some rare alchemy the earth were all converted into gold, and the
heavens into precious stones, yet these corruptible and material things
come as far short of this ransom as a heap of dung is unproportioned to a
mass of gold or heap of jewels. Now, you that are thus bought, may ye not
conclude, "therefore we are debtors," and whereof? Of ourselves, for we,
our persons, estates, and all were sold, and all are bought with this
price, therefore we are not our own, but the Lord's, and, therefore, we
ought to "glorify God in our bodies and spirits which are his," 1 Cor. vi.
20. Should we henceforth claim an interest and propriety in ourselves?
Should we have a will of our own? Should we serve ourselves with our
members? O how monstrous and absurd were that! Certainly, a believing
heart cannot but look upon that as the greatest indignity and vilest
impiety that ever the sun shined upon. Ingratitude hath a note of
ignominy, even among heathens, put upon it. They esteemed the reproach of
it the compend of all reproaches, _ingratum si dixeris, omnia dixeris_.
And truly it hath the most abominable visage of any vice, yea, it is all
sins drawn through other(208) in one table. Certainly a godly heart cannot
but account this execrable and detestable, henceforth to have any proper
and peculiar will and pleasure, and cannot but devote itself wholly to his
will and pleasure, for whose pleasure all were first created, and who then
redeemed us by the blood of his Son. I wish we could have this image of
ingratitude always observant to our eyes and minds when we are enticed
with our lusts to study our own satisfaction. But there is another bond
superadded to this, which mightily aggravates the debt. He hath given us
his Spirit to dwell within, as well as his Son for us. And O the
marvellous and strange effects that this Spirit hath in the favours of
men! He truly repairs that image of God which sin broke down. He
furnisheth the soul and supplies it in all its necessities. He is a light
and life to it,--a spring of everlasting life and consolation. So that to
the Spirit we owe that we are made again after his image, and the precious
purchase of Christ applied unto our souls. For him hath our Saviour left
to execute his latter will in behalf of his children. And these things are
but the first-fruits of the Spirit. Any peace, or joy, or love, or
obedience, are but an earnest of that which is coming. We shall be yet
more beholden to him. When th