But now, in the second place, let us see how tve may come by this pearl. We must therefore know that this pearl may be had ; and we must have hope thereof, else there is no venturing for it; and therefore God, to pre- vent all excuse, he ofl'ers this pearl in his word. The pearl is sent from heaven to come to us. The ministry layeth open the riches of Christ, to make us long after him. He desires us to be good to our own souls, to receive th& pearl thus offered. He entreats us to be reconciled to God,
* Cf. ' Confessions,' Introduction and througliout. — G. t That is, ' communicated'. — G. VOL. vn. B
258 THE RICH PEARL.
2 Cor. V. 20: 'Oh that my people would hear,' Deut. v. 29; '0 Jeru- ealern, how oft would I have gathered thee, as a hen gathereth her chickens!' Luke xiii. 31. "What can we have more? We see it is no desperate matter, therefore it may bo had. The ministry, though never 80 vile in account of men, yet hath made men rich : 2 Cor. vi. 10, ' Yet making many rich.'
In the next place, nlud 7mist u-e part with I We see in this text the merchant parts with all, so must we give all that we have; and if we have nothing, then wo must give ourselves, and God will give us ourselves again, but far better than we were when we gave ourselves to him. But what ! may some say, doth God require we should forsake all indeed ? I answer, not as the papists do, that vow wilful beggary,
1. But, in the first place, we should parttvith the estimation of all. We may keep them and use them, for God gave us these things to that end; but yet let us so use them as though we did not use them. Let them not have our chief affections, nor chief seats in our hearts.
2. Secondly, So we are to part with all things, that ive must have a heart prepared to part with all, if we cannot enjoy them, and this pearl too. If the question be whether we had rather have this world than Christ, we must resolve to part with father, mother, lands, yea, with a man's own self, rather than with Christ. Without him honour shall be no honour, pleasure no pleasure. To us all things should be dung and dross in com- parison of Christ ; nay, ' the suflerings of this world are not worthy to be compared with that glory we shall have,' Rom. viii. 18. So as there is no proportion between them.
3. Thirdly, We must so part with these things as we must be ready to sell all without constraint, to honour Christ in his jioor members; sell all for ointment for Christ's feet, part with anything that we may stand for Christ. Especially we must part with all sins. He that retains any one sin can never get this pearl ; he that keeps in his heart but one beloved pleasure or profit of this life, let him read, pray, hear, profess never so much, the devil hath him sure by the leg or by the wing, and as sure as if the whole man were in his hands ; for he will willingly suffer a mau to go to, and use any good exercises, knowing they add to a man's damnation, 80 long as he retains a secret delight and liking to any lust, let it be never so small. And further, we must not part with sin only — for every sin hath some one good or other for its object, as covetousness of riches, ambition of honour, and such like ; we must therefore ' sell all,' part with our aftections, with all their branches and objects, if they will not stand with Christ ; part with honour, riches, yea, our own lives, for they are far inferior to this precious pearl. Take heed of reservations of this one thing, this Zoar or that Rimmon, as Ananias and Sapphira. For who would not have Christ, if he might have pleasure, or profit, or honour with him ? No, Christ will have all ; and therefore this is the first lesson in Christ's school, deny ourselves, our reputation, the conceit of our own wisdom. -
In the next place, let us see what the gain of this trade will be. We shall think ourselves no losers. We shall have Christ, and with him all things. What we give to him, he will return back, if they be fitting for us, and with them he will give us grace to use them, teaching us to want and to abound ; and when we are come to give all for this pearl, — though indeed we have nothing here at all but only in our own esteem, — Christ will be worth all to us. Witness Moses, that chose to suflfer afiliction with the people of God before the pleasures of Pharaoh's court, Heb. xi. 25, seq.
THE KICH PEARL. 259
And therefore Christ in this life promiseth a return of a hundred fold, which consisteth in abundance of comfort to our full satisfaction and con- tent, which all the world cannot give, and that makes all things here to be 'vexation of spirit;' and therefore David, when he was a king, counted the testimonies of God better than gold, Ps. xix. 10 ; and St Paul counted these things here, notwithstanding his many privileges, to be ' dross, and dung, and loss in comparison of Christ,' Philip, iii. 8. And it stands on God's honour not to make us losers when we trade with him. If we part with riches, pleasures, and honours, life, wodd, we shall have better riches, better and more enduring pleasures and honours, eternal life, and ' a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness,' if we part with these for conscience' sake ; whence we may learn xvho are the true rich men, even the Christian, that hath abiding riches, that will continue with him so long as his soul continueth, and such riches as make us good and accept- able in God's esteem, that in our extremities will stand us in stead, sup- porting and commending us to God, and in death doth not forsake us, but goes with us to heaven. But a worldling ' walks in a vain shadow, and disquiets himself in vain,' Ps. xxxix. 6, in heaping to himself riches and pleasures which he must part with, for he can carry nothing with him when he dies but a load of sins, which he commits in gathering this worldly pelf. All this gay clothing he must put off when he goes to his long home.