life is a holy life; holiness is the life of his life. Now, I pray friends, do you not think God himself lives a life of pleasure? and what is the pleasure of his life but holiness? He takes pleasure in the graces of his saints, Psal. cxlix. 4. how much more in his own essential holiness, from whence those beams, which shine so beautifully to his eye in his children, were at first shot? Thou, (whoever thou art) hast an art above God himself, if thou canst fetch any true pleasure out of unholiness and unrighteousness; and let me tell thee also, it is not the lowest of blasphemies for thee to charge the way of righteousness and holiness to be an enemy to true pleasure; for in that thou chargest God himself to want true joy and pleasure; who has no pleasure, if holiness will not yield it. But away with such putrid stuff as this is. The devils and damned souls themselves, that hate God with the most perfect hatred of any other, yet they dare not say, they cannot say so. They know God to be glorious and happy, yea glorious in holiness; and the creature's bliss and glory to consist in a participation of that holiness, which makes God himself so blessed and glorious. This, Christian, is the utmost that can be said of thy happiness, either here, or in Heaven hereafter. That makes thee glorious which makes God glorious; thy joy and pleasure is of the same kind with the pleasure God delights himself in: "Thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures." Psal. xxxvi. 8. Mark that phrase, the river of thy pleasures. God hath his pleasures, and God gives his saints to drink of his pleasures. This is the sweet accent of the saints' pleasures. When a prince bids his servants carry such a man down into the cellar, and let him drink of their beer or wine, this is a kindness from so great a personage to be valued highly; but for the prince to set him at his own table, and let him drink of his own wine, this I hope is far more. When God gives a man estate, corn and wine and oil, the comforts of the creature, he entertains the man but in the common cellar; such as have none but carnal enjoyments they do but sit with the servants, and in some sensual pleasures they are but fellow-commoners with the beasts. But when he bestows his grace,

beautifies a soul with holiness, now he prefers the creature the highest it is capable of; he never sends this rich clothing to any but he means to set such by him, at his own table with him, in Heaven's glory.

CHAP. XIII.

WHEREIN IS DEFEATED SATAN'S SECOND WILE, BY

WHICH

HE

WOULD CHEAT THE CHRISTIAN OF HIS BREAST-PLATE, PRESENTING IT AS PREJUDICIAL TO HIS WORLDLY PROFITS.

ASSAULT2. Secondly, If thou dost not stumble at this stone, the devil hath another at hand to throw in thy way. He is not so unskilful a fowler as to go with one single shot into the field; and therefore expect him, as soon as he hath discharged one, and missed thee, to let fly at thee with a second; and tell thee, this holy life and righteous walking thou hadst best never meddle with it, except thou meanest to undo thyself and all that depend on thee. Look upon the rich (will he say) and great men in the world, how dost think these heaped together such vast estates, and raised their families to such dignity and grandeur in their places? Was it by their righteousness and holiness? alas! if they had been so strait-laced in their consciences as thou must be (if thou tiest thyself up to the rules of a holy life) they had never came to so good a market for this world as they have done; and if thou wilt thrive with them, thou must do as they have done, throw off this breast-plate of righteousness quite, or unbuckle it, that it may hang loose enough to turn aside when any advantage is offered, or else you may shut up your shop-windows, and give over your trade, for all you are like to get at the year's end.

Answ. To defend thee, Christian, against this assault, take these few considerations, from which it will not be hard to draw an answer that will stop the mouth of this objection.

First, Consider it is not necessary that thou shouldest

be rich; but it is necessary thou shouldest be holy, if thou meanest to be happy. You may travel to Heaven with never a penny in your purse, but not without holiness in your heart and life also. And wisdom bids thee first attend to that which is of greatest necessity.

Secondly, Heaven is worth the having, though thou goest poor and ragged, yea naked, thither. There are some in the world that will accept God's offer thankfully, may they be admitted into that glorious city, though God doth not bribe them, and toll them along thither with great estates here. And therefore for shame resolve to be holy at all peradventures. Do not stand indenting with God for that which, if you were actually possessed of and loved him, you would leave, and throw at your heels with scorn, rather than part with him.

Thirdly, A little of the world will give thee content, if holiness be kept in its power; as few cloaths will serve a hale strong man: and better is the warmth that comes from blood and spirits within than a load of cl thes without. Better, I trow, the content which godliness gives the Christian in his poverty, than the content (if there be such a thing in the world) which the rich man hath from his wealth. Godliness with content is great gain. The holy person is the only contented man in the world. Paul tells us, "he had learnt in whatsoever state he was to be content;" Phil. iv. 11. but if you ask him who was his master, that taught him this hard lesson, he will tell you he had it not by sitting at Gamaliel's feet, but Christ's, ver. 13. "I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me." What the philosopher said in a brag, that the holy soul in truth and soberness can say through Christ, when he is lowest and poorest, that his heart and his condition are matches. We would count him a happy man, stilo mundi, that can live of himself without trading or borrowing; or that, when he would buy or purchase, hath ready cash for the purpose in his coffers; when he would indulge his fanciful appetite with varieties, hath all within his own pale, what rarities the several elements can afford, and needs not send abroad to this market and that for provision. Godliness is so rich a continent that it is able to maintain

the Christian of its own growth, as I may say, and out of its own store, with all that his gracious heart can desire, without begging at the creature's door, and hazarding unworthily his holiness to attain.

Fourthly, Consider what a dear bargain they have who part with or pawn their breast-plate of righteousness for the world's riches; which will appear, first, in the sin; secondly, in the heavy curse that treads upon the heels of that sin.

First, It is a great sin. The devil sure would tempt Christ to no small sin; we find him, Luke iv. laying this golden bait before him, when he shewed him all the kingdoms of the world, and promised them all unto him, if he would fall down and worship him. What was the foul Spirit's design in this demand, but to draw Christ to acknowledge him the lord of the world, and by worshipping him to declare that he expected the good things of this world, not from God, but him. Now truly every one that by unrighteousness seeks the world's pelf, he goes to the devil for it, and doth worship him (in effect). He had as good speak out, and say he acknowledges not God, but the Devil, to be Lord of the world, and to have the disposing of it; for he doth what God interprets so. Now how much better is it to have poverty from God than riches from the Devil? Here is a daring sin with a witness; at one clap to take away God's sovereignty, and bestow it upon the devil, to do what he please with the world.

Secondly, It is a foolish sin. "They that will be rich (that is, by right or wrong) fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish lusts." 1 Tim. vi. 9. What greater folly than to play the thief to acquire that which is a man's own already? If thou art a saint, all is thine the world hath. "Godliness hath the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." 1 Tim. iv. 8. If riches be good for thee, thou shalt have it, for that is the tenor of temporal promises; and if it be not thought good by God (who is best able to judge) to pay the promise in specie, in kind, then another promise comes in for thy relief, which assures thee thou shalt have money-worth. Heb. xiii. 5. "Let your conversation

be without covetousness, and be content with such things as you have; for he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." If God hath given thee riches, but calls thee to part with it for his name's sake, then he gives thee his bond, upon which thou mayest recover thy loss, with a hundred-fold advantage in this life, besides "eternal life in the world to come." Matth. xix. 29. And he is a fool, with witness, that parts with God's promises for any security the devil can give him.

"The

Thirdly, Unrighteous gain will appear to be a dear bargain, from the heavy curse that cleaves unto it. curse of God is in the house of the wicked;" Prov. iii. 33. but "in the house of the righteous there is much treasure." Prov. xv. 6. You may come to the righteous man, and find (possibly) no money in his house, but you are sure to find a treasure; whereas there is no treasure in the wicked man's house, when much gold and silver is to be found, because the curse of God eats up all his gains. God's fork follows the wicked's rake: it is most righteous for him to scatter what such gather by unrighteousness. They are said therefore to "consult shame to their house; for the stone out of the wall shall cry, and the beam out of the house shall answer it." Hab. ii. 10. O who, that prizeth the comfort of his life, would, though for tons of gold, live in a house thus haunted? where the cry of his unrighteousness follows him into every room he goes, and he doth, as it were, hear the stones and beams of his house groaning under the weight of his sin that laid them there; yea, so hateful is this sin to the righteous Lord, that not only they who purse up the gain thus got are cursed by him, but also the instruments such use to advance their unrighteous projects. The poor servant that, to curry favour with his master, advanceth his estate by fraud and unrighteousness, God threatens to pay him his wages. Zephan. i. 9. “I will punish those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters' houses with violence and deceit." This is spoke either of servants standing at the door to hook in customers they may cheat, or else of great men's officers that came with absolute power into men's houses to take from them what they pleased; these, though their masters