Commentary on the Gospels and Acts, Commentary 1 · Chapter 6 · Verse 20
Verse 20. But lay up for your selves treasures in heaven]
That which you may draw out a thousand year hence. For in a treasure there are three things; a laying up, a lying hid, and a drawing out for present use. Riches reach not to eternity. Therefore whiles others lay … upon riches, Lay thou hold on eternall life, 1 Tim. 6. 12. and that, by following after righteousnesse, god inesse, faith, love, patience, …. This, this is the true treasure: this is to be…. rich, as our Saviour speaketh, toward God, and is opposed to laying up treasure for himself, Luk 12. 21. as …, laying up treasure in heaven, is to that of laying up treasure in earth. … cannot be done, because the heart cannot be in two so different places at once. The Saints have their commoration on earth, but their conversation is in heaven. Here are their bodies, but their hearts are, … Christ their head is. Sancti ibi sunt ubi … sunt, & non sunt ubi sunt, saith Chrysostome. The Saints are there, in their affections, whether as yet they are not come in their …. All their plowing, sailing, building, planting tends to that life that is …, supernaturall: they run … the high prize, they strive for the crown of righteousnesse, they breath after the … vision, with, Oh when shall I come and appear before God! And… as the Athenians, when they were besiged by Sylla, had … hearts with him without the walls, though their bodies were held within by force: So the Saints, though detained here for a while in a farre countrey, yet their hearts are at home. They go thorow the world, as a man whose minde is in a deep study, or as… one that hath speciall haste of some weighty businesse; they wonder much how men can a while to pick up sticks and straws with so much delight and diligence. The time is short (or trussed up into a narrow …) the task is long, of keeping faith and … …good conscience; hence they use the world, as if they used it not, as having little leisure to trifle. There's water little enough to runne in the right chanel, therefore they let none runne beside; but carefully improve every opportunity, as wise merchants, and… care not to sell all, to purchase the pearl of price. In a witty … (saith Broughton out os Rabbi Bochai) Kain and Abel contain in their names advertisements for matter of true continuance and corruption. Kain betokeneth possession in this world, and … betokeneth one humbled in minde, and holding such possession vain. Such was his …, sheep-kinde, the … of all living beasts, and therefore the favour of God followed him. And the offering of Kain was of the fruit of the earth, as he loved the… possession of this world, and the service of the body (which yet can have no continuance) and followed after bodily lusts. Therefore the blessed … favoured him not. Kains chief care was to build Cities, that he might call his Land after his own Name, Psal. 49. 11. and make his sonne, Lord Enoch of Enoch. Not so the better sort, Abel, Henoch, Noah, Abraham, they were content… 11. 10. to dwell in tents, as looking for a City, which hath foundations, whose maker and founder is God. Abraham bought a piece of ground, but for buriall only. Ishmael shall beget twelve Princes, but with Isaac will I establish my Covenant: and although he grow not so great as his brother (that man of Gods hand, that had his portion …. …. 5.here,) yet he shall make reckoning, that the lines are fallen unto him in a fair place, that he hath a goodly heritage. Esau had his Dukes,… and grows a great Magnifico: but Jacob gets first, the birth-right for a messe of red, red, which the hungry hunter required to be… … with, as Camels are fed by casting gobbets into their mouthes (so the word signifies:) And after this, he gets the blessing by his mothers means. And when … threatened him, and had bolted out some suspitious words, she seeks not to reconcile the two brethren, by making the younger yeeld again, what he had got from the Elder; but prefers the blessing before Iacobs life, and sends him away. This was to lay up treasure in heaven, forPartus …. her sonne, who took herein after the mother too. For if Esau will but … him to settle in the Land of promise, a type of heaven; he will spare for no cost to make his peace. Silver and gold he hath none, but cattel good store: 550. head of them sends he for a present, to make room for him, as Solomon hath it. Let heaven be a mans object, and earth will soon be his abject. David counts one good cast of Gods countenance, … better then all the corn and oil in the countrey. Solomon craves wisdom and not wealth. Paul counts all but drosse, dung, and dogs-meat, soforeign. he may win Christ, and get home to him. Here we have but aPhil. 3. 8. glimpse of those gleams of …, we see but as in a glasse obscurely; 2 Cor. 5. 6.our life is hid with Christ in God, as the pearl lies …, till the1 Cor. …. Colos. 3. 3.shell be broken. Compare the estate of Prince Charles in his Queen-mothers womb, with his condition at full age, in all the glory of his fathers Court; there is not so broad a difference as betwixt our present enjoyments (albeit our joyes here are unspeakable1 Pet 1. glorious) with those we shall have hereafter. Sursum … cursum nostrum dirigamus. Let therefore our affections and actions, our counsels and courses, be bent and bound for heaven: our earthly … dispatch with heavenly mindes, and in serving men, let us serve the Lord Christ. The Angels are sent about Gods message to this earth, yet never out of their heaven, never without the vision of their maker. These earthly things distract not, if we make them not our treasure, if we shoot not our hearts over-farre into them. The end of a Christians life is (not as … dreamed of the … of man, to … the heavens, but) to live in heaven. This he begins to do here by the life of faith, by walking with God, as Enoch and Elias, those Candidates of immortality Gen. 6. 9.(so the Ancients called them) by walking before God, 1 King. 9. 4.as Abraham and David by walking after God, as the Israelites Deut. 13. 4.were bidden to do. With God, a man walks by an humble friendship and familiarity; before him, by uprightnesse and integrity: after him by obedience and conformity, by doing his will on earth, as it is in heaven. And this is, to lay up treasure in heaven; this is, as the Apostle expresseth, and interpreteth it, to lay up in store for our selves a good foundation against the … to come, that we … lay hold on eternall life, 1 Tim. 6. 19. There shall be … of thy times, strength, salvation, wisdome and knowledge: for the fear of the Lord shall be his treasure, Isai. 33. 6.