laid up for many years thus every man hath some chief good or other to which his soul tends and till he attain it his soul is restless this is the first particular for the opening of the Doctrine Secondly every man hath some chief good in this life in regard of election my meaning is that there is some chief good he chooses to himself in this life I do not say he enjoys it in this life for the hope of the Saints is not in this life but yet for all that they choose it here below thou hadst in thy life time thy good things it s not only true of ungodly men but even of godly men only the one hath fruition in this life the other but election only the one enjoys his portion here the other hath it in the life to come but a portion he doth choose here the election is below the fruition is to come for remember that Solomon saith There is no invention in the grave whither you are going so there is no election in the grave the good that you choose here to your selves you must enjoy for ever some choose pleasures some choose wantonness some choose vanity Truly look to it that is no portion that which you have chosen here you will enjoy hereafter consider withall that after death is the Judgement Heb. 9. 27. the meaning is not the general Judgement though that be after death but a long time after death but the Judgement that passeth on every particular man when he dyeth that Judgement will be an eternal Judgement there will be no reversion for there is a gulph set between us and you an eternity of estate that follows this life therefore while you live here indeed there is a translation a man may change his chief good he that made wealth honour or pleasure his chief good he may by the patience of God choose the Lord for his chief Good but after this life there is no change that which is your chief good in this life you must content your selves with for ever every man hath in this life his chief good I mean not in regard of fruition but of election Thirdly every man in this life hath his own chief good it is your treasure that which is one mans treasure is not anothers thy good things and your treasure and their portion this the Scripture speaks of these things for you must know every man doth choose to himself a good that may properly be called his own As pray will you but observe in Isa 33. 6. The fear of the Lord is his treasure Mr. Calvin and some others do observe that this is peculiarly spoken of Hezekiah and in him of the Church of God and it s said wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times the fear of the Lord is his treasure Pray what is meant by the fear of the Lord I conceive these two things as usually the fear of the Lord carries with it this double sense 1. Reverential fear and awe of the majesty of God from a right apprehension of his greatness and holiness so Prov. 1. 17. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom that is God being rightly known and the soul thereby duely overawed a man had never any wisdom till this entred into his soul nay the word is the top of wisdom In this lies the perfection of all his wisdom if he had never so much Secondly by the fear of the Lord also is meant an awfull worship of God to worship God with reverence and godly fear the Prophet speaks Psal 19. 9. The fear of the Lord is clean he speaks it of the worship of God compare the true Religion with all Religions in the world all their worship is defiled they be the more defiled for all their worship whereas they that worship God in his way they be the more holy now will ye set what was Hezekiahs great treasure the fear of the Lord is his treasure that is in the holy awe he had of God and the constant worship he performed to God in these lay his treasure but is this every mans treasure No I can tell you a great many account the worship of God their burthen look on it as their misery not their treasure How comes it to pass that every man hath his own treasure On these three accounts a treasure or chief good may be said to be his own 1. From the differing lights men have some men see good where other men see none 2 Cor. 4. 18. We look upon things that are not seen Some men have such eyes other men can go no further then the sight of their eyes and so some men have the eyes of their understandings inlightened to know what is the riches of glory in the Saints Ephes 1. 17 18. other men cannot see so far off neither the riches and glory the Saints have in their salvation nor Christ in them but 2 Cor. 4. 4. the god of this world hath blinded their eyes that is they look upon every thing as the Devil represents them you know when Satan tempted Christ he shewed him all the Kingdoms in the world and the glory of them The Devil represented them in his own glass Take a poor creature that thinks riches a gallant thing and honors a very fine thing hee sees these as the Devil represents them But for the duties of Gods worship the word of God and a regular walking he sees no excellency in these Why Because these are represented in a glass that makes them
treasure that he doth glory in every man gloryeth in it every man values all other men according to that he makes his treasure and he that fails of that he looks upon him with an eye of scorn and contempt be it what it will I instanced before a man that makes riches his treasure let a person be never so honorable wise and learned he will despise him and so a godly man values himself according to his interest in God and all other men according unto it Tantus quisque est quantus est apud Deum every man is no more worth then he is of value in Gods account Christ doth so Psal 16. 3 4. The Lord is my portion the lines are fallen to me in a goodly place I have a goodly heritage the Lord is my portion the Saints glory in God and make their boast of him all the day long Lastly whatsoever is your treasure you must use all means that you may add unto it or your interest in it a treasure is increased by continual addition whatever therefore may give a man a further interest in God that is the way a man is to take and sell all to buy it for he is to sell all that buys the pearl that which is treasure as now it is the worship of God the fear of the Lord is his treasure Isa 33. 6. by the fear of the Lord is meant the worship of God why doth he lay up treasure in the fear of the Lord yes he gets a further interest in God why are good works a mans treasure because God rewards a man according to his works and he shall have a further interest in God and therefore the worship of God and all the works of obedience and the exercise of all grace a man is busied in all these because it adds to his treasure gives him a further interest in him Who is his God and his al-sufficient reward Fourthly and lastly to give some Arguments to inforce the Exhortation Is there a treasure to be had in Heaven and is it to be had in God do not be such enemies to your souls as to neglect it and that I may inforce this Exhortation take with you these few Arguments and pray mark them well Remember First no treasure below God will be lasting there will come a time when all treasure laid up below God will be expended and what will you live upon then the Apostle tells us the world passes away and the fashion thereof 1 Cor. 7. 29. He uses the expression the time is short what 's the meaning of it t is a Metaphor taken from things folded up there is very little part of it left it is come almost to the last fold which may help a little to explain that expression Psal 36. 10. Continue or draw out thy loving kindness to them that love thee The Metaphor may seem to be the same that is there is abundance of love folded up and but little winded off there is an eternity to spend but now for all these outward comforts there is a great deal worn out and but a little more behinde how many men have you seen already out-live them but to be sure they will out-live the lives of the best men therefore remember no Treasure below God will last Secondly consider this heaven is the place where you hope to go carry your treasures with you or send them thither before you there is no man will remove from a place and leave his treasure behinde him and poor soul thou leavest a great estate and a fine house behinde thee and thou hopest to go to heaven and thou hast no treasure there it s the observation of one upon this place Lay up treasures in heaven carry your provision carry your treasure with you you hope to go to heaven and if that be a true and lively hope you would endeavor to lay up treasure there Thirdly consider with your selves if you lay up treasure in heaven as God is a true Treasure so God is a faithful treasurer what thou dost commit to him he will keep safe and he is a treasurie able to supply all your wants and to make you happy for ever he is self-sufficient in himself much more will he be al-sufficient to thee do not rest in any thing that is below God but lay up treasure in him Nay let me tell you further and pray mark it any treasure here that is below God if it be thy treasure in this life it will be thy tormentor in the life to come Jam. 5. 3. ye have heaped treasure together for the last day he speaks it of rich men and he tells them that they have laid up treasure against the last day there is a double interpretation given of it some expound it of the last day of the world the day of judgement some of the last day the end and period of the Jewish state which the Apostle speaks of and St. John speaks of this is the last hour I conceive it spoken of the Judgement coming upon the Jewish State take it which way you will the thing leaves us a clear argument if you take it for the last day of the State when judgements come upon persons or people then when judgements come your riches shall be the greatest plagues you have but refer it to the last day of the world riches then take their leave of a man they cease then to be treasures but they will be tormentors the Apostle tels them the rust of them shall be a witness against them they have heaped up riches against the last day take heed therefore Take this for a rule That which a godly man hath wrought upon him at his conversion that a wicked man is sure to meet with at his destruction that which was his treasure before he then looks upon as his greatest plague and torment as Ephraim What have I to do any more with idols and saith to his idols Get ye hence Look upon Iudas his money was his treasure before when he comes to hang himself he casts that away and the word carries a great deal of displeasure with it this is the money that hath undone my soul and so many a one will say when he comes to die the love of an estate the things of this life the love of pleasure or honor this hath undone me for ever when it ceases to be your treasure then it becomes your tormentor I have one word more It is one of the great studies of the times what they may do now to keep what they have got Non minor est virtus quam quaerere partatueri What shall we do to preserve what we have got Truly let me speak plain unto you the only way to preserve our treasures on earth is to make sure of this treasure in heaven that 's the only way pray look into Prov. 15. 6. but in the house of the righteous is much treasure in the horn of the wicked is trouble
there shall be a perpetual separation between him and the thing he loves whereas the greatest cordial to godly man is the contrary and therefore an ungodly man when he dies his love dies because he is continually separated from the thing he loves for love ceases in him and all the comforts in the acts of it so because a godly man shall never be separated from the thing he loves therefore a godly mans love shall be made perfect I am afraid saith one I shall lose my estate another I shall not die in honour a third I shall be cut off from such a pleasure that is the comfort of my life by this you shall know your love what you fear to be separated from that the love of your hearts goes out after Lastly Love is victorious love is strong as death Cant. 8. 6. Strong as death why saith the Apostle Rom. 5. death hath raigned here lies the strength of death it exercises such dominion as no man was ever able to stand out against its Scepter No standing out against it there is a kinde of dominion in love Consider I pray look unto the love that men bear to the things of this life Let them have the riches of Christ and the glory of heaven tendred them as the young man in the Gospel had Sell all that thou hast and thou shalt have treasure in heaven the love of the world overcomes love is victorious so on the other side offer a godly man all the comforts of this life whatsoever his heart could wish yet not withstanding his love to God outbids them all for love is like lime in that respect Many waters cannot quench it no the more water you pour upon it the more it burns Consider I pray but that very instance of Luther in his Epistle to Henry the eight King of England he speaks of the abominable slanders that were cast upon him for they did not spare him in that kinde they that thirsted for his blood did not spare to blast his name but what doth he say of this Si absque animorum suorum damno fieri posset ex omnibus talia audirem Lutherus pascitur convitiis the truth is if this could be done without hurt to their own souls I should be glad if all the men in the world would lay as much upon me as they could By these reproaches I am made fat a man would have thought that this would have mightily cooled the mans zeal and earnestness in the profession of Religion and the doctrine of the Gospel no his love to truth overcame these so pray consider wherein are you Conquerors for not only faith overcomes the world but love conquers the world Examine what proffers so ever thou hast made thee it may be the great things of this world honors preferment riches reputation and whatever else but still love to Christ and the interest of Christ overcomes Try your selves by these Rules where the love is there is the heart where the heart is there is the treasure and there is the heaven and the happiness And so much for the Doctrinal part For the Application there are three Uses that I shall propose to you of it The first is general a Use of Instruction in two things First from hence see the fulness of the Scriptures every short sentence you see how full of mysterie it is the Jews have an ordinary Proverb among them In lege non un a literula a qua magni non suspensi sunt montes there is not the smallest things in Scripture but there are great truths depending upon them and therefore the Father cryes out Adoro plenitudinem scripturae that he did admire the fulness that he found in the Scriptures of God I speak it the rather because many things in the Scripture we are apt to pass over with a slight eye It is an observation one hath worth our note Intoleranda est blasphemia asserere in Scriptura vel unum inveniri verbum otiosum It is the greatest blasphemy that can be to think that in the word of God there should be found one idle word he that will judge you for idle words will not write one idle word unto you that is certain admire the fulness of the Scriptures from what you have heard The Jews indeed were superstitious in this they made great matters of every word and tittle in the Law but what they did in a way Cabalistical that you should do in a way truly Christian and spiritual there is one place which because Chrysostom instances in I shall briefly hint to you t is but barely to give you an instance 1 Tim. 5. 23. Drink no longer water but use a little wine for thy stomack sake and for thy many infirmities Chrysostom hath eight wonderfull great truths out of this ordinary Scripture and I speak it to this end that you may pass by nothing in the Word but that you may labour to understand wonders in it as 〈◊〉 Godly men out of love to duty neglect the body Secondly Godly men are very watchfull and moderate in the use of the creatures least they should be brought under the power of them they be great truths and clear in the Text what need Timothy else to make a great scruple about drinking of wine but he must drink water also Thirdly consider in this weakness he did not cease from his charge he had infirmities yea open infirmities but yet he did not neglect the preaching of the Gospel and the affairs of the Church Fourthly Godly men may yet too far neglect their bodies even to offend therein for he prescribes him this that argues he did not do his duty to repair the breaches made upon his body Fifthly use a little wine every creature is good in its season yea those creatures that commonly by men are most abused Sixthly Godly men may be subject to great bodily infirmities and often men of great service when ungodly men and of little or no use in the world are healthy and strong yet many a man of great service in the Church of God are subject to great and often infirmities Seventhly In the decay of Nature the creatures are to be used for its repair but according to the proportion of natures necessities and Lastly there is a moderation appointed in the receiving of the creature even when a man doth it for necessity for he that prescribes him the wine prescribes him the measure drink a little wine he prescribes him to use herein as medicine Now when men read over such portions of Scripture let them consider and learn there may be great mysteries in the smallest portions of Scripture and know this when the word of God upon this accompt becomes sweet to a man and men love to hear it delight to meditate upon it it s a great argument of growth in grace and spiritual knowledge in that man as Quintilian tels us It is a great argument of a mans profiting in eloquence the
for light and light for darkness because the rule of their judgment is their chief good and a mistake there makes them to erre that is the second Thirdly if a man mis-place his chief good this will cause him to mis-place all the affections of his soul all his life long all the affections of his soul will be set wrong and run upon wrong objects the holy Ghost speaks of a perverse generation crooked and perverse when all the affections of the soul are set wrong and run cross to every thing they are so perverse now thus you shall find a man that hath his chief good here below his treasure on earth he loves vanity Psal 4. 6. He fears where no fear is he rejoyces in a thing of nought Amos 6. 13. all his affections are set upon wrong objects why they follow his judgement follow that which he looks upon as his chief good there be affections to that which is good in a way of prosecution and affections to that which is evil in a way of aversion and all these are set wrong and all these follow that which a man places his chief good in Other men fear man a godly man fears sin the other rejoyceth in a thing of nought but he rejoyceth in the hope of the glory of God to his chief good his affections are set and is not this a miserable thing to have all the faculties of the soul dis-joynted and set awry Fourthly this makes a man to lose his labour in every thing he doth all his life long if he err in his chief good all his labour is lost every mans labor in this life is in reference to his chief good Joh. 6. 27. Labour not for the meat which perisheth but for that meat which endures to everlasting life Now if a man mistake and mis-place his chief good then all his labour is lost for that is the rule of all his labour you will say it was a miserable curse that upon the Princes of Zoar they made Egypt to err in every work of their hands as will you but consider Prov. 11. 8. the wicked works a deceitfull work why a deceitfull work why because the man is deceived in his chief good and therefore their work never answers their labor they weave a spiders web but it never becomes a garment he that mis-places his chief good he is deceived in every work of his hands he spends his parts his time in vain he sows the wind and reaps the whirlwind Fifthly this only will destroy the man oh consider this error only is the damning sin a man may be deceived in a particular good thing or action and his soul be saved in the day of the Lord there is not the best man on earth but in many things Satan deceives him in many things he may err and miscarry but if he be not deceived in his chief good his soul shall certainly be saved for all this Now that which is your chief good here by way of election shall be your chief good hereafter in way of fruition as for example as t is in errors in matter of Doctrine the Apostle 1 Cor. 3. 11 12. speaks of such a man as holds the foundation and builds hay and stubble upon it that is is deceived in doctrines of lesser concernment he shall lose his labour but his soul shall be saved for all that so here in errors in matter of Practice good things to be obtained if a man err in a particular good thing his soul may be saved but if he err in his chief good he will be destroyed this is that which destroys the soul Lastly consider if there were nothing else but this it is the greatest delusion and the absurdest cheat that can be in the world for a man is deceived and makes that his happiness which is quite contrary a chief good must have a quite contrary ingredient It is observed by Austin that Blessedeness requires two things First a chief good is that which cannot be lost now you place your chief good in things below and Christ tels you The rust and moth corrupts and thieves break through and steal therefore to make them your chief good is a perfect cheat Secondly happiness requires impeccability the soul is put into a condition that it should not sin Now whoever he be that mis-places his chief good even in so doing he lives in a continual way of sinning for t is setting up another God he that places his chief good in any thing below God and heaven for to be your God and your chief good is all one In all these respects see what a miserable condition that man is in who mis-places his chief good when his heart should be on things above he sets it upon things below And thus much for the Use of conviction the Lord set it on upon our consciences Do not misplace your chief good do not be cheated and befooled in that for t is that deceit which is destruction Is this a truth that every man that lives in this world hath somewhat that he lays up as his treasure why then take Christs exhortation in the verse before the text lay up for your selves treasures in heaven that is the exhortation if every man hath a treasure then lay up for your selves treasure in heaven which before I can come to open there are three things that I thought necessary to premise before I come to press home the Exhortation upon you And pray mark for they are very profitable things First some do observe here praecepti suavitatem the sweetness of Christs commands see how he applies himself to the desires of a man the Lord Jesus notes this that as man in outward things is a prudent so he is a provident creature man is not content to have enough for the present he must lay up somewhat for time to come the Lord Jesus doth not forbid this here is sweetness of the Command if you will be laying up treasure I will tell you where you shall lay it up to purpose where you shall lay it up for time to come Indeed he tels you where is the true and the safe treasure you will be treasuring why then that you may not deceive your selves lay up treasure in heaven You have abundance of instances of this in Scripture as for example Luk. 10. The 72. Disciples are sent forth to preach the Gospel and they return with joy saith the Text that devils were subject to them Christ doth not forbid their joy but rectifies it set your selves to rejoyce in this that your names are written in heaven And so men are prone to fear evil he doth not reprove their fear Matth. 20. 18. but fear him that can cast body and soul into hell I say fear him he doth not forbid their fear altogether but sets their fear upon the right objects and so also men are apt to glory in some excellency Christ doth not altogether forbid their glorying but