Lord and of thine own have we given thee 1 Chron. 29.14 And if all the good things which we have already bee the gifts of Gods free bountie then in all reason wee should rather give thankes for what we have thē grudge for that which wee want With this consideration Moses repressed the murmuring of Korah and his company Seemeth it but a small thing unto you that the God of Israel hath separated you from the Congregation of Israel to bring you neare unto himselfe to doe the service of the Tabernacle of the Lord and to stand before the Congregation to minister unto them And hee hath brought thee neare unto him and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee and seeke yee the Priesthood also Numb 16.9 10. And so if any shall murmur for want of greater prefermēt I may say unto them in the phrase of Moses God hath done well for you already he hath put you into a calling among his people in which yee may live like honest men and by seruing God therin may obtaine eternall life Is this but a small thing will nothing content you unlesse you may be Counsellors or Barons or Iustices or some great Commanders And if any grudge for want of greater wealth I may say God hath given you competent meanes ye want not bread and water to feed you nor clothes to hide your shame And thinke yee this but a small thing will nothing content you unlesse yee may have a Gentlemans Lands or an Aldermans wealth And againe if any shal repine for want of more health and strength of body I may tell them God hath given you your life and preserved you many daies and continued unto you your senses and memories And seemeth this but a small thing will nothing please you unless ye may haue the strength of a souldier And the like may bee said of all other the like cases so that if any grudge for want of greater or better gifts God may challenge him as a neglecter of greater mercies then hee is any way worthy of 3 Such men should cōsider that God bestoweth his blessings as with great difference so with much wisedome and mercy And 1. with much wisdome because hee so ordereth them as that each one serveth for the good of another so that it is far better there should bee some Artificers and some Labourers and some Servants then that all should be Gentlemen or Officers of State And 2. in great mercle because hee hath not onely given us the use of other mens gifts but also because hee doth fit us with those gifts for our selves which are most convenient for our condition Wee reade of the great householder and this householder is the Lord of heaven that having called for his servants that he might deliver to them his goods to trade with hee gave to one five talents and to another two and to another one and to every one according to his several ability Mat. 25.15 which speech implyeth thus much that he that received one talent was not able to imploy two to his Masters profit and hee that received two was not able to deale with five for every one had his measure according to his ability And the meaning of this parable is to teach us that God dealeth so with us in disposing of his gifts Hee storeth his servants with gifts according as hee seeth they are fitted to use them For example Hee giveth to some men great wealth and much riches as hee did to Abraham and Iob and to others much honour and authoritie as he did to Ioseph and Daniel and to others much strength and valour as hee did to Sampson and Ieptah and this hee did in great wisdome and mercy because hee saw these men were fit to doe good with these gifts Iob. 29.12 13 15 16. 31.16 17 19.20 as namely Iob with his wealth fed the poore clothed the naked made the widowes heart to reioyce c. And (a) Gen. 41 56 57. 47.25 50.20 Ioseph by his authoritie was a meanes to save much people alive And (b) Iudg. 15 18. Sampson by his great strength wrought great deliverance for Israel And so now a dayes when God giveth wealth and honours and strength unto men wee may well suppose that he had made those men able to use these gifts to good purpose saving that men out of their corrupt hearts doe many times pervert the right use of Gods gifts And so on the contrary God giveth to some men but little wealth and hee hath reason for it because if they had much they would abuse it to pride or to oppression or to hinder themselves in holy duties To others he giveth a low or a meane place among their Neighbours and it is because if they had a place of authority they would abuse it either to serve great mens turnes or to oppresse poore men in their causes or to do iniustice to their Neighbours And to others God giueth a weak constitution and a sickly body and it is because if they had greater strength they might abuse it to intemperancy or unclean lusts or would take occasion by it to grow presumptuous of long life carelesse of heaven and salvation or to challenge the field upon everie idle quarrell Now if in such case God deny us these things of the world because he meaneth us more good by the want of them then we could have had by their use then we have great cause to blesse God as for giving the other good things which we doe enioy so for denying us these seeming good things which we did desire Thus David did It is good for mee saith he that I have beene afflicted that I might learne thy statutes Psal 119.71 and so should every one of us think and say It is good for mee that I am a private man that so I may serve God and bee free from the tentations of greater places and it is good for me that I have a meane estate that so I may serve God without the cares and distractions that great riches do bring with them And It is good for me that I have a sickly body that so I may remember mine end and prepare for my departing out of the world And so in all other cases if wee doe not neglect our owne mercies that state is best for us which God doth allot unto us and if our provision had been better in the world our condition might have beene worse toward God Thus much for the first use of these Doctrines 2 The second is Vse 2 Wee may learne hence how to price and esteem the gifts of other men namely that wee acknowledge their due worth and value wheresoever or in whomsoever wee finde them For if God doe distribute his gifts in such manner and with such wisedome as hath been shewed then either to deny them where they are or to debase them below their worth were no better then to thwart God in an especiall
God hath given unto men a measure of good things and hath tempered their gifts with many other defects it is easie to see that they are both indebted to God for that which they have and stand in neede of his dayly favour for supplying of that which they want And consequently this different disposing of Gods gifts may teach us both to think humbly of our selves and thankfully of God 3 A third reason may be because God would give men occasiō of mutuall love charity each to other For if one man had all things hee would neither have neede to receive helpe from others not care to doe good unto thē of whom he had no neede But now that one man hath one abilitie and another man another abilitie and no man hath all nor any man nothing men are hereby made fit both to do good to others and to receive good from them back againe This the Apostle observed in the parts of mans body that the eye cannot say to the hand I have no need of thee nor the head to the feet I have no neede of you but that God hath so tempered the bodie together that there should be noschisme in the body but that the members should have the same care one for another 1. Cor. 12.21 24 25. And so we see it is for the eye seeth not for it selfe onely but for the whole body and the eare heareth not for it selfe but for all the other members and so the stomack doth concoct meate and the liver makes blood and the heart engenders spirits and the feet move themselves and each one doth his proper office not for his owne use but for the use of all the other parts and by this meanes every one enioyeth all the perfections that all the rest have And so it is in the civill bodie The King enacteth Laws constituteth Iudges mustereth souldiours it is not for his owne safetie onely but for the safetie of the whole Realme without whose welfare he could not long enioy his Crowne And so the Preacher studieth the Scriptures not onely to enforme himselfe but to instruct others and the Counsellor studieth the Law not onely that hee may plead for himselfe but more especially for his Clients and the Shoomaker maketh shooes the Tailorgarments and each artificer the worke of his calling that when they have done their worke they may disperse their own commodities abroad and by the sale of them supplie themselves with the commodities of other Trades wherein they have no skill And hereby it appeareth that there is great reason and much wisdome to be seene in this varietie and difference of Gods gifts it remaineth now onely that we make a right vse of it And it may serve us for two uses 1 We may learne contentation with our owne place and gifts and 2 We should set a due valuation of the gifts bestowed on other men without grudging or repining Vse 1 I. We should hēce learne to be contented with that place in which God hath set us with those gifts which God hath bestowed upon us For if God have disposed his gifts in different manner for such good and important reasons and more especially in such provident sort as is most for our owne advantage then wee have great cause to let God alone with his owne both wise and gratious dealing This lesson is most applicable to Murmurers and impatient people such as are discontented with their own lot grumble at the welfare of others Such were those Laborers in the Gospel who having received their full paie yet murmured against the Master of the house Mat. 20.11 because he had given as much to them that wrought hut one houre as he had done to themselves who as they say had borne the burden and heate of the day And such are they in our daies who grudge to see their equalls preferred thēselves sit still where they were or to see their neighbors thrive in wealth and themselves to goe slowly forward or to see others respected abroad when themselves are passed by and neglected And not unlike to these are they also who grudge against God because their places are meane and their maintenance too small for men of such parts and abilities Such men for stilling of their querulous natures should consider these three things 1 That they have no right to that which they do so greedily desire For all things are Gods and he may dispose them at his pleasure The earth is the Lords and the fulnesse thereof Psal 24.1 Every beast of the forest is his and the cattell that be upon a thousand hills Psal 50.10 The silver is mine and the gold is mine saith the Lord of hosts Hagg. 2.8 And thine saith David O Lord is the greatnesse and the power and the glorie and the victorie and the Maiestie for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is thine thine is the kingdome O Lord and thou art exalted as head above all 1 Chron. 29.11 And if all be Gods why doth man laie claime to any thing as his due Or if nothing be due to him why should hee grudge for want of that whereto he hath no right Sure it was a reasonable speech of the good-man of the house when he answered the grumbling Labourer Is it not lawfull for me to doe what I will with mine owne Mat. 20.15 And so if any of us shall murmure because others are advanced to offices when we sit still in our place below God may answer us with the like reason Is it not lawfull for mee to doe what I will with mine owne preferments And if any grumble because others grow rich when themselves remaine poore God may answer them It is not lawfull for me to doe what I will with mine owne riches And if againe they shall grudge because others are esteemed and themselves are neglected hee may answer Is it not lawfull for me to doe what I will with mine own honours And finally if our present state content us not but that wee grumble for more then God hath thought good to give he may still reply and the answer is full of equitie and reason Freind I do thee no wrong may not I doe what I will with mine owne And sure every man would thinke him a proud presumptuous Begger that should prescribe to his Benefactor what and how much hee should bestow upon him And therefore if any should grudge because he hath no more God may challenge him as an Incrocker upon his right 2 Malecontents should consider that the things which they have how small so ever they seeme are the free gifts of Gods mercy the least whereof themselves did no way deserve and for everie one of them they owe praises and thankesgiving For what hast thou saith the Apostle that thou hast not received 1 Cor. 4.7 and David when hee and his people had given liberally to the building of Gods house All things saith he come of thee O
but because his owne workes are evill and his neighbours good And what then may we say of such men but that if God be good in bestowing his gifts these men are wicked that maligne and debase them Our rule is If any man excell in any gift in sharpnesse of wit in readinesse of speech in uprightnesse of life wee should blesse God who hath bestowed such a gift on one of our brethren the benefit whereof may redound to our selves also 2 A second rule is If we see any though otherwise much our inferiour yet that he is gifted in some one kinde better then our selves we should acknowledge him therein to be our superiour because God hath pleased to make him so and not disdaine to receive helpe from him in that wherein he is above us Thus Apollos did of whom S. Luke relateth thus A certaine Iew named Apollos an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures came to Ephesus This man was instructed in the way of the Lord and being fervent in the Spirit hee spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord knowing onely the baptisme of Iohn And he began to speake boldly in the Synagogue whom when Aquila Priscilla had heard they tooke him unto them and expounded unto him the waie of God more perfectly Act 18.24 25 26. In this passage we may consider 1 the facultie or abilitie of this man Hee was an eloquent man mighty in the Scriptures fervent in the Spirit and one that taught Christ diligently and boldly great blessings and principall gifts of God 2 We may consider this defect notwithstanding his great gifts He knew onely the Baptisme of Iohn .i. he had not been taught nor did know more of Christ than what Iohn B. was woont to teach them that came to his baptisme and that was but a little in cōparisō either of that which Christ himselfe did teach while hee was on the Earth or which the holy Ghost had infused into the Beleevers after Christs Ascension into heaven so that Aquila and Priscilla a plaine couple of Christians brought up at an handiecraft knew more of the grounds of Christianitie then this learned man did Apollos was otherwise of farre better parts yet in this point hee came short of an Artificer and his wife 3 We may note the behaviour of these good people in this case Apollos ioyned himselfe to Aquila and Priscilla they expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly Though hee were a learned Divine yet hee scorned not to learne more from them that were much short of his learning And so should wee doe The deepe Scholar should not disdaine the plaine Preacher but rather learne of him if he can apply a Scripture better then himselfe And the popular Preacher that carieth multitudes after him should not maligne the better learned but rather learne of him if he can dispute more solidely then himselfe And the rich Citizen and the great Merchant may not contemne the direction of his poore neighbour but learne frō him if he have more skill in some cases then they which be his superiours have And this is our dutie in this case I would I might say that so is our practise also But Solomon telleth us that when a City was besieged without strength to hold out a poore man by his wisdome deliuered the Citie but withall that there was none that remembred that poore man and then hee addeth further as a daily experiment that the poore mans wisedome is despised and his words are not heard Eccles. 9.15 16. implying hereby that the poore mans wisdome is not only forgotten when he hath done good by it but that it is neglected also when he giveth good counsell for the present occasion And so we finde in the Gospell that Christs Doctrine was contemned because his parentage was meane Luke 4.22 24. And iust so it is now a daies many a mans good counsell is despised because himselfe is of meane place and despicable condition And in this respect wee have iust cause to blame many men but their pride is intolerable who thinke they may reproch their Reverend fathers because God is no Accepter of persons and yet despise their brethren because they are somewhat younger in yeares though no whit their inferiour in gifts Our rule is that though a man be otherwise our inferiour yet if he have some one ability in which we come short of him we should therein acknowledge him to bee our better and not scorne to make use of his gifts for our owne good 3 A third rule is If any man bee much our inferiour either in calling or in graces yet we may not despise his meanenesse because of our greater and better endowments For if God in wisedome did see it fit and in mercy hath so appointed it for the cōmon good that one should have both a lower place and some meaner gifts and another should have both an higher calling and better endowments it will be our wisdome I am sure it is our dutie to acknowledge Gods providence and goodnesse as well in the meaner as in the greater and more honorable callings My meaning is not that the labourer should be equalled with the Master workemā nor the serving man with his Lord or master nor the artificer with the Merchāt nor the Commoner with the Alderman No God as I said before hath made a difference and set a distance betweene them and farre be it from mee to breake downe Gods pale and partition wall I wish that every one may enioy the eminēcie that God hath bestowed upon him but I say withall that the poorest hath his station and his place among his neighbors which because God hath invested him into men may not without sinne thrust him out of it For example the poorest man that is hath three prerogatives given him from God 1 God hath made him a man endued with a reasonable soule and portraied out after Gods owne Image and wee may not denie him a right in those things which belong to life and livelihood and are due to the nature of mankinde Secōdly God hath made him a Christian and hath imparted unto him the merits and the redemption of Iesus Christ and wee may not denie unto him a right to the word and to the Sacraments salvation Thirdly God hath made him a member of the Common-wealth and hath appointed him a Calling in which he may doe service for the common good wee may not denie him the protection of laws the right of a subiect And therefore if wee despise any such man as if he were no-body and stood only for a Cypher in the account we shall thereby dishonor God who with much wisedome and in great mercy hath appointed him to be what hee is To this purpose Solomon saith He that mocketh the poore reproacheth him that made him Prov. 〈…〉 that if any man contemne the poore because hee is poore or of low degree the reproach cast against the creature lighteth
upon the Creator who hath made him to be such And so and by the same reason I may say If any man contemne a plaine Christian because he is not quick-witted or an honest meaning man because he is not hot-spirited or a countrey bred man because he is not civilized or a Citizen because he is not of a Gentle race or an Artificer because hee is not in place of command or a Day-labourer because he is not free of the Citie c. every such scorner of his poore neighbour reproacheth God himself whose good pleasure it is as wel that some should bee in meane places as that other should have higher and all for the good of the Church and the honour of the Almighty And from hence it is that Iob saith that hee despised not the cause of his man-servant nor of his maid-servant whē they contended with him Iob 31.13 And ver 15. he giveth a reason for it For saith he did not hee that made me in the wombe make him and did not one fashion us in the wombe And in like sort should wee say and doe We may despise no mans place or calling as long as it is of Gods making But if wee have to deale with a servant or the poorest boy about the streets we must acknowledge him not only a creature whom God hath endued with an immortallsoule nor onely respect him as a Christiā whō God hath appointed to be heire of eternal life but also as a mēber of the cōmon-wealth or church who in his place may doe service for the common good And consequently we may deny no man the right that belongeth to such a place and calling And this againe is our dutie but where is our practise answerable therunto Surely Ahab thought Naboth unworthy of so good a vine-yard as might bee fit to make a Kings gardon And therefore hee and his Queene turned Naboth out of his inheritance nay took him away out of the world that they might enioy his possessions And so now a daies there be men that thinke lands and inheritances to be too good for an Hospitall and Lordships and Honors not to be sit for a cōpany of Students what say they should Almesmen doe with such dignities as may better beseeme a Lord or a Gentleman And so they do at least they would turne them out of their inheritances to feed upon the bare Common Againe the Prophets cōplaine of the Iudges of their time that they did not judge no◠not the cause of the fatherlesse and the widow And so among 〈◊〉 if a poore neighbour should have a controversie with a rich merchant or a shop-keeper with an Alderman or a common subject with a Lord or a Privie Counsellor yee would easily ghesse which way the ballāce would be swayed It is seldome seen but that the greatnes of the person weigheth down the goodnes of the cause and the poore man is not permitted to enjoy the benefit of the Law the libertie of the Land where he liveth Againe Nathan telleth David in a parabolicall resemblance that a Rich man tooke away the only lambe which a poore man had that therwith he might give entertainement to his friend But in our daies wee finde it in reall performance that Great men doe not seldome take away the poore mans right to defraie their owne charges Nay our age proceedeth yet further in this impietie It may be seene in moe Parishes then one that Great men thinke their poore neighbours unworthy of any seate in the Church and thrust them out of their fathers house that thēselves may bee placed alone in the chiefest roomes a parallell example whereto I have not yet found either in Scriptures or in humane stories and I pray God it may spread no further thē to the distempered people of this corrupt age But howsoever our rule is If God have given us superioritie or eminēcie above others we may enioy it with Gods good will and liking but so as that wee forget not that our poorest neighbours are men are Christians are mēbers of the civil Body and therefore wee cannot without wronging of men and dishonoring of God denie them those priviledges which belong to such places And thus much for the first Note and the two points of doctrine arising from it Secondly Note 2 I note that though Peter and Iohn had their severall gifts and each not a little differing from other yet they quarrelled not one the other nor did one seeke to out-vie and obscure his fellow but like friends with one heart and minde they went out together they ranne both together and both of them came to the sepulchre and looked in and beheld what had happened and having done what they came for they departed like loving friēds to their own home By all which it appeareth that though they had differing gifts yet they had agreeing mindes and did ioyne together in seeking after Christ And hence the Observation is that Good Christians and true disciples of Christ must not breake the unity of the Spirit Obs 3 for any diuersitie of gifts Or more briefely thus Differēce of gifts should not breed in us distraction of minds The proofes that I will bring for further confirmation of this point are of two sorts 〈◊〉 such as conclude the point in the generall extent and 2 such as prove it by severall and particular instances I. Proofe 1 And first for generall proofes wee have a plaine place in the Apostle 1 Cor. 12.24 25. The words are God hath tempered the body together having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked that there should be us schisme in the body But that the members should have the same care one for another In these words we may note three things for our purpose 1 Gods workmanship in framing the naturall body he hath tempered it together saith the Apostle hee meaneth that as God hath made severall parts each of which hath its different office so hee hath fitted and if I may so speake hath sodered thē together in such sort as every one doth serve for the use and benefit of another 2 Gods wisdome in framing this temper that is he hath so tempered it that hee hath given the more abundant honour to that part which lacked .i. whereas some parts were of meaner use or lesse comely feature hee hath withall graced them with some other priviledge that may procure them as much honour For example If any part be noysome and unseemely to looke on he hath set that in such a corner as where it may bee hid and removed from the senses And if any part bee made to serve for a base or meane office he hath made it to bee of so much the more necessary use so that a man may better spare an eye or an hand or an eare thē the smallest sinke-hole by which the filth of the body is purged Thus God shewed great wisdome in tempering the whole body with some proportionable