Christ must reign there in righteousnesse and thou must have a soul subdued to his Scepter The Peace of God must rule in thy heart and that is peace in truth when sin reigneth the soul hath no peace with God it may be in a dead sleep Then hast thou this truth of peace with God when the Peace of God ruleth within thee suppresseth mutinous affections subdueth rebellious lusts when the winds and sea obey it and it hath power to calme all the turbulencies and disorders of thy spirit So concerning joy in the Holy Ghost Thou must have thy heart possest with this joy if thou wilt purchase this truth How many read and hear of joy in the Holy Ghost unspeakable full of glory but yet content themselves with such joyes and delights as are full of shame at least full of vanity and end in mourning and misery these are false joyes as one saith Voluptates animi febres earthly joyes are soul-feavers carnall sensuall sinfull delights are even the agues of the inner man For what is the condition of a soul given up to pleasures of this nature but to be in a continuall agitation between hot paroxysmes or burning fits of lust and cold shaking fits of shame and horrour Now as there is a great difference between that unnaturall inflammation of a feaverish body drinking up the radicall moisture wasting the spirits and that kindly wel-tempered heat of an healthy body so there is a vast distance between those vaine and earthly or impure and sinfull delights which waste the conscience and those soul-ravishing sweet serene and heavenly joyes which flow from the bosome of Christ into the breasts of beleevers I might adde many other instances but I forbear Lastly if ye will buy truth ye must improve it It is none of those commodities which a man may buy and then suffer it to lie dead by him no man buyeth the truth but he that buyeth it for use I rejoyced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth as we have received a commandment from the Father It is no arbitrary thing or matter of indifferency but one of the great commandments of God that we should walk in truth and Paul having told the Ephesians Ye are light in the Lord he inferreth walk as children of light Then a man hath bought the truth when he walketh in the light and power of Divine truth when he prayeth humbleth his soul heareth the word and performeth every act of Divine worship in spirit and truth out of such true principles in such a manner with such a frame of heart and such aimes as the truth of God his word requireth when in his place and calling he improveth the truth of God to all purposes Those things which men buy at high rates they desire to make the most of The truth of God being so exceeding precious and costly those that buy it should labour to improve it to the uttermost It is none of those things which are the worse for wearing 2. Let us be perswaded not to thinke any cost too much that we may buy truth And first consider I beseech you what we must cast away which otherwise might hinder us either in getting or keeping truth 2. What we must be content to resigne and yeeld up into the Lord his hands that wee may buy truth The former are such things as are better cast away then kept the very losse of them will be our gain 1. In generall our lusts and sinnes Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God an heart cleansed from the filthinesse of flesh and spirit is like a cleer glasse fittest to give a reflection of those beams of truth which shine from the face of God in Christ The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him and he will shew them his Covenant They that will see cleerly must do away these scales from the eyes of the inner man 2. In speciall let us renounce our carnall and naturall wisdom 1. If any man among you seemeth to be wise let him become a fool that he may be wise for the wisdom of this world is foolishnesse with God A spirit emptied of all self-sufficiency and selfe-conceitednesse is best fitted to receive the wisdom of God and to purchase His truth 2. Lay aside all prejudices against the truth and first quit all prejudices against the dignitie of Truth Take heede of thinking any Truth of God to be below thee too meane for thee to stoope to Do not thinke thy selfe thy place or parts too high for the least of God his holy Truthes Preach the word be instant in season out of season is a Truth of God which once was given in Charge to Timothy but some I beleeve who pretended to be of Timothy his Ranke looked upon this truth as a thing below their places On the other side when a cause of Religion was brought before Galliâ— he cared for none of these things he had no leisure to spend time about words and names his place ingaged him in Realities State-matters such as were worthy of a Proconsuls Cognizance 2. Take heede of prejudices against the necessity of truth looke not upon it as a matter of indifferency Regard it as that one thing necessary 3. Renounce all prejudicate opinions of dangers or inconveniences which seeme to attend or follow truth such as divisions and commotions these though accidentall to truth doe ordinarily throng in after it Suppose yee that I am come to send peace on Earth I tell you Nay but rather division and that betweene those of neere relations as it followeth there Hereupon some seeme to be as much afraid of the truth as of a ball of wilde-fire they dare not buy it they would rather banish it out of their Coasts whereas truth is no way the cause though the corruptions of some men and their malignity against it and the weakenes and mistakes of others often make it an occasion of those ruptures That there are oppositions betweene the friends and enemies of truth is not strange but that there are dissentions among some of those who unfainedly love and seek truth and agree in the most and principall parts of it is sad yet let not this prejudice hinder us from buying and imbracing truth Amongst those who in the Apostles daies received the Gospell and with joynt consent acknowledged the Lord Jesus to be the Christ there were differences about the observation of Mosaicall Rites and Ceremonies this prejudice did not keepe the faithfull from imbracing and holding fast the truth of the Gospell In Luthers time there were controversies betweene those who were newly come out of Babylon this prejudice did not so far prevaile with the Godly as to make them preferre their slaverie under Anti-Christ above the sweete yoake of Christ Let the unanimous and full consent of the Godly in many and those the most substantiall parts of truth encourage
dependeth wholly upon the death of the Testatour To this end saith he was I borne and for this cause came I into the world that I should beare witnesse to the Truth How many thousands of God his Saints have drunk of the same Cup in severall Ages It is appointed to all men once to dye and that is a blessed improvement of death when a man dyeth not onely in the Lord but for the Lord and His Truth He that loseth his life shall find it He shall find mortality swallowed up of life His life is hid with Christ in God far above the reach of any weapons of warre and when Christ who is his life shall appear then shall he also appeare with him in Glory And now give me leave Much honoured Worthyes to bespeake your selves in the Name of the God of Truth whom I looke upon as precious Instruments of the Lord for the advancing and promoting of His Truth Truth of doctrine of worship of discipline truth and power of Godlinesse Ye are farre engaged in this Cause of truth already and it concerneth you to goe on both in Conscience and in point of Honour but chiefely for the Honour of your God who hath so highly dignifyed and so many wayes encouraged you by notable testimonies of His Presence Let it appeare that ye are so possessed with the truth so overpowered by the truth that ye may justly apply that of the Apostle to your selves We can do nothing against the truth but for the truth and then Christ will not fayle to make good that title which he hath assumed to himself The Amen the faithfull and true witnesse The People of God have reposed a great trust in you and they expect truth from you And blessed be God they have had their desires in great measure already answered and the Worke is yet in your hands these first-fruits seeme to be pledges of a full Harvest if our sinnes doe not blast our hopes One of the cleerest evidences I conceive which ye can give of the truth of your hearts to the Publick Cause is Selfe-denyall and quitting of Private Interests Of this ye have given reall demonstration in your readines to devest your selves of militarie and civill dignities that ye might reserve your selves for your proper worke Hereupon yee may with greater Authority exact truth from those whom yee shall imploy a true accompt of the publick service and for the future at least a true accompt of the publick treasure though perhaps for the time past it may be difficult if not impossible in regard of those many sudden exigents confusions unexpected occurrences which have happened yea inasmuch as ye have made your selves such eminent precedents of self-denyall how can others in modesty refuse if you require them not to seeke great things for themselves in making over much advantage of the publick miseries especially such whose service is attended with no hazard and very little labour some redresse in these things might encourage the well affected to more cheerefulnesse in assisting the common Cause and stop the mouthes of others More particularly let me beseech you in the first place to examine every man the truth and sincerity of his owne heart in managing the great businesse which yee have in hand To professe a mans selfe engaged in the Cause of truth and yet to be salfe-hearted toward it and to harbour treacherous aimes against it is not onely contrary to the duty of a Christian but a thing far below the spirit and ingenuity of a Gentleman it suiteth better with the basenes of common cheaters then with men of place and worth A man who by his corrupt principles is led out of the way and put into a posture of defiance and open hostility against the truth is lesse odious by many degrees then a false brother I am perswaded there was more of the Devill in one Judas then in all the High Priests Cavaliers and that Christ resented more hellish malignity in that one Traytours kisse than in all their swords and staves Wherefore Let every man prove his owne worke and then shall he have rejoycing in himselfe and not in another For every man shall bear his owne burden It is not enough to joyne with those who are sincere in the Worke of the Lord but every man must prove his own worke with what heart out of what inward principles to what end upon what grounds and motives in what manner he doth it that he may have rejoycing in himselfe and not in those with whom he joyneth in a good cause nor by comparing himselfe with those who either directly oppose or basely desert it For in the great day of account every man shall beare his owne burden men shall not be ranked on the right hand by whole Companies Corporations Regiments Brigades Armies Houses of Parliament but as in that search which was made in Achan his case they shall be singled out man by man and every mans worke shall be tried in particular 2. Be united among your selves in the great cause of Truth according to that of the Apostle Stand fast in one spirit with one minde striving together for the Faith of the Gospel The expressions are strong he speaketh to them as to Champions of the Truth as the originall word importeth and to whom may it bee applyed if not to such â—oble Champions as your selves stand fast keep your ground Servate gradum as Beza maintain your station and that in one spirit in the power and strength of that Holy Spirit of Truth with one minde or one soul wrestling or striving together as if ye were a combination of many bodies associated and concentred together by one soul as one man with joynt forces contending for the Truth of the Gospel and for the cause of Truth so should ye be able to strengthen your spirits with that encouragement following In nothing terrified by your adversaries which is to them an evident token of perdition but to you of salvation and that of God Your uniting would be a terrour to the adversaries a strengthening to your selves an encouragement to those who are friends to the truth and your friends and servants for the Truthes sake If a noble Heathen out of a morall bravery of spirit could privatas inimicitias reipublicae condonare passe by private quarrells for the Common-wealthes sake far be it from any Member of a Christian Parliament not to lay down all private grudges and crosse designes at the feet of this afflicted Church and State far be it from them not to quit them for the truthes sake lest the cause of truth should miscarry through their default If the greatest persons who will approve their hearts to God must throw down their Crownes at the footstoole of Christ how much more their corruptions But especially let every one take heed of raising or fomenting divisions out of a secret desire to hinder the carrying on of the great work
so all things that are are truly the same which they are so gold is true gold opposed to that which is false and counterfeit but pretended to be gold And this truth of things is the conformity of things to the Divine intellect or knowledge of God And therefore by the way I conceive that those lies are untruths which are called mendacia iocosa or officiosa officiouslies or lies in jest if they be such as in no regard tend to our neighbours prejudice are not so fitly ranked under the 9. Command as reduced to the first because they contradict that Truth which is in the minde of God for the Lord in His infinite knowledge comprehendeth and as it were asserteth all truth and every untruth uttered by men is either a deniall of some Truth which God affirmeth or an affirming of some falsehood which God denyeth and so no man can utter any falshood though concerning matters of small moment but in so doing he giveth God the lie God His knowledge is the {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} or originall Truth and the truth of things is their correspondency thereunto as the truth of a copy is its correspondency with the originall For Truth carrieth a respect to knowledge omne verum est intelligibile every Truth is in a capacity to be understood and the Truth of things is their conformity to a right understanding Now the truth of things may come under a two-fold Consideration 1. Metaphysicall 2. Morall and in both of these it still holdeth good their truth is their Conformity to the knowledge of God For 1. God knoweth what every person action or thing is and such it truely is as God knoweth it to be and no other and this I call a Metaphysicall Consideration Secondly God knoweth what every person Action or thing ought to bee and so farre as any of these crosse this knowledge of God they are false in a morall Consideration They are true in a Metaphysicall apprehension because they are such as God knoweth them to be but they are false in a Morall notion because they are not such as God knoweth they ought to be The Lord knoweth the way of the Righteous how with approbation This is true but I think there is more in it The Lord knoweth what is that good way wherein men are to walk and the way of the Righteous is sutable to this knowledge of God and so the Lord knoweth it that is looketh upon it as an object conformable to this knowledge of His on the other side He saith to the wicked I know you not I know what manner of persons ye ought to be but ye are men of another shape ye are not objects conformed to this knowledge of Mine Secondly There is Veritas scientiae or veritas in cognoscendo Truth of knowledge and that in the creature is twofold 1. Speculative which is a conformity of the understanding to the nature of things when the understanding of man so judgeth of things as they are and the notions or conceptions of his minde are the very images of those things this Conformity of his understanding to the nature of things apprehended by him is truth Things are true as they agree with the knowledge of God because his knowledge is the Fountaine of all truth as his essence is the Fountain of all being But the knowledge of man is true because it agreeth with the nature of things Secondly The practicall truth of mans knowledge is when together with a right apprehension of the true nature of things in the understanding there is a frame of heart and affections toward those things sutable to that apprehension when the understanding rightly judgeth of things good or evill and the will and affections are regularly guided by such a right apprehension loving imbracing desiring delighting in that which the understanding rightly judgeth to be lovely desirable c. Hating abhorring shunning c. According to that true intelligence which the understanding giveth in of the nature of things or actions then there is a practicall truth in that mans knowledge But when the understanding rightly apprehendeth and yet giveth way to the perversenesse of the will and distempers of the affections this knowledge though speculatively true is practically false Thirdly There is veritas signi Truth of expression Speeches writings gestures Actions when truth possesseth the minde and heart within and shineth out at the windowes as it were when a mans words and conversation are the very image and Characters of that truth which dwelleth in him when hee knoweth and loveth the truth and speaketh and walketh according to that truth which he knoweth and loveth Now then what is that truth which we must buy 1. The true knowledge of those things which serve for the perfecting of the inner and for the ordering of the outward man the true knowledge of God of Christ of the mysteries of grace of the wayes of God of the power of godlinesse of the will of God in things concerning the matter and manner of his worship and in those things that belong to our Places Callings Relations in ordinary and extraordinary occasions Secondly The Practicall truth of these things such a frame of heart as suiteth with the nature of these things rightly apprehended which cannot be without the possession of the things themselves Thou must have God dwelling in thee thou must possesse Christ and be made one with him thy body and soule must become a temple of the Holy Ghost otherwise thou hast not this Practicall through and effectuall knowledge of God and Christ thou hast a shadow of the truth rather then the truth it selfe Thou must have the truth of all saving Graces in thee otherwise thou canst not have an heart suited to a right apprehension of Divine truth Lastly thou must be so possest of the truth as to speak the truth from the heart and to walk in the truth The second thing to be enquired is what it is to buy truth To buy in generall is For a considerable value with consent of the owner to get the propriety and possession of something which formerly was not our own He then that will buy truth 1. Must look upon it as none of his own A man doeth not buy that which hee is born to That which hee hath by inheritance he needeth not purchase The simple inherit folly Such silly ones we are all by nature and our inheritance is folly falshood This inheritance we have by descent our first Parents changed the truth of God into a lye forfeited their possession of truth and left us lies to inherit after them and now if we will enjoy any of these forfeited and confiscated goods which the Lord hath justly seized into his own hands we must buy them as things which are no longer our own He that is not convinced of this is never likely to buy He that wil buy truth indeed must be of
such a poore and humble spirit as Agur was surely I am more brutish then any man so the translation but as ye see the word any is in a smaller Character not being in the originall neither doe I think it ought to be supplied but we are to read it thus I am more brutish then man according to that of the Psalmist man being in honour abideth not he is like the beasts that perish Man being honoured with the image of God in wisdome and Holinesse his spirit shining with the Beauty and glory of Divine truth did not abide in this condition but lost the truth yeelding himselfe to be seduced by the father of lies and so no longer had the wisedom of man in him but degraded himselfe from his created Dignity debased himselfe to the ranke of brute creatures enthralled his immortall Soul and intellectuall nature to his brutish senses and affections and the next words of Agur confirm this sense And have not the understanding of Adam in me that understanding and knowledge of Holy truth which was in Adam and was properly belonging to the nature of man He that knoweth not thus much of himselfe knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know and is no fit Merchant to Trade for truth Christ first informeth the Laodicean of his wants Thou art wretched and miserable and poore and blind and naked and then counselleth him to buy vers. 18. Secondly He that buyeth giveth a considerable value But alas what have we to give that is considerable If we offer gold or silver what can we expect but such an answer as Simon Magus had Thy money perish with thee because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money And Solomon telleth us This wisdom of Divine truth is better then rubies and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it which maketh good what I said before we cannot buy truth too dear all outward things that can be desired are not to be compared to it And therefore we may conclude This buying is not of the nature of common contracts in which there is a just proportion between the price and the purchase but rather such as hath some remote Analogy or resemblance to it such as that where the Lord by solemn Proclamation offereth a free and open market Hâ— every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters and he that hath no money Come ye buy and eat yea come buy Wine and milk without money and without price And indeed whosoever getteth possession of saving Truth he hath it by a free gift of meere grace yet so that we must give up whatsoever is necessary for the obtaining of Truth and cast away whatever may hinder us in the receiving or retaining of Truth or is inconsistent with it 1. We must give up our selves our hearts spirits souls bodies to the God of Truth We must bee content to part with any outward things for the procuring and promoting of Truth for the supporting and maintaining of Truth we must account our selves gainers by every losse which we can possibly suffer for Truth 2. On the other side we must renounce and cast away our lusts our own corrupt reason blind carnall notions and prejudices in a word we must out our selves of our selves and yeeld up our selves into the entire possession of the Truth and in all this we give nothing unto God for whatsoever we give up to him for Truth is his own already and cannot bee withheld from him without wrong and robbery what wee cast away is worse then nothing and if we leave it not we keep it to our losse and utter undoing It remaineth then that though we are said in some sort to buy yet Truth is a most free gift of God and conveyed to man by a meere Act of grace Thirdly If we will buy Truth we must get the propriety of it we must make it our own get it into our possession have a sure interest in it and title to it For the Truthes sake which dwelleth in us and shall be with us for ever Then hath a man bought the Truth when he hath so owned it and given it such possession of his heart that it is in him as in an everlasting Mansion so as to dwell in him and be in him for ever when he is so possessed of the Truth and the Truth hath such possession of him as to denominate and Characterize him according to that Hereby we know that we are of the Truth and shall assure our hearts before him As great Persons are denominated from their Seates Mannor-houses c. Such a Lord of such a place So he that will buy Truth must get such possession of it and propriety in it as that he may by good right take a title of honour from the truth his own conscience bearing him witnesse in the Holy Ghost that he is of the Truth Thirdly Of whom must we buy Truth This hath been intimated before even of him who is the God of Truth who is the first the Highest Truth the Fountain of all Truth who calleth himselfe I Am because he is in and of himselfe the onely infinite perfection of being and so the infinite perfection of Truth He seeth and knoweth his own essence infinitely perfect and glorious with a most exact knowledge of infinite perfection and some have conceived that this contemplation of God the Father reflecting upon His owne Majesty and glory is the eternall and unspeakable generation of the Son But we are to speak soberly of these mysteries so farre above us Howsoever when we use Scripture-language we are warranted by the highest Authority which calleth Christ the brightnes of his Fathers glory and the expresse image of his Person and the Son of God saith of himselfe I am the Truth And the Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son is called the Spirit of Truth To this fountain wee must bring our empty pitchers if we would be filled with these living waters and take in these pure streames of Truth John being in the Spirit saw before the throne of God in heaven a Sea of glasse like unto Crystall The Saints may have their Vials filled with Truth but here is veritatis plenitudo An Ocean and full Sea of Truth and that without mud or mixture cleere as crystall wherein the faithfull Soule may see the glory of God shining in the Face of Christ Here is the Springhead of Truth and they which come not to God and are not inwardly acquainted with him in Christ are strangers to the Truth they never looked into this Sea of crystall which is before the throne of God And so I come to the fourth and last particular to shew the necessity of making this purchase ye see it is absolutely commanded in the Text and because a threefold cord is not easily broken observe how Solomon strongly twisteth together a threefold
holy truth for those promises carrie a respect to their qualifications and are true in relation to them if thou seperatest what God hath joyned together thou huggest an Idoll of thine own braine and dost not embrace the truth of God as the Devill in his temptations mangleth the truth of God promissionem objicit conditionem abjicit he objecteth the promise rejecteth the condition But this is rather to prophane the truth then to buy it He that will buy must take the commodity with all the appurtenances This not receiving the truth in love was the roote of that great Apostasie of the world This beggered and undid them they played with the light and dallied with the Truth of God and did not buy it and enrich themselves with it by receiving the love of the Truth that they might be saved 3. Labour to abound in the knowledge of the truth A Merchant who hath made a good voyage finding such a commodity advantagious is encouraged to new adventures that man never bought any saving truth who sitteth down and thinketh he hath enough If once thou wert possest of the truth indeed thy desires would bee more and more enlarged toward it many seem to think they have got truth enough already more then they know what to do with so much that they are troubled with it it disturbeth their slumbring spirits disquieteth their consciences These men are far from buying the truth rather some truthes have surprised them against their wills and are as welcome to them as Elijah to Ahab Hast thou found me O mine enemy But all that will buy truth let them hearken to the Apostles Counsell Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdome 4. They that will buy truth must subject themselves to the power and command of it A man must not buy truth as he purchaseth outward things to dispose of it at his pleasure thou must not buy it as men were wont to buy slaves to keep it in bondage to make it serve thy lusts and ends or to fetter it and imprison it by withholding the Truth in unrighteousnes but as a man would buy an office at Court a place of service and attendance upon a Prince in buying truth thou must sell thy self a servant to the truth give up thy self to be ruled guided by the truth Some I beleeve are troubled that they have more of the truth than they can well rule it meeteth and faceth them in many of their crooked by-pathes it is as a lighted torch to them when they are most of all retired in acting their works of darknesse it is apt to interpose yea and to controll it will not suffer them to bee private when they would these would have truth enslaved and lust predominant But to pretend to truth and not to allow it that Soveraignty which belongeth to its place and dignity is indeed to reject it Let truth rule thy judgement will and affections in all things 5. Do not rest in meere notions of truth but endeavour to have the truth of God realized to thy soul Labour to have thy heart possest with the substance and reality of Divine truth to furnish thy selfe with those very things which thou findest cloathed with the truth of God in Scripture Saith the Apostle Ye were sometime in darknesse but now are ye light in the Lord He doth not say ye have light but ye are light the light is realized in you ye are transformed into the light ye are become such indeed and in truth as the light discovereth those to bee who are children of light The word and truth of God hath many beames of light in it and we must seek to take them in so as to find the reall effects of them in our selves Beleeve and thou shalt be saved there is a beame of truth and then do we buy this truth indeed when we get that precious Faith of God his elect that Faith unfeigned which really uniteth the soul to Christ taketh root in him draweth life and spirit from him conformeth and subjecteth the soul unto him Take heed of Satans jugling lest he sell thee a counterfeit stone instead of this precious Pearl a false Faith a vaine fancy an empty shadow of Faith how many content themselves with this because it is of a low price or rather may bee had for nothing But if ever that caution be needfull it is in this case Caveat Emptor Let him that would buy truth beware It is not in this case as when a man would buy a thing to please a childe a slight toy of small value will serve as well as a better but it is as if a man were to buy a ship to transport himselfe his whole family and all his goods into a far-country were it not the extremity of folly to venture all in a rotten vessell for saving of charges rather then with greater cost to provide a substantiall bottome Oh let us tremble to embark our souls more precious then the world together with all our eternall hopes in a leaking ship of a rotten faith being to make so great a voyage among so many dangerous Rockes and sands through so many stormes and waves which were too much for the soundest Faith to breake through were it not kept by the power of God unto Salvation Again Except ye repent ye shall all perish Doe not think thou hast bought this truth so soon as thy judgement is informed that this grace of repentance is necessary to salvation thou hast but viewed it yet thou hast not purchased it If thou wilt buy it indeed thou must have a through change wrought in thy heart soul repentance from dead works repentance unto life thou must look upon thy sweetest sins as thy bitterest enemies and feel them as they heaviest burthens fleeing from them as from a Serpent inwardly loathing outwardly leaving them Thou must labour for the truth of mortification the reall destruction of thy lusts as it is said of Cassius Chaerea a Pretorian Collonel or Tribune when he and others conspired the death of that cruell tyrant Caligula the signall word agreed upon was Repete strike again So thou must not content thy self to make some faint attempts against thy sinnes or a light skirmish as souldiers at a muster but thou must do it with all thy might hast thou wounded them and do they yet resist Repete strike again and again hate them pursue them to the death give them no quarter spare them not so long as thou findest them stirre or breath Again the Apostle saith The Kingdom of God is righteousnesse peace joy in the Holy Ghost This is a most sweet and precious truth wouldst thou buy it If thou doest thou buyest a Kingdome yea a Kingdome more worth then all the Kingdomes of the world But if thou wilt buy it indeed thou must have this Kingdome set up in thy heart Righteousnesse must reigne there or
thee to buy the truth let not their differences about few and lesse materiall things discourage thee 4. Cast off that prejudice which Satan may suggest unto thee in regard of the meanenesse of those persons who hold forth the truth either as the Lord his Agents whom he maketh use of to invite buyers the Ministers of the Gospell or as purchasers who having bought the truth desire to commend their penny-worths to others as Philip did to Nathanael We have found him of whom Moses and the Prophets did write Jesus of Nazareth Come and see If any such be contemptible in the eye of the world as those were who followed Christ whom the proud Pharisees overlooked with so much scorne This people who knoweth not the Law are cursed Let not this seeme any disparagement to the Truth of God which needeth not borrow any thing from man it s owne soveraigne Authority is enough to command all its native beauty and proper worth is sufficient to commend it to all When King Amaziah had set up and worshipped the Idolls of the same people whom himselfe had lately overcome in battle the Lord sent him this Message by a Prophet Why hast thou sought after the gods of the people which could not deliver their owne people out of thine hand This was a Truth which carried so much strength and evidence of Reason in it that it seemeth to preclude all contradiction yet see how pride and prejudice against the person that held it forth prevailed saith the King Art thou made of the Kings Councell forbeare why shouldest thou be smitten Art thou a fit person to reprove a King thou art none of the Privie Councell marke how the Prophet replyeth and twice descanteth upon the Kings words I know that God hath Counselled to destroy thee because thou hast done this and hast not hearkened to my Counsell Doest thou despise my Message because I am not made of thy Councell Know this that in this particular the King of Kings hath made me of his Councell and the word which I brought is the very Truth and Counsell of the great God as thou shalt find to thy ruine inasmuch as thou hast despised it The Truth of God needeth not receive any reputation from rotchets or scarlets if thou despisest it for the meannesse of those that bring it thou despisest Him that sendeth it 2. Let us consider what we must give up or lay out for Truth when the Lord calleth for it And here observe that although truth be alwaies alike precious in it selfe yet at some time the purchase of it is more costly then at other Bread-Corne it is as good in it selfe and as necessary for the life of man at one time as at another yet ye know in some time of scarcity one bushell may cost as much as three or foure in times of plenty but whatever it cost it must be had Men must live so Truth hath its deare yeares when those that will buy it must give greater rates than ordinary but whatsoever it cost it must be had we must buy it or else we perish Now we must alwayes give up our selves to God that we may buy truth our understandings wills affections our soules and bodies to his guidance soveraigne command and disposing And as it is said concerning God He that spared not his owne Son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things so on our part he that sincerely giveth up himselfe to the Lord to be wholly his how can he thinke any thing too dear when the Lord requireth it why did not the young man give up his possessions upon Christs demand because he had not given up himselfe When the Lord told Peter what he should suffer for the truth and by what death he should glorifie God he questioneth about his Fellow-Disciple whether out of curiosity or some spice of envie I know not And what shall this man doe Jesus saith unto him If I will that he tarry till I come what is that to thee If I will that he live till I come and call him in an ordinary way of visitation and that the Truth of the Gospell shall prove more costly to thee than to him what doeth that concerne thee If both of yee give up your hearts to mee and my truth it is no great matter whether it cost you more or lesse in other regards 2. Then yee must buy truth though it cost yee never so much of your treasures either to procure the meanes or to maintaine the cause or to retaine the profession and practice of Truth All these things must be looked upon as losse and dung in comparison of the excellency of Christs truth What is a man profited if he shall gaine the whole world and lose his soule and if he leave the truth he loseth his soule It may seeme the times are come upon us wherein the Lord will make discoveries who they are that prize this earthly drosse above those rich treasures of his Kingdome Let us not say in our hearts we could willingly purchase truth if it might be had at such easie rates as our Fathers bought it No if we will not buy it now at such a price as it may be had whatsoever it be neither would we have bought it then though at a lower rate And those who lived and died in those times and purchased truth indeed would have bought it at a farre higher rate had it beene exacted of them He that giveth up his heart to God for truth will never breake off for the price he that doth not yeeld up his heart doth never truly buy though he liveth in the cheapest times 3. Be content to lay out your strength for truth to take any paines to undergoe any labour What if any of you be forced to travell more miles than others such a reason doth not keepe people from Faires and Markets although the English Merchant hath a longer voyage to the East Indies than the Portugals by many leagues this doth not make them give over trading Though it cost thee more paines in reading studying meditation by reason of the slownes of thy apprehension weakenes of judgment or memory more striving in prayers more fears more labouring with thine own heart to bring it in subjection unto truth than it doth some other let nothing beat thee off buy it whatsoever it may cost thee 4. Be content to engage all the credit which thou hast with the world for the purchase of truth Buy it with the hazard and if need be the losse of thy reputation Among the chiefe rulers many believed â—n Christ but because of the Pharisees they did not confesse him lest they should be put out of the Synagogue for they loved the praise of men more then the praise of God They valued their credit with men above the truth of God miserable folly though the way of truth should be
charge in a quick and pressing stile 1. Take fast hold of instruction 2. Let her not go 3. Keep her and fasteneth all with this knot for she is thy life If thou lose her it is more than thy life is worth it were better to part with thy dearest heart-blood if thou get and keep the Truth it will keep thee alive in the very jawes of death if thou lose it thou art dead whilest thou livest and in the road-way to everlasting death What need we any farther witnesse yet if ye please to hear an argument or two take these briefly Reason 1 1. Whilest we are travailing here in this world toward our long home our way lieth through a wildernesse wherein are many by-pathes multitude of passengers wandring out of the right way abundance of snares and dangers and above all we are wofully benighted with the naturall darknesse and blindnesse of our mindes now Truth is that Pillar of fire which should guide us in the way wherein we must walk and direct us to the promised rest And though this Truth be never so cleerly held forth unto us in the ministry of the gospel yet unlesse we buy it and get possession of it so as to make it our own and to have it dwelling in us we are not able to follow it It is not enough to have the light of the Sun except withall there be a light in the eye to meet with that light without and take it in so that lumen externum that externall light of Truth which shineth forth in the word will never lead us to that rest which remaineth for the people of God except there be also lumen internum an inward light of Truth and principle of saving knowledge set up in the heart The Apostle having notably magnified his office as in other respects so in regard of that lustre and brightnesse of Divine Truth which shined in his Ministry 2 Cor. 3. proceedeth in the next chapter and saith that he had not handled the word of God deceitfully but by manifestation of the truth c. It must be objected What is the cause then that your Gospel is hidden to many thousands his answer is ready If our Gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which beleeve not lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ who is the image of God should shine unto them They want inward light Satan the prince of darknes hath filled them with darknesse within they will not buy the Truth and so the Gospel of Christ though it shineth out never so gloriously in it selfe yet it shineth not at all to them as the Sun when it giveth the greatest light shineth not to the blind 2. If we do not buy Truth the Truth will witnesse against us and condemne us A necessity lyeth upon us either wee must make the Truth our owne or else we shall be sure to have it our Enemy Consider that weighty speech of Christ He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words hath one that judgeth him the word that I have spoken the same shall judge him in the last day Who is he that rejecteth Christ he that doth not receive his words he that doth not buy Truth but shutteth his eyes or heart against that light of Truth which shineth from the face of this Sun of Righteousnesse These men perhaps may think in their hearts We will have nothing to do with this which they call Truth for which there is so much contention nor with the way wherein it leadeth those that receive it we will neither embrace nor oppose it Nay but saith Christ this will not serve thy turne either thou must receive it or be judged by it if thou doest not buy this Truth and embrace it with thine whole heart it will condemn thee at the last day If men could apprehend with what Majesty and authority that Truth of God which now they cast behinde their backs will appear against them in the day of Christ how would their Souls tremble to despise it How would they yeeld themselves convinced that the purchase of Truth is of absolute necessity whatsoever it may cost them The proudest spirits which now may think to out-face the Truth of God shall then not be able to hold up their faces before it So much for the proofe and opening of this point Let us see the Use of it and that may be 1. For Reproofe 2. For Exhortation Use 1 1. For Reproofe 1. of those who are so farre from buying truth that they labour to stop the trade Such were those Expounders of the Law to whom the Lord Christ saith ye have taken away the key of knowledge ye entred not in your selves and them that were entring in ye hindred they kept the store-house of truth locked up and carried away the key How many have we had of late in this land led by such a spirit who when the truth had many buyers beheld it with an evill eye like the Pharisees complaining of the multitudes that followed Christ the world is gon after him It was a vexation to their false hearts to see the streame of trade bend towards the Coasts of truth and especially when any upon whose habitations was a famine of the word travailed abroad to buy themselves a little food But how are we bound to blesse God who hath stirred up your spirits like so many Josephs already to open many to indeavour to open all the store-houses of truth in the Land that none may complaine of want who have hearts to buy No wonder if the enemies of truth oppose you in this worke It crosseth their maine designe He that doth evill hateth the light and cometh not to the light lest his deedes should be reproved Can the Blackmore change his skinne or the Leopard his spots Doe we expect a reconcilement betweene light and darkenesse Let all tremble to give them the right hand of fellowship in stopping the course of the word of truth and hindring the worke of reformation 2. Of those that are ashamed of the truth what hope is there that such will buy it He that will buy it must looke upon it as his crowne The Church was presented to John in a vision cloathed with the Sun and the Moone under her foote and upon her head a Crowne of twelve Stars The Churches cloathing and her Crown is Light and Truth Can any true-borne Childe of the Church account that his shame which is his Mothers glorie Let such weigh those words of him who is not ashamed to call himselfe the Truth Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinfull generation of him also shall the Sonne of man be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy Angells 3. Of those who will not take so much paines as to resort to
the market though it be neere their owne doores who grossely neglect precious opportunities of hearing the word upon slight pretences Did they know the worth of truth and looke upon it as their life they would not think every petty inconvenience a just excuse A little change of weather or distemper of body will not keepe those within doores who are necessitated to seek out for that without which they cannot live Those that followed Christ sometimes three dayes together having nothing to eat might have had a fair plea in appearance to shift off their attendance Such as will suffer nothing in this case but make the hearing of the word a meere recreation when they can doe it with ease and at pleasure are not likely to go to the price of truth 4. Of those that come onely as meere spectatours rather than buyers who view many glorious Gospel-truthes openly proposed and freely tendred to all but are content to looke on whilst others buy Such are our common sort of ignorant hearers compared to the way side who hear the word and understand it not The seed lieth above ground then commeth the wicked one and catcheth away that which was sowne in his heart The father of lies easily robbeth such a one of the word of truth 5. Of such as seem to cheapen but doe not buy those who are somewhat affected with the truth and think it worth the carrying home if they might have it at their own price they hear it perhaps talk of it repeat it c. And of these there are two sorts the one compared to the stony the other to the thorny ground the former would own the truth were it not accompanied with the crosse but when persecution ariseth because of the word by and by they are offended They never gave the truth rooting in their hearts and so when the Sun ariseth it is scorched and withered The latter suffer it to be overgrown and choaked with thornes there may be some stirrings in their spirits some springings of their affections upon the receiving of the seed of truth but then their unmortified lusts the care of this world and the deceitfulnesse of riches and pleasures of this life draw away the strength of their hearts from the truth and it becometh unfruitfull they will not renounce their earthly-mindednesse or their voluptuous ambitious corrupt affections to make a full purchase of truth Herod did many things and heard John gladly but would not yeeld so far to the commands of truth as to forsake his Herodias there was a thorny lust which choaked all The yong man also seemed willing to buy What good thing shall I doe that I may have eternall life what shall I give to buy truth again All these have I kept from my youth what lack I yet Thus much I have offered if this be not enough I am willing to give more I beleeve he thought hee offered like a chapman But when he heard Christ raise his demands so high Goe and sell all that thou hast and give to the poore he brake off went away sorrowfull as if the price had been unreasonable I feare many who countenance the cause of truth some who are great actours in it yea some who may venture their lives in the prosecution of it may deceive themselves There may be some thornes not rooted up some root of bitternesse not killed some corrupt principle which may carry men far this way some by-end which may poison all If I give my body to be burned and have not love it profiteth me nothing A man may seem to die for the truth and yet never buy it Use 2 2. This is for for exhortation 1. In generall to us all 2. In speciall to those whom the Lord hath honoured above others for the patronage and promoting of the great cause of his truth And 1. let me stir up you and my selfe by all meanes to make this purchase 2. Not to think any cost too much for that purpose concerning the former 1. Get a cleer and solid understanding of all the main and most necessary truthes Learn to be throughly acquainted with the Fundamentalls of Faith Great is the mystery of godlinesse And the knowledge of it is of great concernment it is a great mystery and requireth a deep search An overly slight and superficiall view of those great secrets which the Angels desired to looke into must not satisfie them who will indeed buy truth Labour for a right understanding of the Alsufficiency and infinite excellency of God in all his attributes as hee hath revealed himselfe in his word of the person natures offices of Christ of the covenant of grace of the fountain of all spirituall blessings in heavenly things in Christ the eternall love and good purpose of God toward his and those glorious wayes and meanes whereby the Lord is pleased to bring poore lost soules to glory reconciling them to himselfe by the death of his Sonne calling them by his Word and Spirit uniting them to Christ adopting them for his children and heires justifying them freely by his grace sanctifying quickning and keeping them by his mighty power through Faith unto salvation These and the like are especially to bee studied and wee are to take heed lest Satan intangling us in doubtfull disputes about things of an inferiour nature should cunningly divert our thoughts from searching into these hid treasures I confesse the rents and divisions which follow upon contrariety of opinions are sad and such as we have cause to lament but I am perswaded this is not the onely nor the greatest mischiefe I feare Satan gaineth much advantage by engaging young beginners and wanton wits in the agitation of controversies ere they have laid the foundation much more before themselves have taken root in Christ or so much as proved themselves to be in Christ and Christ to be in them 2. Let us labour to make those Truths which we understand our owne 1. By mixing them with faith The word preached did not profit the unbeleeving Israelites not being mixed with faith in them that heard it they did but view not buy the truth we cannot make the truth our owne nor truly say we have bought it unlesse we so mixe and temper it with faith as that it becometh one with our soules or rather our soules become one with it faith strongly closing with the word digesting it and so leavening all the powers of the soule with the truth and causing them to relish of it 2. By receiving the truth in sincere love No man buyeth truth who doth not truly love it So much truth as thou lovest is thine owne Some may hastily conclude from hence Then all the promises of pardon are mine for these I love from my heart though not those precepts of obedience and qualifications of repentance morification and holinesse But know this It is easie to mistake lies of our owne coyning for God his