3. Let us look to the duration. There is a vanity and uncertainty in all these outward things ; they soon take the wing, and leave us in sorrow. If they continue with us till death, then they have done all their work. VVealth may bring you to the grave, but it can stead you no further ; then wealth is gone, but horror doth continue : Luke
VeR. 72.] SERMONS UPON PSALII CXES. 267
xvi. 24. ' S«^n, in thy lifetime thon enjoyedst thy good things/ These good things are only commensurate with life. Sometimes they do not last so loner ; but when we must leave the world, and launch out to those unknown regions. Job xsvii. 8, how miserable shall we be ! Worldly comforts will fail us when we have most need of them, as Jonah's gourd when the sun scorched him. So in the hour of death, what will bags of gold do then ? But now. on the other side, wisdom is better than gold and silver, because ' with her are durable riches and righteousness." Prov. viii. 18, 19; therefore 'my fruit is better than gold, yea. than fine gold, and my revenue than choice silver/ If a man would labour for anything, labour for that which is eternal, John vi. 27. Xo treasure can be compared to eternal life, and this the word assnreth us of.
Secondly, Let us now come to examine why the children of Grod value it so.
1. Because they are enlightened by the Spirit, when others have their eyes dazzled with external splendour, and their judgment cor- rupted by their senses. It is not ignorance undoes the world so much as want of spiritual prudence. Spiritual and heavenly things can only be seen in the light of the Spirit, without which we can neither discern the truth or worth of them in order to choice : 1 Cor. ii. 14, ' The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit ; ' and therefore, till we have this illuminating and sanctifying light of the Spirit, we shall not make a good choice for ourselves. Eph. i. 17. 18. the apostle prayeth, ' That the Lord would give you the spirit of wisdom and re- velation; the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.' That saving knowledge of divine mysteries which causeth us to prefer and ch<xyse them above other things comes from the Spirit of wisdom and revelation ; otherwise, in seeing we see not. There is a perfect contradiction many times be- tween speculative and practical knowledge. The common wisdom and knowledge or divine mysteries is a gift that cometh from the Spirit, much more the spiritual discerning.
2. They are atfected with their true necessities. Our real neces- sities are the necessities of the soul. Bodily wants are more urging and pressing upon us, but these are more dangerous ; therefore gold and silver, which supplieth our bodily necessities, is not so welcome to them as the law of God's mouth, which provideth a remedy for their soul-defects. How to be justified, how sanctified, is more than what shall we eat and drink, and wherewith shall we be clothed. Usually soid-necessities are overlooked ; we regard them not, or conceit we are well already : Kev. iii. 17, ' Thou thoughtest thou wast rich, and increased with goods, and hadst need of nothing ; ' and then we have no relish for the oftered remedy. The word of God is the cfiered remedy to repair our collapsed state. The gospel is not only true, but worthy to be embraced. 1 Tim. i. 15 ; but who will embrace it but the sensible sinner? for it is oflered as a remedy to the sick and deliverance to the captive : it is not enough to see the excellency of things, but we must see our necessity of them. There are two hindrances that prejudice our salvation — either the necessity and excel-
268 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. LXXX.
lencry of the gospel is not considered, or the truth and reality of it is not believed.
3. They measure all things with respect not to this world but the world to come. It is a higli point of religion to do all things and re- gard all things for eternal ends : 2 Cor. iv. 18, ' Looking not to things seen, that are temporal, but to the things Avhich are not seen, which are eternal ; ' making tins our scope, and doing all to this end. Gold and silver are the most valuable things in the world : what cannot gold and silver buy in this world ? But there is another world, and believers look to things unseen. Within a while it will not be a pin to choose whether we have enjoyed much or little of this world's good things ; but much will lie upon this, whether we have obeyed God, and glorified God, and accepted of Christ. The use of gold and silver ceaseth in the world to come : these things are not current in Canaan, nor accounted of in our heavenly country ; therefore money should be a vile thing instead of grace. We can carry away none of these things with us when we die, Eccles. v. 15 ; and surely that which hath no power to free us from death, to comfort us in death, or go with us into another world after death, is no happiness or solid tranquillity.