Page:Spiritual Reflections for Every Day in the Year - Vol 2.pdf/80

 Let no one think he is called upon to sell his worldly property in order to buy the field; for a man may part with the whole of this, and give the produce to the poor, and yet be as far from heaven as though he had not done it. What we are to sell, are those things which stand opposed to the heavenly kingdom within the soul! To SELL, in the language of Scripture, is to give up, or part with; while to BUY, is to procure for our own use, in order to possess. Have we nothing to sell, give up, or part with! If we would possess the Treasure hid in a field, we must sell or give up all evils of thought and practice, as well as all falsehood and error, which only deceive and lead astray. If then, to sell means to give up, and to buy is to procure; so, as we give up evil, good is procured! As falsehood is abandoned, truth supplies its place. As we sell all that we have, such as pride, uncharitableness, unmercifulness, hatred, revenge, deceit, cruelty, and the other bad passions and thoughts, so we buy, or procure, humility, charity, mercifulness, love, forgiveness, sincerity, humanity, and all the other heavenly affections, graces, and thoughts: then will the field be possessed by us, and the sacred Treasure will be our own.

HE heart is mentioned in Scripture to signify the will and all relating to love, affection, or purity