Gospel-revelation in three treatises, viz, 1 The nature of God. 2 The excellencies of…

Fifthly, And consider but the next Argument which follows upon this, and is of a near kin to it, That all the things of this world, the pleasures, profits, honours, they surely have no great matter in them, for they are no more than may stand with Gods eternal hatred of his creature. Now certainly, those things that have no higher excellency in them than may stand with the eternal hatred of the Infinite God, certainly they have no great excellency in them; those things that Reprobates may have, surely have no great matters in them, that that you give to your Swine, you make no great matter of it; take all the things of the world, they are no more than God gives to Swine, than God gives to Reprobates, than God gives to such as he doth eternally hate; I remember that Luther hath such an expression as this of the Turkish Empire, It is but a crumb that the great Master of the family casts to his Dog: Now if all the Turkish Empire be no more than a bit of bread that you would cast to your Dog, then what is your estate? The Lord who is so infinitely rich in mercy, he can afford such bones for Dogs as these are, surely there is no great matters in these things that Reprobates may have as well as children; therefore you that are poor people (and yet godly) that want these things, do you quiet your hearts, what though you have not such an estate as others? Oh do not murmur! why, it is no great matter you want, you want but that that God gives to Reprobates; Suppose a man gains the world, if he lose his soul, what gets he? he gets a bone that Dogs have, for the loss of his soul.

Fifthly, And consider but the next Argument which follows upon this, and is of a near kin to it, That all the things of this world, the pleasures, profits, honours, they surely have no great matter in them, for they are no more than may stand with Gods eternal hatred of his creature. Now certainly, those things that have no higher excellency in them than may stand with the eternal hatred of the Infinite God, certainly they have no great excellency in them; those things that Reprobates may have, surely have no great matters in them, that that you give to your Swine, you make no great matter of it; take all the things of the world, they are no more than God gives to Swine, than God gives to Reprobates, than God gives to such as hee doth eternally hate; I remember that Luther hath such an expression as this of the Turkish Empire, It is but a crum that the great Master of the family casts to his Dogg: Now if all the Turkish Empire be no more than a bit of bread that you would cast to your Dogg, then what is your estate? The Lord who is so infinitely rich in mercy, hee can afford such bones for Doggs as these are, surely there is no great matters in these things that Reprobates may have as well as children; therefore you that are poor people (and yet godly) that want these things, do you quiet your hearts, what though you have not such an estate as others? Oh do not murmure! why, it is no great matter you want, you want but that that God gives to Reprobates; Suppose a man gains the world, if hee lose his soul, what gets hee? hee gets a bone that Doggs have, for the loss of his soul.