Two treatises of Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs. The first of earthly-mindedness

I verily believe at the day of Judgment there will not be one man found, that shall be able to say, Lord, I did improve what talents thou diddest give me to the uttermost to save my soul, but Lord, because I was not able to do any more, without thy grace, thou diddest deny thy grace to me, and therefore now I must be damned: I believe there will not be any soul that will be able to say so; but in the matters of the world men do say so, that they have done what they could, nad laboured and toiled, and yet for all that they miscarry. Oh what a foolish thing is this then, for thee to toil and labour about that which is so uncertain: for were it not a foolish thing for a man to bestow all his estate about buying of pebble stones, and that that will afford him no kind of benefit at all: This folly is in the heart of man: I'll but put this care to you, If two of you should go to the Indies, where precious stones are, and one should purchase a lading of precious stones and other rich commodities, and the other that carried as much money with him, he lays out all his money about baubles and trifles, and they both come home laden, Both went out with the same stock, both come home laden, and one comes home with precious stones that makes him rich, and his posterity to be great men; the other brings home nothing but a company of pebble stones which makes him scorned and jeered at by all his Neighbours; Oh! how would he be ready to tear his flesh for his folly in this kind: This will be the difference between men and women at the day of Judgment, for the truth is, what is this world but a sea-fare? we are here sailing in this world, and here we have the market of pearls, or else of that hath no worth at all in it: when you live in the times of the Gospel I say there is a market for pearls, for those things that may enrich you to all eternity; now there's one man, he bestows the strength of his thoughts and heart about those things that he shall be blessing of God in the highest heavens to all eternity ⟨p. 38⟩for, and the other man bestows his thoughts and heart but upon the things of the earth, and lades himself with thick clay (as the Scripture phrase is;) and now at the day of Judgment when it shall appear, here's a man or woman that shall be to all eternity blessed, that shall join with Angels and Saints in the highest heavens to magnify the free grace of God in Christ:

I verily beleeve at the day of Judgment there will not be one man found, that shall be able to say, Lord, I did improve what talents thou didest give me to the uttermost to save my soul, but Lord, because I was not able to do any more, without thy grace, thou didest deny thy grace to me, and therefore now I must be damn'd: I beleeve there will not be any soul that will be able to say so; but in the matters of the world men do say so, that they have done what they could, nad labour'd and toyl'd, and yet for all that they miscarry. Oh what a foolish thing is this then, for thee to toyl and labour about that which is so uncertain: for were it not a foolish thing for a man to bestow all his estate about buying of pibble stones, and that that will afford him no kind of benefit at all: This folly is in the heart of man: I'le but put this care to you, If two of you should go to the Indies, where precious stones are, and one should purchase a lading of precious stones and other rich commodities, and the other that carried as much money with him, he laies out all his money about baubles and trifles, and they both come home laden, Both went out with the same stock, both come home laden, and one comes home with precious stones that makes him rich, and his posterity to be great men; the other brings home nothing but a company of pibble stones which makes him scorn'd and jeer'd at by all his Neighbours; Oh! how would he be ready to tear his flesh for his folly in this kind: This will be the difference between men and women at the day of Judgment, for the truth is, what is this world but a sea-fare? we are here sailing in this world, and here we have the market of pearls, or else of that hath no worth at all in it: when you live in the times of the Gospel I say there is a market for pearls, for those things that may enrich you to all eternity; now there's one man, he bestows the strength of his thoughts and heart about those things that he shall be blessing of God in the highest heavens to all eternity