And, again, whatsoever the saints do, though never so small and mean, it is great and glorious ; because they do all in faith and by the word, saith the same author. To prevent mistakes, you must remem- ber, that the works that Jesus Christ will reward at last arc super- natural works : they are, 1, works of God ; 2, wrought from God . & for God ; 4, in God ; 5, according to God. They are Avorks that flow from supernatural principles, and they are directed to supernatural ends, and performed in a supernatural way. Now the sooner a man begins to be good, the more he will abound in these good works ; and the more doubtless any man abounds in such good works on earth, the greater reward he shall have in heaven. Yet it must not be forgotten 1 Vs. lviii. 11 ; Gen. xv. 1 ; Ps. xix. 11 ; Mat. v. 12; Heb. x. 35 ; John ii. 8.
1 Kings XIV. 13.] apples of gold. 213
that the best actions, the best works of hypocrites, and all men out of Christ, are but splendida peccata, fair and shining sins, beautiful abominations. And as the phoenix in Arabia gathers sweet odoriferous sticks together, and then blows them with her wings, and burns herself with them, so many a carnal professor burns himself with his own good works, that is, by his expecting and trusting to receive that by his works that is only to be received and expected from Jesus Christ.1 Though all that man can do towards the meriting of heaven is no more than the lifting up of a festraw2 towards the meriting of a kingdom, yet such a proud piece man is, that he is ready enough to say with proud Vega, Caelum gratis non accipiam, I will not have heaven of free cost.3 A proud heart would fain have that of debt which is merely of grace, and desires that to be of purchase which God hath intended to be of free mercy ; which made one to say, that he would swim through a sea of brimstone, that he might come to heaven at last ; but he that swims not thither through the sea of Christ's blood, shall never come there. Man must swim thither, not through brimstone, but through blood, or he miscarries for ever.
(2.) Again, the sooner a man begins to be good, the more serviceable he will be to others, and the more he will provoke others to good. Now, all the good that you provoke others to by counsel or carriage,4 shall be put down to your account, as all the sins that men provoke others to is put down to their accounts. David did but send a letter concerning the death of Uriah, and the charge cometh, ' Thou hast slain Uriah with the sword,' 2 Sam. xii. 8, 9. The more I stir up others to sow, the more at last I shall reap, Isa. xxxviii. 3, Neh. xiii. 14. The sooner a man begins to be good, the more good he will do, the more serviceable he will be in the town or city where he dwells, in the family where he lives, among his relations, wife, children, kindred, servants, &c, with whom he con- verses.5
The sooner a man begins to be gracious, the sooner and the more useful will his arts, his parts, his gifts, his graces, his mercies, his ex- periences, his life, his labours, his prayers, his counsels, his examples, be to all that are with him, to all that are about him.
Lilmod lelammed, we therefore learn that we may teach, is a proverb among the Rabbins. And I do therefore lay in and lay up, saith the heathen, that I may draw forth again, and lay out for the good of many.
Ah ! young men, young men ! as you would be useful and serviceable to many, begin to be good betimes, and to lay in and lay up and lay out betimes, for the profit and advantage of others. Augustine accounted nothing his own that he did not communicate to others. The bee doth store her hive out of all sorts of flowers for the common benefit. It is a base and unworthy spirit for a man to make himself the centre of all his actions. The very heathen man could say that a man's country, and his friends, and others, challenge a great part of him. And indeed
1 David made use of his bow. but did not trust to his bow. The dove made use of her wings, but did not trust in her wings, but in the ark.
2 That is, 'fescue.' Latin, festuca, a wire or straw used to teach the letters = a trifle. Cf. Wright, sub voce.—G.
3 Merces non est debita, sed gratuita. 4 ' Life or example.' — G.
5 Synesius speaks of some who, having a treasure of rare abilities in tbem, would as soon part with their hearts as their conceptions ; but such are rather monsters than men.
214 APPLES OF GOLD. [1 KlNGS XIV. 13.
the best way to do ourselves good is to be a-doing good to others ; the best way to gather is to scatter. Memorable is that story of Pyrrhias, a merchant of Ithaca, who at sea espying an aged man, a captive in a pirate's ship, took compassion of him, and redeemed him, and bought his commodities which the pirate had taken from him, which were certain barrels of pitch. The old man perceiving that not for any good service he could do him, nor for the gain of that commodity, but merely out of charity and pity he had done this, discovered a great mass of treasure hidden in the pitch, whereby the merchant in a very short time became very rich ; at which very time God made that word good, ' He that soweth liberally shall reap liberally/ 2 Cor. ix. 6 ; and that word, ' The liberal soul shall be made fat,' Prov. xi. 25 ; and that Avord, ' The liberal deviseth liberal things, and by liberal things shall he stand,' Isa. xxxii. 8. It is fabled of Midas, that whatever he touched he turned it into gold. It is certain that a liberal hand, a liberal heart, turns all into gold, into gain, as Scripture and experience do abundantly evidence. Now, if you put all these things together, nothing is more evident than that those that begin to be good betimes are in the ready way, the high way, to be high in heaven when they shall cease from breathing on earth. And therefore, young men, as you would be high in heaven, as you would have a great reward, a full reward, a massy, weighty crown, oh labour to be good betimes ; labour to get acquainted with the Lord, and an interest in the Lord, in the spring and morning of your days !
Motive (7). The seventh motive or consideration to provoke and incite you to be good betimes, is to consider, That the Lord is very much affected and taken with your seeking of him, and folloiving after him, in the spring and morning of your youth.
Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, ' I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown,' Jer. ii. 2.