Fourthly, If the things of this World be so vain, what inexcusable folly is it to part with the peace, or the purity of our Consciences for them! And yet what more common? If men can get any thing of the World at the price of a sin, they think, they have made a gainful bargain. And therefore the Devil hath recourse to ⟨p. 117⟩this, as his most prevailing temptation. When he set on our Saviour in the Wilderness, the last assault was, aAll these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me; and when this battery could not make a breach, he raiseth his siege, as despairing of success. And this is the usual temptation by which he assaults others. Judas comes with his bQuid dabitis, what will you give me; and sets Christ, and his own Conscience to sale, for the inconsiderable sum of thirty pieces. He demands no more than the common market cprice of a slave (not amounting to above deight and thirty shillings) for the Lord of Life and Glory: And thinks his ⟨p. 118⟩bargain so good, that he gives himself to the Devil for vantage. This is the very root of all that injustice, and rapine, and oppression, and violence that is to be found among men. They all strive and tug, who shall get most of this earth from one another; and lose Heaven, and their own Consciences in the scuffle. This is it that makes men so oft shift their Sails, that they may run before every wind that blows. If times grow rough and tempestuous, and they must throw overboard either their gain, or their godliness, this persuades them to make shipwreck of Faith and a good Conscience, only that they may bear up in this World, though they ⟨p. 119⟩sink hereafter, Now, what deplorable folly is this! When thy conscience is disquieted with the tormenting review of past crimes, what will all thy ill-gotten wealth avail thee? Thou wilt then with extreme horror cast thy eyes upon all thy treasures of wickedness, when conscience shall tell thee, thou hast not only treasured up them, but wrath too against the day of wrath.
Fourthly, If the things of this World be so vain, what inexcusable folly is it to part with the peace, or the purity of our Consciences for them! And yet what more common? If men can get any thing of the World at the price of a sin, they think, they have made a gainful bargain. And therefore the Devil hath recourse to ⟨p. 117⟩this, as his most prevailing temptation. When he set on our Saviour in the Wilderness, the last assault was, aAll these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me; and when this battery could not make a breach, he raiseth his siege, as despairing of success. And this is the usual temptation by which he assaults others. Judas comes with his bQuid dabitis, what will you give me; and sets Christ, and his own Conscience to sale, for the inconsiderable sum of thirty pieces. He demands no more than the common market cprice of a slave (not amounting to above deight and thirty shillings) for the Lord of Life and Glory: And thinks his ⟨p. 118⟩bargain so good, that he gives himself to the Devil for vantage. This is the very root of all that injustice, and rapine, and oppresion, and violence that is to be found among men. They all strive and tugg, who shall get most of this earth from one another; and lose Heaven, and their own Consciences in the scuffle. This is it that makes men so oft shift their Sails, that they may run before every wind that blows. If times grow rough and tempestuous, and they must throw overboard either their gain, or their godliness, this perswades them to make shipwrack of Faith and a good Conscience, onely that they may bear up in this World, though they ⟨p. 119⟩sink hereafter, Now, what deplorable folly is this! When thy conscience is disquieted with the tormenting review of past crimes, what will all thy ill-gotten wealth avail thee? Thou wilt then with extream horror cast thy eyes upon all thy treasures of wickednesse, when conscience shall tell thee, thou hast not onely treasur'd up them, but wrath too against the day of wrath.
- aMat. 4 9.
- bMat. 26.15.
- cExod. 21.32.
- dAccounting the value of the common shekel to be 15 pence of our money.
