convey the truths of God to posterity : but since the sacred trutli hath been consigned to writing, no such tradition (except fully consentient with that written word) is to be received as authentic ; but the truths therein delivered to the saints, ai'e, by verbal declarations, open can- Jess'ions, and constant suffcrhigs, to be preserved and delivered from age to age. This was the constant care of the whole cloud of witnesses, both ancient and modern, who have kept the word of God's patience, and would not accept their own lives, liberties, or estates, no, nor the whole world in exchange for that invaluable treasure of truth : they have carefully practised Solomon's counsel, Prov. xxiii. 23. " Buy the truth, but sell it not ;" they would not alienate that fair inheritance for all the inheritances on earth. Upon the same reasons that you refuse to part with, or imbezzle your estates, Christians also refuse to part vAth the truth of God.
1. You will not waste or alienate your inheritance, because it is precious, and of great value in your eyes ; but much more precious are God's truths to his people. Luther professed, he would not take the whole tvorld for one leaf of his Bible. Though some profane persons may say with Pilate, What is truth ? Yet know, that any one truth of the gospel is more worth than all the inheritances upon earth ; they are the great things of God's law ; and he that sells them for the greatest things in this world, makes a soul-undoing bargain.
2. You will not waste or part with your inheritance, because you Tvnow your posterity will be much wTonged by it. They that daffle or drink away an estate, drink the tears of their sad widows, and the very blood of their impoverished children. The people of God do also consider, how much the generations to come are concerned in the conservation of the truths of God for them : It cuts them to the heart, but to think that their children should be brought up to worship dumb idols, and fall down before a wooden and breadenGod. The very birds and beasts will expose their own bodies to apparent danger of death to preserve their young. Religion doth much more tender the hearts and bowels than nature doth.
8. You reckon it a foul disgrace to sell your estates, and become bankrupts ; it is a word that bears ill among you : and a Christian accounts it the highest reproach in the world, to be a traitor to, or an apostate from the truths of God. When the primitive saints were strictly required to deliver up their Bibles, those that did so, were justly branded, and hissed out of their company, under the odious title of traditores, or deliverers.
4. You are so loth to part with your estates, because you know it is hard recovering an estate again when once you have lost it. Chris^ tians do also know how difficult it will be for the people of God, in times to come, to recover the light of the gospel again, if once it be extinguished. There is no truth of God recovered out of Anti^ Christ's hands, without great vrrestlings and much blood. The church may call eyery point of reformed doctrine and discipline so
176 HUSBANDRY SPIRITUALIZED ; OR,
recovered, her Naphtalies ; for with great wresthngs slie hath wrest- led for them ; " earnestly contending for the faith once dehvered to " them," Jude 3.
5. To conclude; rather than you will part with your estates, you will choose to suffer many wants and hardships all your lives ; you will fare hard, and go bare, to preserve what you have for your posterity : but the people of God have put themselves upon far greater hardships tlian these to preserve truth ? they have chosen to suffer reproaches, poverty, prisons, death, and the most cruel torments, rather than the loss of God's truth, all the martyrologies will inform you v/hat their sufferings have been, to keep the word of God's patience ; tliey have boldly told their enemies, that they might pluck their hearts out of their bodies, but should never pluck the truth out of their hearts.
1. Base unbelieving heart ! How have I flinched and sunk from A fi a' /• truth, when it hath been in danger ? I have rather
A rejievtionjor ^^^^^^^ ^^ j^^^^.g \^ ^^^^ ^^ jifv.^ liberty, or estate, as cowarcUy and ^ ^^ ^^^ ^,x^^m^\ I'have left truth, and just
professors. ^^.j|^, ^^^^1 , ^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^,^^^^ ^ ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^
truth : vca, rather bold and daring soul ! that would rather venture to look a wrathful God, than an angry man in the face. T would not own and preserve the truth, and the God of truth will not own me ; 2 Tiin. ii. 12. " If we deny him, he will deny us.''
2. Lord ! unto me hast thou committed the precious treasure and
trust of truth ; and as I received it, so do I A rejiect'ion for such desire to dehver it to the generations to come, as suffer for truth. that the people which are yet unborn may
praise the Lord. God forbid I should ever part with such a fair inheritance, and thereby beggar my own, and thousands of souls ! Thou hast given me thy truth, and the world hates me ; I well know that it is the ground of the quarrel. Would I but throw truth over the walls, how soon would a retreat be sounded to all persecutors.? But, Lord, thy trudi is invaluably precious. What a vile thing is my blood, compared widi the least of all thy truths ? Thou hast charged me not to sell it; and, in thy strength, I resolve never to pass a fine, and cut off that golden line whereby thy truths are entailed upon diy people from generation to genera- tion : my friends may go, my liberty may go, my blood may go ; but as for thee, precious truth, thou shalt never go.
3. How dear hath this inheritance of truth cost some Christians ?
How^ little hath it cost us ? We are entered into A rcflectwnfor such their labours ; w^e reap in peace what they sowed as are in quiet pos- in tears, yea, in blood. O the grievous suffer- session of truth. ings that they chose to endure ! Rather than to
deprive us of such an inheritance, those noble
THE HEAVENLY USE OF EARTHLY THINGS. 177
souls, heated with the love of Christ, and care for our souls, made many bold and brave adventures for it ; and yet at what a low rate do we value what cost them so dear? Like young heirs that never knew the gettino- of an estate, we spend it freely. Lord, help us thankfully and diligently to improve thy truths, while we are in quiet j)ossGssion of them. Such intervals of jxace and rest are usually of no long continuance with thy people.
j\_ PUBLIC spirit scorns to plant no root
But such from which himself may gather fruit.
For thus he reasons, If I reap the gains
Of laborious predecessors pains,
How equal is it, that posterity
Should reap the fruits of present industry ?
Should every age but serve its turn, and take
No thought for future times, it soon will make
A bankrupt world, and so entail a curse
From age to age, as it grows worse and wor^ie.
Our Christian predecessors careful thus
Have been to leave an heritage to us.