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

You cannot think to have your hearts set upon the world, and your gain, and yet serve the Lord; but if your hearts be set so upon your estates, you will make bold with God, you will venture upon the ways of sin, for the gaining of the things of this world; but mark, The Pharisees also who were covetous,¹ heard all these things, and they derided him; the word in the Greek is, They blew their noses at him; as a man when he scorns and derides another, he will s•ew it by his nose; so they in a kind of speaking in their nose, in a jeering, scorning way, they derided Jesus Christ, that talked after this fashion, What, that a man cannot serve God and Mammon too, that a man cannot look after the things of the world, and the things of God too: Carnal hearts, they do hear things in Religion, as unsavoury things, whose hearts are after the things of the world. And so not only for Riches, but for thy Credit: Hast thou not often ventured to lye, to save thy credit in something, and hast been more troubled when thou hast been discovered in any thing that makes against thy credit, and esteem, than in the sin that thou hast committed against God? Now by such kind of evidences it is clear, that men enjoy the world in such a way, as wherein they are like to lose their souls to all eternity; and now, Oh do but look upon your estates that you have, and do but think what they cost you, and little comfort you will have in them. It is observed of David, when he did long for the waters of the Well of Bethlehem, and there were men ventured their lives to get him the water; when it came to him, he would not drink of it, Oh it is the price of blood! so when thou lookest upon thy estate, and fittest at thy table, and seest that thou hast more there than other men, and lookest into thy Chest, and there thou hast plenty of Garments, and thy children are fine and brave, and the like; these are pretty things for a while to please the fancy with, I but what do they cost? as he that would reckon ⟨p. 362⟩his cloth, he reckons that the dying and the spinning it cost him so much, I but what cost the wool? why, that was his own, and he accounted nothing of that: So, such and such things that thou hast, what do they cost? they cost thus much, and thus much, I but hath not thy soul gone into the bargain? and canst thou have pleasure in it, when it cost thee so dear as it hath?