Four Directions more to help the Christians heart to this treasure of good Thoughts.

A Seventh Direction to obtain a Treasure, i. e. Trade with God in every performance: Rest not satisfied with a bare outside of duties, or a trudging in the common road or round of Formality: if you look not beyond Ordinances in the use thereof, you will get no more treasure than a Merchant whose ship rides to the Downs, and quickly returns again: he that would be rich must use Duties as a Bridge or Boat to bring his soul to God, and as a Chariot to bring God to his soul; every Ordinance should be like those Merchant ships that bring food or gold from afar: [Note 1] the Christian must travel far beyond the Indies, even as far as Heaven to fetch an heavenly treasure into his heart, the soul of the diligent shall be made fat, Prov 13:4. It is not a shew of eating, nor only a sitting at the Table that filleth: a pretence of trading makes not rich: he that stands upon the Bridge and walks not, will never get over the water, it is not the goodnesse of the Boat, but our motion by it that wafts us over: A golden Bucket will bring us no water except it be let down into the Well: the choisest Ordinances wil bring us no spiritual or saving profit, except we have to do with God therein; Gods Institutions work not by any innate physical vertue that's in them, but morally, i.e. by a careful improvement of them, and especially the blessing of God with them: a man is not therefore a good Schollar because he went so long to School, and for saying so many Lessons: nor is an ignorant Papist a whit the better for dropping so many beads, or pattering over so many Pater-nosters: the Apostle saith, bodily exercise profits nothing, 1 Tim 4:8. hee means not onely recreations or superstitious usages, but even Gods own Ordinances, saith an Expositor, [Note 2] the meer verbal complemental use thereof will not advantage the soul: But godliness is profitable to all things, the right spiritual worship of God brings along with it abundant incomes: Some observe, that religious worshippers are said in Latine [Deum colere] because thereby they sow to the Spirit and are sure to reap of the Spirit life everlasting. Besides the inward refreshments they reap in this life: and truly, [Note 3] in worshipping God there is great reward; But 'tis easier to be much in duties, then to be much with God in duties: if we had been as often with God as we have been before God, we had been readier than we are: Job was perswaded that if he could finde God, and come near to his Seat, hee would not plead against him with his great power, but would put strength into him, Job 23:3-6. and I dare say, if thou couldest meet God in Duty, he would meet thee in Mercy, Isa. 54 5. and if God meet thee he will bless thee, and fill thy soul with a blessed treasure, a treasure of heavenly blessings: if thou draw nigh to God, [Note 4] he will draw nigh to thee. Let me therefore perswade you to make conscience of getting communion with God, and influences from him in all Ordinances and Performances; you are great losers if you miss of God in duties, you take Gods name in vain and lose your labour, nay, you lose a blessing, and get the curse of doing the work of the Lord negligently; But oh, how blessed a thing is it to say with holy St. Bernard, I never come to God, but I meet with God, I never go from God, but I carry God with me! therefore in all your attendance upon God, carefully prepare before, mind your work and object of worship in, and diligently examine your hearts afterwards how the Lord hath dealt with your soules, and blessed is he that can say as David in the point of obedience, Ps 119:56. This I had, because I kept thy thy Precepts: What had he? why, he had a heart to remember Gods Name in the night, holy thoughts whereby he might meditate on divine things: So say you, this I got in such a duty or Ordinance, and this doth furnish my soul with heavenly conceptions, and new matter of meditation: it is the power of the Spirit that must make Ordinances effectual, though the Gospel be the Ministration of the Spirit, yet the choicest Truths, Promises, [Note 5] Sermons, Sacraments wil be but a dead letter, and law of death to the soul without the Spirit: therefore you are to wait for the Spirit to breath and blow upon the garden of your soules, that the Spices [divine graces] may be nourished, and so may flourish in our hearts and lives: Ordinances are empty Cysterns if God be not in them, they are full and filling if the presence of God be in them, O therefore look after God in every spiritual performance:

8.Spend time well: lose not a mite or minute of this precious creature; fill up all your waste time with some profitable work in your general or particular Callings: cast not at your heels the least Filings of these golden Seasons: you have lost too much time already, now buy up the remainder, ingrosse this precious commodity, take the fittest opportunities, like good Merchants, for a dear time is coming, nay the dayes are evil, Eph 5:16. Imitate such Tradesmen as miss no opportunity of getting gain at home or abroad, by night or by day, by plotting or by practising: onely make use of present moments, and promise not to your selves to morrow, [Note 6] as wordly Tradesmen are apt to do, and be sure you take God along with you, whom they forget and leave behind: take time by the Fore-lock, for its bald behind, and you can get no hold of it: You little know what one Big-bellyed day may bring forth, it may produce a birth and burden of more duty, difficulty, or misery than hitherto you have met with: Time-redemption is an act of great discretion, but Time-neglect brings thousands of souls to a despairing, Had-I-wist: the Apostle said, above a thousand yeares ago, the time is short, much more may we say so, since the ship is drawn so much nearer the Harbour, [Note 7] the Sails are contracted, and the end of all this is at hand; the world grows old and naught, your own daies cannot be long, it may be this night thy soul may be required, and leave thy Body as a stinking carcasse, O then a treasure for another world wil stand you in infinite stead! O consider often, that this time, this span-long life is the Seminarie of Eternitie, the preludium of an everlasting state, and therefore lavish not away your time, cast it not at your heels in a bruitish prodigalitie, you wil have time little enough when you come to dye: A rich Gallant at death cryed out bitterly, call time again, O call time again: another, would offer a thousand pounds to purchase a day. But alas, time cannot be valued with the vastest sums of money: one mis-spent day cannot be recalled with the gold of Ophir, that's but dross where time comes, and time and chance is upon the whole Creation: [Note 8] You have but your appointed time, and all your times are in the hands of God, and if once lost, they are lost for ever, the dead and damned can say, [Note 9] wee have onely heard the fame thereof with our eares, but alas are past the hopes of time-enjoyment or improvement: when your glasse is once run, and your Sun set there's no more working or gathering time in order to Eternitie: and there whatsoever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for there is no work nor device—in the grave whither you go, Eccl 9:10. Be not you like those silly Fishes that are taken in an evil Net, because they know not their time, v. 12. [Note 10] but ply the Oares while you have time: let no day pass without drawing some line towards your great Center: You that are Christians had need be good Time-students, Time-Merchants, the holiest men have been most careful of Time, and they that have been the most fearful to lose an inch of time have been best treasured. [Note 11] Read Histories and observe Experiments, in all you'l finde men of the choicest spirits have been most diligent Time-improvers, and some have accounted that day lost whereupon they have not done some good with either Tongue, or Purse, or Pen: yea, Heathens have bewailed that day as spent in vain, wherein they have not done some memorable action: How much more ought Christians to lament the loss of Time? I heard an eminent Minister say, He could eat the flesh off his arme in indignation against himselfe for his lost houres: and truly, the most of us are Epimethiuses, after-witted, we lose time and then smart for our loss, it is to our cost: [Note 12] We are too like the Mole, of which Naturalists say, it begins to see at death, we open our eyes when they must be shut: let us therefore improve Time while we have it, and studie profitable things, and lay up every day something, so shall we finde Soul-riches encrease, according to that Proverb, many littles make a mickle: when God offers Grace do not put him off, for delay wil be interpreted a denial. An ancient Christian, now with God, advised me, to be either like Christ, or Mary: the first was alwaies doing good, the latter stil receiving good: were you and I constantly thus employed, our treasure would soon be raised to a large proportion, and we should be sooner ripe for Glorie#

9.Gather something out of every thing: that man is likelie to be rich that will not let a good bargain passe, but lay hold on it, and lay up any thing that he can get a penie by: A wise Tradesman despiseth not little things, for multiplication of small numbers amounteth to a great summe: they that wilfully contemn the smallest good, wil in time look upon the greatest as contemptible: Who say, [Note 13] I care not, those I give for lost: And to instruct them will not quit the cost, Hence it is that Christ saith, Gather up the fragments that nothing be lost: Thus should you make a collection of the least things that others cast away; get something out of every word, Rod, or work of Providence, in a way of favour or displeasure; Receive not the grace of God in vain, hinder not your own proficiency by carelesnesse or inadvertencie; [Note 14] be you diligent, and God wil teach you to profit: see what you can make of every thing you meet with: A wise Physician can tel you the vertue of every simple, and can extract some good out of those Herbs, that an ignorant person casts away, as useless weeds: Prov 10:14. It's said, wise Men lay up knowledge, i. e. They consider all objects occurents, how they may hereafter stand them in stead, what use may be made thereof, and so gather from them a profitable inference, and store that up for future times: thus do you, if you would lay up a treasure, be not unwise, but understand what the wil of the Lord is, by all that your eyes behold, or eares hear: Learn to make comments upon all the Creatures, suck sweetness out of every flower, not for sensual delight, but spiritual profit. Let not so much as a good or bad report concerning your selves or others sound in your eares, without special observation and improvement: what ever your trade or calling be, you may and must spiritualize it for your souls good; there's never a profitable science, saith one, but it leads to the knowledge of God, or of our selves, so that we, need not be to seek for a treasure, if we have hearts to improve objects of sense: it was a good design in the reverend Dr. Hall, and discovered an honest fancy in improving vacant hours, and visible objects in his occasional meditations: go you and do likewise, by which blessed art of heavenly Chimistry you may both please your fancy, and profit your hearts, use your wits, and exercise grace, and that's the way to increase it: the truth is, there's nothing, but may do us good, if we have good hearts, the sins of others may be of great use to us, to consider our standing, and take heed lest we fall: the afflictions of others wil work our hearts to sympathy, prayer, and charity: the indignities we suffer wil awaken, quicken and strengthen us, if our hearts be honest in observing and improving them: there's not a Minister that we hear preach, but we may get good by what he saith, [Note 15] reverend Mr. Hildersham often said, he never heard any godly Minister preach, though but of weak parts, but he got some benefit by him: [Note 16] Divine Herbert saith— —Do not grudge To pick out treasures from an earthen Pot; The worst speak something good; if all want sense, God takes a text, and preacheth patience.#

But above all, get some thing out of every Chapter you read, dig deep into these golden mines, and you shal be rich: digested Scripture is the matter of regular prayers, holy discourses, and heavenly meditations; only run not cursorily over them, but let your thoughts dwel upon them, and extract some marrow and quintessence out of them: we usually read Scriptures, as Travellers go over Mountains, that are barren on the surface, but digged into, they afford precious minerals: so the words and syllables of Gods book it self, slightly considered, have no great efficacy, but the sense and purport thereof, containeth spirit and life to the intelligent and observant Reader: John 6:63. [Note 17] There is such a depth in Scripture, that if you read the same place an hundred times over, yet stil you may get fresh notions, and impressions from it: O therefore learn to read, understand, and improve the word of God, this wil help you to a treasure, truths are fed by Scripture-knowledge, and holiness is the counter-pain of Scripture-precepts, graces are the accomplishment of Scripture-promises, and if your comforts and experiences be not suitable to the word, [Note 18] 'tis because you have no light in you.

10.Maintain communion of Saints: Oh forsake not the assembling of your selves together, keep up this sweet good fellowship both in private conferences, and in publick Ordinances: for the first, you must observe and obey the wise Mans councel, through the Book of Proverbs, to converse with the wise: David professeth himself to be a companion of those that fear God, and he, though a great King, esteemes the Saints more excellent, than all his couragious worthies, or grave Senators, and therefore professeth that all his delight was in them, Ps 16:3. But it's not enough to be in good company, but you must improve it, by hearing and asking questions: that's a notable passage in Prov 20:5. Councel in the heart of a Man is like deep Waters, but a Man of understanding will draw it out; Profound Men are apt to be silent, —Doubts wel rais'd do lock, [Note 19] The speaker to thee, and preserve thy stock. therefore must be pumped by profitable questions, and 'tis an evidence of knowledge to propound an useful question seasonably, as wel as to answer it solidly: 'tis our great loss we can make no better use of one another: un-improved society is the bane of Christian converse: for when we meet one another, and trifle away time without advantage, it increaseth our guilt, and discourageth our hearts, for we are apt to say, we wil meet no more, because our coming together, is for the worse, and not for the better, for many times our spirits are imbittered by exasperating contentions: But O sirs, when you meet together purposely, or accidentally, improve your time in some holy discourses, spend not all your time about news or worldly affaires, but set afoot some religious talk; talk sometimes as Christians, as wel as Men and Chap-men: let some body begin and break the Ice: many are apt enough to cast down the bone of contention, do you present the marrow of religion, that you may edify one another: Sit not together as mutes, or as Men of the World, discoursing about matters of state or trading, or of the weather, or your ages, [Note 20] which was Pharaoh's question to Iacob, and that to his Sons of the like import: But if there be ever a wise Man among you, fetch some spark from Heaven, and throw it amonst your companions, that every one may bring his stick to the fire, and by the bellows of mutual love, it may be raised to a flame, that thereby your hearts may be warmed, and even burn within you, as the two travelling Disciples by Christs opening to them the Scriptures: And then Record and lay up what you have got in profitable conversings: thus was the Book of Proverbs collected, and hereby you might fil Books and memories with useful observations: yet take this caution, let not your end be to hear stories, notions, nor yet only polemical discourses, to furnish your heads with arguments for all subjects and companies, but let your principal end be to get your hearts bettered, grace strengthened, lusts weakened, lives reformed, consciences resolved: Oh the advantage you may have by Christian-society! you may get good by others, do good to others, yea observe it, your profitable discourses with others wil reflect upon your selves with advantage: Schollars finde that conference rubs up their memories, revives their reading, and in a sort, gives them the mastery over their notions, and imprints them deeper within them, that were almost obliterated: hence a famous Schollar did return many thanks, to one that was many degrees below him, for affording him so fair an opportunity of private discourses: and a Iewish Doctor could say, he had learned much from his Masters, more from his equals, [Note 21] but most of all from his Schollars, hence their Proverb, I have learned by teaching: experience doth tel us that having to do in others doubts, temptations, desertions, corruptions, directs us how to deal in our own cases: therefore I advise you, be not shie in helping the weak, because thereby you do a double courtesie, to your selves and to others, by one act or motion of your lips feeding others, and digesting your own meat: Besides, this Christian communion being Gods institution, is seconded with his benediction, and gracious acceptation: [Note 22] the members of Christs mystical body, speaking the truth in love, or truthing it in love, as the word imports, do grow up into him in all things, even Christ the head, and so that which is lacking in one joynt, is made up by the usefulness of another: and for Gods acceptance of the Saints holy conference, see that famous Text in Mal 3:16. But that which I am urging is, the advantage that your souls wil have by it, one live Coal laid to a dead one, kindles it, a ripe Grape put to a green one, ripens it: company is of an assimilating nature, and grace, like fire, wil beget its like, and it's an advantage to trade with rich Merchants in precious commodities, for then we shal get wel stocked with riches, So 'tis here, yea observe it, when a company of Christians meet together for spiritual purposes, Jesus Christ makes one more, and he is in stead of many more, he walks from peron to person, and enquires what they want, and Joseph-like, richlie fils the Sacks of their souls with a transcendent treasure. Where Christ keeps house, there's nothing wanting, he that girded himself to serve his Disciples wil wait to be gracious, and satisfie hungrie souls: Christ walks in the midst of the golden Candlesticks, and feeds the Lamps of the Sanctuarie with Oile: go forth therefore, poor soul, by the foot-steps of the Flock, [Note 23] and feed the Kids, besides the Shepheards tents; Be found in the communion of Saints, be not content to have that Article in your Creed, but let it be in your practise; wait on God in publick. Ordinances, every work there wil help to fil your souls; prayer, reading, singing Psalmes, the word preached, the Sacraments administred, you may get good by Baptisme, and the Lords Supper, faithfully used, believinglie improved, some applie those two Metaphors in Song 7:2. To these two seales of the Covenant, thy Navel is like a round goblet, [Note 24] which wanteth not liquor; that imports Baptisme, because, as the Navel upholds, and knits together, the Liver Midriff, Bladder, and receives by it all the nourishment the Infant hath from the Mother in the Womb, so the feeble members of the Church are united to Christ, and supplied with food by baptisme, rightly improved, which is a ful goblet, crowned with plenty and comfort; the latter is the Lords Supper, which is thus exprest, thy bellie is like an heap of wheat, set about with Lillies: the belly is the bodies store-house, so is this blessed Sacrament, sending out to all the members of this mistical bodie, a due proportion of strength and nourishment, and this affords the finest purest wheat to every lilly-Saint, and milk-white soul that feeds on Christ by faith: And therefore let every soul be found in the use of these holy Ordinances that would have a treasure of grace, yet observe this caution, that though the Sacraments be necessary, and the great meanes of spiritual life, yet not in that manner and respect, as food is to a natural life, [Note 25] because they contain in themselves no vital force or efficacy; they are (saith a reverend Author) not physical but moral instruments of salvation.—all receive not the grace of God, which receive the Sacraments of his grace, neither is it ordinarily his wil to bestow the grace of Sacraments on any, [Note 26] but by the Sacraments,—a little after, he saith, they are moral instruments, the use whereof is in our hands, the effect in his, for the use we have his express commandment, for the effect his conditional promise, and we may expect his performance of the promise upon our obedience to his command,—he quoteth Hugo comparing the Sacraments to a Vessel, and the grace therein to the medicine therein exhibited, and we should apply the spiritual good therein to our distempered spirits: but I have been too large on this head. I shal shut up this piece of the Directory for obtaining a treasure, [Note 27] with an expression of Cyprians, he cannot be fit for Martyrdome, that is not armed by the Church to the conflict, and that mind faints, which is not erected and inflamed by receiving the Eucharist, or Lords-Supper: so the communion of Saints in that choice Ordinance, is a fortifying and furnishing Exercise.#