Chapter 10: How a Graceless Heart May Obtain a Treasure of Good

A Third Use is of Direction, how a poor soul may be furnished with a rich and suitable heart-treasure. Now this is useful to sinners and Saints, it is the latter to whom I shall principally address myself. But because the treasure of true grace is absolutely necessary, I shall lay down some few directions for the graceless soul, that it may have a right principle, without which it cannot bring forth one good thought, word, or work: this is the habit without which there can be no gracious acts, this is the root, without which there can be no fruit to God, this is that stock to trade with, without which there can be no trading with God, or true heaping up of the aforementioned treasure of sanctifying truths, spiritual graces, heart-melting experiences, or heart-cheering comforts. I know the Scholastics have large disputes about the generating, acquiring, or infusing of habits, as whether there be any habits from nature? or caused by acts, or by one act? or whether habits be infused by God? But we must distinguish between inferior habits, that are merely natural, and spiritual, gracious habits that are supernatural, these are of a heavenly extract and original, yet we are to wait upon God in the use of his appointed means, so says the Apostle (Philippians 2:12-13) — Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God which works in you, both to will and to do, of his own good pleasure. This text both refutes the speculative free-willer, and convinces the practical loiterer, grace is to be had from God in his way, though it is not purchased by man's working. I purposely waive the Scholastics' voluminous disputes concerning grace, and shall propose these seven directions to poor graceless souls: and they are plain and practical duties.

1. Withdraw yourself from the World: at some times learn to sequester yourselves from the cares, affairs, comforts, encumbrances, and company here below. Do not think you can hoard up in a crowd, Satan loves to fish in troubled waters, but so does not Christ: the noise of Cain's hammers in building cities drowns the voice of conscience. A man shall best enjoy himself alone: solitary recesses are of singular advantage, both for getting and increasing grace (Proverbs 18:1). Through desire a man having separated himself, seeks, and intermeddles with all wisdom: in this you may and must be separatists. Let me advise you (and O that I could prevail at least thus far) to treat and entertain yourselves by yourselves: he is a wicked man, and resolves to continue so, that dares not entertain himself with discourses about spiritual subjects and soul-affairs; it were more safe to know the worst, before you feel the worst. Let your solitary thoughts be working about things of eternity, however accustom yourselves to secret and serious pondering. I read that the father of a prodigal left it as his death-bed charge, to his only son to spend a quarter of an hour every day in retired thinking, but left him at liberty to think of what he would, the son having this liberty to please himself in the subject, sets himself to the performance of his promise. His thoughts one day recall his past pleasures, another contrive his future delights, but at length his thoughts became inquisitive, what might be his father's end in proposing this task. He thought his father was a wise and good man, therefore surely he intended and hoped that he would sometime or other think of Religion; when this leavened his thoughts, they multiplied abundantly, neither could he contain them in so short a confinement, but was that night sleepless, and afterwards restless, till he became seriously religious.

By all means use sometimes to be alone, Salute yourself; see what your soul does wear, Dare to look in your chest; for it is your own: And tumble up and down what you find there. Who cannot rest till he good fellows find, He breaks up house turns out of doors his mind.

O sirs, you little know what good effects a serious consideration may produce. God propounds it, and men have practiced it, as the great expedient to begin and promote repentance. Consider, what you came into the world for, where you must go if you die this moment, what a state you were born in, what is the need and nature of regeneration, what is the worth and price of your immortal souls: and through God's blessing, these thoughts may leave some good impressions.

2. Be at a point concerning your state: be exact, and impartial, in searching your hearts to find out your state, trifle not in this great work of self-examination, be not afraid to know the worst of yourself: make a curious and critical heart-anatomy. Try whether Jesus Christ be in you, do as the goldsmith, who brings his gold to the balance? So do you weigh yourselves in the balance of the sanctuary; judge not of your state by the common opinion of others concerning you, but by Scripture characters, and bring your virtues to the touchstone: pierce them through, to try whether they be genuine graces, or moral endowments: see whether your treasure be that gold that's tried in the fire, that is, in the fiery furnace of affliction and persecution. Oh, how many are deceived with imaginary felicities, and empty flourishes? Take heed of being put off with gifts, instead of grace; conviction, instead of conversion; outward reformation, instead of saving sanctification; which is the damning and undoing of thousands of souls: why will you not use as much diligence for your souls, as you'll do for your bodies, or estates? If your body be in a dangerous disease, or your estate at hazard in an intricate suit, you'll run and ride, and make friends, and pay any money to know, what shall become of them, and to secure them: and are not your souls more worth than a stinking carcass, or dunghill estate? Sirs, pose yourselves with serious questions: Heart, how is it with you? Are you renewed? What life of grace is in you? Are your graces of the right stamp? Where are you going? And get distinct and positive answers to such questions as these: let not your treacherous heart dally with you; be not put off with general hopes and groundless conjectures: a man is easily induced to believe what he would have to be true, but rest not there; try further, make it out, how it comes to be so, detect, and answer every flaw in your spiritual estate: if you cannot do this yourself, make your case known to some able minister, or experienced Christian; tell them how things are with you, beg advice; ask them how it was with their souls, and you shall find much help this way. Yet after all, suspect your own heart: call in help from Heaven, desire the Lord to search you, and be willing to be sifted to the bran, searched to the bottom. David is so intent upon it, and so afraid of a mistake, that he uses three emphatic words, in that challenge he makes for his soul's disquisition (Psalm 26:2). Examine me, O Lord, and prove me, try my reins and my heart: the first word imports a viewing us as from a watch-tower; the second word imports a tempting, or finding out a thing by questions, inquiry by signs, the last word imports such a trial, as separates the dross from the gold, the dregs from the wine; so the Christian would be tried, purged, that grace may appear true, sincere, solid: and indeed, it's as much as your souls are worth. Therefore take the most effectual course to clear your state to yourselves, and be not put off with any answer, but what will be accepted by God at the great day.

3. Mourn over your empty heart: if you find things not right in your own hearts lament your state, cry out with a loud and bitter cry, as Esau did when the blessing was gone; lament and say woe and alas that ever I was born! That I have lived thus long without God in the world, at first entrance into it a bankrupt, and ever since a spiritual beggar. Oh what will become of me, if I die in this estate? There's but a step between me and death, and the next breath I breathe may be in everlasting burnings. It is a wonder I am not hurled into Hell before this, what shall I do to be saved? Is there any hope of such a wretch as I am? Oh that I could bathe myself in briny tears of evangelical repentance! Oh how shall I believe in Jesus Christ, that I may receive remission of sins! Truth it is, sirs, you'll never be filled till you be sensible of soul-emptiness; spiritual poverty is the prologue and preparation to true soul-plenty: gospel sorrow widens the soul, and so capacitates it for grace: the oil of grace is poured only into a contrite heart: the kingdom of God belongs to the poor in spirit, and we know, the best benefits of this kingdom are internal, as righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost: and these as a rich treasure replenish the penitent soul: for it is the sorrowful soul whom God does replenish (Jeremiah 31:25). Therefore, you are to endeavor to discover the nature of sin, and danger therein, the wrath of God hanging over your heads for it: if you were pricked in your hearts, with a pinching pain, you would be restless till you had obtained an interest in Jesus Christ, if your souls were weary and heavy laden, you would not be content till you had laid the stress of all upon an infinite Saviour: if the Lord would help graceless sinners these two steps, to see that they are yet graceless, and discern their misery in being so, that were a hopeful gradation towards conversion: did you see your state, you could not but bewail it, and make out for a change: and did you see the precious nature of the soul, and that grace that is to fill it, you would not be another day without it.

Empty your heart of all corruption; oh cleanse that filthy sink of all sin, purge yourselves from all filthiness both of flesh and spirit: shake hands with that sin that forbids the banns of marriage between Jesus Christ and your soul: lay aside every weight, and the sin which does so easily beset you, and then lift up your eyes and heart to Jesus Christ. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, purify your hearts, you double-minded: empty this dirty house of your heart, that the King of Glory may enter in; throw out the devil's household stuff, and make room for a new inhabitant: the vessel must be emptied, or it can never be filled with saving good: for that which is within, hinders anything else entering: and alas the heart is full of vain conceits, and worldly thoughts, and filthy lusts, which keep off good motions, keep out good dispositions. Now if a man purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel to honor, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared to every good work (2 Timothy 2:21). Let me entreat you for the Lord's sake, and for your own souls' sake, to search and sweep every dusty corner of your filthy hearts. Let not this train of graces and treasure of truths be always waiting your leisure, while you are wallowing in the puddle of sin, and swallowing down the devil's sweet, but dangerous, pills of soul-murdering temptations. Oh be willing to make this blessed exchange, to part with your base lusts for a precious Christ, to forgo soul-damning corruptions for soul-perfuming dispositions: if you cannot put off the whole body of sin, yet you are to cut off the members thereof, you ought indeed to stub up sin by the roots, but you may lop off its branches: you may abate sin in part, by contrary actings, knowledge does remove ignorance, as light does darkness, grief abates pleasure, and fear boldness in sinning, patience daunts passion, and fasting tames unruly lusts, these you may do, and these may be good preparatives to this treasure. For as one says, when the strength of a fever is abated by physical means, a man is disposed towards health; and plowed ground is (at least) materially prepared for seed; though God is not bound then to sow the seeds of saving grace, yet you have encouragement, that your labor shall not be in vain; use these means, and try the issue, endeavor to cast off these works of darkness, and to put on the armor of light, indeed labor to put off the old man, and to put on the new, at least do what you can to wash your hearts from filthiness, that your vain thoughts may not lodge within you (Jeremiah 4:14), that you may have a saving treasure of holy meditations.

Be gleaning in God's field, be filling your sacks in the divine granary of ordinances; the way for Ruth to be well laden was to glean in Boaz's field, among the sheaves near the reapers: the patriarchs must have recourse to Joseph's storehouses for provision; and where may we expect supply, but in Gospel ordinances? Those [canales gratiae] channels of grace; the posts of wisdom, the garden where such precious spices grow, the orchard where the soul may be laden with the fruits of righteousness, ordinances are the Lord's camp, where this heavenly manna falls; they are the green pastures, where we may fill and feast our souls, the galleries where the King of Heaven takes his walks, and here the Christless soul may meet with him: this is like Solomon's house of the forest of Lebanon, builded for an armory, where the naked soul may be furnished with shields and spears; offensive and defensive weapons to fortify the soul against the fiercest onsets of the great Abaddon. If your souls be sick of love, here you may find flagons of precious liquor to revive your fainting spirits, dispensed by the Lord's stewards: if you sit under this apple-tree, you shall be under its shadow with great delight, and the fruit thereof will be sweet to your taste. Oh then seek Christ in the broad ways of public ordinances, and go your ways forth by these footsteps of the flock. Search this pearl in the field of Gospel dispensations, and your souls shall be truly enriched thereby: it is by these ordinances, through which, as by golden pipes, that precious oil is conveyed to us from that fruitful olive, Jesus Christ. Oh do not leave off ordinances, as some conceited professors that boast they are above them: for if you set the cistern above the cock, it will never be full; and therefore you must have a reverent esteem of the Lord's appointments: prepare yourselves, and frequent soul-filling ordinances: live still within the sound of Aaron's bells, and beg of God that Aaron's rod may bring forth the buds of grace in your immortal souls. The rod of Aaron (as one well observes) may signify the ministry [Effectivè] as to the effects it produces, by the blessing of God bringing forth buds, blossoms, and ripe nuts all at once, that is, says he, precious buds of grace, blossoms of heavenly joy, and holy fruits of righteousness, and new obedience. Only let me entreat you to wait upon a heart-searching ministry, that the secrets of your heart may be manifest, and conscience may be pricked; be not afraid of a Boanerges, but gladly welcome the sharp rebukes of your souls' friends, it may be fittest for your sleepy or seared consciences. It is said of the almond-tree (of which Aaron's rod was) that the rind thereof is bitter, but the kernel is very delicious, and the oil pressed out of it very physical, and of much virtue; just such are the chastising words of a plain-dealing ministry, bitter at present, but profitable afterwards: and observe it, they are ordinarily the soundest Christians that are trained under the most plain and piercing preaching; therefore I entreat you, lay yourselves directly under the hammer of the Word, to be framed by the Lord according to his will.

6. Study and improve free grace; O let your thoughts dwell much upon God's infinite condescension and unlimited invitation of poor sinners: See what you suck out of (Isaiah 55:1) and (John 7:37) and (Revelation 22:17). Whoever will, let him take the water of life freely; there's no bar to your admission, but what you yourselves make: Christ Jesus includes you in Gospel-tenders, Oh do not exclude yourselves: the Great Shepherd calls his sheep by name (John 10:3). How is that, but by speaking expressly to their case? As if he should strike the troubled heart upon the shoulder, and say, here's comfort for you; what if your name be not there, yet the proposition is universal, he that believes, shall be saved: thousands of poor sinners have ventured their souls upon such a word, and never any miscarried that cast themselves into the arms of Christ: you have no reason to suspect acceptance, if you come to him, you have all the grounds of encouragement imaginable. A Physician offers cure to all that will come, it were madness to stand off, and say, I know not whether he intends it for me or no: if men were ready to perish in deep waters, and a boat should be offered to carry them to land, that would come into it, it were an absurd thing to dispute, whether it be for us? If a pardon come from the king for a company of condemned prisoners, and they shall all have benefit by it, if they will but accept of it, what mad man would refuse it and question, whether the prince intend him particularly. Since his name is included in the general grant; Surely men would not so fondly cast away themselves in temporals: and who would be such a fool in the everlasting concernments of his precious soul? The way here is not to dispute, but believe: Is not Jesus Christ our souls' Physician? And are not we sick? Is not the Gospel-design of grace, a plank after shipwreck? And are not we drowning? Are not we condemned malefactors at the bar of God's justice? And does not God graciously tender to us the redemption so dearly purchased by our precious Savior? And why then should we forsake our own mercies? Why will you be cruel to your own souls? If it were in temporals, you would put out the hand and be very ready for receiving. If you sit at a feast, and there stand a dish upon the table that you affect, though all the company be free to make use of it, yet you say, here's a dish for me, and you think it good manners to feed heartily upon it, without scruples and disputes of being welcome, since you were freely invited by your noble friend; Our Lord Jesus has made a feast of fat things, and has bidden his guests: he invites you to eat and drink abundantly: Oh do not you make apologies for your absence from this Gospel feast; when he invites, do not you question whether he means as he speaks, but fall to, and make a long arm, and take your share of this provision; I can assure you, he has not an evil eye, he does not grudge you this heavenly manna; in fact, rather than your souls shall famish, he freely gives you his flesh and blood to nourish your poor immortal souls: Oh you that have torn his flesh with the teeth of cruel persecution, of himself and his members! You that have trampled upon his blood with the feet of an odious and abominable conversation! You he calls to eat his flesh and drink his blood by faith in him, and improvement of him, that your souls may live; You that have despised riches of grace, treasures of grace are opened for you: You that have fought against Jesus Christ all your days with all your might, he invites you to be his soldiers, and he will lovingly entertain you, as if you had never been in rebellion against the King of Kings: will not this melt and move you to yield yourselves to your dear and loving Lord? I beseech you, take these things into your serious thoughts, and accept of Jesus Christ: only presume not by dreaming of application of Christ without separation from sin: take a whole Christ to sanctify your heart as well as justify your person, to purify conscience as well as pacify wrath: Take Christ aright, mistake him not, lest you be woefully mistaken to your eternal undoing: You need a whole Christ, and a broken heart will not be content with a divided Savior; it is the whorish heart that will divide, a sincere soul must have all, he needs grace as well as peace: indeed there's nothing of Christ useless, every part of this Lamb of God is of absolute necessity to the indigent soul: and true faith takes him in all his mediatory latitude: it is as dangerous to divide Christ believed on, as the heart believing: therefore stir up yourselves to a due consideration of free grace, and application of it in the right Gospel-way of believing.

7. Be humble petitioners at the Throne of Grace; beg hard at the gates of mercy for a large share of heavenly riches: Ask, if that will not do, Seek; if seeking avail not, Knock, and you shall be sure to prevail: the choicest riches of heaven may be had for asking, and if they be not worth that, they are worth nothing; God loves importunate beggars: there's liberty of petitioning in the Court of Heaven; it is no bad manners there to heap suit upon suit: the oftener you come, the welcomer you are. He will give the Holy Spirit to them that ask it, and that's a good thing in God's account, and should be in ours; for it enriches the soul with an abundant treasure. O beg the Spirit of God, open your mouths wide and he will fill them: We should think ourselves made for ever, if we might but have what we can ask: But the truth is, we cannot ask so much as God is able and willing to give us (Ephesians 3:19-20). Therefore sirs, stir up your hearts to desire grace, open these windows of your souls: lift up yourselves to God upon these wings of desires, and fetch a treasure from heaven into your hearts: Strong desires are real prayers, and shall prevail, for they not only capacitate the soul for grace, but lay it directly under the promise (Matthew 5:6). Desire is the soul's pulleys, that wind it up to heaven, and it is the soul's stomach, that receives heaven into the Christian: therefore pray hard; Do you not see and hear the pathetic cries of poor beggars, backed with rhetorical arguments of sores, and nakedness, at your doors, and in the road? Go you and do likewise, fill the ears of God with mighty cries, take no denial, give God no rest, till you have your share in spiritual blessings: tell God you will not be put off with the transient good things of this wicked world: tell him he has better things than these to bestow upon children: Crowns and golden mines are but crumbs cast to dogs; tell him you come to him for a child's portion: and if he will but give you a treasure of grace in your heart, and reserve a treasure of glory for you in heaven, you will refer matters of the world to him, and he shall do for those things as he sees good; whether he give you less or more of the Mammon of unrighteousness, anything or nothing: tell the Lord he has entrusted these talents of grace with unworthy creatures and great sinners, and if you be worse than any that ever yet partook thereof, yet tell him, he does not sell these precious commodities to men deserving, but give them to craving sinners, and you are one, that needs as much as any: tell him you never yet heard that he refused to give them to any that sought them for Christ's sake, with a broken heart above worldly treasures: tell him, that himself has promised, his Son has purchased, his Spirit will freely convey these Gospel-riches into your heart, and if he will but speak the word, the thing shall be quickly done. Tell the Lord, yet once again, what a monument he will thereby raise to his own glory, if he will fill your soul with this treasure, he will thereby make known the riches of his glory on a poor vessel of mercy: And whereas now you are a useless vessel, in which the Lord can have no pleasure, by whom he can have no profit or honor; Yet if he will be pleased to own and crown your soul with saving grace, he may then take delight in you, and rest in his love toward you: and when he has blessed you with spiritual blessings in heavenly things — Then you will be to the praise of the glory of his grace (Ephesians 1:3, 6). Thus come, thus pour out your hearts like water before the Lord, lie day and night at the Throne of Grace, it's worth all this pains in seeking; will you not do as much as Esau for this blessing? he took pains to hunt for venison, that Isaac's soul might bless him, and missing of it, he lifted up his voice, and cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, redoubling his request with an affectionate echo. Bless me, even me also, O my Father: the words are very remarkable, and have as notable an emphasis, as almost is to be found in Scripture, and will you be worse than profane Esau? O sirs, if you knew your souls' want, and the worth of divine things, your prayers would have another accent, and be put up with more fervency than usually they are: and you might have hopes to speed: so says the wise man, if you cry after knowledge, and lift up your voice for understanding. If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures, then you shall understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God (Proverbs 2:3-5).

Before I break off this subject, let me press a little upon you the wholesome counsel of our dear Saviour (Revelation 3:18): "I counsel you to buy of me, gold tried in the fire, that you may be rich," etc. Consider 1. What is your estate naturally, and without Christ — you may imagine great things, but God knows there is no such matter, as he says to this self-conceited Church of Laodicea (verse 17): "You say I am rich — and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, naked." He heaps up many words to aggravate their beggarly state: the graceless soul is 1. wretched, that is, pressed with sickness, misery and calamity, overwhelmed with reproach, overthrown in conflicts, cannot stir hand or foot for God, being always overborne by his master, Satan. 2. He is miserable, that is, though he stands in absolute need of divine help and mercy, yet he is unworthy and destitute of it; God will have no mercy on this woeful object, so that the forlorn soul may be called Lo-ruhamah. 3. The sinner is poor, that is, in extreme necessity, has not a bit or morsel of brown bread, but begs from door to door; these poor souls are ready to famish and pine, and shall have no relief. 4. Blind — this is a sad aggravation, when a man must wander for bread to relieve his soul, yet knows not where to go, indeed knows not that he needs to go, is miserable, and knows it not. Indeed further he is, 5. Naked, exposed to the injuries of weather, and lashes of men; thus is the poor soul destitute of the wedding garment — Christ's righteousness — having only a naked skin to fortify against the wrath of God, the curse of the Law, and tormentings of conscience, and what can this avail the wretched miscreant? Let a man be the richest potentate under heaven, yet if he be graceless, he is thus wretchedly poor; no tongue can express the misery of an unregenerate person. There are seven words in Hebrew that signify poor, and they are all applicable to a poor creature without Christ and grace. 1. He is straitened in the abundance of outward sufficiency, with a gripping conscience and greedy grasping after shadows. 2. His goods are diminished, and he has grown a bankrupt in Adam; vain inventions have wasted a fair estate, and daily weaken the relics of natural light. 3. He is oppressed with intolerable labor, grinding in the Devil's mill, toiling in worse than Egyptian thralldom, without any relief for his famishing soul. 4. He is of a dejected mind, like the serpent, going with his belly to the dust, a degenerate plant, the worst part of creation, the basest of creatures, the tail, and not the head. 5. Besides all this he is afflicted spiritually with suits, hatred, exile, imprisonment; God himself commences suit against him, hates him, banishes him from his presence, delivers him over into Satan's hands, by whom he is led captive at his pleasure. 6. He is always needy, desires all things, but has nothing, cannot be content, snatching on the right and left hand, yet is never satisfied, boundless in motion towards a wrong object, that increases his thirst. 7. He is empty both of virtues, which are the riches of the mind — for though he may have some moral accomplishments, yet they are but [Splendida peccata] more splendid and shining sins, without grace — and also he is destitute of the world, for having a curse and not God's blessing therewith, it does him no good; in fact it is his bane, being both a snare, and a poison, and aggravating sin, and increasing his torment, having a sadder account to make another day. This and much worse is the condition of a graceless heart, out of which it is counseled — oh, who would tarry one hour in such a wretched state! The Lord be merciful to you, and pluck you out of the Sodom of unregeneracy, lest you perish eternally.

2. Consider the state into which you are counseled, for this end observe, 1. Who is your counselor, Jesus Christ, who indeed is the only counselor, the wisdom of the Father, who best understands the law of heaven, and what will stand you in stead, in the court of God; he that might command you into hell, does counsel you for heaven; he that died for you, opens his heart to you; he that will speak to the Father for you, entreats you to make use of him as your only advocate. 2. Consider what and who you are and have been, that are thus counseled, enemies to his grace, in whom he might glorify his justice, and cast you head-long into the pit, and there's an end of you, persons that have been a provocation all your days, that have resisted, quenched, grieved, vexed his holy spirit, trampled Christ under foot, served Satan and yourselves; behold he pours out his words to you, indeed he offers to pour his spirit into you: it is the voice of an infinite God, to a mortal sinful man, "To you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the sons of men" (Proverbs 8:4). And 3. Consider, what he counsels to, it is to a rich and precious purchase: O you great purchasers, here's a bargain for you, not of a piece of land, but the kingdom, not an earthly but a heavenly kingdom, not a fair house to live in here, but eternal mansions in the heavens: come, strike up the bargain, bid freely, but what must you give? Money, or money's worth? No, worldly treasures are dross here, money bears no mastery, the price is fallen to just nothing, shall I say nothing? You are to give away your sins, and give God yourselves, yet that's no price, because it bears no proportion to such receipts: grace and glory are God's gift, yet God puts this honor upon such as honor him by believing, as though they buy what they enjoy: let every soul make this cheap purchase. But if it be so cheap, is it not of little worth? Will it not prove accordingly? What is the purchase, and what is it good for? That brings in the four things, namely, the things purchased are absolutely necessary and beneficial: 1. Gold. 2. Raiment. 3. Eye-salve. 4. Every one accomplishes a notable end, to make rich, clothe and recover sight: we cannot be without any of these. I cannot enlarge, take a touch: 1. This gold tried in the fire is Scripture-truths, and [reconstructed: we] by all means buy truth, by no means [reconstructed: sell] it, and the words of God are as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times, therefore David loved the word above fine gold. I told you we must make a treasure of this refined gold of Scripture-truths, but I rather understand this of the tried gold of precious graces, especially faith, which being tried in the furnace of affliction is much more precious than gold that perishes: this indeed makes the soul truly rich, as money answers all things, so this will bring us through all conditions, and this is to be had of Christ, therefore buy or beg it of him, and believe in him for obtaining more of the riches of grace. 2. White raiment is the robes of Christ's righteousness, the garments of our elder brother, fine linen clean and white, for whiteness is a token of purity, and it is an allusion to the Roman candidates, that seeking dignity or magistracy, come forth conspicuously into the assembly, thereby signifying that integrity which become those honorable offices: so the saints must have the upper garments of imputed righteousness, and closer raiment of inherent holiness, of both which it is said (Revelation 16:15) — "Blessed is he that watches and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame," that is, the filth and guilt of sin. 3. Eye-salve, an ointment that purges away the dregs and dimness of the eyes, this grace banishes the dark mists from the soul, and makes it see clearly the state of our hearts, the evil of sin, and excellency of the things of God: a right understanding of divine mysteries is a mercy worth praying for and prizing: this is the only learning, book-learning and brain-knowledge are not worth naming in comparison of this, for this anointing will teach you of all things.

Well, sirs, I am loath to leave this subject till I have prevailed with you, to make it your main business to look after this divine treasure. O that Jesus Christ were formed in your hearts, and the life of grace were begun in your souls, if that be wrought you'll be fit for all conditions, without it, you'll be fit for nothing, and nothing can suit you, you will make no shift in a hard time, and you know not how to improve happy times, a day of affliction will swallow you up, temptation will overthrow you, mercies will increase your guilt, judgments drive you to despair; you cannot buckle to the easiest duties, nor apply the sweetest promises, and how will you come off in the great day of accounts? Where will you go for help, and where will you leave your glory?