The Spanish ambassador coniiiig to see the treasury of St Mark, in Venice, which is cried up throughout the world, fell a-groping whether it had any bottom, and being asked why, answered, ' In this among other things^ my gTcat master's treasure differs from yours, in that his hath no bottom, as I find yours to have,' alluding to the mines of Mexico and Potosi, &c. Certainly Christ's treasures have no bottom, all his bags are bottomless ;. but Scripture, history, and experience, do abund- antly testify that men's bags, purses, coffers, and mines, may be ex- hausted or drawn dry, but Christ's can never. Millions of thousands live upon Christ, and he feels it not ; his purse is always full, though he be always giving, &c.
[3.] Thirdly, The riches of Christ are soul-satisfying riches. Oh those riches of gTace and goodness that be in Christ, how do they satisfy the souls of sinners I A pardon doth not more satisfy a condemned man, nor bread the hungr}^ man, nor drink the thirsty man, nor clothes the naked man, nor health the sick man, than the riches of Christ do satisfy the gracious man. John iv. 13, 14, ' Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again : but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst ; but the water that I shall give him shaU be in him a well of living water springing up to everlasting life.' Grace is a perpetual flowing fountain. Grace is compared to water. Water serves to cool men when they are in a burning heat, so grace cools the soul when it hath been scorched and burned up under the sense of divine wrath and displeasure. Water is cleansing, so is grace ; water is fructifying, so is grace ; and water is satisfying, it satisfies the thirsty, and so doth grace. 'Shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us,' John xiv. 8. But now earthly riches can never satisfy the soul ; but as they said once of Alexander, ' that had he a body suitable to his mind, he would set one foot upon sea, and the other upon land ; ' he would reach the east with one hand, and the west with the other. And doubtless the same frame of spirit is to be found in all the sons of Adam. In Eccles. v. 10, ' He that loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver ; nor he that loveth abundance with increase. This is also vanity.' If a man be hungry, silver cannot feed him ; if naked, it cannot clothe him ; if cold, it cannot warm him ; if sick, it cannot recover him, much less then is it able to satisfy him. Oh ! but the riches of Christ are soul-satisfying riches. A soul rich in spirituals, rich in eternals, says, I hav'e enough, though I have not this and that tem- poral good, &c.'
[4.] Fourtldy, The riches of Christ are harmless riches. They are riches that will not hurt the soul, tliat will not harm the soul. Where is there a soul to be found in all the world that was ever made worse by spiritual riches ? Oh but earthly riches have cast down many, they have slain many. If poverty, with Saul, hath killed her thousands, riches, with
flowers surrounded with many briars, &c. ' Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow?' saith God to Job. Now, Gregory [of Nyssa] saith tliat the treasures of the snow are worldly riches, which men rake together as children do snow, wliich the next sliower washeth away, and leaves nothing in the room but dirt ; and can dirt satisfy ? Surely no. No more can worldly riches.
' Anima rationalis cceterit omnibus occiipari potest, implerinon potest, the reasonable soul may be busied about other things, but it cannot be tilled with them, &c. — Bernard. [Sermons on Canticles, as before. — G.]
EpH. III. 8.] RICHES OF CHRIST. 1.59
DaAdd, hath killed her ten thousands.^ Ecclcs. v. 13, 'There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owTiers thereof to their hurt.' Earthly riches are called thorns, and well they may ; for as thorns, they pierce both head and heart ; the head with cares in getting them, and the heart with grief in parting with them. Oh the souls that riches have pierced through and through with many sorrows ! Oh the minds that riches have blinded ! Oh the hearts that riches have hardened ! Oh the consciences that riches have be- numbed ! Oh the wills that riches have perverted ! Oh the affections that riches have disordered and destroyed ! Earthly riches are very vex- ing, very defiling, very dividing, and to multitudes prove very ruinino".^
It was a wise and Christian speech of Charles the Fifth to the Duke of Venice, who, when he had shewed him the glory of his princely palace and earthly paradise, instead of admiring it, or him for- it, only returned him this grave and serious memento, Hoec sunt quce faciunt invitos onori, these are the things which make us unwilling to die, &c.^
[5.] Fifthly, The riches of Christ are unsearchable riches. This is plain in the text, ' Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearch- able riches of Christ.' There are riches of justification, riches of sancti- fication, riches of consolation, and riches of glorification in Christ. All the riches of Christ are unsearchable riches. A saint with all the light that he hath from the Spirit of Christ, is not able to search to the bottom of these riches. Nay, suppose that all the perfections of angels and saints in a glorified estate should meet in one noble breast, yet all those perfectioDS could not enable that glorious glorified creature for to search to the bottom of Christ's unsearchable riches. Doubtless when believers come to heaven, when they shall see God face to face, when they shall know as they are known, when they shall be filled with the fulness of God, even then they will sweetly sing this song, ' Oh the height, the depth, the length, the breadth of the unsearchable riches of Christ ! ' As there is no Christ to this Christ, so there are no riches to his riches, &c. Oh but such are not the riches of this world, they may be reckoned, they may be fathomed, &c.*
[6.] Sixthly, The riches of the Lord Jesus Christ are permanent and abiding riches ; they are lasting, they are durable riches. That is a choice scripture. Pro v. viii. 18, ' Riches and honour are with me, yea, durable riches and righteousness.' The Hebrew word that is rendered 'durable riches' signifies old riches. All other riches are but new, they are but of yesterday as it were. Oh ! but with me are old riches, durable riches. All other riches, in respect of their fickleness, are as a shadow, a bird, a ship, an arrow, a dream, a post, &c.^ This Valerian,
' Da Domine ut sic possideamus temporalia ui non perdamus ceterna. — Bernard.
' Some say where gold grows, no plant will prosper ; so no truth, no good, &c., will have any heart- room where the love of money bears the bell, &c.
3 By a long time thus anticipating a saying ascribed to Dr Johnson and many others. — G.