The little we have we shall have with a blessing. And then though we be never so poor in the world, we are rich in promises. Rich faith we have to make use of these rich promises. Precious faith, and precious promises. We have bills, and God is a good paymaster, and is content to be sued on his own bond. We cannot have a better debtor than God himself. Now, having the Spirit of God, to give us precious faith, to lay hold on the rich and pi^ecious promises we have in Jesus Christ, therefore we should not be much discontented with whatsoever befalls us in this world, for we have a rich portion.
Let us labour to understand this, and consider not only that we are rich in bills and promises, but in reversion. The best riches are laid up in heaven for us. We have some earnest and other tastes of them here, some grapes of Canaan,* but the best is to. come, the true treasures are laid up in heaven. Wliat we have here, alas ! is nothing to that we shall have hereafter. Therefore having a rich God, and a rich Saviour, God- man ; God having enriched our natures, andfwilling to enrich our persons, so far as shall concern heaven ; having rich faith, and rich promises, and
* Ticbbourne and Durant have appropriated the phrase ' Grapes of Canaan' for the titles of perhaps their hest lx)oks. Many of tlie casual happy sentences of Sibbes reappear in this way in subsequent writings of his Puritan admirers. — G.
2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. IV. VEE. 7. 351
rich reversions ; for matters of this world let God deal as he pleaseth. God, that gave so rich a treasui'e as his own Son, cannot deny anything else, as the apostle rcasoneth strongly : ' If he hath not spared his own Son, but given him to death for us all, how shall not he with him give us all things?' Horn. viii. 32. He wonders that any man should call it to question, ' How can it be '? '
He stands not on petty commodities, which we stand in need of, that giveth treasures. It is your Father's pleasure to give you a" kingdom : Dabit rtyjnum, et non duhit viaticum .' He will give you a kingdom, and will not he give you safe conduct and provision to bring you to heaven ?
Consider this, and often examine your faith, whether ye believe these thiugs or no. If you believe them, why are you discontented with every petty loss and cross in the world, as if there were no better things to depend upon ?
(1.) Oh labour to bring [yjour hearts to a holy contentment, and for a Spirit of irisdom to improve this treasure. "What use is there of a treasure, if we do not employ it for a supply of our wants ? And therefore make use of the riches we have in Jesus Christ. Ai-e we sinful ? He is gracious. Have we much guilt [thatj lieth on our consciences ? Christ hath a great deal of favour : he is ' the beloved Son of God,' Mat. iii. 17. Set that against conscience. Have we many enemies in the world ? We have an intercessor in heaven. ' Doth sin abound ? Grace aboundeth much more,' Rom. v. 20. Is there any want either in grace or in comfort in the things of this world ? See a full and rich supply in Jesus Christ.
(2.) And then (jet wisdom to make use of it. There is a special art to make use of the good thiugs we have in Christ every day. For a man to famish at a feast, to starve and perish with thirst at the fountain's head, it is ignorance and want of wisdom. If we be in Christ, if we have a well- headftwhence we may fetch whatsoever we stand in need of, if we have faith; then* to this end beg of God a spirit of wisdom and revelation to know the excellent things we have in Christ.
(3.) And likewise labour for a vessel of faith for to contain this treasure, and get enlargement of faith. The larger taith we bring, the larger measure we cany from Christ. As the poor woman, that had vessels of oil, had she had more vessels, she had more oil, 2 Kings iv. G ; for the oil increased as her vessels served. If we had more faith, we might have larger oil of gi'ace, and larger oil of comfort from God's word in Christ, and God's riches in Christ. And therefore beg with the holy apostles, ' Lord, increase our faith,' Luke xvii. 5, that as we have rich promises, and a rich Christ, and rich comforts, so we [may] have rich faith.
(4.) And because Christ is rich, not to them that are without him, but within him, as they have union with Christ, labour therefore to stremjthen this union ivith Christ, that we may be nearer and nearer the fountain, nearer and nearer the well-head, nearer and nearer the treasure of all. And therefore labour in use of the word and sacraments to increase union, and 80 to increase communion with Jesus Christ.
(5.) And for this purpose increase the sense of emptiness in ourselves, for as we grow empty in our conceits, so are we fitted to be full with God's goodness. * He sends the rich empty away,' Luke i. 53, that be rich with the windy conceit of their own worthiness. Let us search deeply into our own hearts what we want, what sin lieth on us, that we may be par- doned. What is wanting we should know, that it might be supplied.