Improve that knowledge, that faith, that light, that love that you have. Those that had two Talents, did by the improvement of them, gain other two; and those that had five, did by the improvement of them, gain ten. Prov. 10. 4. The diligent hand maketh rich. Take hold of all opportunities ⟨p. 244⟩to enrich your souls with spiritual riches. Men will 1easily, readily, greedily, and unweariedly close with all opportunities, wherein they may get earthly riches, and why should not you be as diligent in taking hold of all opportunities to enrich your precious souls? Is not the soul more then raiment, more then friends, more then relations, more then life, yea, more then all? And why then do you not labour to enrich your souls? Thou wert better have a rich soul under a thread-bare Coat, then a thread-bare soul under a silk or golden Coat. If he be a Monster among men, that makes liberal provision for his Servant, his slave, and starves his wife, what a Monster is he that makes much provision for his baser part, but none for his noble part? A slothful heart in the things of God, is a heavy judgement. Prov. 4. 31. I went by the field of the slothful, and by the Vineyard of the man void of understanding, (Or as the Hebrew hath it, The man that had no heart, that is, to make use of his Vineyard) and lo it was all grown over with thorns and nettles, &c. O the lusts, the wickednesses that will overgrow slothful, sluggish souls! Spiritual sluggards are subject to the saddest strokes: Oh the deadly sins, the deadly temptations, the deadly judgements that spiritual sluggards will unavoidably fall under! None such an enemy to himself, none such a friend to Satan, as the spiritual sluggard. 'Tis sad to think how the riches of Christ, the riches of Consolation, the riches of Justification, the riches of Glorification are brought to many mens doors, and yet they have no hearts to embrace them; no judgement to this. Wherefore is there a price in the 2hand of a fool to get wisdom, seeing he hath no heart to it? Well, spiritual sluggards, remember this, When your consciences are awakened, this will be a sword in your souls, that you might have been saved, you might have been spiritually and eternally enriched, but that you have trifled and fooled away golden opportunities, and your own salvation.
Improve that knowledge, that faith, that light, that love that you have. Those that had two Talents, did by the improvement of them, gaine other two; and those that had five, did by the improvement of them, gaine ten. Prov. 10. 4. The diligent hand maketh rich. Take hold of all opportunities ⟨p. 244⟩to inrich your soules with spirituall riches. Men will 1easily, readily, greedily, and unweariedly close with all opportunities, wherein they may get earthly riches, and why should not you be as diligent in taking hold of all opportunities to enrich your precious soules? Is not the soule more then rayment, more then friends, more then relations, more then life, yea, more then all? And why then doe you not labour to inrich your soules? Thou wert better have a rich soule under a thred-bare Coat, then a thred-bare soule under a silk or golden Coat. If he be a Monster among men, that makes liberall provision for his Servant, his slave, and starves his wife, what a Monster is he that makes much provision for his baser part, but none for his noble part? A sloathfull heart in the things of God, is a heavy judgement. Prov. 4. 31. I went by the field of the sloathfull, and by the Vineyard of the man voyd of understanding, (Or as the Hebrew hath it, The man that had no heart, that is, to make use of his Vineyard) and loe it was all growne over with thornes and nettles, &c. O the lusts, the wickednesses that will overgrow sloathfull, sluggish soules! Spirituall sluggards are subject to the saddest stroakes: Oh the deadly sins, the deadly temptations, the deadly judgements that spirituall sluggards will unavoidably fall under! None such an enemy to himselfe, none such a friend to Satan, as the spirituall sluggard. 'Tis sad to think how the riches of Christ, the riches of Consolation, the riches of Justification, the riches of Glorification are brought to many mens doores, and yet they have no hearts to imbrace them; no judgement to this. Wherefore is there a price in the 2hand of a foole to get wisedome, seeing he hath no heart to it? Well, spirituall sluggards, remember this, When your consciences are awakened, this will be a sword in your soules, that you might have been saved, you might have been spiritually and eternally inriched, but that you have trifled and fooled away golden opportunities, and your owne salvation.
- 1The •ad•x H•r•ts, is to • dig in the ground for gold, whence […], fine precious gold Prov. 16. 16. The neglect of golden soul enriching opportunities, has made many a mans life a hell; yea, many a Courtiers life a •ell, as all know, that know any thing of History, &c.The •ad•x H•r•ts, is to • dig in the ground for gold, whence 〈…〉, fine precious gold Prov. 16. 16. The neglect of golden soul inriching opportunities, has made many a mans life a hell; yea, many a Courtiers life a •ell, as all know, that know any thing of History, &c.
- 2Prov. 17. 16. Wealth without wit is i•l bestowed, &c.
