or winter and more before ten then after threescore There are graves of all fizes and likewise sculls in Golgotha as sayes the Hebrew proverb One dies in the bud another in the bloom some in the fruit few like the sheaf that comes to the barn in a full age Men may put far from them the evil day but they may finde it neerer then they are aware of Revel. 22. 12. The pitcher goes oft to the water but at length it comes broken home The cord breaks at last with the weakest pull as the Spanish proverb well noteth The tree falleth upon the last stroke yet all the former strokes help forwards A whirl-winde with one furious blast overturneth the greatest and tallest trees which for many years have been growing to their perfect strength and greatness so oftentimes the thrid of life breaketh when men think least of death as it fared with Saint Lukes fool who promised himself many years to live in ease mirth and jollity when he had not one night more to live Luke 12. 19 20. For when like a Jay he was pruning himself in the boughs he came tumbling down with the Arrow in his side John the 22th prophesied by the course of the Stars that he should live long but whilest he was vainly vaunting thereof the Chamber wherein he was fell down and bruised him to pieces His glasse was run when he thought it but new turned And the Axe was lifted to strike him to the ground when he never dreamed of the slaughter-house And whether thy soul shall be taken from thee this night as it fared with him formerly spoken of thou hast no assurance the very first night which the rich man intended for his rest proved his last night Nor was there any more between Nabals festival and his funeral then ten or a dozen dayes 1 Sam. 25. 38. And could any thing have hired death to have spared our forefathers they would have kept our possessions from us Neither is this all for if thou beest wicked and unmerciful thou hast no reason to expect other then a violent death for which see Job 24. 24. Psal. 37. 10 11. Job 36. 11 12. Psal. 37. 37 38 39. 55. 23. Prov. 12. 27. Great trees are long in growing but are rooted up in an instannt The Axe is laid to the root Matth. 3. 10. down it goes into the fire it must if it will not serve for fruit it must for fuel And what knowest thou but God may deal with thee as Mahomet did by John Justinian of Geneva who having taken Constantinople by his treason first made him King according to promise and within three dayes after cut off his head God may have fatted thee with abundance on purpose to send thee to the slaughter-house Nay why hath God spared thee so long as he hath probably not in love to thee but for some other end As perhaps God hath some progeny to come from thee As for good Hezekiah to be born his wicked Father Abaz is forborn Why did Ammon draw out two years breath in Idolatry but that good Iosia was to be fitted for a King Many sacrilegious extortioners Idollaters c. Are delivered or preserved because God hath some good fruit to come from their cursed loynes However thou canst not look to live many years The Raven the Phenix the Elephant the Lyon and the Hart fulfill their hundred yeares But man seldome lives to four score and thou art drawing towards it Besides the last moneth of the great yeare of the World is come upon us we are deep in December And that day of the Lord shall come as a thief in the night for when thou shalt say peace and safety then shall come upon thee sudden destruction as the travel upon a woman with childe and thou shalt not escape as the Apostle speaks 1 Thess. 5. 2 3. That nothing is more certain then death nothing more uncertain then the houre thereof That this only is sure that there is nothing sure here below and that if we were owners of more land then ever the Devil proffered to Christ yet when death shall knock at our door no more can be called ours then the ground we are put into needs no more proof then experience See Psal. 37. 35 36. But Ninthly and lastly a godly mans desires are fixed upon the riches of the minde which being once had can never be lost The which Saint Augustine only counted true riches The wise and godly are of Pythagoras his minde who being asked why he cared no more for riches answered I despise those riches which by expending are wasted and lost and with sparing will rust and rot They are of Stilpons judgment who used to say All that is truly mine I carry with me They desire not so much to lay up treasure for themselvs upon earth but to lay up for themselvs in Heaven as their Lord and Master hath commanded them Matth. 6. 19 20. What saith the Apostle Let not covetousness be once named among Saints Ephes. 5. 3. As if that world which many prefer before Heaven were not worth talking of All worldly things are but lent us our houses of stone wherein our bodies dwell our houses of clay wherein our souls dwell are but lent us honours pleasures treasures money maintenance wives children friends c. but lent us we may say of them all as he said of the Ax-head when it fell into the water 2 Kings 6. 5. Alass they are but borrowed Only spiritual graces are given of those things there is only a true donation whereof there is a true possession worldly things are but as a Tabernacle a moveable heaven is a mansion Now put all these together and they will sufficiently shew that he is a fool or a mad man that prefers not spiritual riches which are subject to none of these casualties before temporal and transitory And so at lenght I have shewn you what it is not and what it is to be rich And I hope convinced the worldling that the richest are not alwayes the happiest Yea that they are the most miserable who swim in wealth wanting grace and Gods blessing upon what they do possesse while that man is incomparably happy to whom God in his love and favour giveth only a competency of earthly things and the blessing of contentation withall so as to be thankful for the same and desire no more I will now in discharge of my promise acquaint you how of poor melancholy and miserable you may become rich happy and cheerful CHAP. XXVIII THe which I shal do from the Word of God Nor need it seem strāge that for the improving of mens outward estates I prescribe them rules and directions from thence For would we be instructed in any necessary truth whether it be Theological concerning God Ecclesiastical The Church Political The Common-wealth Moral Our neighbours and friends Oeconomical Our private families Monastical Our selves Or be it touching Our Temporal estate
and opulency go to hell When we are judged we are chastened of the Lord that we may not be condemned with the world 1 Cor. 11. 32. Riches do so puff up some men that they even think it a discredit to their great Worships to worship God Nothing feeds pride nor keeps off repentance so much as prosperous advantage The Prodigal never thought of his father till he wanted husks We serve God as our servants serve us of whom many have too good clothes others too much wages or are too full fed to do work As a woman finding that her hen laid her every day an egg for all she was very lean had a conceit that if she were fat and lusty she would lay twice a day whereupon she fed and cram'd her thoroughly but in a short space she became so fat that contrary to her expectation she left laying altogether Who so nourisheth his servant daintily from his childhood shall after finde him stubbron Prov. 29. 21. Sixtly they fix their affections upon heavenly riches and not upon the temporary and transitory riches of this world because in sicknesse when they stand in the greatest need of all they will not do them the least good Your gold will not bribe a disease your bags will not keep your head from aking or your joynts from the Gout a loathing stomach makes no difference between an earthen dish and one of silver Riches can no more put off the stone or asswage grief or thrust out cares or purchase grace or suspend death or prevent hell or bribe the Devil then a sattin sleeve can heal a broken arm Indeed the foolish Prior in Melancthon rolled his hands up and down in a bason full of Angels thinking by this means to cure his Gout but it would not do Yea thou that placest thy happinesse and puttest thy confidence in a little white and red earth and dotest so upon the world tell me When the hand of God hath never so little touched thee what good thy great wealth will do thee Therefore ô vain desires and impotent contentments of men that place their happinesse in these things will not this your fair Herodias appear as a stigmatized Gipsie Will not all the toil and cost you haue been at to get riches appear as ridiculous as if a countryman should anoint his axle-tree with Amber-greece or as if a travaller should liquour his boots with Balsamum Yea your wealth will not only not save you from evils but help to make you more miserable and not only here but hereafter Psal. 49. 6 7 8. Why then do you set so high a price upon them and so shamefully undervalue the riches of the minde which will much mitigate your grief and increase your comfort in what condition soever you are But Seventhly they little set by the wealth of this world because their riches may soon leave them When with the Spider we have exhausted our very bowels to contrive a slender web of an uncertain inheritance one puff of winde and blast blown upon it by the Almighty carries all away What sayes Solomon Prov. 23. Cease from thy wisdome wilt thou cast thine eyes upon that which is nothing for riches taketh her to her wings as an Eagle and flyeth away Verse 4 5. and Jer. 17. 11. Isaiah 33. 1. Prov. 12. 27. Yea all riches are uncertain but those that are evil gotten are most uncertain as examples of all ages witnesse The first of these was verified in Job who lived to see himself poor to a Proverb and fell from the want of all misery to the misery of all wants And Dionysius who fell from a Tyrant over men to be a Tutor ever boyes and so to get his living And Perses son and heir who was fain to learn an Occupation the Black-smiths trade to relieve his necessity And Henry the Fourth that victorious Emperour who after he had fought two and fifty pitcht Battails became a Petitioner for a Prebendary to maintain him in his old age And Geliner that potent King of the Vandals was so low brought that he intreated his friend to send him a harp a spunge and a loaf of bread an Harp to consort with his misery a sponge to dry up his tears and a loaf of bread to satisfie his hunger Yea how many have we known in this City reputed very rich yet have broken for thousands There are innumerable wayes to become poor a fire a thief a false servant suretiship trusting of bad customers an unfaithful factor a Pyrate an unskilful Pilate Godwines sands a cross gale a wind and many the like hath brought millions of rich men to poverty And yet this is the only winde that blows up the Words bladder You see little children what pains they take to rake and scrape snow together to make a snow-ball right so it fares with them that scrape together the treasure of this world they have but a snow-bal of it for so soon as the Sun shineth and God breatheth upon it by and by it commeth to nothing And as riches well gotten are uncertain so those that are evil gotten are not seldome lost with shame As how many of our over-reachers have over-reached themselves so far either by perjury forgery receiving of stoln goods or the like that they have left either their bodies hanging between heaven and earth or their ears upon the pillory and died in prison so that the safest way to praise a covetous miser is when he is dead But CHAP. XXVII EIghthly to this may be added that if riches should not leave us and be taken away as they were from Job yet of necessity we must ere long leave and be taken from them as the rich man in the Gospel was from his substance and wealth Nor do we know now soon for so soon as a man is born he hastens as fast to his end as the Arrow to the mark each day is another march towards death and that little time of stay is full of misery and trouble and therefore it 's fitly called a passage a shadow a span a tale a vapour a cloud a bubble in the water It is like a candle in the winde soon blown out like a spark in the water soon extinguished like a thin Air soon expired like a little snow in the sun soon melted It is like a pilgrimage in which is uncertainty a flower in which is mutability a house of clay in which is misery a Weavers shuttle in which is volubility a Shepherds tent in which is variety to a ship on the sea in which is celerity to smoke which is vanity to a thought whereof we have a thousand in a day to a dream of which we have many in a night to vanity which is nothing in it self and to nothing which hath no being in the world And which is further considerable the young may die as soon as the old Yea more die in the spring and summer of their years then do live to their autumn
great offices great revenues great gettings and yet they can scarce keep themselves out of debt Yea who more needy and who run more in debt than those that have hundreds and thousands a year whereas others that have very little but small means and yet maintain themselves and their families well yea and help their poor friends and neighbours also Onely the word that proceedeth out of Gods mouth makes the difference his blessing sets forward the one which he justly with holds from the other for their wicked unthankfulness Though Labau changed Jacobs wages ten times yet he could not one time change that blessing of God which was alwayes with him A little thing which the rightoeus injoyeth is better than great riches to the wicked Prov. 16. 8. Meat though it have a vertue to nourish Medicine though it have a vertue to heal rayment though it can both adorn and defend the body against the injury of air and cold wealth though it can make rich yet man liveth not by bread physick rayment c. onely but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God does a man live as our Saviour speaks Math. 4. 4. Nay without Gods blessing the very use of their meat is taken away for it shall not satisfie as it fell out with them Hosea 4. 10. And the like of other things Except the Lord build the house they labour in vain that build it except the Lord keep the City the keeper watcheth in vain It is in vain for you to rise early and to lye down late and eat the bread of carefulness Psal 127. 1 2. And again Paul may plant and Apollos may water but it is God that giveth the increase 1 Cor. 3. 6 7. as in temporal so in spiritual food it is not the Teacher but the divine operation of Gods Spirit working with the word which converteth the soul and for want of this blessing and divine operation from God even the best of outward blessings as health strength riches honours beauty wit learning c. prove but the bane of the owners as Absaloms hair proved his halter And nothing so soveraign which being abused by sin may not of a blessing become a curse God when he pleaséth can make wine infatuate not exhillerate He can rot the groin in the ground blast it in the ear wither it in the blade rot it with unseasonable showers when it is ripe cause vermine to devour it in the barn yea when it hath past the flayl the mill the oven he can make it gall in the mouth in the stomack poyson He can either give a man meat and no stomack or a stomack and no meat And the same God that can break the staffe of bread Ezek. 4. 16. can also break the staffe of friends riches promotion wit learning and all other meanes that we trust to or put our confidence in as he did the staffe of Physick to Asa 2 Chron. 16. 12 13. as he restrained the fire from burning Dan. 3. 27. and the water from drowning Exod. 14. 21 â—2 and the Lions from devouring Dan. 6. 22. Whereas if he please to give his blessing a man shall be happy have he any thing or nothing Even a word out of his mouth can either sustain us without bread as it did Moses and Elias or with a miraculous bread as it did Israel with Manna or send ordinary meanes after a miraculous manner as food to the Prophet by the Ravens or multiply ordinary meanes miraculously as that meal and oyle to the Sareptane widdow or make a little meanes go a great way and perform much as those two mean meales of the Prophet when in the strength thereof he travelled forty dayes 1 King 19. 5. to 9. Unto which we may refer the strength of Moses who being one hundred and twenty yeares old had not his naturall strength abated Deut. 34. 7. and the like of Caleb Ioshua 14. 10 11. All things are sustained by his almighty word how else should the whole Globe of the earth and sea hang in the middle of the air and have no other supporter The onely means for grasse and hearbs and trees and fruit to grow by is rain yet God provided for Adam all these things before ever it had rained on the earth The usual meanes of light is the sun howbeit God provided light before he made the sun light the first day the sun the fourth day he onely said let there be light and there was light Gen. 1. 3. There is no reason in the world that seven leaves and a few little fishes in the Gospel should feed four thousand much lesse that five loaves and two fishes should feed five thousand meanes very insufficient to natural reason yet God speaking the word to them they did it The like whereof we may read 2 King 4. 43 44. So for the apparell of the Israelites which they had when they were young and children in AEgypt to serve them till they were grown men even forty yeares together in the wilderness without being worn out Deut. 29 5. and the like of that water and pulse which with Gods blessing made Daniel and his companions fatter and fairer than all the children which did eat the portion of the Kings meat Dan. 1. 15. We live by food but not by any vertue that is in it without God yea without the concurence of his providence bread would rather choak than nourish us if he withdraw his word and blessing from his creatures in their greatrst abundance we perish A man can receive nothing except it be given him from heaven Iohn 3. 27. All which should teach us confidenlty to trust in God what ever our extremeties be for if God needs not his own lawfull much lesse thy unlawful moanes Again if no moanes will serve the turn or do us any good without the blessing of God upon it let us not forfeit his blessing by our vile ingratitude but rather desire his blessing though we want the meanes Thirdly If it be the blessing of God that makes rich and not anything that we can do let us take heed of ascribing the same to our wit and industry of sacrificing to our net and burning incense to our yarne as the Prophet speaks Hab. â— 16 Fourthly and lastly say not as many do O that I were so rich that I had but so much as such a man then should I be happy but rather desire God that he will bless and sanctifie unto thee what thou hast that he may have glory thy self and others good by the same or else God may give thee thy desire yea more than thy heart can wish as the Psalmisi speakes of the wicked Psal. 7 3. 7 9. but it shall be to thy grief and sorrow as it was said to Neroes Mother about her sons being Emperour or as Bacchus granted the request of Midas whose desire was that whatsoever he touched might instantly be converted into gold which was little to his
providence and if ever he sustaines losse he will never forget it He writes benefits received in water but what he accounts injuries in marble And for this his great ingratitude God gives him riches but withdraws his blessing For as Jacob gave Ruben a blessing but added thou shalt not be excellent Gen. 49. 4. so God gives the worldling riches but sayes thou shalt not be satisfied He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver Eccl. 5. 10. Yea no man more unsatisfied for let him have what his heart can wish he is not yet pleased like the Israelites who murmured asmuch when they had Mannah as when they had none Secondly the merciless Miser never sued or sought to God for his riches neither does he acknowledge them as sent of God but ascribes the increase of his means to his wit and industry Nay he dares not pray the Lords prayer forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors left he call for a curse upon himself Nay if he be as probably he is an Usuerer then in respect of other men he hath no need to pray at all for as one observes Each man to heaven his hands for blessing reares Onely the Us'rer needs not say his prayers Blow the winde East or West plenty or dearth Sickness or health sit on the face of earth He cares not time will bring his money in Each day augments his treasure and his sin Or admit he ever calls upon God his prayer is that some one may dye that he may have his office or break his day that the beloved forfeiture may be obtained His morning exercise being onely to peruse his bonds look over his baggs and to worship them as Marcus Cato worshipped his grounds desiring them to bring forth in abundance and to keep his Cattel safe And as touching hereafter if he shall finde in his heart to pray God will not hear him Prov. 1. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord Prov. 21. 27. What hope hath the hypocrite saith Job when he hath heaped up riches will God hear his cry when trouble cometh upon him Job 27. 8 9. When you shall stretch out your hands saith God to such I will hide mine eyes from you and though you make many prayers I will not hear Isa. 1. 15. God will turn him off to his gold and silver for help as he did Jehoram to the Prophets of his Father and the Prophets of his Mother 2 Kings 3. 13. And it is but just and equal that those which we have made the comfort and stay of our peace should be the relief and comfort of our extremity If our prosperity hath made the world our God how worthily shall our death-bed be choaked with such an exprobration If God do answer such an ones prayers it is as Archelaus answered the request of a covetous Courtier who being importuned by him for a cup of gold wherein he drank gave it unto Euripides that stood by saying Thou art worthy to ask and be denied but Euripides is worthy of gifts although he ask not And indeed good men many times receive gifts from God that they never dreamt of nor durst presume to begg which others extreamly strive after and go without As it is feigned of Pan that it was his good hap to finde out Ceres as he was hunting little thinking of it which none of the other gods could do though they did nothing else but seek her and that most industriously Now if he neither prayes to God for what he would have nor gives him thanks for what he gives nor desires a blessing upon what he receives viz. that he may be content and satisfied therewith How should God bestow this great blessing of contentation upon him and a true use of his riches Thirdly he cares not for grace but for gold therefore God gives him gold without grace He longs not after righteousness but riches therefore he shall neither be satisfied nor blessed whereas both are their portion that thirst after the former Mat. 5. 6. He desires riches without Gods blessing he shall have it with a curse he loves gold more then God and desires it rather then his blessing upon it or grace therefore he shall have it and want the other Whereas if he did first seek the kingdom of heaven all things else should be added thereunto Mat. 6. 33. But this worldlings appetite stands not towards the things of a better life he findes no tast in heavens treasure let him but glut himself on the filthy garbage of ill-gotten goods he cares not for Manna He sings the song of Curio vincat utilitas let gain prevail he had rather be a sinner then a begger The Apostle Saint Peter said silver and gold have I none Act. 3. 6. The devil says all these are mine Luk. 4. 6. The Rich man I have much goods laid up for many years Luk. 12. 19. Now ask the covetous muckworm whether had you rather lack with those Saints or abound with the devil and the rich man his heart will answer give me money which will do any thing all things Eccles. 10. 19. Now if he prefers gold before either God grace or glory no marvail if God grant him his desires to his hurt as he did a King and Quailes to the Israelites CHAP. XIIII FOurthly he puts his trust in his riches not in God loves serves Satan more then God therefore he shall have his comfort reward from them and not from God Yea Satan shall have more service of him for an ounce of gold then God shall have for the Kingdom of heaven because he prefers a little base pelf before God and his own salvation He loves God well but his money better for that is his summum bonum yea he thinks him a fool that does otherwise What part with a certainty for an uncertainty if he can keep both well and good if not what ever betides he will keep his Mammon his money though he lose himself his soul And yet the Lord gives far better things for nothing then Satan will sell us for our souls had we the wit to consider it as we may see Isa. 55. 1 2. Again he loves his children better then the Lord oppressing Gods children to inrich his own for so his young ones be warm in their nest let Christs members shake with cold he cares not He loves the Lord as Laban loved Jacob onely to get riches by him or as Saul loved Samuel to get honor by him He will walk with God so long as plenty or the like does walk with him but no longer he will leave Gods service rather then lose by it That the Mammonist loves not God is evident for if any man love the world the love of God is not in him 1 John 2. 15. yea the two poles shall sooner meet then the love of God and the love of money Nor is this all for he not onely loves Mammon more
then God but he makes it his god shrines it in his coffer yea in his breast and sacrificeth his heart to it he puts his trust and placeth his confidence in his riches makes it his hope attributing and ascribing all his successes thereunto which is to deny God that is above as we may plainly see Job 31. 24 28. Nor ought covetous men to be admitted into Christian society We have a great charge to separate from the covetous Eat not with him sayes the Apostle 1 Cor. 5. 11. and also wise Solomon Prov. 23. 7. Covetousness is flat idolatry which makes it out of measure sinful and more hanious then any other sin as appears Col. 3. 5. Ephes. 5. 5. Job 31. 24 28. Jer. 17. 5. 1 Tim. 6. 9 10. Fornication is a foul sin but nothing to this that pollutes the body but covetousness defileth the soul and the like of other sins Yea it is such a sordid and damnable sin that it ought not once to be named among Christians but with detestation Ephes. 5. 3. It is a sound Conclusion in Divinity That is our God which we love best and esteem most as gold is the covetous mans god and bellychear the voluptuous mans god and honor the ambitious mans god and for these they will do more then they will for God Yea all wicked men make the devil their god for why does Saint Paul call the devil the god of this world but because wordly men do believe him trust him and obey him above God and against God and do love his wayes and commandments better then the wayes and laws of God We all say that we serve the Lord but as the Psalmist speaks other Lords rule us and not the Lord of heaven and earth The covetous Mammonist does insatiably thirst after riches placing all his joyes hopes and delights thereon does he not then make them his God yea God sayes lend clothe feed harbor The devil and Mammon say take gather extort oppress spoil whether of these are our gods but they that are most obeyed Know ye not saith Saint Paul that to whomsoever ye give your selves as servants to obey his servants ye are to whom ye obey Rom. 6. 16. the case is plain enough that every wilful sinner makes the devil his god he cannot deny it I wish men would well waigh it The goods of a worldling are his gods Ye have taken away my gods says Micha and what have I more to lose Jud. 18. 24. He makes Idols of his coyn as the Egyptians did of their treasure They have turned the truth of God into a lye and worshipped and served the creature forsaking the Creator which is blessed for ever Amen Rom. 1. 25. The greedy Wolfe Mole or Muckworm who had rather be damned then damnified hath his Mammon in the place of God loving it with all his heart with all his soul with all his minde making gold his hope and saying to the wedge of gold Thou art my confidence and yet of all men alive he is least contented when he hath his hearts desire yea more then he knows what to do withall the issue of a secret curse For in outward appearance they are as happy as the world can make them they have large possessions goodly houses beautiful spouses hopeful children full purses yet their life is never the sweeter nor their hearts ever the lighter nor their meales the heartier nor their nights the quieter nor their cares the fewer yea none more full of complaints among men Oh cursed Ciatifs how does the devil bewitch them Generally the poorer the merryer because having food and raiment they are therewith content 1 Tim. 6. 8. They obey the rule Heb. 13 5. and God gives his blessing But for those that make gold their god how should not God either deny them riches or deny his blessing upon them and instead thereof blast his blessings with a curse and give them their riches in wrath so that they had better be without them If we put our trust and confidence in God he hath promised not to fail nor forsake us Heb. 13 5. But this is the man that took not God for his strength but trusted unto the multitude of his riches and put his strength in his malice Psal. 52. 7. Yea he saith in his heart God hath forgotten he hideth away his face and will never see Psal. 10. 11. He puts his certain trust in uncertain riches 1 Tim. 6. 17. And not for want of ignorance for to trust to God and not to any creature or carnal policy is the greatest safty A lesson yet to be learned of many that do in a good measure trust in God which this muckworme not so much as minds But shall we trust God with our jewels our souls and not with the box Mat. 6. 30 Take we heed lest whiles he doth grant us that wherein we do not trust him worldly riches he take away that wherein we do trust him everlasting joy and happiness Fiftly and lastly let a graceless and ingrateful cormorant an unmerciful miser have never so much he neither intends to glorifie God nor do good to others with his riches he will not change a peece without profit scarse let another light a torch at his candle He will not lose a groat to gain a mans life nor speak a sillable for God were it to save a soul And God cares for none that care for none but themselves making themselves the center of all their actions and aimes Whereas he is abundantly bountiful to publike spirits that aime at his glory and others good And so ye have the Reasons the Uses for the present and in this place shall be onely CHAP. XV Three 1. Of Information 2. Of Exhortation 3. Of Consolation ANd of these but a word First for Information let the premisses teach us this lesson That whatsoever is given to any one if Christ and a sanctified use thereof be not given withall it can be no good thing to him Did the stalled Ox know that his Master fatted him for the slaughter he would not think his great plenty an argument of his masters greater love to him The Physician setteth that sick person have what he will of whose recovery he despaireth but he restraineth him of many things of whom he hath hope We use to clip and cut shorter the feathers of Birds or other fowle when they begin to flye too high or too far So does God diminish the riches and honors of his children and makes our condition so various that we may not pass our bounds or glory too much in these transitory things As if we well observe it First some have the world and not God as Nabal who possessed a world of wealth not a dram of grace or comfort Secondly some have God and not the world as Lazarus his heart was full of grace and divine comfort whiles his body lacked crumbes Thirdly some have neither God nor the world nothing but misery
Civil Spiritual Eternal Souls Bodies Names Estates Posterities We need but have recourse to the written Word For that alone is a magazine of all needful provision a store-house of all good instructions And let a man study Machiavel and all the Machiavilians and Statepoliticians that ever wrote he can add nothing or nothing of worth to what may be collected thence touching this subject Wherefore if any of poor would become rich let him use the means which tend thereunto observe and follow those Rules and Directions which God hath prescribed and appointed in his Word which are principally siae For as the Throne of Solomon was mounted unto by six stairs so is this Palace of Plenty and Riches ascended unto by six steps set upon this ground already laid For I find in the Word six infallible wayes to become rich or six sorts of men whom God hath promised to bless with riches and all outward prosperity That is to say 1 The Godly 2 The Liberal 3 The Thankful 4 The Humble 5 The Industrious 6 The Frugal These of all other men in the world are sure never to want And these are the main heads unto which I will draw all I shall say upon this Partition or Division CHAP. XXIX FIrst if any of poor would become rich let him become religious for Godliness hath the promises of this life as well as of the life to come 1 Tim. 4. 8. Yea all temporall blessings that can be named are promised to the godly and their seed and to them only as both the Old and New Testament does plainly and plentifully prove As for instance in Deuteronomy the 28th God hath promised that if we will hearken diligently unto his voice observe and do all his Commandements and walk in his wayes we shall be blessed in the city aand blessed in the field blessed in our going forth and in our comming home blessed in the fruit of our bodies and in the fruit of our ground and in the fruit of our cattel the increase of our kine and the flocks of our sheep That he will bless us in our store-houses and in all that we set our hands unto and make us plentiful in all good things and that we shall have wherewith to lend unto many and not borrow Verse 1 to 15th and Chap. 7. 11 to 19th To which may be added many the like places As Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord and delighteth greatly in his commandements wealth and riches shall be in his house Psal. 112. Verse 1 to 4th Wait on the Lord and keep his way and he will exalt thee to inherit the land Psal. 37. 34. The Lord will with-hold no good thing from them that walk uprightly Psal. 84. 11. Delight thy self in the Lord and he shall give thee thine hearts desire c. Psal. 37. 3 to 7. Fear ye the Lord ye his Saints for nothing wanteth to them that fear him The Lions do lack and suffer hunger but they that seek the Lord shall want nothing that is good Psal. 34. 9 10. Whatsoever we ask we receive of him because we keep his commandements and do those things which are pleasing in his sight 1 John 3. 12. What rare and precious promises are these to which I might add very many of like nature All which David had the experience of who tels us that he greatly rejoyced in the strength and salvation of the Lord and the Lord gave him his hearts desire and did not with-hold the request of his lips Yea he prevented him with the blessings of goodness and set a crown of gold upon his head Psal. 21. 1 2 3 4. And the like of Abraham and Lot and Job and Solomon Let us first seek the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all other things shall be ministred unto us or come in as it were upon the bargain as our Saviour hath assured us Matth. 6. 33. Talis est ille qui in Christo credit die qua credidit qualis ille qui universam legem implevit saith Hierom We have a livery and seisin of all the precious promises both in the Law and Gospel in the first moment of our faith Yea even an earnest and partly a possession of Heaven it self Ephes. 2. 6. Neither are these promises made only to the obedient themselves but riches and all earthly blessings are entailed upon their seed also Psal. 112. His seed shall be mighty upon earth the generation of the righteous shall be blessed Verse 2 3. Nor is riches and outward prosperity promised to the godly and their seed as others usually enjoy them that is single and barely but they have a promise of them with a supply and addition of all other good things that may make them every way happy as that their prosperity shall be durable and lasting That with riches they shall have credit honour and promotion with long life added That they shall be happy and prosper in all they have or do as having God their Protector who with mercy is said to compass them about on every side Psal. 32. 10. That they shall be freed from all fears and dangers and obtein victory over all their enemies together with death hell and the devil That they shall be freed from the Law and likewise from sin and the penalty thereof That they shall have peace external internal eternal And joy even the joy of the holy Ghost which is both glorious and unspeakable That they shall not only persevere but also grow in grace and true wisdom That all things whatsoever shall make for their good That both their persons and performances shall be good and acceptable which before were wicked and abominable That by the prayer of faith they shall obtein of God whatsoever they shall ask in Christs Name and according to his Word And in fine all other good things that can be named whether temporal spiritual or eternal are by the promise of God entailed upon them that love him and keep his commandements and upon their seed as I could plentifully and most easily prove were it pertinent to the matter in hand Nor is all this that God hath promised to those that serve him so great a matter comparatively as that we need wonder at it or once question the same For If he spared not his own Son but delivered him to death for us how shall he not with him freely give us all things also Rom. 8. 31 32. It is the Apostles argument Great yea too great things are they for us to receive but not too great for the great and good God of Heaven and earth to give all the fear is on our part whether we be such to whom the promise is made For all Gods promises are conditional And though of these outward good things he hath promised abundance yet it is upon the condition of faith and obedience as appears by all the fore-mentioned places so that if we be not wanting in our duty and obedience to
poverty Proverbs 11. 24. The liberal person shall have plenty and he that watereth shall also have rain Verse 25. And the like in the Psalms Wealth and riches shall be in the house of him that hath compassion of and giveth to the poor Psal. 112. 3 to 10. See here how bounty is the best and surest way to plenty But notable to this purpose is that Prov. 28. 27. He that giveth to the poor shall not lack A rare and incomparable priviledge never to want And yet this is a bargain of Gods own making Plenty shall furnish the table where Charity takes away and gives to the poor He hath sparsed abroad sayes the Psalmist and given to the poor his benevolence remaineth for ever Psal. 112. 9. He hath alwayes to give that hath a free and bountiful heart to give sayes Saint Bernard And of this the Prophet Isaiah does assure us The liberal man sayes he deviseth liberal things and by liberality he shall stand Isaiah 32. 8. A man would think he should rather fall by being so liberal bountiful but this is the right course to thrive and hold out Nor was it ever known that God suffered a merciful and bountiful man to want ordering his affairs with discretion Psal. 112. 5. But you have not heard a tithe of these promises for the Scriptures no lesse abound in them then silver did in the dayes of Solomon of which only a few more for I had rather press you with weight then oppresse you with number of arguments What saith the Wiseman Prov. 3. Honour the Lord with thy substance and with the first-fruits of all thine increase so shall thy barns be filled with abundance and thy presses shall burst with new wine Verse 9 10. In which regard whhat is this way expended may be likened to gold the best of metals of which experience teacheth that the third part of a grain will gild a wyre of 134 foot long Or rather to those loaves and fishes in the Gospel for as they did increase and multiply even while they were distributing so do our riches and indeed all other gifts Even out of that which the hand reacheth to the mouth it self is nourished And thus you see that if either Old or New Testament be true not getting but giving is the true and ready way to abundance That to give in this case is the way to have that parsimony is no good husbandry that we are the richer for disbursing Which makes Chrysostome say that the gainfullest Art is Almsgiving And hence it is that the Scripture compares Almsgiving to sowing of seed 2 Cor. 9. 6. he that soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly but he that soweth bountifully shall also reap bountifully The Apostle compares giving to sowing to note unto us the great gain and advantage that commeth thereby for who knoweth not what gain a good husbandman hath by his sowing He casteth his seed into the ground and only forbeareth it a few moneths and when the season comes he reaps a harvest of thirty fourty or an hundred for one increase And the like of lending or putting money to interest to which the Scriptures also compare it Prov. 19. Psal. 37. He who hath pitty on the poor lendeth unto the Lord and that which he hath given will he repay him again Prov. 19. 17. The Lord is content to acknowledge himself the charitable mans debtor Yea by our liberality to the poor our most gracious Redeemer acknowledgeth himself gratified and ingaged as himself does most fteely and fully acknowledge Matth. 25. I was an hungry and ye gave me meat c. And for as much as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren ye have done it unto me Verse 35 36 40. The poor mans hand is Christs Treasury or Bank as one fitly calls it and by putting thereinto a man becomes a Creditor to his Saviour Neither will he pay or recompence us as we do our creditors For as Augustine well notes what we receive by way of return is not ten for an hundred or an hundred for ten but an hundred for one yea a thousand thousand for one an hundred for one here in this world and in the world to come life everlasting together with a Kingdom even an immortal eternal Kingdom of glory and happinesse in heaven which is not to be valued with ten thousand worlds Ann why all this but in recompence of feeding clothing and visiting his poor brethren and members when they were destitute Where note but the incomparable and infinite difference between the receit and the return as ô the unmeasurable measure of our Saviours bounty And how happy is that man that may become a creditor to his Saviour heaven and earth shall be empty before he shall want a royal payment Wherefore hearke n to this all you self-lovers that are only for your own ends Do you indeed love your selves and your souls would you be rich indeed and that both here and hereafter then be charitable to the poor even to the utmost of your ability for this giving is not only an act of charity but also of Christian policie since we shall not only receive our own again but the same also with great increase for as it fared with the widow of Sarepta whose handfull of meal and cruse of oil with which she relieved the Prophet the more she spent the more it increased and the more she had so shall this precious oil bestowed on the poor for Christs sake be returned upon our heads in great measure as some that I could name can say out of admirable experience and others should finde would they but so far forth believe the Lord as to try him Which makes Saint Augustine say That the charitable man is the greatest usurer in the world I know this is such a paradox to misers and men of the world that nothing seems to them more absurd and ridiculous what perswade them that giving away their goods is the way to increase them You must make me a fool will such an one say before I can believe it and therein he speaks truer then he is aware of for these are the very words of St. Paul He that will be wise let him become a fool that he may be wise 1 Cor. 3. 18. The wisdom of God is foolishness with the world and so is the wisdom of the world foolishness with God 1 Cor. 2. 14. 3. 19. To carnal reason it is as unlikely a thing as that which Elisha told to the King of Israel 2 Kings 7. that whereas the Famine was so great in Samaria one day that mothers aet their own children yet the next day there should be such plenty that a measure of fine flower should be sold for a sheckle and two measures of barley for a sheckle As improbable as that Abraham should have a son being almost an hundred years old and Sarah past child-bearing As impossible as that Lazarus should again live