Judgment, in the 25th Chapter of this Gospel, and the noble Rewards there affigned to them who fhall be found to have shewn Acts of Charity to Chrift's poor Members. What we add to our Eftate upon Earth, can turn but to little account, b caufe at beft we are to have the Use of it but for a fhort Time, the Time of this prefent Life: But what we lay up in Heaven by our Works of Faith, and Labours of Love and Charity, and Patience of Hope, and Fervency of Prayer, and Diligence in all Manner of Christian Duty; every good Action we do with an Eye to Heaven, howfoever worthless in itself, yet through the Merits of Chrift, and the Mercy of God graciously accepting it, fhall be richly rewarded in Heaven with Joys eternal, unspeakable, and full of Glory. God give us all Grace to believe this, and to practice according to this Belief, and to persevere in this holy Practice to the End; till at last we are made Partakers of this bleffed State, for Jefus Chrift's Sake.

To whom, &c.

VOL. III.

T

SERM

SERMON XX.

MATT. VI. 19.

Lay not up for your felves Treasures upon Earth, where Moth and Ruft doth corrupt, and where Thieves break through and steal.

Ver. 20. But lay up for your felves Treasures in Heaven, where neither Moth nor Ruft doth corrupt, and where Thieves do not break through nor fteal.

Ver. 21. For where your Treasure is, there will Heart be alfo. your

A

The Second Sermon on this Text.

T the laft Occafion I explained the Meaning of these Words, and then observed in them thefe three Things.

I. A Character of a worldly or covetous Man, which is, that he lays up for himself Treasures upon Earth, and not in Heaven.

II. Our Saviour's Diffuafive from this Practice: Lay not up for your felves Treafures upon Earth, but lay up for your felves Treafures in Heaven.

III. The Reasons of this Exhortation, which are three. Viz. (1.) That the one is an earthly, the other an heavenly Treasure. (2.) That the

one

one is liable to perishing by diverse Accidents, fuch as Moth and Ruft which corrupt it, and Thieves that break through and fteal it; whereas the other is fecure, out of the reach of hefe and all other Accidents what foever. (3.) That if our Treafures are upon Earth, they will draw our Hearts after them, and make them earthly too.

As to the first of thefe, the Character of the covetous Man, that he lays up Treasures for himfelf upon Earth and not in Heaven, having confidered it at the laft Occafion, I thall not spend Time about it, but proceed directly to the second and third.

II. The fecond Thing in the Words is our Saviour's Diffuafive from this Practice of the covetous Man. Lay not up for your felves Treasures upon Earth; but lay up for your felves Treafures in Heaven. Now having formerly explained what is to be meant by Laying up our Treasures upon Earth, and what by Laying them up in Heaven, that which is properly incumbent upon us on this Head is, to fhew you how it is the particular Duty of Chriftians not to lay out their Time and Talents on earthly, but on heavenly Treasures. Alas! to what purpose was it, that ever Heaven was discovered? Was it to be read and talked of like a Romance, only to divert and amufe us a little, and to have no Influence on our Lives and Converfations? If we believe it not, then let us not pretend to be Chriftians. We are then of no higher a Difpenfation than those Jews, to whom our Saviour was now preaching, who expected a Meffiah that would be a great earthly Prince, and would make all his Followers great and rich; inftead of a Chrift that would teach them to wean

their Hearts from the World, and prepare them for Heaven. This we are to look upon as one of the principal Characters of a good Chriftian, that he truly believes and acts upon the Belief of a future State of Happiness in Heaven: That every Step of his Life is in order to that bleffed End of his Journey, and that all his Talents are laid out fo, as to turn to good Account in Heaven. It is plain that both our Saviour and his Apostles being fenfible how much we were byaffed to the other Extream, did all that could be done both by their Doctrine and Example to wean our Hearts from the World, and to fix them on Heaven; as by an attentive reading of their Writings will every where But I fhall confine myself appear. to the Text, and proceed to

III. The third Thing I obferved in the Words, namely, the Reasons of this Exhortation, which are three.

1. That the one is an earthly, the other an beavenly Treafure.

2. That the one is liable to perishing by divers Accidents, fuch as Moth and Ruft which corrupt it, and Thieves that break through and fteal it; whereas the other is fecure, out of the reach of thefe, and all other Accidents.

3. That if our Treafures are upon Earth, they will draw our Hearts after them, and make them earthly too.

First, The one is an earthly, the other an beavenly Treasure. This Notion fuggefts feveral Things to our Confideration, tending to diffuade us from this Practice. Particularly, 1. The grofs earthly Nature of thefe Bleffings. Were we only fenfual Creatures, and if the chief Part of our

Duration

Duration were to be in this Life, then these worldly Things would be an adequate Good for the Soul of Man: But fince neither in their Nature will they fuit the Soul, which is created for better Things, nor in their Duration will they answer but to a mall Part of our Time, they can by no means deferve much of our Time and Labour to be bestowed upon them. A little of them will anfwer all our Occafions, and much better indeed than a great deal, and therefore we ought not to choose our Treasure of them. But thefe Things will require a little farther Explication. We are to confider then, that the Happiness of any Creature refults from the Suitableness of the Object to the Faculty. Some Things which extreamly delight fome Creatures, would be a mighty Fain to others, nay would quite kill them. It is neceffary then, in order to Happiness, that there be a Suitableness between the Creature and the Object which it pursues, to make it happy in the Enjoyment of fuch an Object. Man's Happiness must consist in these earthly Things, to make them fuitable to him; for if he is a Creature capable of an higher Felicity than this World can afford, then that is what he ought chiefly to aim at, and feek after. We may as well think to make Fish feed upon Grafs and Corn, and Oxen live upon Water and Mud like Fish, as to make Man happy only with worldly Things. 2. But fuppofe they were ever fo well fitted to make us happy during our Stay in this World; fuppofe they could cure all the Difeafes of the Mind, and fupply all the Wants and Neceffities of the Body; yet Man being made for an eternal, immortal Duration, how fmall a Part of that is included in this prefent Life? He