I beseech 3'ou, therefore, labour more and more, that as things are in themselves, and as God who is the rule of all truth doth judge of things, so let us judge of things, let them be to us as they are to him, and as they are in themselves. If they be treasures, the blessings and comforts of God's Spirit and the good things of Christ, let them be so to us ; never leave begging of God that we may have a sanctified judgment, to have the same mind of them that he hath ; and to this end balance them often with other things. As Moses did, and as Paul did, lay them in the scale, and consider the emptiness and vanity of all things besides* grace and the Spirit, and the good things of Christ, and what other comforts they will afford. God hath given wit and discourse, how shall we use them better than by comparing difterent things, and answerable to our comparing to make choice ? We should shew ourselves wise men in our wise choice, and good men in our good choice. How else should we shew ourselves to be what we would be thought to be ?
There be treasures in these poor vessels of bread and wine. Now what treasures are conveyed b}' them, if we look on themselves ? Bread is an ordinary thing, but the good conveyed to us by God is conveyed by these common easy things. Thus God delights to shew himself in common ordinary ways to us. Therefore raise up your thoughts from the common- ness of the things to the excellency of the things conve3ed. What is con- veyed by bread ? The body of Christ crucified. And what is conveyed by that ? God reconciled in Jesus Christ, by the sufferings of Christ, the love of God, and mercies of God, and pardon of sins. Great good is conveyed by the bread broken, for Clirist is conveyed with satisfaction to divine justice, and thence favour and reconcilement with him. And so when his comforts are represented by refreshing of our bodies, Christ's body ' is meat indeed,' Christ's blood ' is drink indeed,' John vi. 55. The benefit of Christ's blood and satisfaction are great things that are conveyed by a reverent receiving of the sacrament. If we come preparedly we have com- munion with Chi'ist, in whom are ' hid all treasures,' Col. ii. 3.
VERSE J.
But ice have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may he of God, and not of us.
We entered upon this verse the last day. ' But we have this treasure in earthen vessels ;' where he answereth an objection, for the heart of man is full of objections against Scripture truths. God in manner of his dis- pensation pleaseth not the natural heart of man, especially when it thinks itself most wise, but pleaseth itself in cavilling and expostulating against * That is, ' beside.' — G.
350 COMMENTARY ON
the word, or tlio dispensation of it ; and therefore the apostle being desirous that those blessed thinj:^s may come to the hearts of the people he hath dealt withal, takes away all objections that may stand between thorn and the truth.
The chief objection is the baseness of Paul's condition. He was scorned and persecuted in the world.
It is tme we are ' earthen vessels,' but we have a ' treasure' in these vessels. And God is wise, and liis end is good, ' that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us.'
And then the treasurer, and the under-treasurer ; Christ is the chief; we are the under-treasurers. And then the vessels which this treasure is con- tained in. ' Earthen vessels' are baser than the treasure itself; and then the reason of this seeming disproportion, that so excellent a treasure is in earthen vessels. These be the particulars that deserve to be unfolded. Some of them have been unfolded in part already.
I shewed that the gospel was a treasure. Soul-saving truth is a treasure. It was compared to light, tlie most divine quality of all, fittest to set out divine truths, which hath inlluence conveyed from heaven with it ; and which discovers itself and all excellencies in the world besides. And now it is set out by another borrowed speech, which we highly esteem in the world, that is, a treasure. Nothing more prized than light and treasure. God speaketh in our own language to us ; not that heavenly things ai'e not better than any earthly things, but we cannot understand God if he speaks in any other language. And therefore he conveyeth the excellency of spiri- tual things under that which we most prize in the world, under light, and under treasure.
I came then to make a use of trial, whether we have this treasure or no.
Use 3. For further use, if so be Christ, and the good things by him dis- covered, are such a treasure, then u-e ought to be content with him, though God cut us short in regard of outward things ; for we have a treasure, and this is one benefit we have by it. If we have Christ, we shall have all other things, as much as God shall see needful. They shall be cast into the bargain, and that is one comfort.