The Certainty of Heavenly, AND The Uncertainty of Earthly TREASURES.  
Together with a Discovery where the Treasure and Heart is placed.  
As it was Delivered in several Sermons, By that Eminently Faithful servant of Christ, Mr William Strong, late Minister at Westminster.  
They being his last Sermons.  
LONDON, Printed by W. Wilson living in Well-yard near West-Smithfield, and are to be sold by Francis Titan at the Three Daggers ne●re the Inner Temple 〈…〉 Fleetstreet.   

The certainty of Heavenly, and the uncertainty of Earthly Treasures.  Math. 6.20, 21. 
Lay up for yourselves Treasures in Heaven, etc. For where your Treasure is, there will your heart be also.  
IN these words there are two things; First a Dehortation, in Reference to Treasures below; Secondly, an Exhortation, in References to Treasures above; Both these branches have two things attending them. The Dehortation from laying up Treasures below, lies in two Arguments: 1. their uncertainty, 2. their decay. The Exhortation for laying up Treasure in Heaven lies also in two arguments: 1. Their Stability. 2. Their continuance. The uncertainty of the one, and the certainty of the other; the decay of the one, and the durableness of the other, should cause us to treasure up the one, and disesteem the other. Then the second part of the text comes in as a reason to enforce the former, For where your Treasure is, there will your hearts be also.  
For the opening of this Text, I shall lay down two propositions to treat upon.  
1. That every man hath a Treasure in this life; For he doth speak it as an Act performed in this life, and not as an Act to be performed in the life to come: this life is the sowing time, that life is the Reaping time; Here the Treasure is in getting, there it is in spending, therefore every man's Treasure is in this life.  
2. That wheresoever the Treasure is, it is Attractive to draw the heart unto it. Or thus, Every man lays up his heart where he lays up his Treasure.  
To begin with the first Doctrine, 
Doct. Every man hath a Treasure in this life.  namely  
Doct. 1 That every man hath a Treasure in this life.  
There are (for the explaining of this truth) two sorts of Treasures. First, God hath his Treasures; Secondly, men have their Treasures.  
First, 
God's Treasure are  God hath his Treasures: The Treasures of God are of four sorts.  
1. 
1 Of Nature.  The Treasures of Nature, Job 38.22. Hast thou entered into the Treasures of the Snow? or hast thou seen the Treasures of the Hail?  
2. 
2 Of Providence.  The Treasures of Providences, Ps. 17.14. Whose belly thou fillest with thy hid Treasures; 'Tis spoken in Reference to ungodly men, some there are that have in Common Providence their bellies filled with hid Treasure. Godly men they have the best of the dainties of Providence, but ungodly ones what they have, is but to satisfy their belly, never fills their Souls, their Souls are left empty of grace, though their bellies are filled with hid Treasure.  
3. 
3 Of Grace  There are Treasures of Grace, Col. 2.3. In him are hid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge.  
4. 
4 Of wrath and vengeance  There are Treasures of wrath & vengeance in Deut. 32.34. It is sealed up among my Treasures: to me belongs vengeance, etc. These are Gods Treasures the Scripture speaks of.  
Secondly, 
2 Men have their Treasures.  men have their Treasures; And that which a man makes his chief good, that is his Treasure, that which he placeth his happiness in, that which the comfort of his life flows from, that is man's Treasure; see it so in those two Scriptures, Luke 16.25. Ps. 17.14. That which in this place is called a Treasure, is there called, His good things, and his portion; that is, that which a man makes his chief good. The greatest difference between Godly men, and the men of this world is this; the one is all for great provisions in the way, and nothing for the Journeys end; the other is for all at the Journeys end, and but little in the way.  
For the opening of this Doctrine further, that every man in this life hath his Treasure, and his own Treasure, this take in four propositions.  
1. 
1 Every man hath some chief good.  That every man hath some chief good which his Soul is set upon, and which it centres in, wherein he placeth his happiness, which if you could attain perfectly, your Souls would be at rest. Psal. 116.7. Return unto thy rest O my Soul. Godly men have their Treasure in Heaven, God is their Treasure, God is their Portion, therefore they can rejoice and say, God is my chiefest good and my utmost end. David tells you the tendency of his soul ran after God; My soul thirsteth for God, the living God, all this is to show that God is David's chief good, until the Soul can attain to its chiefest good its never at rest: But take a poor carnal wretch that never knew any thing above the Creature, because the creature is his chief good, till he can obtain it, he is restless, Psal. 6. unto 14. verse. 1 Sam. 25.29. Ungodly men's souls go wholly after their treasure, and a godly man's soul goes wholly after his God; David's soul 'tis said, was bound up in the bundle of life with the Lord his God; but it follows, a wicked man's soul is slung away from God, as out of the middle of a sling. There are three things in that sling. 1. It notes a distance from God, as the stone in the sling is at a distance from the man. 2. It notes not only a distance from God, but it notes a distance in judgement, in wrath; he will sling away the wicked from the midst of his people, he will separate them from himself in wrath. 3. It notes violence, slinging is a violent motion.  
2. 
2 Every man chooseth some chief good in this life.  Proposition. Every man hath some good in this life in regard of Election, not in regard of Fruition; some chief good he chooseth in this life, for the chief good of the Saints is reserved for them for the life to come: the Election is below, the Fruition is above; the one hath his portion in this life, the other in the life to come. Some have chosen vanity; now that you have chosen here, you will enjoy hereafter; some of you choose Riches, that which you choose here, will be your portion hereafter; that which is your chief good in this life, you must content yourselves to have in the life to come.  
3. 
3 Every man hath his own chief good.  Every man in this life hath his own chief good, and that is his Treasure: That which is another man's chief good, is not thine: As every man lives by his own Faith so every man lives upon his own Treasure: thy Faith perhaps is thy Treasure, and God is thy Treasure, an other man's Riches are his Treasure: see a godly man's Treasure, Isai. 33.6. The fear of the Lord is his Treasure: this is peculiarly spoken of Hezekiah, and in him of the Church of God; Now what is here meant by the fear of God? Calvin notes two things.  
1. Reverential fear and awe of the Majesty of God, from a right apprehension of his Righteousness and Holiness, so Prov. 17. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  
2. By Fear, is meant an awful worship of God, Worship the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 
Psa. 2.11  Thus you see what was Hezekiah's Treasure, It was the fear of the Lord; a holy fear of God, and a constant worship of him is a Christians Treasure.  
But how comes it to pass, that every man hath his own Treasure?  
1. From the different lights that men have; 
Men have different lights  some can see good in that which an other man can see none, 2 Cor. 4.18. We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, etc. 
2 Cor. 4.4  There are some in whom the God of this world hath blinded their eyes, and some the eyes of whose understanding are enlightened. Ephe. 1.17.18. Men have different good things, because they have different lights; the things of this life are base in the eyes of some, though glorious to others.  
2. 
2 Men have different savours.  Men have different treasures to themselves, because they have different Savours, Rom. 8.5. For they that are after the flesh, do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the spirit, the things of the spirit: the meaning is, they savour the things of the flesh. Tell a natural man of a promise, it hath no more savour to him, than a stock or a stone: tell a Rich man of a promise, who makes Riches his treasure, this hath no savour in it; he can taste sweetness in dainty meats, and in gorgeous apparel, and in the pleasures of sin that are but for a season: but let a Saint come and look upon the word of God, thy word is sweeter to me then the honey or the honey comb: 
Psal. 19.10.  people run after vanity, because they savour no better things.  
3. 
3 Men make different choice.  From their choice: would you know why Israel was God's peculiar treasure, it was because God chose them himself, Psal. 144.4. Some men make choice of God as their chiefest good, let him enjoy God he is contented; saith David, Whom have I in heaven but thee, there's none on earth whom I desire in comparison of thee: But if you let me live without God, 'tis nothing, he accounts all things nothing in comparison of God, because that's the man's chief good: Take an other, He saith, I can live without God all my life time, and I can be content never to hear of God; the Reason is, because they choose an other good for their chief good besides God himself, this chief good is called a man's Treasure: you see now every man hath his chief good in this life, and his own chief good in this life.  
4. 
A man's chief good is his treasure.  Particular, That a man's chief good is his Treasure, and that upon a threefold Account.  
1. 
1 Because of the preciousness.  From the Preciousness of it; No man owns or esteems his Treasure, unless it be his own chief good, and that which he esteems as precious. A man's Treasures are precious, therefore when the Lord speaks of precious things, he calls them a Treasure, Mat. 13.44.2 Cor. 4.7. The Gospel is called a Treasure, because it carries precious things with it. Take a man whose chief good is God, take God from him and he is undone. But an other man who makes wealth his treasure, he saith, take away this, and I shall have no comfort; one takes God for his treasure, and the other wealth for his.  
2. 'Tis called Treasure, 
Plentifulness.  not only for the preciousness of it, but for the plentifulness of it; for 'tis not a little that will make a Treasure, but abundance, Col. 2.3. In whom are hid all the Treasures of wisdom and knowledge: What ever is a man's chief good, he desires it with an infinite appetite, for he is never satisfied. Take a man that makes pleasure his chief treasure, he is like a Horseleech, that cries, give, give: let him have to day, yet he is hungry to morrow. Take a man whose chief good is laid up in God, though he have all the world can afford him; yet he says, give me more comfort from God, more Communion with God, and more likeness to God; he is still unsatisfied, because it's his chief good.  
3. 
3 Valuation of it.  'Tis called a Treasure because it's that by which a man values himself: look how much a man hath in his Treasure, so much he conceives he is worth: there is a Rate which the man puts upon it, it adds as it were to the value of himself. Now as men value themselves according to their wealth, honour, etc. so God values every man according to his heart. Prov. 10.20. The heart of the wicked is little worth: the man is worth nothing if his heart be worth nothing. For these grounds 'tis called a Treasure, for the preciousness, for the plentifullness, & for the value and esteem a man puts upon it.  
Use 1. 
Use 1. For the examination.  Of Examination: where is your treasure? Take this rule, where thy love is, there's thy heart; where thy heart is, there's thy Treasure; where thy Treasure is, there's thy Heaven, where thy heaven is, there's thy God; and where thy God is, there's thy happiness.  
There are six things I would have you to consider, 
That is your Treasure.  as to this use of Examination, that you may know where your Treasure lies.  
1. 
1 Which you labour most for.  Consider what it is that you dig for, that you labour for, that you are willing to spend your money for; this is the first try all of your Treasure, If you dig for wisdom as for precious stones, If thou seek●st her as Silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures. Pro. 2.4. and saith our Saviour Job: 6.27. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life? What's the great thing you work for in this life? What is it you lay out your money for? that you labour for? dost thou lay out thy Knowledge for God? thy estate for God? or dost thou spend thy money for that which is not bread, and labour for that which satisfieth not? Isaiah 55.2. When a man shall return to his own heart, and say, I have laboured for Wealth all my days, and wearied myself for vanity, and now I come to die, I find that I have not laboured at all for God, I have not chosen God for my treasure; Oh this man's condition is very sad! how many are there that can lavish out their wealth upon their lusts; But let a poor member of Christ come, every penny that's given to them, is as much as a drop of blood: that which you lay out your money for, and dig for most, that's your Treasure.  
2. 
2 Which is the comfort of your lives.  Examine what it is by which the comforts of your lives come in, what it is you live upon: whether you labour for the meat which perisheth, or for that which endureth to everlasting life? John 6.27. Whether your comforts come in by eating the bread of wickedness, and drinking the wine of violence. Prov. 4.17. Or by feeding upon Jesus Christ by faith? He that feeds only upon the Creature, feeds upon Ashes, a deceived heart hath turned him aside, Isa. 44.20. That man that makes not God his treasure, makes the Devil his Treasure. Therefore consider by what doth the Comfort of your lives come in? some may say, I live a comfortable life, because I have a great deal of wealth, and a plentiful Table; but the other saith, I live a comfortable life, because I have had Communion with God, and some taste of Heavenly Treasures: that from whence the Comfort of your lives comes, in that's your Treasure.  
3. 
3 Which you are to keep.  What is that which is your greatest care to keep above all things else? that's your Treasure. Treasures are commonly hidden, that men may keep them safe: take a man that makes Riches his treasure, what doth he fear most? theft: but take a godly man that makes God his Treasure, what doth he fear most? sin, because God is his Treasure.  
4. 
4 Which you retreat unto.  What doth your soul's retreat unto for comfort in any trouble, in any disgrace, in any distress? whither do you retire? whither doth a rich man retire when he is in danger? to his Riches; whither doth a godly man retire when he is in danger; to his God; Prov. 18.10, 11. the name of the Lord is a strong Tower: the Righteous runneth into it, and are safe. 
Pro. 10.15.  The Rich man's wealth is his strong City: and as an high wall in his own conceit; one retires to his Riches, and the other to his God.  
5. 
5 Which you value men for.  How do you judge of other men? for you value men more or less according to that you count your own treasure. A godly man that makes Grace his treasure; Ask him this question, who is the best man? whether the rich man, or the godly man? whether he that hath much of grace, or he that hath much of Gold? whether he that hath much of the Creature, or he that hath most of Christ? He answers, the godly man is the better man, because he seeks that which is precious unto me, because he seeks his treasure above, saith David. Psal. 16.3. To the excellent of the Earth, in whom is all my delight; He accounts them excellent because they have much of that which he counts his treasure, and he values all other men according to that they have of that which he accounts his treasure.  
6. 
6 Which you prise time for.  What are the times that you do mostly prize? A man usually prizeth those times most that bring him in most of his treasure, most of his wealth, and profit Amos 8.12. say they, When will the Sabbath be gone? there was no day so tiresome unto them as a Sabbath day, they longed for the week days, because they brought them in much plenty, much of their treasure. But now with a gracious heart it is otherwise, as the one saith, when will the Sabbath be gone? so the other saith, When will the Sabbath come? Isa. 38.13. they called it a delight, because it brings in most of their treasure: So it is with a gracious heart. Those times wherein he hath trading with Heaven, wherein he hath Communion with Christ, wherein he hath the powerings forth of the Spirit, wherein he hath the Exercise of Grace, wherein he is made serviceable to God; these are the times that he accounts precious.  
There are five Rules of trial more, which every one should take as looking-Glasses, wherein you you may see where your treasure and chief good is laid up; 
A man's treasure is that.  which is the greatest Question to be resolved that can be.  
1. 
1 Which is first in his aim.  A man's treasure and chief good is that which is first in his eye and aim in the whole bent and course of his life, that which hath the priority in all his intentions, that is his chief good. Intention is the bent and aim of the will in Reference to some good propounded to it, by the understanding: that which is first in Intention, is last in Execution, if it be a good obtained; but if it be a good to be obtained, then that which is first in Intention, is last in fruition; Mat. 6.33. Seek first the Kingdom of God, etc. There is not only a seeking of the Kingdom of Heaven, but there must be a seeking of it first; for God stands much on Priorities in Scripture; and if it be not set in its due order, God himself is displeased with it, and that which is done is, as if it had not been done at all. Take a natural man whose chief good is wealth; it is first in his Eye, it hath a prehemenency in all his Actions and Intentions he seeks an Estate first to be great in the world, rather than to be good in the World; the chief good is that which draws out the first born of the Soul, 2 Cor. 4.18. We look not at, or we seek not, the things that are seen, but at the things that are not seen, etc. He speaks not only in his own name, but in behalf of all the Saints, for they have all one chief good and utmost end; 
Phil. 3.14.  thus it was with Paul, I press to the mark for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. I press to the mark, the mark is that he proposeth, that he shoots at, as an Archer at his mark: you may see by this, what's your treasure; what is the first and main thing in your Intentions; for there's no Saint in the World, but if God should say, ask what thou wilt, and I will give it thee; he would say, first I desire interest in they self, and Inheritance with the Saints: that which is first in Intention, is last in fruition, what the main of your souls is set upon, that is your chief good.  
2. 
2 Why he desires for itself.  A man shall know where his treasure and chief good lies by this; that's a man's chief good which he desires for itself, desires are all things else in subordination thereto; Christ gives you this rule in Mark 3.7. He that loves Father and Mother more than me, is not worthy of me: A man is bound to love Father and Mother, but not more than me; when doth a man love any thing more than Christ? when it comes in competition with him, but not in subordination to him: God is to be beloved for himself, and Christ is to be received for himself, and therefore 'tis said, Luke 14.26. He that hates not Father and Mother, &c. cannot be my Disciple; how hates them? a man is bound to love them all. The Command is not absolute, that he should hate them absolutely, but comparatively; to hate them is to so an excellency in Christ above them, Christ is to be beloved for himself, and God for himself. That Rule of Austin is true, we are to love friends in God, and Enemies for God. But how shall I know that I love God for himself? for a man may love Christ and God from a principle of self-love. I shall give you two trials.  
First, than a man loves God for himself, when he is willing to part with all things for him: that man that is willing to part with all things for God, must needs love God above all things. But how shall I know that I am willing to part with all for God's sake? there are two seasons when men are tried in this life; at the time of Conversion, and the time of dissolution. First, At the time of Conversion, Philipi. 3.8. Paul counts all things but dross and and dung that he may win Christ, so 〈◊〉. 14.33. he that forsakes not all, cannot be my Disciple, The second is the time of Dissolution, without this I cannot attain to my chiefest good: will the Lord have an Isaac? the soul will give him an Isaac, he will sacrifice his parts with all that ever he hath, and give them up to God, 
1 Cor. 6.23.  you are not your own, you are bought with a price, saith the Apostle. A gracious soul hath experience of this at the time of dissolution, when he sets all things here below aside for God; when his friends, his Estate, his glory, and his portion take their leaves of him; A godly man when he comes to die, he can look on all these dying things rejoicingly; he can say, I have no need of them, 
Phil. 1.23.  Lord, I desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ, which is far better, Phillip 1.23. as a Martyr said when he came to die, my friends are dear, my Children are dear, my Wife is dear, but my Christ is dearer.  
2. The second trial that a man loves God for himself; when a man doth abstract God and Christ, the good that is in them, and the good that comes by them, and the soul is carried to them for the good that is in them. There are two seasons when all the good that comes by Religion and godliness, seems to be abstracted from it; at the time of Affliction, and at the time of desertion.  
First, At the time of affliction: Is there any outward benefit comes by Religion in the time of persecution and affliction?  
Secondly, All the time of desertion that deprives a man of all comfort; now when a man shall be able to faith as Job, though be kill me, yet I will trust in him; I will love him for the excellency that he hath in him, though I receive none of that excellency from him: For the good that comes by him, many love him, but for the good that is in him a gracious soul loves him. Take a man that makes riches his Treasure, he will part with a good Conscience, the best friends he hath; nay, though he act to the grief of his friends, and to the reproach of his Enemies; yet if the man do but obtain that which he desires, he matters not; this is a clear argument: that a man loves it for itself. An ambitious man will break all bonds, Natural, Civil, and Religious; yea, let him be accounted an ambitious selfseeking man; yea, let credit and Conscience lie at the stake, yet he will despise Counsel, tread upon friends, trample upon Laws, and all that he may be great in the world.  
3. 
3 Unto which he refers all things.  That which is a man's Treasure or his chief good, he refers all things unto it, and seeks all things from it; for a man's chief good and utmost end is that which works in all the rest. I shall give you two rules for this.  
First, he that seeks all things in subordination to his chiefest good, he seeks nothing that shall fall cross unto it: this is the sign of a godly man, what ever is cross to his chief good, he counts life not dear for the removal of it, I count not my life dear unto me, saith Paul, so I may finish my course with joy, Acts 20.24 Bodily ease, carnal delight, worldly contentments are not dear unto thee, if God be thy chief good; if thy Estate, honour, thy relations, yea, thy life itself come in competition between thy God and thee, thou wilt say as the Martyr: sarwell Wife, farewell Children, farewell Estate, yea, farewell life, and give me my Christ. 'Tis with many men as it was with Demas, Demas hath forsaken us, and embraced the present world, he professes godliness no more; So it is with men, they neglect known duties for temporal advantages; take heed that nothing cross thee in thy treasure, but let all things be subordinated unto it.  
Then secondly, as it must not cross it, so it must serve it, every thing must be subordinate to his chiefest good; thus it was with Jehu. 
2 Kings 2.9.  The Kingdom was in his eye, that was his chief good; Now Jehu's reformation of Religion tended only to this end, to set Jehu in his Kingdom; yet he did the work that God intended, he executed God's judgements upon the house of Ahab, he thought to have had his ends upon God, and God had his ends upon him. But take a godly man whose chief good is God and godliness, he loves an Estate not for itself, but that he might honour God with it: gifts, what doth he value them for? for the Edification of the body of Christ's wisdom (saith Solomon) is good with an inheritance, 
Ecles. 7.11.  that is when grace teacheth a man to make use of it.  
4. 
4 After which his soul goes out.  Trial, by which you may find out your treasure; A man's soul goes out towards it with continual and earnest breathe, and endless gaspings; so you shall find it is with natural men, who have their treasure in this life, and and whose bellies are fed with the providences of God only, and who make a God of their belly, their hearts are only carried out with breathe after this treasure. But on the other side, David saith, my soul is lifted up to God; 
Psal. 27.4.  to lift up the soul in scripture is, to desire a thing earnestly. Take a man whose treasure is in Heaven, whose chief good is God, the continual gaspings of his soul are after God, Ps. 25.1. he desires God earnestly, 2 Cor 5.1. in this we groan earnestly, etc. he is under continual groan and gaspings after God, though it is true the soul finds an impossibility of enjoying God perfectly in this life; yet you shall find this true, love to him of the right kind is so carried after God, that it is never satisfied, or at rest without more of the enjoyment of him. Examine therefore your souls, what do they most breath and pant after continually, and that's your treasure.  
5. 
5 Wherein his soul receives satisfaction.  That's a man's treasure wherein a man's Soul receives satisfaction, and without which he is never satisfied, Ps. 49.18. the worldling blesseih his soul while he lives; that's his treasure; Natural men are satisfied in nothing else but in the things of this world, that their souls pant and breathe after. Take an Ambitious man, let every man's purse be opened, it will not satisfy him, he cannot sit in a low place, because a high place is his chief good; so Haman, let him have never such honours, he is not satisfied except he be made most honourable, because his soul goes out after high places, he must be had in esteem of the men of the World. But take a man that hath godliness for his chief good, and this he is satisfied in, and nothing else, in Psal. 36.8. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the River of thy pleasures: Now give a godly man wealth, it will not satisfy him, give him honour, it will not satisfy him, Prov. 14.10. a good man shall be satisfied from himself; By these rules you may easily see where your chief good is laid.  
Use 2. 
Use 2. For conviction.  Of Conviction, to set forth the misery of them that mislay their treasure, that be deceived in their chiefest good. Take heed of laying up your treasures in this life, every man in this life hath some treasure, or some great good; this will set forth the misery and wretched condition of all them that misplace their treasure, misplace their chief good. There are many sorts of men whose treasure is laid up here below, their portion is in this life, they are mistaken in their chief good, this plainly shows they are in a miserable condition; and yet this is the condition of most of the world, and under which the greatest part of it will perish. That I may heighten this Conviction, 
Six considerations.  I shall give you six considerations.  
1. 
1 The scripture speaks of a true treasure.  Consider, the Scripture speaks of a true treasure, Luke 16.11. If ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous Mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches: here's the opposition, he sets the one against the other. There is a true treasure, and there is a false treasure, and they that inherit not substances, inherit shadows. Pro. 23.5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? they are said not to be, and that upon a twofold account.  
1. Because there's no reality in them.  
Secondly, because there's no stability in them, that is, in reference to that which you fancy to be in them. Covetousness is Idolatry, for it is an Idol, the Apostle saith so of Riches: 'tis not so in substance as it is in appearance; there never was a godly man in the world, whose eyes God had opened, but he saw that it was only his thought, his apprehension of riches that made them seem great. Then they have no stability in them: they perish in the very enjoyment of them; he is a miserable man that doth not Inherit such spiritual abiding substance as God is, and hath his treasure in God, and the things of God.  
2. 
2 There's a false treasure.  There's a false treasure as well as a true: herein lies a great delusion of sin and Satan, to deceive a man in his chief good, Heb. 3.12, 13. Take heed left there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God, and left any of you be hardened through the deceitfullnsse of sin. Satan will labour to deceive you in every thing, but he labours mostly to deceive you in your chiefest good, in drawing you from God; for as the Spirit of God is in direction, so the Spirit of Satan is in delusion. As the spirit of God directs a man in this life to carry out affections more to God, and to make his chief good; so on the contrary, the Devil doth all to this end, that he may deceive a man of his chiefest good, and take off the chiefest good, and take off the affections of his heart from God: When Satan fixeth a man's heart on any particular good, it is to take him off from that that is an Universal good: Satan is said to be a murderer from the beginning; how so? on this account, because he deceives persons of their chiefest good, wherein the life of their souls doth lie.  
3. 
3 Man's nature abhors to be deceived.  Consider the nature of man doth exceedingly abhor to be deceived: the Holy Ghost doth charge us that we should not overreach our brother, the nature of man is much inclined to deceive one another, 
1 Tim. 2.14.  and therefore the nature of man doth exceedingly abhor to be deceived itself. 
2 Cor. 11.3.  Now there was never such deceit as in the chiefest good, to give a man brass for gold, and stones for bread; To take the Creature for the Creator, to set up the Devil in the place of God; This deceit is of being cheated in our chief good. There are many other that are lesser deceits, he doth deceive in particular Acts, as when a man hath been convinced of sin, prayed against it, and the Devil hath varnished it over again, and led him to the Commission of it; but the grand deceit of all is in his chiefest good.  
4. 
4 The Devil labours above all to deceive you in this.  Consider this is the deceit that above all, he takes care to hid from you, he will keep you under that all the days of your life. You have many deceits of Satan laid in a man's way, that may be discovered to him, and these a man may recover out of, as 2 Tim. 2.26. That they may recover themselves out of the snare of the Devil. He may see that in that particular Act he was deceived, that which he thought was good, he finds it was not so, but he was deceived through the wiles of Satan; a man may see the devices of Satan in reference to his darling sin, 2 Pet. 2.18. But the Devils great design on all unregenerated men, is to keep them in an unregenerate state, more than in unregenerate Acts: Therefore the great work in conversion, is to cause the soul to mind its chief good; never was there any converted to God and Christ, but he saw that he erred in his chiefest good, and that he had departed from his God; how is a man departed from God? He is departed from God in two things: 1. As his chiefest good. 2. As his utmost end. How must a man return to God? First, as his chiefest good, and then as his utmost end.  
5. 
5 This deceives most, Mat. 7.14.  This will be the deceit under which the greatest part of the world will be damned; for, strait is the Gate, and narrow is the way that leadeth to life, and few there be that find it. All men are carried forth to some good or other, and say, Who will show us any good? Psal. 4. But there are four things that most of the world do usually mistake in.  
1. They take that which is but a seeming good, for a real good.  
2. They take that which is a particular good, for an universal good.  
3. They take that which is a temporary good, for aneternall good.  
4. They take that which is another man's good, for their own good: Most men mistake under these four sorts of good, and so perish.  
6. 
6 This will cause Satan to insult.  If you be deceived in your chiefest good, it will be the matter of Satan's insultation, and the matter of your Lamentation for ever. It will be matter of Satan's insultation, Satan is the envious man: TWO things there are in Satan to sinners; one is cruel murderings, and the other is cruel mockings of them, as in Isai. 14.11, 12. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer Son of morning? Nabuchadnezzar that thought himself as it were placed in heaven, falls down to hell, he deluded himself. It will be then too late to say, I was ignorant, and as a beast before thee.  
These men are miserable, 
The misery of those that are herein cheated.  that are cheated of their chief good, and their misery lies in six Particulars.  
1. 
1 There's nothing good to such a man.  Because there's nothing good to that man that errs in his chiefest good, Eccle. 5.13. there's a man that made Riches his chiefest good; there's no good to him therein, because he made not God his chiefest good, his Riches are to his hurt: many a man is made honourable and Rich to his hurt. But are not Ordinances you will say, for a man's good? Is it not good to live under the means of grace? to have the droppings of the Sanctuary? I answer no, if not improved, the nigher to Ordinances, and at distance from God, the nigher to the Curse, Heb. 6.7, 8. Ordinances will ripen your sins, and they will hasten your ruin, they will ensnare your souls, they will draw out your lusts, and they will ruin you for ever: As every thing is good to a man that is right in his chiefest good, so nothing is good to that man that errs in his chiefest good.  
2. 
2 This will cause him to heir in all things.  If a man err in his chiefest good, this will make him err in his judging of all things and persons in this life; for the rule of every man's judgement is according to his chief good, he errs, and must needs do so, if he errs in that: Take a man that judgeth finning better than suffering, he chooseth sin before suffering, job 36.21. Take heed, regard not iniquity; for this thou hast chosen rather than affliction: He chooseth the present things, before things to come; things that are seen, before things that are not seen: But to a godly man, sin is worse than suffering, than death, than hell. It was the saying of one of the Martyrs, He is not praiseworthy, nor worthy of praise, that God praiseth not. A man that hath his treasure in heaven, he judgeth all things aright according to the heavenly Treasure.  
3. 
3 This makes him misplace his affections  If a man mistake his chiefest good, this causeth him to misplace all the affections of his soul; they will be set wrong, & are set upon wrong objects: The Holy Ghost speaks of a crooked and a perverse Generation, when they were set upon wrong objects, they were in fear where no fear was. Now take an other man whose chief good is God, he fears sin, the other fears man; he rejoices in God, the other rejoices in man; here the affections of soul are mistaken by misplacing the chiefest good.  
4. 
4 To lose his labour.  This makes a man lose his labour, in what ever he doth all his life time; he labours only for the meat that perisheth, but not for the meat that endureth for everlasting life; he spends his parts, his strength, and time in vain: He sows the wind, and reaps the whirl wind.  
This grand error makes you err in every thing you do; the wicked man is deceived, disappointed, and at the last will be ashamed of all his undertake: But the godly man cannot be deceived, nor disappointed of his hopes, nor return ashamed, because he is not mistaken in his chiefest good, and therefore cannot lose any of his labour.  
5. 
5 This will destroy him.  This only will destroy the man: This is the grand mistake; a man may be deceived in particular things, and yet the soul may be saved in the day of the Lord: but if once he be deceived in his chiefest good, he can never be saved: for what is a man's chief good here by way of Election, shall be hereafter his chief good in way of fruition, 1 Cor 3.11. For other foundation can no man lay, then that is laid, which is jesus Christ, etc. To err in this, is a fundamental error; those that err in matters of practice, 'tis said, yet their souls might be saved, though their labours be lose; but if thou errest in thy chief good, thou canst never be saved.  
6. 
6 It's the greatest cheat of all.  If there were nothing else but this, it's the greatest delusion, and the obsurdest cheat in the world, for a man is deceived, and makes that his greatest happiness that is the quite contrary, that will prove his greatest misery; blessing, or blessedness, requires two things. 1. It must be that which cannot be lost. 2. It must be that that puts the soul into a condition that he he doth not sin, or that he cannot sinne. He that placeth his happiness below God and Heaven, he sets up an other God, which is the highest way of sinning in the world, and therefore see what a miserable condition that man is in, that sets his chiefest good in things below God and Heaven.  
Use. 3. 
Use 3. For Exhortation.  Is this a truth that every man in this life hath something he lays up for his Treasure, whether it be in Heaven or Earth; then take this exhortation in the words of the text, lay up treasures in Heaven. Three things I shall premise.  
1. Some do observe the sweetness of Christ's Commands how he applies himself to the desires of his people, the Lord Jesus Christ doth not forbid this, he doth not say, let there be no such providence in you; but if you will lay up treasure, he tells you where you should lay up the true treasure. So Luke 10.20. he sends forth the 72 Disciples, and they rejoiced the Devils were subject to them; Now he doth not forbid their joy, but he doth augment their joy; Rejoice rather that your names are written in the book of life: so when he faith, Matth. 20.18. Fear not him that can kill the body, he forbids you not altogether to fear, but see if your fear be placed on the right object, that is, himself more than them: so when men are apt to glory in some excellency they have obtained, saith the Holy Ghost. Jer. 9.23. Let not the wife man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches, but let him that glorieth, glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me that I am the Lord. Set a right object for your glorying in; so here he doth not forbid you to labour for riches, but to be rich towards God; he doth not forbid you to be adorned, but let it be with beauties of holiness.  
2. It's observed that there are divers ways of treasuring; 
3. Sort of treasure.  there are three forts of treasures that are laid up, three several ways.  
1. 
1 Treasures on Earth.  There are treasures on Earth, some place their happiness on the things below: our Saviour faith, lock not to the things that are seen, but have an eye to the things that are not seen. It was well observed by one, that that whieh a man loves and aims at as his end, that's his treasure. A man that hath no end beyond this life, hath no treasure beyond this life, let me be rich, let me be honourable and brave in this world, that's all he looks at. He looks not up to the treasure above; this man placeth his affections on the Earth, and makes that his portion.  
2. There are Treasures in Hell, 
3. Treasures in Hell.  some lay up their treasures in Hell, Rom. 2.5. they treasure up to themselves wrath against the day of wrath. There are two treasures, one of sin, and the other of wrath, and the one sits for the other; as the man adds to the one, so God adds to the other; for you must know as sin ripens, so doth judgement, as sin increaseth, so doth wrath, Ezek. 7.10. The Rod hath blossomed, as Pride hath budded; It's spoken of Gods bringing of wrath upon Nabuchadnezzar, now mind the gradation, the Rod first blossoms, than it buds; judgement first ripens, and then ruins; you read in scripture of an Ephah of wickedness, that is, that which notes the full measure of wickedness; and you read of a Talon, which is judgement proportioned to the sin. As you fill up the treasures of your sins. so God fills up the treasures of his wrath: you think you only carry on your own treasure, but God is carrying on his treasury of wrath also. The  
3. 
2 Treasures in Heaven.  Sort are those that lay up treasure in Heaven, that place their happiness in the chief good, in nothing but Heaven, that have aims beyond this life, the things present are but for their way, not for the end of their Journey. Every man is as his chief good, and as his utmost end is; if thy end be Earthly, thou art a man of the Earth; if Heavenly, thou art a man of Heaven. It is said, Psal. 17.14. Men of the world that have their portion in this life: They are called men of this world, because their end and aim is not beyond this world. But the Saints and Citizens of Heaven are so called, because their end and aim is beyond this life, and their chief good lies there.  
3. You are to observe the manner and nature of this command; lay up treasures in Heaven, his meaning is not, that they should lay up nothing on Earth: To lay up on Earth is a duty, as to provide things necessary for the body; but in especial manner be sure to lay up in Heaven, have your hearts in Heaven, though your bodies be on the Earth, we ought to lay up something in summer against the time of Winter; Parents ought to lay up for their Children. Lay not up treasure on Earth; that is to say, as it is contrary to a treasure in Heaven, but so as it may be helpful to thy treasure in Heaven. Again, lay not up treasure on earth, so, as if there were an absolute necessity of it, or as if a man could not live without it, ●●ke 12.15. a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things that he possesseth. Lastly, lay not up treasure on Earth, so as to neglect Heaven, let not this be a means to take off your hearts from higher things, if so, your treasure will be your curse, and God gives you a great estate in great Judgement.  
Let us now come to set home this Exhortation, seeing some lay up treasures in Earth, some lay up treasures in Heaven, do you be exhorted to lay up your treasures in Heaven.  
Four things I will speak to in proscuting of it.  
1. What is meant by Heaven?  
2. What are the treasures of Heaven.  
3. What is it to lay up treasures in Heaven.  
4. Some arguments to enforce the Exhortation.  
First, what is meant by Heaven? 
What is meant by Heaven.  There is a twofold Exposition of it, and we may make an improvement of both of them.  
1. 
1 God himself.  By Heaven, some expound it of God himself, as if he should say, lay up your treasures in God, with God: so that they take Heaven for God, that is the God of Heaven, the pleasures of Heaven. Now this will help you to understand other Scriptures, Mat. 21.25. The Baptism of John, was it from Heaven? that is, from the God of Heaven; Heaven is there put for God: so Luke 15.18. Father I have sinned against Heaven; that is, against the God of Heaven, the God that dwells in Heaven, there's your happiness alone, let your chief good be laid up in him, let him who hath promised to be our portion and exceeding great reward be our treasure in Heaven; yet you are to consider that the Scripture speaks of other treasures in Heaven, Luke 12.33. Provide yourselves a treasure in Heaven that faileth not; that is, of good works, but they are only as they aim at God; God is himself the great reward, and the rich treasure of Heaven; this is the excellency of every gracious performance of duty, 'tis a treasure of heaven, because it is recorded in heaven by God himself, lay up therefore your treasures with God, that he may be your eternal reward. The  
2. 
2 The third Heaven.  Exposition of this place, is this; They take Heaven for the third Heaven, the highest Heaven, the habitation of God's majesty and glory, the place where the Saints shall be with God, where the Angels have Communion with God, jer. 23.23. He is said, to fill heaven and earth; 'tis called the place where his honour dwells; there you have two things. 1. The Vision of him. 2. The Fruition of him, so 'tis said to be a City, 
Heb. 11.10.  whose builder and maker is God; this being the place of the Saints, therefore they are exhorted to lay up their treasure in it: the time will shortly come, when the Saints shall be removed from earth to heaven, for here they have no abiding City: now their happiness in heaven being to enjoy God to eternity, for this cause they are exhorted to lay up a Treasure in heaven. Well, take it in both these senses, in God, or in heaven, where the eternal enjoyment of God shall be.  
In the second place; What is that Treasure that a man should lay up in heaven? We shall understand it by the opposite; there is a treasure that man lays up on earth as his chief good, as Riches, Honour, High-places, Pleasure, popular applause, etc. and where his Treasure is, there his heart is: So there is a treasure in heaven which is a man's chief good; it is God that is his reward, Christ as Mediator that brings him to God.  
There are three things that demonstrate, 
Nothing but God can be a man's treasure in heaven.  that none but God can be a man's treasure in heaven.  
1. 
1 Because a man must love it best.  A Man's treasure is that which he loves best, and a man must love nothing more than God; nay a man's chief good is that which he loves with an infinite love, that he doth never say I have enough. The Hebrew word for Treasures, signifies that which a man sets his heart most on; where a man's love goes, there a man's zeal goes, that's his treasure that carries out his love.  
2. 
2 Prise it most.  That which a man prizeth most, which a man sets highest price on, that's a man's Treasure; now a man should prise nothing more than God; Kingdoms and Nations be not dear to God for the sake of the Saints, therefore Kingdoms and Nations should not be dear to the Saints in respect of God, they should prise nothing in comparison of him, much less in competition with him.  
3. 
3 Relieup on it.  Upon a man's Treasure he relies for supplies, that which a man makes his Treasure in Calamities and Distresses he goes to it; therefore David saith, Psal. 13.25. Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there's none upon earth that I desire besides thee: my flesh and my heart faileth; but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. Thus you see every man must be supplied out of his own Treasure.  
Thirdy, You will say, God is in heaven above, the habitation of his holiness and glory; How can we be said to lay up God for a Treasure? 'Tis true, God is in heaven, he made the heavens, and he dwells in heaven; but he is not laid up there for thy treasure, unless thou closest with him by faith, and lay him up for thy God, and in so doing he will be thy treasure; for though he dwells in heaven, yet he dwells also in humble and contrite Spirits. Now there are six Rules to get the God of heaven to be our God and Treasure.  
1. 
1 Choose God so thy treasure.  He that will lay up Treasure in heaven, he must choose God for his treasure in heaven, not only the joys and delights of heaven, the happiness of heaven, but the God of heaven, that which thou choosest is thy treasure: If a man choose Honour, and Riches, and Pleasure, that is his treasure; what you choose first, you prise most, and you shall be sure to have God for your treasure if you choose him.  
2. 
2 Part with all for him.  Then part with all other treasures for him: No man can have two Treasures, no more than he can have two Masters, Mat. 19.21. Look to yourselves, you have not God for your treasure, except you part with all other treasures for him.  
3. 
3 Let thy heart be after him.  The soul is to be carried out after this treasure incessantly; that man that lays up God for his treasure, his heart is continually carried after him, and so must yours, if you will have God to be your Treasure, Psal. 73.24. How doth the foul go out after God? 
Psa. 119.20.  My soul pants for the long it hath towards thee; my soul longeth, yea even fainteth for the Lord. 
Psal. 84.2.  so saith David: If your souls do not go out after God, and relish the sweetness of God, certainly you have no part nor portion in this Treasure.  
4. 
4 Live upon him.  If you would have God for your treasure, live upon him; men live upon their treasures, so must you upon your God.  
5. 
5 Glory in him.  Would you have the God of heaven for your treasure, than glory in him; what a man labours to get for his treasure, that he glories in. Every man values other men as he values his treasure; take a man that makes Riches his treasure, let the person be never so honourable he despiseth him, because he hath not so great an estate as he: so a godly man values every man according as his chiefest good is, he is worth no more than he is worth in God's account, therefore he esteems no more of him.  
6. 
6 Add to thy treasure.  What ever is your Treasure, if you lay up your treasure in any thing, you must use all means to add unto it, and make a daily increase, the increase of your treasure comes in by adding to it, Isai. 33.6. Why doth Hezekiab lay up treasure in God? he gets a further interest in God, therefore the man is blessed with his treasure: wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and thought of Salvation, and this is, because the fear of the Lord is his treasure.  
The fourth particular is to give you some grounds to enforce the Exhortation; is there a treasure in Heaven? then do not be such Enemies to your souls as not to lay up treasures there. There are four Arguments to enforce the Exhortation.  
1. 
1 No treasure below God, will be lasting.  No treasure below God will be lasting, Christ speaks therefore to you continually to lay up your treasure in Heaven, because there will come a time when all treasures laid up below God, will be expunged and gone, and then what will you live upon? 1. Cor. 7.29.31. the Apostle faith, the time is short, and the fashion of this world passeth away; 'tis a Metaphor taken from things folded up, a great part of time is unfolded and unwoven, it's almost spent, there's abundance of life run out already, and little left behind; there is an eternity that will never be spent after all thy time here is spent, lay up therefore treasures there.  
2. 
2 Nor hopes of Heaven without this treasure.  Heaven is the place to which you hope to go, now carry your treasures with you, and send your treasures before you, or else there can be no hopes of entering into Heaven. This is the Exhortation of our Saviour, when he faith, lay up Treasures in Heaven; he seems to speak to the hopes of persons going to Heaven, go power out your souls before the Lord, make sure of your Heavenly mansion; you will leave the estates and your fine houses behind you, pour out your souls to the Lord, make sure of your interest in Christ, that you may carry your treasure with you.  
3. 
3 God is an all-sufficient treasure.  Consider, God is a faithful and true treasurer, therefore lay up your treasure in Heaven: God is self-sufficient to himself, and he is all-sufficient to you; But if thy treasure be here below on this side to God, it will not last, that which is thy treasure in this life, will be thy Torment in the life to come jam. 5.3. your Gold and Silver is cankered, and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your bread as it were fire: ye have heaped treasure together for the last days: when judgement shall come, your Torment shall then begin, and you shall have the greatest plagues at the last day of judgement; your treasures will then crush and begin to be your tormentors, that which now thou choosest to be thy treasure, will then be thy tormentor. The only way to preserve what you have of this treasure on Earth, is to lay up treasures in Heaven. In the houses of godly men are the best and preciousest treasures, because they come into them from a promise, and so they have much sweetness in them. All the cares of wicked men is what they shall have, but a godly man, that hath Communion with God, and an interest in Heaven; these men look upon it as a privilege what they should do for God.  
4. 
4 If God be not your treasure here he will not hereafter.  Argument; you that have not God for your treasure here, you shall never have him for your treasure hereafter, for after this life a man can never change his chief good, that which is so here, shall be so hereafter; therefore if you have not a treasure laid up in God in this life, he will not be thy God in glory hereafter, and yet God shall be all in all.  
You have seen already the misery of those that err in their chiefect good: Now I shall come to show you the happy condition of them that have pitched upon their chief good, and that have laid up their treasures in Heaven. Whatsoever they are in this world; yet in regard of their chief good they have not miscarried. 
A good man is every way blessed.  O how blessed is that soul that hath not misplaced his treasure. A godly man is every way a blessed man.  
1. 
1 In the pardon of his sin.  He is blessed in regard of the pardon of his sin; blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven, and whose sin is covered, Ps. 32.1.  
2. 
2 Disposition of his soul.  He is blessed in regard of the disposition of his soul; blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Mat. 5.8.  
3. 
3 In hungerings after ordinances.  He is blessed in his hungrings and thirstings after ordinances; Blessed are they that dwell in thy house, for they will be still praising thee, Psal. 84.4.  
4. 
4 In his acting to God.  He is blessed in his obediential actings to God; blessed are the undefiled in the way that walk in the Law of the Lord: Psal. 119.1.  
5. 
5 In his expectation.  He is blessed in his expectations, Isa. 30.18. Blessed are they that wait for him. Nay, even his very Afflictions are blessed; Psal 94.10. blessed is the man whom thou chastisest and teachest out of thy Law; Thus you see every way how a soul that hath made God his treasure is blessed. But wherein lies the top of his blessedness, 
But the top of his blessedness is in his chief good.  and the height of his happiness? he is blessed in his chief good, and there lies the height of his blessedness, unto which, and in comparison of which all these are but subordinate and inferior blessednesses. Look to the Angels in the glory of of heaven, they are blessed.  
First, in their in ward qualifications and endowments; their wisdom, their power, their zeal, they are blessed in every respect.  
Secondly, in regard of their offices and employments, they are principalities and powers, they are Co-workers with Christ.  
Thirdly, they are blessed for their Activities in those offices, Ezek. 1.14. They go and return like lightning: 
Wherein the Angel's blessedness lies.  but wherein lies the top of the Angel's blessedness in heaven? it lies in this, that they have pitched aright upon the chiefest good, they have not erred in their treasure; nay, wherein lies the blessedness of Christ himself as Mediator? he was every way blessed, he was the heir of all things, and appointed unto glory, and to a glory suitable to the service that he did perform, which neither men nor Angels were able to do; But wherein lies the top of Christ's glory and blessedness? in Psal. 16.5. you shall see where it lies; the Lord is the portion of mine inheritance; his blessedness lay in the chief good. The same is true of the glorified Saints in Heaven, the souls of just men made perfect, the glory of the Elect, and the top of all their blessedness is that they have pitched upon the right good. On the contrary, what's the misery of the damned in hell? 
Wherein the misery of the damned lies.  there is nothing wanting to make them miserable, as there is nothing wanting to make the other blessed. If you look upon their sins, you must consider in hell, sin is their punishment: If you consider the bottomless pit, the burning lake in which they are shut up, the worm of conscience that is ever gnawing and wounding of them, for so it is in all those damned spirits in hell, this must needs make their misery very miserable: but wherein lies the top of their misery? alas it lies in none of these, it is in this, that they have erred in their chiefest good. An ancient writer (chrysostom) saith, put a thousand of them together in hell, and here is the worst of their Torment, their erring in their chief good: so then there is none miserable like those sinners that have erred in their chief good, nor none blessed like these Saints that have pitched upon their chief good. The misery of the damned lies in two things.  
First, because they have forsaken God.  
Secondly, because God hath forsaken them; they have hated the Lord, and the Lord hates them, herein now doth lie the top of their misery, as this was the top of their folly, and the top of their vanity to neglect the chief good.  
Now there are variety of comforts belonging to the Saints of God; But there are some great grounds of comfort that belong to those that have chose God for their chiefest good; and from these grounds should our comfort flow: As there are some grand promises that are recorded in Scripture, which do wrap up all the rest of the promises in them, 
The three great ptomises  and they are three.  
First, I will give you my Son.  
Secondly, I will give you my spirit.  
Thirdly, I will give you myself: A godly man should take comfort from all the promimises, but especially from the great promises: for if a man be much in the least duties of Religion, and neglect the greatest, he gives just occasion to suspect the truth of his obedience; and so if a man regard the lesser promises, and look not to the greater, he gives just cause to suspect the truth of his comfort: why is a godly man so happy a man? It is in this, that he hath not erred in his chief good. But there are seven grounds of the greatest comfort that I know in all the book of God, 
Seven grounds of comfort for those that have chosen God for their treasure.  arising from this consideration, I have not misplaced my treasure, I have not erred in my chief good.  
1. 
1 Hereby thou mayst see the riches of God's love unthee.  Hereby the soul may see the riches as well as the freeness of the love of God, I have not miscarried in that which is the greatest error of the world, I have not gone with those who have their portion in this life: now it's a great mercy to be delivered from those sins of laying up your treasure in this life; then this is much more a greater mercy, that a man hath not misplaced his chiefest good, for misplacing a man's chiefest good, 'tis the greatest sin, and the greatest judgement that can befall him. The Scripture speaks of delivering souls up to the Devil; 
Satan is both Lord & Executioner.  and there is a twofold delivering souls up to the Devil.  
1. As a Lord.  
2. As an Executioner.  
First to deliver up a man to Satan as a Lord, so Judas was; the Lord Christ delivered him to Satan as a Lord to rule over him.  
But, Secondly, when the Lord shall give a man over to Satan as an Executioner, that Satan shall terrify his conscience: now for a godly man to be able to look into his own condition and say, when I looked abroad into the world, I see one man place his chief good in riches, another in honours another in pleasure; but in the midst of all these though I have miscarried in many things, yet here is my comfort I have not miscarried in my chiefest good. There is not any thing will comfort a godly man more than this, when he comes to look the King of terrors in the face, nothing will be such pleasure to his soul as this: when Satan shall triumph over most of the wordl, the poor soul shall be able to triumph over all the powers of darkness; I am poor, I am ignorant, I am unworthy; but through grace I obtained that mercy not to be cheated of my chiefest good: here will lie a man's wisdom, and here will be a man's glory; it's a man's chief good that will be a man's wisdom or folly for ever hereafter. Luk. 10.42. Mary hath chosen the better part whieh shall not be taken way from her: we read it the good part; and herein lay her wisdom, and herein lies the wisdom of all men in their Election, in a man's Election his wisdom lies, and above all choices he make choice of his chiefest good: I have been a fool in many things, but blessed be the name of God, I have been wise in this thing; I have been deceived in many things, but I have not erred in this: If this doth not stand by a godly man in the greatest troubles, there is nothing that can or will do it.  
2. 
2 The true chief good shall neverb; taken from thee.  Comfort is this, I have chosen the true chief good that shall never be taken from me, Luke 10.42, Which shall not be taken away from her. There is no man miscarries in his treasure, but he that lays it up below, and there is no treasure a man lays up below, but he shall be taken from it, & it shall be taken from him. Now one of the Ancients observe, that earthly treasure is lost, either from causes within, or from causes without: From causes within, Riches have principles of decays in themselves, there is a Moth that comes out of your finest Garments, and there will come dross out of your purest Gold; for all the Creatures came under the Covenant of God at first, and that Covenant being broken, those Creatures come under the curse of God. Then from principles without, Thiefs will steal them: man falls from God, and all things else fall from him, and this is the great ground from whence all the perishing nature of a man's treasure comes that is laid below: But here lies the difference between the Treasures below, and the Treasures above. Austin hath an excellent saying, That a man's chief good is given to no man against his will, nor taken from no man against his will, but the good here below is. The good above is liable to no violence without, nor no decay within; no opposition then can hinder comfort from the persons of those whose treasure is above. If Riches be a man's chief good, it shall be taken from him; but thy chief good eannot be taken from thee, and oh what a ground of comfort is this to to gracious souls!  
3. 
3 Thou shalt be guided in thy way, and reduced when wandering.  Comfort; A man that hath chosen the true chief good, he hath always something to guide his way, he hath always something to reduce his wander: 1. From this chief good he hath the guide of his way; this is to the soul as the Centre is to the stone, the stone moves towards the Centre, and moves towards it the right way; what guides the motion to the Centre, but the Centre? so a godly man, if he want a particular Rule, yet this general Rule, God is his Centre, is that that leads him to move towards him, that guides him in the right way. What's the great consultation of the soul? It is this, O what will bring me nearest to my chiefest good? and 'tis the chief good that is the guide of all our motions, Mat. 6.22. If thine eye be single, thy whole body is full of light: Austin saith, It's the intention of the man that is the eye of the man, single intentions is his single eye, and a single eye, is an eye that looks purely upon God. As the intention of the eye guides the man, so the intention of the soul guides the way what carries me most to my chief good this is that that guides the way. 2. This hash a great influence also to reduce men's wander; many that have chosen God for their chiefest good, do many times depart from him; now what shall bring him back again? it is the eyeing of the chief good, this brings the man again: we have all gone astray like a sheep, but now we are returned to the shepherd of our souls; There is not any thing can reduce a man to God, that hath departed from God, but the placing his chief good in him: that soul, whose chief good is at home, will not long stay abroad.  
4. 
4 Unto thy chief good thou mayst always retire and fetch comfort.  Unto a man's chief good his soul retires, and from it he fetcheth chief comfort upon all occasions, and so may Saints: he that makes choice of the chiefest good, can say, I am sure of this Comfort, The Name of my God is a strong Tower, Prov. 18.11. therefore I will run to it and be safe; the Rich man goes to his wealth, the righteous man goes to his God. A godly man is able to say in those distress, though I have no Riches to comfort me, and very few friends to stand by me; yet I have a God, a Christ, a Heaven, a new Covenant, a new image which I can retreat to, and rely upon in all occasions; and thus the soul can triumph in his chief good over the chiefest evils; as the Spouse (it is a voice of triumph) my beloved is the chiefest of ten thousand, Cant. 5.10. There is all a man's comfort in that which is his treasure, now God being his Treasure, there is his comfort; and hence it is, that these dare compare with any persons in any affliction, Psal. 44.8. compared with verse 22. in verse 8. In God we make our boast all the day long, and verse 22. For thy sake we are killed all the day long: What? boast of God, and killed all the day long for God? I, here is the comfort of a godly man, he can retire unto his chief good, and whensoever he retreats to it, he is filled full of comfort by it.  
5. 
5 This may be a comfort in all thy failings. Prov. 20.9.  'Tis of great Comfort to a godly man in the midst of all his failings, yet I have not failed in choosing God for my chiefest good. The best men may, nay must say, Who can make his heart clean? and when he looks back upon his way, he must say, My heart bathe run out inordinately after this thing and that thing, and I have neglected my chief good and my treasure, but for this, I desire to be ashamed all my life, but my happiness is laid up in him and no other, I have chosen him for my chief good, and though I have failed in many things, Psal. 18.2. Yet I have not wickedly departed from my God: departed he hath, and many times departed wittingly and willingly; but wickedly I have not departed from God. What is it for a man to departed from God willingly? 'Tis for a man to place his chief good some where else then in God, to go out after an other God: now in this David can rejoice in the midst of his failings, and so mayst thou. In that he hath not so departed from one God to set up another: therefore this, and only this, can comfort the Saints in the midst of all their failings: The departings from God, is the greatest trouble that doth befall them; but yet here is their great comfort that they have not left him as their Treasure, though they may sometimes leave him as their Lord.  
6. 
6 That which thou layest up for thy chief good herethou shalt enjoy for ever hereafter.  Comfort which is unspeakable, that which thou hast laid up for thy chief good here by Election, that thou shalt enjoy in the world to come by fruition, therefore Austin saith, A man's blessedness is begun in Election here, but finished and perfected in fruition hereafter, Gen. 15.2. saith the Lord, I will be thy exceeding great reward: dost thou choose God for thy chiefest good here? if thou dost, that which thou choosest in one world, thou shalt enjoy in another.  
7. 
7 Thou shalt be blessed with the blessedness of God.  He that hath laid up his chief good in heaven, shall be happy with the same happiness that God himself is happy withal; look wherein God's blessedness lies, in that shall thy blessedness lie: wherein doth God's blessedness lie? it lies in himself, his chief good lies in himself, for the Creature to acknowledge God for his chief good so fare as the Creature is capable, he is blessed with the blessedness of God himself, and thou dost enter into the joy of thy Lord.  
Now I proceed to the latter part of the Text, viz.  

For where the Treasure is, there will the heart be also.  
Out of which words, I gather this observation, viz.  
That a man's chief good is Attractive of the heart; 
Doct.  or the Treasure where ever it is, carries the heart with it.  
Where ever a man's Treasure is, there will his heart be.  
THere are four things I shall speak to by way of Explication.  
1. To show you what is meant by the heart: By heart in in Scripture, is meant the whole soul.  
2. That the soul of man, the heart goes out of itself for its happiness, for its chief good; or thus, the chief good of man is without himself.  
3. 'Tis a matter of great concernment, where a man's heart is placed.  
4. That the heart doth always follow the Treasure, the heart and the Treasure will be together, and none can put them asunder.  
5. We shall give you the grounds of it.  
First, What is meant by the heart? 
By the heart is meant. 1. The whole soul.  By the heart in Scripture, is meant the whole soul. The Hebrews, generally place the Government of man in the heart, and make the heart the seat of the reasonable soul; so that you shall find the Scripture commonly speaking of it: First, if you look to the whole soul as corrupt, as unsanctified, so corruption goes through all the faculties of the soul, but the heart is said to be the seat thereof, ler. 17.9. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately nicked: and 1 Pet. 3.4. 'tis called, The hidden man of the heart.  
2. If you look upon the soul as renewed, 'tis said, With the heartman believes, Rom. 10.10. But the heart of man in Scripture, is sometimes taken for those things that are situated, and have their habitation especially in the heart. As wisdom is attributed to the heart, or folly, Ephraim is a silly Dove without a heart, Hos. 7.11. and he that trusts to his own heart is a fool, Prov. 28.26. that is, he that leans to his own wisdom: Again, 
The conscience.  the heart is put for Conscience, David's heart smote him when he cut off the lap of saul's garment. There's a conviction of the Conscience, that's called the heart: sometimes for the memory, which is the treasury of the soul. But there are three things meant by the heart in this place.  
1. 
3. The thoughts and consultations.  The thoughts, Meditations, and consultations of the heart, where the treasure is, there is the heart; that is, there is the thoughts, there is the meditations and consultations of the heart, in these all the thoughts and contrivances of the soul are, now where a man's treasure is, there are these, 2 Kings. 5.26. Did not my heart go along with thee. How did the Prophet's heart go with him? his thoughts went with him. So job 17.11. the thoughts of the heart are there called the heart, in the Hebrew it is the possessions of the heart, for as what ever you do possess in the body, the body can see a glory, and cast a sweetness in all things here below, so the soul can taste a a sweetness, and see a glory in all things above.  
2. 
4. Love & affections.  By heart is meant a man's love, and affection, his desires and long for, in these the soul goes out towards its object, Gen. 34.8. As it is said of Shechem, his house clavae to Dinah. Now where your treasure is, there's your love, there your desires are, the long of your Souls are after it.  
3. 
5. joy and delight.  By the heart is meant a man's delight, the joy of his heart, that whereby the great Comfort of his life comes in Psal. 62.16. If riches increase, set not your heart on him; that is, do not place the comfort of your lives in them, let not your hearts be swallowed up by them: Now where a man's treasure is, there his thoughts are, there his love is, there the joy and delight of his soul is. The  
Second Proposition is this, 
Man's chief is without himself.  that the soul of man goes out of itself for happiness, for its treasure is without itself, It's God's honour, his Prerogative only to have his blessedness to be himself, he is unto himself the chief good, he hath nothing without himself to augment his happiness. 
God's blessedness is in himself.  The Lord Jesus Christ as Mediator in all his obedience, added nothing to the blessedness of God; My goodness extends not to thee. Psal. 16.2. But this is God's Prerogative only to have his happiness in himself; as for creatures that are capable of a chief good, their happiness is not in themselves, but in their treasure which is good, and therefore their heart is to go out after their treasure. And here take notice of two great depths in Divinity.  
1. 
1 Depth.  Man hath not the chiefest good in himself, his happiness comes not from himself, and hence it is that in reference to all things, he is a dependant Creature. And therefore the soul is continually restless, because it seeks to join itself to its chiefest good, which is without itself: you have a saying, Prov. 14.14. a good man shall be satisfied from himself; It is not from himself as separated from God, but from himself is united to God wherein his blessedness lies: not selfe in opposition to God, but self in-subordination to God, and so a man is satisfied from himself; that is; he goes not out of himself when he goes into God, because he is made one with God.  
2. 
2 Depth.  Depth in Divinity is this; that it is the nature and constitution of the reasonable soul to make out to a chief good without itself; this is the nature of it in its Creation, it doth not only seek its own preservation, but it seeks its own perfection. This is that which is the working of every Greature, much more of the reasonable Greature, because it hath not a Fountain at home, it must go abroad to draw; and because it hath not food at home, it must go out to gather; Therefore Austin doth observe very well, that man is a middle Creature, well, there is some thing above him, and some thing below him: That soul that hath its chief good below itself, is a miserable soul; That soul that hath its chief good above itself, 
The good of the soul is above itself.  is a happy soul; here is the happiness of the Saints, that their happiness is above themselves saith Christ, john 6.27. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for the meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: the soul goes out to eat and to drink; Now the soul that feeds upon something below itself is miserable, but that soul that feeds on something above itself, is blessed, Isa. 44.20. the Prophet speaks of some that feed upon ashes, a deceived heart hath turned them aside, that they cannot say, is there not a lie in my right hand? And thus doth every man feed whose chief food is below himself, he feeds on Ashes, not on spiritual food, he feeds of the Earth as he lives in the Earth. Psal. 62.10 If Riches increase, set not your heart upon them, he sets his heart on Riches, and therefore his heart cannot be set on God, and his heart is set so upon riches as to suck something from them for his preservation and for his perfection; so a godly man's heart is set upon God, doth suck out of the sweetness of God for his preservation, and for his perfection, Isai. 66.11. They shall suck and be satisfied with the breasts of his Consolation.  
Now give me leave to show you the misery of them that set their happiness in things below themselves; here's their misery in three things. 
The misery of those that set their happiness in things below themselves.   
1. You draw where there is no water, the Creature is but vanity, all things below are so; you suck where there is no milk, all these things are empty that you think to find a fullness in.  
2. The more your souls go out to these things for their Treasure, the more the Appetite is increased, but the less 'tis satisfied; for I told you, that all the Creatures, the more a man hath to do with them, the more his appetite is to them.  
3. Consider what is there to be had in these Creature-comforts, when your souls go forth after them, what do you leave for them? You have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and have hewn to yourselves Cisterns, broken Cisterns that will hold no water, Jer. 2.13. Observe four Particulars from hence.  
1. All the good you have in a Creature, 
Creature comforts compared to a Cistern.  is but a Cistern, they have no good in themselves, no more than is put into them.  
2. A Cistern is but of a small compass, it will hold but a little, a man can see an end of its perfection, but of a Fountain thou canst see no end thereof.  
3. It's water that will die and perish, therefore opposed to living water, it will be a withering comfort.  
4. They will all leak out of the bottom, therefore they are said to be broken Cisterns.  
But what is the water of the Fountain? what is the comfort that is in God? There five things in it.  
1. 
The comforts of God compared to a fountain  The water in the Fountain is originally in itself.  
2. It's there continually.  
3. Its is there inexhaustibly.  
4. It is there communicatively, the Fountain naturally sends forth streams.  
5. The comfort that is in God, is living comfort, the water that goes forth is living water.  
Third General Proposition; 
It's a matter of great concernment where our hearts are placad.  That it is matter of great concernment in Christ's acount, and it should be so in ours also, where our hearts are placed. Let me open this; The Lord hath in Scripture given especial directions for the setting of a man's heart, Hag. 1.5. Consider your ways, in the Hebrew it is, Set your heart upon your ways; so Deut. 32.46. Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day. Now that it is a matter of great consequence where the heart is set, there are these grounds for it.  
1. 
1 God mainly looks at the heart,  It's the heart mainly that God looks upon and doth observe, he looks not upon what man looks upon, man looks upon the outside, but God looks upon the inside, 2 Chron. 16.9. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalse of them whose heart is perfect towards him; and therefore because God looks upon the heart, it is matter of great consequence where we place our hearts.  
2. 
2 God claims the heart.  It's the heart mainly that God lays claim unto, and that he calls for, My Son, give me thy heart, Prov. 23.26.  
3. 
3 The man is where the heart is.  It's matter of great consequence, because where the heart is, there's the man; therefore where the soul is gone, the man is gone, where the heart goes, the man follows.  
4. 
4 God values man according to his heart.  God values every man according to his heart, and the heart according to the Treasure upon which it is set: a wicked man is worth nothing, because his heart is worth nothing, Prov. 10.20. The heart of the wicked is little worth. God values men according to their hearts, and their hearts according to their treasure, or the object upon which his heart is set. There are two things that make up the heart.  
1. The Ornaments of the heart, a meek and a quiet spirit.  
2. The Objects of the heart, and those things upon which the heart is set; the man's heart is worth as much as the object is that it is set upon, and if the object be worth nothing, the man's heart is worth nothing.  
5. 
5 As the heart is, such is the life.  Ground, because from the heart all the conversation flows, therefore 'tis matter of great consequence upon what the heart is set, Prov. 4.23. Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life, so out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, Mat. 12.34. As the heart is pure or impure, so is the whole life: on what a man's heart is set, that's his treasure, or else it would not be so dangerous to misplace our hearts.  
6. 
6 Objects transform the heart.  It's matter of great consequence, where and upon what you set your hearts, because the objects upon which the heart is set, they have a transforming power, and they do mightily frame and fashion the heart according to themselves; and therefore as where your Treasure is, there will your hearts be also, so like to what your Treasure is, that will your hearts be like also: If a man mind nothing else in the world but Riches, they have nothing in their hearts but Riches, either how they may get or save them, if a man's heart be set on Covetousness, it transforms him, and the man is said to be a Covetous man, when a man either gets, or saves, or covets much, (for unjust keeping is as great an act of Covetousness as unjust getting.)  
Jesus Christ hath left one golden expression, what shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Mat. 16.26. observe the soul is not only lost here, but it is lost hereafter also. 'Tis impossible to have the heart set wholly on Riches, and set on Heaven, because the soul is framed according to the object on which the heart is placed; therefore take these two things wherein the soul is hereby injured: In the light of it, and in the holiness and purity of it.  
1. In the light of it, let a man's heart be set on any heavenly beauty, it's changed into a Heavenly complexion; let a man's heart be set on any earthly beauty, it's changed into an Earthly complexion, and so the soul is lost in the sight of it.  
Secondly, In the holiness of it: As the soul can see nothing that is sinfully evil, or spiritually good, when the heart is placed on wrong objects; so it can do nothing that is spiritually good, nor withstand any thing that is spiritually evil, when 'tis placed on Earthly objects: the holiness and purity of the soul is is wronged by Earthly objects; Therefore Covetousness is called the not of all evil, how comes it to be so? I answer two ways.  
First, all evil comes from thence as the root.  
Secondly, all is nourished by it as the root; there is no principle of evil that will not flow from this evil, and there is no evil principle that it will not nourish, there is no sin that this will not frame the heart to, for it will make a man in love with every sin, it will make a man prove an Apostate from God, Demas hath forsaken us, having loved this present world, 2 Tim. 4.10. It will make a man impudent and shameless in sin, as Mat. 26.16. What will you give me and I will betray him, faith Judas. It will make a man forget the offers of grace, Luke 16.14. and slight the word of God. And the Pharisees who were covetous, heard all these things and derided him. It will make a man desire the pleasures of sin that are but for season, it will make a man sin and desire to sin; you little know what hideous wrong the setting of the heart upon the world brings you, and what doleful wrath it will lay you under. 
The heart doth always follow the treasure.  In the.  
Fourth Place for proof that the heart doth always follow the Treasure.  
1. The heart of man hath its several motions and out-going, its Processes, and its Recesses, and all this is according as the Treasure is, Eccle. 6.9. The sight of the Eye is betthen the wander of the desire; 'Tis in the Hebrew, the walkings of the soul; then the soul of man is a walking thing, the heart of a man hath its outgoings; It's true of the heart as it is said of the Angels, Ezek. 1.13. they go forth with incredible swiftness like lightning, so doth the heart, Eccel. 11.9. there you read of the way of the heart; the heart is rendered by Montanus as a thing that is ever in motion: most men do make choice of their chief good in their youth, and their hearts go after it. Ezek. 33.31. Their hearts go after their Covetousness; their hearts walk after their Covetousness, so the Hebrew: you will say Covetousness is a sin in the heart, how then doth the heart go after it? either it is spoken of Covetousness here as the Predominant lust; or else Covetousness is put for the Object of Covetousness on which it is set, hence 'tis that in Scripture the soul of man is made up of lustings in a good sense, Luke 22.15. with desire have I desired to eat this passover with you, and in an evil sense, Eph. 4.22. Put off the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lust; faith the Church, draw us and we will run after thee. Cant. 1.4. how so? by discovering the great sweetness & excellencies that are in him; are souls drawn to him, than we shall have a delight in fellowship and Communion with him, and the heart is drawn out suitably to a man's Treasure: here are four Demonstrative Arguments that I shall give you, how it comes to pass that the Treasure is attractive of the heart.  
1. 
Every unregenerate man hath some predominant lust.  Every man in an unregenerate estate hath some Predominant lust, and this lust is said to be Predominant, because in the object that is enjoyed by that lust, there lies his Treasure; 'tis called the stumbling block of a man's iniquity, the Father's use to style it a man's darling sin. job. 20.12. It is sweet in his mouth, and he hides it under his tongue: Every sin Rules over a man, but there are some sins that rule more immediately than any other, and these sins are a man's Treasure, that sin which he makes all other sins subordinate to, in that he placeth his chief good, and then that's the sin he is least able to resist; and what's the reason of it? because the heart will go out after its. Treasure, james 1.14. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn aside of his wn lust, and enticed: sin draws a man's heart aside; But remember there is no man doth perish that ever did make a profession of Religion, but he did meet with this stumbling block of his darling sin, and because there was his Treasure, his heart would go out after it. The opportunity of Temptation is when a man is tried in his master lust, he cannot hold his heart from his treasure, because the treasure hath such a command and rule over the heart that he cannot resist it.  
2. 
The heart is impatient of delay, in pursuit of its treasure.  It will appear the heart goes out to the treasure, because in the pursuit of it, the heart is impatient of opposition, and of procrastination; of opposition it can bear no denial, of procrastination it can bear no delay, Prov. 17.12. It is better to meet with a Bearobbed of her whelps, than a fool in his folly: who is Solomon's fool there? every wicked man that hath no fear of God, an unregenerate man that is in his folly, and hath no mind to get out of it, he is a fool; I, but when is it most dangerous to meet with him? when he is in his folly, it is when the lust is got up, and is ruling and reigning in the man: What's the reason a man had better meet a Bear rob of her whelps, than a Fool in his folly? 'Tis because you stand between the heart and the treasure, and it can bear no opposition. As it can bear no denial, so it can bear no delay; thus it is when covetousness is a man's predominant lust; Balaam's lust was too swift for his Ass, saith the Prophet, They shall come as an Eagle doth hasten to the prey. (It is spoken of a covetous man) of all Birds, an Eagle flies swiftest, and never flies swifter than when she hastens to eat the prey; so it is with every one that persecutes his chiefest good whatsoever it be.  
3. Let a man change his Treasure, 
A mana●… heart changes as he changes his treasure.  and presently his heart changes and returns from that which before it went out after with the greatest earnestness in the world, and now it returns from it with the greatest swiftness: this is the first and the great change in Conversion, a man's changing his chief good, and when that is done, the soul returns to God.  
There two things that make Conversion; one is an Aversion, the other a Conversion; the man turns away from his other treasure, and then his heart runs after God for his treasure, Psal. 63.8. My soul follows hard after God. There are two expressions much alike, one is, Numb. 14.24. My servant Caleb hath followed me fully; To fulfil after the Lord, that's the Hebrew: another expression is, To cleave unto God: the one points the sincerity of a man's heart, and the other points the constancy of a man's heart; the heart that did before follow sin and vanity, now follows after his chief good, because he hath changed his other good for God, Hos. 14.8. Ephraim shall say, what have I to do any more with Idols? Now where the Treasure is, there will the heart be. The Fifth Particular, 
The reason why the heart goes after the treasure.  is to give you the Reasons or grounds, why the heart goes out to its treasure: I shall give you six great grounds from that, that the treasure is to the soul.  
1. 
1 The treasure is the soul's food.  Because the treasure is the food that the soul feeds on, then it's no wonder the soul goes out after its treasure, and cannot live without it: take an unregenerate man, he eats the treasures of wickedness, and drinks the wine of violence: take a godly man, he feeds upon spiritual food, joh. 6.27. Labour not or the meat that perisheth, but for the meat that endureth to everlasting life: That which is the food of the heart, the heart makes after, and cannot live without it; that's the first ground.  
2. 
2 It's the support of the soul.  The chief good is the support of the soul, a man is not able to support himself without it, Psal. 41.12. Thou upholdest my heart, the Hebrew is, Thou hast underpropt my heart; the heart is not able to stand by itself, but the chief good holds it up; than it wants a support, and this support is God, job 8.15. There is a man that leans upon his house: his house is the object of his hope, he is born up by it, and not able to stand without it: A Saints support is only in God's strength, My flesh and my heart fails, but God is the strength of heart and my portion for ever. 
Ps. 73.26  Riches are an ungodly man's treasure, and he runs to them to support him; the name of the Lord is the righteous man's treasure, and he runs to it to support him. Every man hath and must have something to support and defend him, and that the heart will go out after.  
3. 
3 It's the delight of the soul.  Reason, why the Treasure is attractive of the heart, because it is the delight of the heart, and a man cannot live without delight; but he cannot have delight, but by retiring to his chief good, and there he must delight himself; the chief good is the object of the greatest, the highest, the fullest delight, all its joys come in by its chief good, without delight the soul cannot live, take away all delight, and the soul dies, saith Austin; therefore it must needs go out after the treasure, because the treasure is the delight of the soul.  
4. 
4 It's the beauty of the soul.  A man's chief good is that wherein the beauty of the soul doth lie, take the soul off from this and its naked, because the chief good is the beauty and ornament of the soul, jer. 2.32. Can a Maid forget her Ornaments, saith God? it is intimated, God is the Ornaments and the attire of the soul. Take one whose chief good is in clothing (that's it that beautifies the body) and he will not easily forget his attire. Can a maid? There's not a natural impossibility of a maids forgetting of her attire, and the Bride her ornaments; but there's moral impossibility, because they are her chief good, and the heart goes out after them. But take a godly man now, God is the beauty and ornament of his soul, his glory, and chief good, and therefore his heart must needs go out after God. All the adorning of the soul is from the Treasure, and therefore it must needs attract the heart.  
5. 
5 It's the breath of the soul.  The soul must go to the Treasure, because it is the breath of the soul, the soul strangles and dies if it do not enjoy it. The Soul is always breathing after the chiefest good, Psal. 42.1. As the Hart pants after the water brooks, so my heart pants after thee O God, saith David, the chief good causeth the breathe of the soul after it.  
6. Because the chief good is the only rest of the soul, Ps. 116.7. Return unto thy rest O my soul, the soul is restless till it come to the enjoyment of him, therefore return unto thy rest.  
The next thing is, 
How the heart is carried out to its treasure.  how is the heart of man is carried out to his Treasure? doth it always go after it? here let me lay down these six Conclusions.  
1. 
1 Continually.  That the heart goes after the Treasure continually, the soul of man is always active and never idle, and what's the ground of all its motions? its the chief good, that's the ground of it, therefore the soul moans continually after its chief good, Eccl. 2.23. the wise man speaks there of a Covetous rich man, whose chief good is his wealth, the heart takes no rest in the night; because his heart is continually carried forth after his treasure; the abundance of the rich will not suffer them to sleep.  
2. 
2 Infinitely.  The heart goes after the Treasure infinitely, and unsatiably, it is never satisfied with any thing else, till it be arrived to its chief good: They that place their Treasure here below, they are never satisfied, but their hearts are going forth after it without measure, as Hab. 2.6. 'tis said there, they load themselves with thick clay; A wicked man man have as much as may sink him, but he never hath so much as will satisfy him, they are like the horseleech that cries give, give; so a godly man's heart is always gasping after God, and going out with bounless desires after Heaven.  
3. 
3 The heart possesseth it for his own.  The heart taketh fast hold of its Treasure, and possesseth it for its own; There be other things that a man may look on as his own, but this chief, job 8.15. he shall take fast hold of his house. Take a proud woman, her vanity is in her apparel, her apparel is her treasure, and how fast will she hold it? Take a covetous man that makes Riches his Treasure, he takes fast hold of his Treasure, and will not let it go; so take a man that makes God and Christ his treasure, when temptations and afflictions come, that labour to pull a man from his treasure; yet he lays fast hold of it, and will not let it go.  
4. 
4 The heart re turns to its treasure.  If at any time the heart be shaken, yet it returns to the chief good again. So you shall find an unregenerate man that hath his treasure below, the man is shaken with Afflictions, Crosses, Troubles, Sorrows; yet he returns again to that which he hath taken up for his chief good; So let a godly man be shaken by temptations from God; yet for all that the soul returns to God again, Hos. 2.19. I will return to my first husband, etc.  
5. 
5 The change of a man's chief good is the first change.  The change of a man's chief good is a godly man's first change, and a godly man's great change, and his chief change. There is a change to destruction, they have forsaken me the Fountain of living waters; But there is a change to perfection, and that is forsaking of broken Cisterns for living waters, do not talk of the change of Actions, but talk of this, the change of the chief good; change thy Riches for a God, thy pleasures for a Christ.  
6. 
6 In this the liberty and bondage of the heart lies.  In the chief good the liberty and the bondage of the heart doth lie; wherein lies the liberty of the soul? 'tis in this, that the soul is fastened upon God as the chief good, and looks upon all other things in no other way then as they are in subordination unto him; when the soul cleaves to God, and God alone, and looks upon all other things as nothing, but as in subordination unto him; Then, and not till then, the soul is at liberty; the more thou art taken up with thy chief good, the freer thou art, for his service is perfect freedom; on the contrary all men that have their Treasures below this spiritual life, they are in bondage continually, because their treasures are below themselves.  
There is another thing we are to open, 
Such as the treasure is, such is the heart.  as the heart and the treasure are inseparable, that the heart will be where the treasure is; So such as the treasure is, such is the heart, as well as where the treasure is there will be the heart, and such as the heart is, such is the man; if it belaid on Earth, than men are said to be Earthly, if laid up in Heaven, men are said to be heavenly, Phil. 3.19. Your Conversation is in Heaven, though their souls go up and down among many Creatures; yet their Conversation is in Heaven, for the heart of man doth cheapen here and there before itbuyes: yet notwithstanding all is included in things below, to a man whose treasure is in Earth; if a man's treasure be in Heaven, his mind is in heaven, hence it comes to pass that a godly man is said to be a stranger here, Psal. 39.12. I am a stranger; and a Sojourner, what's the reason: because he doth not converse here as in his Country, but seeks a Country above, he is a stranger here, travelling towards his own Country. Bernard saith, a godly man's heart is in Heaven, because the Lord dwells in Heaven; hence it is that grace is called glory, not only because its of the same nature with that grace which a man in glory shall receive the the perfection of; nor only because it is a pledge and an earnest, and will end in glory; but because the soul immediately enters into glory after his treasure, for his treasure immediately being in Heaven, his heart is there; hence 'tis, a godly man is more in Heaven then in Earth, for his treasure is in Heaven, and his heart is there.  
But let us see in particular, 
What i● meant by the heart.  what is here intended by the heart; more especially there is meant all the things that are seated in the heart, and let's begin with the first of them.  
1. 
1 The ain and been of the cart.  The heart is put for the aim, tendency, and bend of the heart, it is Animi Propositum, it's the propension of the heart, Deut. 24.15. He is poor and setteth his heart upon it; he is a hireling, and his heart is set upon his ways, he doth not work for love to his master, nor love to his work, but the aim and bent of his soul is for the good he shall receive by his work; therefore the Scripture speaks of a double heart, Ps. 12.2. what makes a heart a a double heart? some apply it to instability in opinions, that which is called halting between two opinions, when the mind is in suspense, Luke 12.20. Be not of doubtful minds: But whether it be in reference to opinions, or what ever it is, the mind is in doubt, and he is double minded. But the intention of the Scripture by a double heart doth mainly aim at the intentions of the heart, the heart goes not always one way, but sometimes for God, sometimes for the Creature; sometimes for Heaven, sometimes for Earth, when men have not a single Eye, when they have not single aims, this the Scripture calls a double heart. When a man hath an aim at God, and the things of God, and looks it other things in subordination thereto, this the Scripture calls a single eye, or a single heart: but when men go sometimes very hotly after the things of God, and at other times pursue after Riches immoderately, this is a double heart, Act. 8.1. Thy heart is not right in he sight of God: and Hab. 4.12. The word of God is the discerner of the intents of the heart. Now then thus, where a man's Treasure is, there the bent, the aim, and the tendency of a man's heart is; one of the great things you are to look to, is the heart, for in the heart lies the greatest deceit, but in the heart, above all other things, the bent and tendency of the heart is that you are to look at, and there are two Reasons for it.  
1. 
1 The aim of his heart is the godly man's comfort in all failings.  Because this is the great Comfort, nay the only comfort that a godly man hath to fly to in all failings, and in all his falls the bent and aim of his heart; In any particular failing and infirmity, what is it the soul can retreat to? truly when a godly man can say, this hath been my transgression, but this was not my intention, this is the only comfort of the man; so it was with Peter, it was a desperate fall to deny his Master, and wish himself accursed that he knew not the man; but Peter could say, Lord, This was the bent of my soul, not to deny thee, but to die for thee. Sin comes upon a godly man at unawares, sin comes upon a godly man as judgement comes upon a wicked man by way of surprisal, but the bent of his heart was not to sin, therefore this is a comfort to him. 'Tis an expression of David, Though he did offend with his mouth, yet I have purposed that my mouth should not offend; it was my transgression, but not my intention, I have plotted that my mouth might not offend; In all your failings, this is that that must support you, yea in every transgression, that it was not your intention so to do.  
2. 
2 It is his comfort after his failings.  Sometimes a godly man can take comfort in this after his fall: many times the Saints commit wickedness out of consultation, Psal. 19.3. the Scripture calls them Presumptuous sins, sins that they do intent before hand, 1 King. 15.5. 'Tis said, David's heart was upright in all things all. he days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. Then David's heart was not upright in this matter, his dissembling and his lying was clearly demonstrated. But now what may a godly man retreat to? to the general bend of his heart, when he fails in a particular act, 1 Kin. 15.14. Nevertheless Asa his heart was upright with God all his days; he doth not speak of particular Acts, but of the general bend of his heart, though in some particulars he contrived sin: wicked men when they are carried on in a design that's sinful, they will not be beaten from it, but the general bend of their soul is to go on in it.  
Now would you know which way the bent and tenderness of your heart goes, 
Six rules for discovery of the bent of the heart.  there are six Rules I shall give you: It was the saying of a godly Minister, I bless my God I have stadied my own heart more than Boukes; It would be very happy for you to say, I have studied my heart more than the would, more than trading.  
1. 
2 That which its casryed after under different conditions, is the aim of the heart.  Rule. That which the soul is carried after under different conditions, this declares what the aim and bent of the soul is, and so you must judge of the tendency of the heart; as waters, though you turn them out of their proper current and alter their channel, yet they all run into the Sea, you will say then the tendency of them is to the Sea: If you see the Sun, whether the day be clear or cloudy, it makes to the West, it concludes there's the end of its course, this is the race it hath to run: the going of the heart is the same in different conditions, it doth wonderfully cleave to that which is its chief good, & is never at rest till it be centred there: As for example, suppose it be the heart of a natural man, his aim is at his own exaltation, now pride being his predominant principle and master sin; this man's pride or prosperity vents itself in Exaltation, Admiration, and seeking glory from men, he sets himself in the face and glory of the times, despising of others, exalting himself: bring this man under trouble of conscience, and then pride vents itself in humility, and debases into poverty: As faith is an humbling grace, so despair is the highest fruit of pride, here's the heart now showing the same aim in different conditions, and all this doth clearly argue, where the bend of the heart is, there's the aim of a man's heart: If a man's heart go out to covetousness, the love of money, when he is in a low condition, if he did but observe his soul, his heart went after his covetousness; let him be brought into a wealthy condition, he is scussling after the world still: Judas his heart went after his money, when he was an Apostle, though in a different condition; take a man in what condition you will, you hall find the aim and bent of his heart is still the same. On the contrary; take a godly man who makes God his treasure, who hath another treasure and another aim, put him into what condition you will, still you shall find his aim is the same, the bent of his soul is still towards God, Psal. 44.17. All this is come upon us, yet have we not forsaken thee, nenher have we dealt falsely in thy Covenant: He looks beyond them all, for his aim is at his treasure: Look upon Job upon the dunghill, the aim of his heart was the same, fearing God, and eschewing evil: Now consider what you were, when you were a private man, and what you are, now you are advanced to places of dignity, and see by it where the aim of your heart is.  
2. 
2 That's the bent of the heart which it greedily catcheth at upon all occasions.  In all places & in all companies, if opportunity be affected, consider what it is that the heart doth most greedily catch at upon all occasions, and in all places: If the aim of the soul be lust, he went after her speedily, as a foole to the correction of the Stocks Prov. 7.22. Suppose it be gain a man's heart aims at, It goes after it presently. Josh. 7.21. When I saw a goodly Babylonish Garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of Gold, I coveted them and took them, etc. So let there be at any time a godly motion offered to a godly man, his heart catcheth at the motion. By this you may see what your souls are, by the first motion you close with, as according to the aim and bent of the heart, so all temptations are suited; what's that than which your heart closeth withal with the greatest readiness? according to that is the bend of your heart.  
3. 
3 According to the bent of the heart, so ●t fran●● object t● i● 〈◊〉.  According to the bent of heart, so the heart gathers unto itself, whether there be occasions given or no, Gen. 6.5. Every imagination of the heart is only evil, and that continually; Imagination of the heart, it should be read, Every Creature of the heart; the heart frames to itself something whether there be occasions or no, according to the bent of it, 1 Joh. 2.16. The lusts of the slosh; lust there, is put for the object of lust, as faith is put for the object of faith, and hope for the object of hope; there is nothing tha● lust 〈…〉 not make some 〈…〉 ther of, 2 Pet. 2.14. 〈…〉 eyes full of adultery that cannot cease from sin, though they have no occasion at all, Psalm. 41.6. David Complains, If he come to see me, his heart gathers wickedness to itself. On the contrary, take a godly man, look on the aim of his heart, here's no occasion given at all, yet he hath something the heart gathers up to itself, therefore David cries out in the midst of a crooked and perverse Generation, Teach me O Lord to number my days, that I may apply my heart unto wisdom; 
Ps. 90.1  as one gathers wickedness, the other gathers holiness for the heart of man hath a selfe-sufficiency in it, Jam. 1.15. when lust hath conceived it bring-eth forth sin: lust is said to be the Father and the Mother, able to beget and able to bring forth, therefore look which way the aim goes, there the heart goes, there it centres, according to the general bend of the heart, it gathers something to itself, whether there be occasion given it or no.  
4. 
4 According to the bent, so it will break through allopposition.  That's the bent of the heart, that breaks through all opposition to accomplish its design; the bent of the heart is such a thing, that look what ever the thing be its set upon, though never so costly, it will spare no cost to obtain it; you that delight yourselves in vanity of Apparel, you will spare no cost to obtain it, Gen. 34.6. Shechem's heart clavae to Dinah, and what doth this bring forth, Ask never so much dowry and it shall be given. Thus in Isaiah, they spare no cost to lavish away Gold for their Idol Gods, because the bent of their hearts was set upon it, you that stick at all costs in Religion, and at none in Rebellion, you may easily see which way the bend of your hearts goes. If the bent of a man's heart be revenge, it will stick at no cost, Haman will get the King abundance of Treasure for the destruction of the Jews: If the bent of the heart be for Ambition, Absalon will not stick to murder his Father if it hinder his rising: If it be halting and dissembling in Religion, Jehu will not stick at it to get a Kingdom; if it be the making Merchandise of the souls of men, and the establishing of Artichrist in the Chair of Christ; if it be the change of Times and Laws, if to change the fundamental Laws of a Nation, if the bent of the heart beset upon it, no opposition will hinder: So its true in reference to spiritual things, if the bent of a man's heart be set on God, no Creature opposition shall divert it: That's an excellent expression, Psal. 84.6. Who passing through the valley of Baca, make it a well: They will dig Wells in the desert, intimating that no opposition can hinder them that are fully bend to come to Christ: The loss of a right hand, the loss of a right eye, the soul doth not stick at, he will cut off the one, and pull out the other; and what's the reason? its all to attain that which the bent of his soul is after.  
5. 
5 The heart is restless until it obtain that after which it aim,  Where the bent and aim of the heart is, there it is continually restless, until it attain that which it tends to; the aim of the heart is Pondus animi the weight of the soul; my heart pants after the living God, so for worldly things, to Mat. 6.32. After these things do the Gentiles seek, and they are never quiet till they find them; if it be after Knowledge, the soul is still in a pursuit after it, and the man never gives over, but is restless, because the bent of his heart goes out after it; If it be after riches, they rise up early, go to bed late, they eat the bread of carefulness; Ps. 127.2. If it be a desire of rule and Dominon the soul is restless and never quiet till it gets some superiority in the world.  
6. 
6 The heart makes all other things subservient unto that, after which it aims.  That which is the aim a man's heart, he doth make use of all other things to attain it, makes all other things subservient to it: If the bent of his heart be set on honouring God, he cares for riches no farther then that he may honour God with his substance, Pro. 3. 9 and ordinances no further, then in them he may enjoy Communion with God; nay, he looks on the Lord Jesus Christ no farther, than he is brought to God by him: will the name of Religion and the gifts of the Holy Ghost do it? Simon Magus will buy them with money rather than he will be without them: will the countenance of godly men do it? then they shall be courted by all parties; jehu when he meet with'hs jonadab, salutes him, 
2 King. 10.15.  and faith, Is thy heart right as my heart is with thy heart? there's a doubt, dost thou love me truly as I love thee, no man professeth more sincerity, than he whose trade is Hypocrisy; he had destroyed the house of Ahab, but it was to set up his own house, the one was in order to the other, he was a man for Religion and reformation while Religion would serve his purpose; and he courts jonadab to join with him (who was a godly man) that he might the better colour his design; how many are are there that are Executioners of oppressors, and yet succeed them in oppression? A man may be an Executioner of an Idolater, and yet succeed him in his Idolatry.  
2. 
2 The heart is put for the contrivance of the heart.  The heart is put for the wisdom, the studies, the plots, the contrivances of the heart: now where the heart is, there are all these, Pro. 8.5. O ye simple, understand wisdom; and ye fools be ye of an understanding heart; and in Hosea 7.11. Ephraim is said to be a silly dove without a heart. Now a man whose plots and designs are in Earth & never riseth above the Earth, the mansplots Earthly, therefore the man's wisdom is Earthly, James 3.15, 16. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is Earthly, Sensual, devilish; if a man's treasure be in Heaven, his wisdom is heavenly, jam. 3.17. But the wisdom that is from above, is pure, peaceable, gentle, etc. so Luke 16.8. The Children of this world are said to be in their Generation wiser than the Children of light: There are two sorts of men, and two sorts of wisdoms; there's the Children of this world, and they have the wisdom of this world; and there's the Children of light, and they have the wisdom of another world: the one is the wisdom that reacheth not beyond this life, the other reacheth to the life that is to come: Both these are wise in two things; in doing their own business, and in accomplishing their own end; now the wisdom of both these is seen in three things, in getting, in keeping, in increasing and using their treasure: all the wisdom, and designs, and plots of a man are exercised about one or all of these three ethings.  
1. 
1 Every man's wisdom is exercised in getting his treasure.  Every man's wisdom is exercised in getting his treasure; Amnon his lust was his treasure, and do but see the devises he found for the obtaining of it 2 Sam, 13. so Jeroboam his aim, was to be the head of the ten tribes, & see his wisdom in obtaining of it, 1 Kings 12.26. According to man's Treasure, so his wisdom and designs have been laid for the obtaining of it. Now a godly man, all the Religion that he hath attained to it, is to make him wise to Salvation; A godly man hath but one design in the world, and that is, that he may enjoy God in Christ where his Treasure is laid up; therefore Bernard well observes, a wise man's heart is with the Lord, that is, all his plots and contrivances are how he may bring about those designs as may give him Communion with God.  
2. 
2 In keeping his treasure.  All the plots and designs in the world are how he may keep his Treasure; Thus it is with men here below jer. 51, 1. The Prophet speaking of men that gathered many riches, saith the Lord by him, I will send unto Babylon fanners that shall fan her, and shall empty her land; because men use their wisdom to keep their treasure, the Lord saith, he will send fanners that shall take away those honours and riches which they use such means to keep with them, job 20.15. there's a man that hath swallowed down riches, yet in the fullness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits, ver. 2●. they thought that when they had swallowed down riches, they should never vomit them up again; but vor. 15. He shall vomit them up again And ver. 23. when he is about to fill his belly, God shall cast the fury of his wrath upon him, & shall rain is upon him while he is eating: the wisdom of the men of the world is not only how they may get their Treasure, but how they may secure their treasure. So a godly man, God in Christ is his Treasure, he knows it is sin only that separates between him and his God, and so his desire is not to sin, that he may not be separated from his treasure: A godly man hath but one necessity that lies upon him, and all his aim tends thereunto; and that is, that he doth not sin, and thereby lose his treasure.  
3. 
3 In en creasing and improving his treasure.  Where his Treasure is, there is his plottings and contrivings how to improve and increase it: a treasure is not filled up all at once, but by degrees, therefore this is the great study and plot of men, how they may improve and increase their treasure, Hab, 2.5. There's one desires domination which was his treasure, he looks on himself, as a man born to Rule, but looks 〈◊〉 all other men, as born to be Ruled; what doth this put him on? to increase his treasure; how doth he do it? the Text saith, He is a proud man, he keeps not at home, but enlargeth his desires as Hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, he ●●thers all Nations to himself: and Dan. 11.24.25. O how earnest are men in forecasting devices, in contriving and plotting how to increase and improve their treasure: If a man's treasure be in heaven in the enjoyment of God and Christ, what ever his esteem is in the world, it doth not trouble him, so he can but go on to the obtaining of more of his treasure. Now where your treasure is, there is your heart, that is, there is your wisdom, your plottings, and contrivings for the getting, keeping, and improvement of it.  
3. 
3 The heart is put for the thoughts and meditation of the heart.  The heart is used for the thoughts and meditations of the heart Psal. 139.23. Try me O Lord, and know my thoughts: there's nothing carries the heart with it more than the thoughts; thoughts are the first born of the soul, the immediate issue forth of the heart. The way to taste water and not be deceived, is to cast it at the Spring; and Wine, if you would not be deceived by the Vintner, you must taste it at the Winepress; so if you would judge aright of your hearts, you must look to your thoughts, Solomon speaks of one, that invites to dinners Now saith he, Eat not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: for as he thinketh in his heart, so is he; eat and drink saith he to thee, but his heart is not with thee, Prov. 23.6, 7. what way your hearts go, 
Three Rules for discovery where your thoughts & hearts are.  that way your thoughts go.  
There are three Rules that will much discover which way your thoughts go; and by these you will know where your hearts are, and by that where your treasure is.  
1. 
1 Whither do your thoughts retire when you are alone.  When you are alone sequestered from company, out of worldly employment; whither then do your thoughts usually retire? for the man i● as he is alone, such as th● thought is, such is the man: Take a godly man, would you know where his thoughts are when he is in his Closet in his bed? when I awake saith David, I am still with thee, early in morning will I direct my prayer to thee, and will look up, Psal. 5.3.  
2. 
2 What are these thoughts in which you find the greatest sweetness  Rule, by which your thoughts may be discovered, and you may judge where your hearts are, is this; what are those thoughts that you use to find the greatest sweetness and delight in? Psa. 12●. 17. How precious are thy 〈…〉 unto me O God 〈◊〉 great is the sum of them! To one man the thought of his lefts are sweet, and he acts over his wickedness in a contemplative way with delight, and the thoughts of God are bitter unto him, and trouble him; there's no sweetness in thinking upon God to a wicked man, and there's nothing but sweetness in the thoughts of God to a godly man.  
3. 
3 What thoughts are of longest continuance with you.  Rule, What thoughts are they, that are of longest continuance with you, that your souls do most abide upon, the thoughts that abide in your soul's most, discover where your hearts are? Jer. 4.19 How long shall vain thoughts abide in you? Psal. 10.4. God is not in all his thoughts; nay God is not in his thoughts at at all: what do your thoughts stay on? Take a natural man, and cast in some thoughts of his treasure, his thoughts will abide there; but cast in any thought of heaven, and those die presently as a fish out of its element. Then examine your thoughts when you are alone, what thoughts come into your mind and abide up on your spirits, for your treasure is as the meditation of your thoughts and hearts are.  
4. 
4 The heart is put for the love and affections of the heart.  The heart is put for the love and affections of the heart, judg. 5.9. My heart is towards the Governors of Israel that offered themselves willingly among the people: It's Deborah's speech. The people of God love all that are employed for God, and the more men are employed for God, the more their hearts are drawn out after them. The heart of man is said to be where it loves, rather than where it lives; now the heart is here taken properly for the loves of the heart, so where the heart is, there's the Treasure.  
Now how should a man know where his love is set? 'Tis a thing of marvellous great consequence to consider where a man sets his love, 
It's a thing of great concernment where a man sets his love.  and upon what his love is fixed; And this is the main of this Text, and there are 4 grounds why 'tis a thing of so great Concernment, where a man sets the loves of his heart.  
1. 
1 Because a man's love is his greatest gift.  Because a man's love is his greatest gift, there is nothing else a gift indeed without love, but love is a gift of itself, though there be nothing else. It's so if you consider the love of God, though the Lord have not given you any thing, if he doth but set his love upon you, it's a greater gift than Heaven or Earth could be: so likewise the Lord Jesus Christ if he had not given us interest in his victories, in his sonship, in his privileges, so he had given us but his love, it was a greater gift than heaven or earth, saith the Apostle, 1 Cor. 13.1. If I had all things, and had not Charity, it profiteth nothing; Hypocrites many times give God great gifts, but they reserve their love, so God gives many of them great gifts but he reserves his love for the saints; so that love is the greatest gift that a man hath from God, and 'tis the great est gift a man can give to God.  
2. 
2 He that gives his love, giveth himself.  Because he that gives his love, he gives himself, he gives all things else whatsoever he hath; That's pure and free love indeed that gives all things to the person beloved: the Lord sets his love upon his people from all eternity, and when he purposeth to give all things, he gave himself, love first gives itself, and then all things else, Revel. 21.7. he that overcommeth shall inherit all things, how so? I will be his God, and be sh●ll be my Son; So 'tis with men, he that gives his love, gives all things, and he that withholds his love withholds all things, for a man's love Commands all that he hath; Therefore 'tis a mighty thing to consider where a man sets his love.  
3. 
3 A man's love makes the 〈◊〉 loved his own.  A man's love is that which makes the thing beloved his own. A learned man saith, God is our own above all things we call ours: Estate is ours, and friends are ours, but God is more ours than they, because he loves us more than they. 'Tis by the love of God that we come to be his, by our love to God that he comes to be ours. It's our love that makes the thing beloved ours, thou canst call nothing thine but what thou lovest.  
4. 
4 It's a man's love that sets the price upon all things.  It's a man's love that sets the price upon all things. Great things are of small value where love is wanting, and small things are of great value where love is present; it's so with God, and so with the Saints. If God give to ungodly men the greatest heaps of Gold in the world, how do the Saints value this? 'tis but a bone cast to the dogs, why so? because there is no love in it; so likewise let a godly man give but to God a small thing, there is love in it, and indeed that love raiseth the price, the poor widow cast in but two mites, Luke 21.12. it was with more love and affection than others, & therefore more in acceptance.  
What should a man set his love upon, that by this means he may know where his heart is? All love is lovely wheresoever it is, and to be beloved, even natural love, God loves all his Creatures, and all pure love should be set upon him, Mark. 10.21. He that loves Father and Mother more than me, is not worthy of me. Whether may we not love that which is good? Yes, and nothing else: As all truths are to be known and be believed, so all good things are to be embraced and loved, Mark 10.37. He that hates not Father and Mother etc. cannot be my Disciple: To love Father and Mother is a duty; but you see what it is that must have the chief place of your love; 10. 12.35. He that loves his life more than me, and my truth, and my ways, this man is not worthy of me, 1 Joh. 2.15. He that loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Is it not lawful to love the world, and the things of the world? Yes, but not more than me. To love the Creature more than God, is that which makes it lust; To love the Creature in subordination to God, is that which makes it love: Then what is that which you love most? would a man know where his love is, there is treasure is.  
And because this is the main thing in the Text, 
Rules 〈◊〉 know where ●●ur love ●●d treasures are.  I shall give you eight things to know where your hearts are, and where your treasure is.  
1. 
1 What is it you do especially desire union with.  What is that you do especially desire union with? for love is an affection that carries an affectionate tendency to union, and this will appear if you observe the love of God; Union with God is first in God's intention, because it is last in his execution; the people of God in glory are brought into two things  
1. Into an immediate vision of him.  
2. Into the closest union with him. There is a twofold union. 1. Is general of all the Creatures to God, that's the union of Dependence, In him me live, and move, and have our being, Act. 17.28. They cannot live separate from God, because he is the life of them. 2. There's a special union peculiar to the Saints, which is the indwelling of God in them, and their indwelling in God; such an union none but the Saints have by the enjoyment of God in their souls. God loves the Saints, and his love carries a tendency to union; Jesus Christ loved his people, and he seeks always to become one with them. There is a natural union which is by constitution; there is an union of likeness & fruition, a union of similitude, & there is an union of enjoyment, 1 Cor. 6.17. They that are joined to the Lord, are one spirit, the Greek signifies, they are glued to the Lord: If a man love God, he is glued to God; where a man's love is, there the soul goes after the thing beloved to be united: If a man love God, than the heart follows hard after God and all, that it may be made one with him; to this end, you have two Metaphors remarkable in scripture, one is in Gen. 10.9. There Nimrod is called a mighty hunter before the Lord; It is an expression to set forth the pursuit of the soul after a thing: A godly man is a mighty hunter after God, his soul pursues after God continually. I read a story of one that was going in haste, one asked him whither he was going? he said, he was going to hunt after God. The other Metaphor, is the merchandise & trading for Christ and grace in the things of eternity; and he that trades for Christ and grace, is called a Merchantman, Mat. 13.45. & in a Pet. 2.3. A worldly man is called a Merchant, he doth wholly trade for things below. Now observe what's your trade; if thy trade be for Jesus Christ, and the things of eternity, then there's thy love: What is that you pursue after and desire union with? according to your pursuit, so is your loves, and  to your loves, so is your treasure.  
2. 
2 Love moves the swifter, the nearer it comes to the thing beloved.  The nearer love comes to the thing beloved, the swifter it moves towards it; the nearer a man's love comes to possess the thing he loves, the swifter he moves after it, Psal. 62.10. If Riches increase, set not your hearts upon them: wicked covetous men, the richer they are, the more their heart is set on riches, the more miserable, and gripping, and scraping they are to get their treasure; why so? because the nearer that love comes to the thing beloved, the swifter it moves after it. Bernard saith, God puts his love into betrothed persons; what's the reason of that? because there must be a time between the betrothing and the marriage, that the desire may be kindled so much the more: The nearer a man comes to the enjoyment of anything he loves, the more vehemently his heart is carried after it. Now if it be so, examine by this Rule, the more you have of God and of Christ, the more do your hearts run after them, the more you have communion with Christ, the more your hearts act towards him with the greatest impatiency.  
3. 
3 Whe● love is is bountiful.  Love is bountiful, and where ever thy bounty is, there is thy love; for where a man shows most bounty, there certainly is most love. Acts of the greatest bounty, are demonstrations of the highest love, for love opens the heart, and that opens the hand; God loves you, and because he can give you no greater gift, he gives you himself; he loves us, therefore he gives his Son to us. Men may think sometimes Ministers speak for private respects; alas! 'tis to prove the sincerity of your love the more: Tell me therefore where your bounty is laid out; if your bounty be laid out about feasting your bellies, or clothing your backs, there your love is: Is thy bounty towards God? As he that loves his belly, thinks nothing to much for it; so he that loves his God, thinks nothing too much for God, thinks no pains too much that he lays out for God: so Haman loves his revenge, and he will give the King much for the ruin of the Jews. David when he came to build the Temple, thought he could never spend enough about the Temple; It is a large heart that makes an hand, therefore where your love is, there's your bounty.  
4. 
4 Love is laborious.  Love is laborious, it grudgeth no pains, Heb. 6.10. It is called the labour of love; a man's labour is suitable to his love, he that labours most, loves most. If a man loves riches, he labours for them, Hab. 2.13. Labouring in vain, is called, labouring in the fire: you shall know where your love is by your labour, Eccle. 4.8. There's a man hath no end of all his labour; why so? There's his love, His eye is not satisfied with Riches: The Lord Jesus Christ his love to his Father, made him labour in the work of his Father, till he had spent his strength and dried up his radical humours, Isai. 49.4. For a man that's slothful, there's no love in him, lazy love is pretended love; where love is according to the degree of it, such a man's labour will be. O you that are dead and dull in holy duties, strengthen your love, and you will mend your pace. It's an observation of one of the Ancients, That love that doth not put forth itself to its utmost endeavour, is unsound love; that which goes to its strength and no more, that's true love, but weak love; strong love bends to impossibilities, it will labour in those things which 'tis impossible to obtain. It's observed of Mary, her love outbid her strength; therefore examine where the great labour of your lives hath been, how much have I laboured for the things of this world, and how little have I laboured for the things of another world, for God, & Christ.  
5. 
5 Love is venturous.  Would you know where your love is? love is venturous, it will hazard any thing for the thing beloved; our Saviour Christ gives you an evidence of it, he doth not only venture his life, but lay down his life; Greater love hath no man then this, that a man lay down his life for his friend, joh. 15.13. and Psal. 69.9. The reproach of them that reproached thee, hath fallen upon me. It was a gracious speech of an Ancient, If the Lord make use of me to keep off reproach from himself, I shall look upon it as a great privilege, as a great honour. Where is the man, that for the truths of God and Christ, will hazard the loss of friends, the loss of his estate, the loss of his blood? True love turns cowardice into courage; the Hen, though but a feeble Creature, yet will hazard herself against the most ravenous Birds that come to devour her Chickens; so will the mother, if her child be in danger. Take a man whose love is set on lust, and what will not the man hazard for it? he will lose his friends, he will spend his estate, he will blast his reputation, he will hazard his soul, and all for the love he bears to sin: and indeed what's that which makes men despise the judgements of God? it's their love to sin: then inquire and examine yourselves, where your adventures are, there is your love.  
6. 
6 Love is zealous.  Love is zealous; I do not mean by zeal, a zeal of suspicion of evil in the party beloved which we call jealousy, for love thinks no evil, 1 Cor. 13.4. But when I say love is zealous, I mean, it is full of solicitude, fearing that any injury or wrong should be offered to the person or thing beloved. Moses, the meekest man upon earth, yet Moses' meekness is turned into anger, when wrong is done to the God of his life, and the God of his love, and he breaks the Tables. The Lord Jesus Christ out of love to his Father, saith, The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up, job. 2.17. Zeal in the heart is like boiling water that wastes in the seething, it makes a man overlook all interests, considering himself in the world, to be wholly intended to carry on the interests of the party belove. So it is with godly men, for zeal is a mixed affection, 'tis nothing else but love provoked: therefore Hoster speaks the language of love; How should I endure to see the evil that should come upon me and upon my people, Est. 8.6. Tell me, what are you zealous for? where's your zeal? Touch a man in his Reputation, and you may quickly see where his love and zeal is; touch God in his name, & Christ in his truth, then saith Paul, To whom we gave place, no not for an hour, that the truth of the Gospel might continue with you, Gal. 2.5. Love is provoked with any thing, and comes contrary to Christ and his truth; I would have zeal to be turned into fire, and so it will be, (where love is) for God and his glory. Examine therefore what it is, that makes you hot on every occasion; where thy zeal is, there is thy love, for love is zealous.  
7. 
7 Love i● fearful of separation.  Love is very fearful of separation from the thing beloved, it desires nothing more than union, it fears nothing more than separation; it's the Spouses expression, Cant. 3.4. When I sound him, I held him, and would not let him go. Austin gives that as the difference, between true and unclean love, between the love of a Wife, and the love of a Harlot, both fear the husband, but the one fears lest the husband should come, the other fears lest the husband should departed; the affections of the soul in this way are seen very much Death is called the King of terror, because its a separation of the soul from the body; love, it loves union, and he that loves, dies himself to live in the thing beloved; for this cause, the great consolation of the Saints, lies in this, who shall separate us from the love of God & c? Rom. 8.30, 31. For in the absence of the love of the thing beloved, the heart languishes: ●n union with the thing loved, the heart rejoices, and in separation from the thing loved, the heart dies and perishes; for this cause, is this the great cordial to the Saints, that there is no separation between their love, and their beloved. The unhappiness of wicked men lies in this, that they love that which shall be separated from them; Riches make to themselves wings & fly away, P, o. 23.5. And thou fool, this night shall thy soul be taken away from thee, and then whose shall these things be? Luk. 12.20. So Amos 4.2. I will take away thy posterity with fishhooks: As easily as the fish is drawn out of the water with a hook, so will I take them away with Fishhooks. Therefore when an ungodly man dies, his love dies, because his beloved ceaseth when he dies: A godly man, because he shall never be separated from the thing beloved, his love shall continue for ever in heaven, and he shall never be separated from it. Then examine yourselves, that which you fear to be separated from, is that which the love of your heart runs out unto.  
8. 
8 Love is victorious.  Love is victorious, Cant. 8.4. 'Tis strong as death; there's a kind of dominion in love, look over the love that men bear to the things of this life, let them have but Riches, and if Christ, and the glory of heaven be tendered to them, as the young man had in the Gospel, and bid them sell all, they will go away sorrowful; why so? the love of the world overcomes them. On the other side, offer a godly man all the comforts of this life whatsoever his heart could wish, yet notwithstanding he doth not embrace it; why so? his love to God out-bids them, and overcomes them. Love, it is like Lime, in that respect many waters cannot quench love, Cant. 8.7. Nay the more you pou●e upon lime, the hotter it burns. It's not only faith that overcomes the world, but love overcomes the world, for love is a victorious Grace as well as Faith. If you be offered great things in this world, greater things in another world doth overcome them: therefore examine where your love is, for where your love is, there's your heart; where your heart is, there's your Treasure; where your Treasure is, there's your Heaven, where your Heaven is, there's your God; and where your God is, there's your happiness.  
There are only three short uses I shall make, and so shut up the point.  
Use 1. 
1. Use.  Shall be in general in two things.  
1. 
To discover the fullness that is in every scripture sentence.  From hence see the fullness of Scripture, every short sentence of it, how full of matter is it? the smallest things in Scripture there, are great things depending on them, therefore a Father cries out in admiration of the fullness of the Scripture: It's observed by chrysostom, he saith, It's the greatest Blasphemy that can be, to think that in the Book of God there should be found one idle word: he that will judge you for idle words, will not write one idle word. There's one place which chrysostom himself insists upon, its 1 Tim. 5.23: Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomaches, ache; and he hath eight mighty truths out of that ordinary portion of Scripture.  
1. Godly men out of love to duty, neglect the body.  
2. Godly men are very moderate in the use of the creatures, left they should be brought under the power of them.  
3. Consider in his weakness he did not cease from his charge, he had infirmities, and often infirmities, but he did not neglect the affairs of the Gospel.  
4. Take a little wine: That godly men may too far neglect their bodies, even to offend therein.  
5. Every creature of God is good in itself; yea, those creatures of God that are most abused.  
6. Godly men may be subject to many bodily infirmities, and that often.  
7. In the decay of nature, the Creatures are to be used for its repair; but according to the proportion of nature's infirmities.  
8. There's a moderation appointed in receiving the creature, even when men take them for necessity's sake, for he that prescribes him the wine, prescribes him the measure: upon this account, the Scripture becomes exceeding sweet to a man; and 'tis a great Argument of growth of grace in him, and of profiting in spiritual knowledge when a man can take delight and sweetness in the word, not only in the substance, but in every circumstance of it. Do not study the substance of the word only, but the phrase of it: they are not only words, but such words as God himself hath chosen out, & phrased it to our minds, and to our understandings.  
2. 
There are some sentences of scripture that we should especially treasure up.  Consider, though all the Scripture be to be studied, yet there are some sentences above all, that a man, should lay up in his heart; such as these we are speaking on, Where a man's Treasure is, there will his heart be.  
There are fix parts of Scripture, that the Lord puts special marks upon, which scriptures are suitable to especial occasions, and therefore we should take especial notice of them.  
1. 
1 Such as the Lord hath added anote of attention unto.  Those scriptures which the Lord hath added a note of attention and asseveration to, those especially we should study; 
Io. 1.29.  Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world: Where the Lord doth put special marks upon them, there we should exercise a special study about them; 
Isa. 40.5.  Behold, the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it, etc.  
2. 
2 Such as are of ten repeated.  Such scriptures as the Lord hath often repeated, such scriptures should be diligently studied; As Riches profit not in the day of wrath; 
Pro. 11.4 Mark. 8.36.  And what shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul? And if Riches increase, set not your hearts upon them, Psa. 62.10.  
3. 
3 Such as have been most effectual for your conversion.  Those scriptures that God hath made use of in a special manner to do you, or any other good, these should be mightily studied, God requires you should take notice of them in a special manner; so did the Ancients, Rom. 13.1. And Luther made use of Rom. 1.17. and Junius, of job. 1.1. Those by which the Lord hath spoken Conviction and Consolation, these he requires you should especially observe, and diligently study.  
4. 
4 Such are suitable to your condition.  Those scriptures that speak especially concerning thy condition, the Lord requires a man should study that word, that is suitable to his estate, whether thou art in poverty or riches, in health or sickness.  
5. 
5 Such as speak to the controversies of the times  Those Scriptures that speak to the present controversy of the Age that you live in, that you may be established in the present truth, and keep from falling into the present errors; the Lord requires you to be much in the study of these Scriptures.  
6. 
6 Such as are most comprehensive.  Those scriptures that are very comprehensive, that carry in them the guidance of a man's life; as in the Text, Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, etc. and that Heb. 13.5. Be convent with such things as you have, for he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee: 
Heb. 12.14.  And without holiness, no man shall see the Lord. Such comprehensive directions as these the Lord requires our hearts should be exercised in the study of them.  
Use 2. 
Use 2. To difcover the necessity regeneration.  Is most proper in this point: Is the heart inseparable from the treasure? Then this shows to every unregenerate man, that there is an absolute necessity of Regeneration. Many a carnal man will complain, and faith, I cannot bow my thoughts God-ward; what commands my thoughts? Thy treasure commands them. If thy treasure be in God, the meditation of thy heart will be towards God. What is Conversion? 'Tis a change of a man's chief good; Thy treasure and thy heart will be changed together, change thy treasure, and thy heart will change. 
The misery of that man whose treasure is on earth.  The misery of that man whose heart is on earth, is unspeakable, because than his treasure is on earth. Consider these things.  
1. Let thy Actions be what they will, if thy treasure be below, thy heart will be below: A temporary man may and will go forth in temporary actions more than a spiritual man can do: But in a Temporary man there's no change of heart. 
Act, 8.21  Simon Magus he washed his hands, but kept his heart in the same blackness of covetousness that it was before; Till thou change thy treasure, thy heart will never change. The misery of an ungodly man is in this, he may change his love when he will, but his heart is not changed unless his treasure be changed.  
2. This is the ground of the greatest bondage to an ungodly man in the world, because his treasure is below, therefore his heart cannot be above; for where his Treasure is, there will the heart be. This is that which keeps all unregenerate men in bondage; there is therefore an absolute necessity for the change of a man's treasure, or otherwise thou canst not be assured that thy heart is changed.  
Use. 3. 
Use 3.  Learn then the blessed condition of a godly man, 
To discover the blessed condition of a godly man whose treasure is in heaven.  he is every where blessed; his body is on earth, but his heart is in heaven. There's a twofold blessing upon this account.  
First Let this man at any time go astray (for a godly man is apt to wander) this will reduce and bring him home again, the heart will be to the Treasure: A godly man can never fall from God, why? because the heart and the treasure are inseparable: As the misery of an ungodly man is, let him profess what he will, yet his treasure will bring him back; so a godly man, let him wander whither he will, yet his treasure will reduce him.  
Secondly, He is a happy man that hath his treasure always in Heaven; he is a happy man, because he is a heavenly man, his heart is in heaven. There are four Reasons, why he that hath his Treasure always in Heaven, is a happy man.  
1. 
1 Here by he is evidenced to be an heavenly man.  Because hereby he is evidenced to be a heavenly man, 1 Cor. 15.48. As is the earthly, such are they that are earthly; and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly: Because thy heart is in heaven, therefore thou art a heavenly man: As that wisdom that is conversant about earth, is said to be earthly, so that wisdom that is conversant about heaven, is said to be heavenly. An earthly mind is a plague, an heavenly mind is a glory.  
2. 
2 His heart doth not change with his condition.  He that hath his treasure in heaven is a blessed man, in this, that his heart is not subject to those impressions of changes that other means are. It a man's condition doth change, yet if his heart doth not change, it's no great matter, as Tertullian observes, though he was under great afflictions on earth, yet his heart was out of danger, because it was in heaven; therefore Rev. 13.6. Saints are said to dwell in heaven; the heart changes not for any evil, because it's bound up in an unchangeable good.  
3. 
3 His conversation will be in heaven.  He is a happy man, who hath his Treasure always in Heaven; because where his treasure is, there will his heart and conversation be, Phil. 3.20. Our conversation is in Heaven, from whence also we look for our Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ. Saith the wise man, Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life, Prov. 4.23. The way of his life comes out of his heart. Now this man taking up of his heart with God, must have his life taken up with God also; he is taken up with God as his Father, with Christ as his husband, with the Saints and blessed Spirits as his companions.  
4. 
4 His soul shall shortly be there.  A man's heart being in heaven, his soul shall shortly be there too. And this also is an argument, that bodies shall be there shortly; for though body and soul be parted by death, yet it will not be long before they are united again; and what a comfortable thing is this then, for a man to lay up his Treasure in Heaven, seeing it is such an argument that he himself shall be taken up into Heaven.   
FINIS.