the wealth both of this world and of the world to come is theirs as hauing nothing saith the Apostle and yet possessing all things though it be for their good also with-held from them for a while The wicked in right haue iust nothing hauing made forfeiture of all though it please God not to take euer the aduantage of it instantly where he doth not man may not They are but intruders vpon and vsurpers of Gods goods and shall one day answer for their vsurpation and abuse of them or entercommoners by sufferance with Gods children and seruants whom he principally intendeth them vnto or Stewards and Treasurers as oft-times for the good of the Godly And for Reversion to omit what he hath in present possession besides spirituall riches of worldly wealth as much as he hath neede of as much as it is good for him to haue Euery Godly man as he is Rich in faith so he is far richer by Faith For by it he holdeth and hath right to the reversion of such an euerlasting inheritance reserued for him in the Heauens as cannot be purchased with all the wealth of this world and as goeth in worth farther beyond all the wealth of this world than the purest gold doth the drossiest durt And thus haue we seene both that Godlinesse is gainefull and wherein the Gaine thereof doth consistst Now the Vse hereof is two-fold for Exhortation for Examination For Exhortation first to stirre vp all men to labour and take paines to get Godlinesse All men gape after Gaine It is almost euery ones song that the Psalmist hath Quis ostendet nobis boni aliquid Who will tell vs of any matter of gaine and commoditie Hearken saith one well yee sonnes of Adam a couetous race an ambitious brood Here is Honor and true Honor here is Gaine and true Gaine such as the world cannot shew the like Gaine without any losse to or hindrance of any here is good Gaine and great Gaine here is infinite gettings Labour for Godlinesse labour to get and keepe a good Conscience It is the gainfull'st Trade in the world Who so followeth this Trade shall not venture vpon vncertainties he shall be sure to thriue and to get infinite Gaine For He that followeth after righteousnesse as a man followeth a trade shall finde Honour and Life true Honour and eternall Life And here come there two sorts of men to be admonished First the Rich that they content not themselues with their worldly wealth but that they seeke withall to get the true spirituall Riches that themselues may be rich and not their purse or their chest only that they may not be rich to the world onely but rich also to God Else their earthly Gaine will proue their losse their worldly wealth will be but a meanes to hinder their happines by keeping them out of Heauen where alone is true and entire happinesse to be had It is that which our Sauiour himselfe saith of the worldly Rich man that hath nothing to trust vnto but his riches for so to his Apostles he expoundeth it himselfe that It is easier for e a Camell or as some read the word a cable rope to passe through the eye of a Needle than for such a rich man to enter into the kingdome of Heaven As if our Sauiour should haue said It is as easie a matter nay an easier to thred a small Spanish Needle with a thicke Cable or a great Cart-rope then to get such a Rich man in at heauen gate That great bunched beast a Camell may as soone yea sooner be driuen through an needles narrow eye than such a rich man be drawne vnto God and be brought into the state of Grace For so the most and the best reade it and it is an ordinarie by word both with Syrians Greeks when they speake of a thing that they thinke altogither impossible to say An Elephant or a Camell may as soone creepe through an Needles eye as this or that come to passe But not so soone saith our Sauiour but sooner may that be done which with man is altogither impossible than such worldly rich men attaine to true happinesse Christ saith the Apostle became poore to make vs Rich. How became he poore saith one of the Ancients â—â— how maketh he vs rich The same Apostle saith 〈◊〉 sheweth vs and expoundeth himselfe where he saith He that knew no sinne for our sake became sinne by taking vpon him the guilt of our sinne that we might become the Righteousnes of God in him And indeed to speake properly and precisely as the truth is not as the world but as God reckneth the onely pouertie is Sinfulnesse and Righteousnesse the right Riches And the rich man therefore that hath not a religious heart is but like proud Laodicea a poore beggarly wretch in Gods sight and in the sight of those that see so as he seeth howsoeuer he may seeme rich and glorious in worldly mens eyes Yea to him that hath it too that is both rich and religious may we well say as our Sauiour did to his Disciples when they vaunted at their returne from preaching the Gospell that euen the Diuels were subdued vnto them Reioyce yee not herein that the Diuels are subdued vnder you so were they vnder Iudas too but herein reioyce that you haue your names entred in heauen So reioyce not herein that thou art rich to the world or that thou art great in the world and hast others vnder thee and at thy command that thou art clad gorgeously and farest deliciously for so did that reprobate Rich man in the Gospell but herein reioyce that thou art rich vnto God and in his sight that thou fearest and seruest God and labourest to keepe a good conscience that thou art a carefull dispenser and faithfull disposer of that treasure that God hath entrusted thee withall Then thou art truely Rich when thou art sincerely religious when thou art truly righteous Secondly the poore they are likewise to be admonished to labour for Godlinesse that though they be not rich to the world they may be rich yet to God and their worldly pouertie shall be no hindrance to their spirituall preferment For God saith the Apostle hath chosen the poore of this world to be rich in grace and heires of his kingdome And here is great comfort for the poore man that liueth a godly life and maketh Conscience of his courses hath a care to please God and to doe his will in all things and to approue himselfe and his wayes to him walking faithfully and painfully in the works of his calling be it neuer so meane that though he be neuer so poore and bare though he liue but from hand to mouth as we say yea though
than any wealth So Gaine gotten with the breach or hazard of a good Conscience when it is mammona iniquitatis the Mammon of iniquitie or merces iniquitatis the wages of wickednesse it is no Gaine but losse indeede It is as the Greekes say of a Bow Life in name but Death indeede so Gaine in name but Losse in deede Heathen themselues so esteemed it not Christian men onely Since that a man doth in these cases but as that Romane Emperor had wont to say fish with a golden hooke and that for a googeon he hazardeth more than his whole prey though he catch it and he may misse of his purpose therein too can make amends for it if it miscarry be that he get and gaine neuer so much And for a man to get and gaine neuer so much one way if by the compassing of it he loose far more an other way it is in truth no Gaine at all For this cause as the Apostle asketh the Question Quid profuit What profit had yee then of those things whereof you are now ashamed nay for which now you should be damned if you had your desert for the end of such things is death And the damned Spirits demand of themselues Quid prodest What profit haue we now of all our profits and pleasures that we enioyed in the world when we are hurled headlong into hell So our Sauiour himselfe asketh Quid proderit What will it profit a man to winne the whole world and destroy himselfe or loose his owne soule to get all the world beside himselfe but by gaining it to loose himselfe for euery mans soule is euery mans selfe to doe as Ionas that suffred himselfe to be cast ouerbord into the sea that the ship with her lading when he is lost may come safe to the shore On the other side as another saith For a man handsomely to refuse money and forgo gaine it is no small gaine sometime So for a man in some case to forgo his gaine to refuse gold to neglect his owne good though so to do may seeme â—olly when Game and Godlinesse will not agree togither when lucrum in arca facit damnum in conscientia and lucrum pecuniae dispendium â—it animae when profit in a mans purse would procure a broach in his Conscience and the gaine of gold proue the break-neck of his soule such refusall of gaine is the greatest Gaine that can be For saith an ancient Father well To let goe though neuer so great a matter for the compassing of a greater is no loosing bargaine but a gainefull negotiation To which purpose the Apostle Paul hauing related what a great man he might haue bin among his owne People had he held on in Iudaisme as he began he concludeth at length that he deemed all that and all else but as losse and as drosse and donge as some Grammarians expound the word there vsed as Dogs-meat or as others rather as Dogs-donge in regard of the assurance of Gods sauour toward him in Christ the hold he had of him his conformitie with him and his interest in him Secondly Worldly 〈◊〉 may be aâ— occasion of euill to vs from others Godâ—â—esse â—â—â—â—r but of good Riches I say proue oâ—t their owners owne bane his vtter 〈…〉 and oâ—â—â—â—â—row I haue seene riches saith Salomen reserued to the hurt of him that hath them They make their owners life oft-time to be laid for It was the Heathen mans obseruation that Tyrannies deale with their subiects and seruants as men are wont to do with bottles which they let stand vnder the tap till they be filled and hang them vp so soone as they be full or as with Spunges which they suffer to lye soaking till they haue sucked in some good store of water and then squize them out againe Naboth might well haue liued longer had it not bin for his vineyard but that was it that shortned his dayes and brought him to an vntimely death And This saith Salomon is the course of euery one that is greedy of gaine to come by it he would take the life away of those that are possessed of it It is not empty barks or poore fisher-boats but ships returning with treasure that Pyrates seeke to surprize It is the fat Grasier or the rich Clothier not the poore pedler or the bare passenger that is in danger of loosing lim and life in his owne defence against theeues But Godlinesse is neuer an occasion of any euill but of all good to him that hath it It is the surest fort and fence it is the firmest armour of proofe against all euils that may be For Who will harme you saith the Apostle if you follow that that is good Who will harme you Nay Who can harme you For some would it may be if they could so peruersely and malitiously-minded that they hate the godly euen for this cause because they be godly and because they follow that that is good But if God be with them who can be against them who can hurt them who can harme them Men may attempt to wrong them and wrong themselues while they thinke to wrong them but them they cannot wrong Though others may seeme to wrong them yet are they not wronged no not when they are murthred because they are nouer a whit the worse for their wrongs No hurt therefore not an haires harme can be fall a man for being good or by being godly no euill can accrew vnto any by it No euill can but much good may yea all good shall For All things worke togither and conspire in one for the good of the godly of these that loue God and whom he loueth Omnia What all things saith an ancient Father as if he could hardly beleeue it or made some doubt of it Etiam mala â— what euen euills and afflictions too Mala 〈◊〉 Yea saith he euen euills and afflictions 5 bonis bona malis mala though euill to the wicked yet good they are yea exceeding good to the godly For Audi Apostolum audi vas electionis Heare what the Apostle saith heare what the elect vessell of God saith This light and momentanie affliction that is but for an instant procureth vnto vs an exceeding excessiue eternall weight of glory He moueth the question the second time as not fully resolued Omnia what all things etiam peccatum euen spirituall euils euen sinne it selfe too And he maketh answer againe Etiam peccatum ipsum tametsi non bonuÌ„ tamen in bonum Yea euen sinne it selfe though it be not of it selfe good yet it tendeth to their good to the good of all Gods elect For heare what the Apostle saith of himselfe There was a splint left in
them in goodnes and godlinesse Thirdly men would be more affected with it if they supposed any matter of Gaine to be in it The couetous miser saith the Heathen man while the people either curse or hiâ—â—e at him abroad yet he pleaseth and cheereth himselfe the whilest with the sight or the consideration of his substance at home It doth a man good at the very heart euen to thinke vpon his riches and but to looke vpon his treasure It will make our hearts to spring and leap within vs for ioy to haue sodaine newes brought vs of some rich legacie or large patrimonie by some meanes befallen vs. But of this spirituall wealth and gaine most men are meerely stupide and senseles No more moued commonly or affected when either if any time at least they so do they thinke on it or when they heare it spoken of in the Pulpit then as a Philosopher said sometime of an ignorant Dolâ—â—itting in the Theater where the seats were of marble that One stone sate vpon an other then I say either the benches that they sit vpon or the pillers that they leane against Not once stirred at all to heare of the heauenly inheritance or of holinesse the meanes that must bring them to heauen yea that worketh in mens hearts a kinde of heauen vpon earth and giueth Christian men seizin of heauen euen while they liue here An euident argument that either they beleeue not the Gaine of it or they beleeue not themselues to haue any share in it Fourthly men would be oft taking account of their Gaines in this kinde of their thriuing in Godlinesse if they held Godlinesse to be so gainefull Worldly men are very frequent and diligent herein very carefull to keepe their bookes of receipt and expense poaring euer and anon on them running oft ouer their reckonings and casting vp their accounts to see how they thriue or pare in the world how they goe forward or backward in wealth But where we shall finde a man that hath the like care of keeping casting vp his spiritual accounts of examining himselfe for his spirituall estate how he thriueth or pareth with the graces of Gods Spirit how he goeth forward or backward in goodnes or Godlinesse And yet would our care be alike for either did we equally apprehend the gaine of either But let vs looke vnto it For whither we call our selues to account here or no God will questionlesse one day call vs to an account And then not onely the prodigall Sonne and the vnfaithfull Steward that hath the one vnthriftily lauished out his patrimonie and the other riotously wasted his masters wealth but the idle and vnprofitable Seruant toâ— that hath not gained with his Talent that hath not thriuen with the Grace of God bestowed on him shall be bound hand and foot and cast out into vtter darknes where shall be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth Fiftly men would make more account of Godlinesse if they counted it as Gaine Did they indeed account Godlinesse more gainefull than Gaine they would not put Godlinesse away for Gaine they would not prefer Gaine before Godlinesse Yea did they deeme Godlinesse the gainfullest thing in the world they would not forgo Godlinesse for a world of wealth or for ought else that were in the world But it is with it as it is with Time It is a common saying in euery mans mouth that There is nothing in the world more precious than Time and yet there is nothing generally more trifled away than it So of Godlinesse the most will in word at least acknowledge that there is nothing in the world more gainefull than it and yet the most of them that so say sticke not to make it away for meere trifles Godly they are content to be for aduantage so long as Godlines bringeth in any worldly Gaine with it or so long as there is no hope of any the like Gaine by vngodlinesse But let Godlinesse cease to bring in such Gaine they grow soone weary of it or let but the least hope of such Gaine by vngodlinesse shew it self they are ready presently to exchange Godlinesse for it What should it auaile a man saith our Sauiour to winne the whole world and loose his owne soule It were no Gaine for a man to get the whole world by vngodlinesse since he must withall loose himselfe his life his soule for his labour But we are ready and willing the most of vs to part with Godlinesse and forgo good Conscience for far lesse matters then that commeth to for a penny or an halfe-penny toy now and then to exchange it for some small peece or patch of the world for some sory snip or stired of the pelfe of it or for ought else that we haue some fond fancie vnto the couetous worldling for a litle temporarie treasure and the lasciuious wanton for a litle transitorie pleasure like prophane Esâ—â— that sold his birth-right for a messe of broth and Salomons vniust iudge that would d◠〈…〉 〈◊〉 a 〈…〉 seâ—â— of bread and the false Prophets in Eechiels time that would pollute Gods name for an handfull of barly That which euidently sheweth at how low a rate most men value Godlinesse For as a scoffing companion sometime told the Bishop that would giue him his blessing when he would not giue him an halfe-penny that If his blessing had bin worth an halfe-penny he should not haue had it So if worldly men thought Godlinesse and the Feare and Fauour of God worth but an halfe-penny they would not venture to put either away for an halfe-penny matter they would not so readily exchange either for trifles did they not make but a trifling matter of either Neither may the greater sort of such men auoide this imputation and wash their hands with Pilate from the soile of this sinne because they are wont to make Godlinesse away for greater matters To omit that euen the greatest of them will beare no weight at all if they be laid in the ballance against Godlinesse when the whole world it selfe is too light to weigh against it Thou thy selfe who euer thou art wilt cry out shame on some poore silly wretch that shall forsweare himselfe and so damne his soule as thou thy selfe saist for a penny when thou dost thy selfe it may be in effect as much for somewhat more But do thou consider as Aristippus sometime told Plato that a penny may be as much to him as a pound is to thee and a pound no more with thee than a penny with him and therefore doest thou value Godlinesse at as low a rate in stretching and straining of thy Conscience for the one as he in tentering it for the other Lastly men would be content to take more paines for the compassing and increasing of it in themselues if they held Godlinesse to be gainefull Men can well endure to sit telling and
faithfull make the name of God their strong towre wherevnto they resort in time of trouble for safetie the worldly rich man maketh his wealth his bulwark fence wherevpon he reposeth himselfe and wholy relyeth It must of necessitie follow herevpon that as the Apostle saith of the fleshly-minded man that his belly is his God so of the worldly-minded man that his money or his penny is his God And if his Money be his God his Gaine must needs be his Godlinesse But the Apostle here telleth vs a quite contrary tale and learneth vs here a flat opposite lesson that howsoeuer worldly men may thinke that Gaine is Godlinesse yet in deed and truth it is not so but Godlinesse rather is Gaine and great Gaine So that the Apostle doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 propositionem invertere he turneth the proposition cleane backward and bringeth it about as it were Gaine is Godlinesse saith the worldly man Nay Godlinesse is Gaine and great Gaine saith the Apostle and the Spirit of God by him But this peraduenture will seeme a Paradox as strange as the former As very few that will outwardly avow the former so as few are there that are inwardly perswaded of the latter It seemeth a Paradox with the most For Godlinesse great Gaine may some man say The contrary rather seemeth vndoubted and vndeniable to wit that Godlinesse is a great enemie to Gaine Balaam lost great wealth and honor because he would not disobey the word of God I had thought saith Balak to haue aduanced thee and made thee a great man but thy God hath kept thee from honour Michah might haue bin a great man in Ahabs bookes and very richly and royally rewardâ—d by him if he would haue spoken but two words onely as some other did if he would but haue said Goe vp in peace But his Godlinesse hindred his Gaine and not so onely but was a meane to bring him into much trouble So that it may seeme that Godlinesse is altogither gainelesse and Vngodlinesse the more gainefull of the two For the Merchants of Tyre and Zidon for lucre and gaine straine courtesie with Gods commandement to vtter their fish and wares on the Sabbath And no doubt of it Gods children if they would not be so strict and strait laced if they would not stand vpon nice points and termes if they would not sticke to lye and dissemble with Ananias and Sapphira to belye and beguile as Ziba Mephibosheths man did his Master to sweare and forsweare with prophane Antiochus to steale and purloine with yong Micah of Mount Ephraim to oppresse and murther when they haue ius in manibus the law in their owne hands with wicked Ahab and cursed Iezabel they might as well come to wealth as many worldly men do that scrape and gather much goods togither by these meanes But they may well say as the Psalmist saith For thy sake O Lord are we counted fooles because we stand so much vpon matter of conscience Holy Paul saith he might haue done this and that but he would not because he would not make the Gospell euill spoken of And the keeping of a mans word turneth oft-times to his losse The godly man sweareth and faileth not though it be to to his owne hindrance that which a worldly man will not willingly do So that it may seeme then that Godlinesse is rather a great enemie to Gaine and Vngodlinesse a great deale the more gainfull But those that define Losse and Gaine on this wise do not try them by the right touch-stone do not weigh them out in the Ballance of the Sanctuarie at the Beame of Gods word and therefore no maruaile if they take the false Riches for the true Treasure For man indeed had auctoritie giuen him to name the Creatures and he hath named worldly Wealth Gaine But God that is aboue man and that gaue man this auctoritie he hath named Godlinesse Gaine and not Wealth As the Apostle therefore saith God is not slacke as men count slacknes so Godlinesse is not Gaine as men count Gaine but as God counteth Gaine For man seeth not as God seeth nor thinketh as God thinketh But as those things that are pretious in mans eyes are abominable in Gods sight so those things that are contemptible in the eyes of man are of high account many times in the sight of God And euery thing is not as man valueth it but as God esteemeth it not as man reckneth it who is vanitie it selfe and therefore may easily be deceiued yea oft-times deceiueth himselfe but as God rateth it who neither doth deceiue any nor can by any be deceiued being Veritie and truth it selfe Either then we must say as God saith or we must say as the World saith Either we must say that Godlinesse is no Gaine or else we must say that Gaine is no Gaine when Godlinesse and Gaine shall stand forth togither either in way of comparison the one with the other or in way of opposition the one vnto the other Now when Godlinesse and Gaine shall in this manner contend that Godlinesse ought to haue the day of it will euidently appeare if it may be shewed vnto vs First that Godlines is Gaine rather than Gaine and Secondly wherein this Gaine of Godlinesse doth consist For the former to wit that Godlinesse is rather to be accounted Gaine than Gaine may be proued to vs by these three Arguments First Godlinesse may doe a man good without gaine but worldly gaine can do a man no good without godlinesse As the Heathen Orator saith of bodily might that strength of bodie ioyned with discretion and wisdome may do a man much good but without it it is but as a sword in a child or in a mad mans hand rather a meanes to mischiefe a mans selfe than otherwise as we see an example in Milo Crotoniates the strongest man of his time who vnwarily assaying on trust of his strength to riue a peece of timber with his hands which some others with wedge and beetle could not cleaue was caught fast by the fists and so deuoured by Wolues So Riches ioyned with godlinesse and good Conscience are the good blessings of God a meanes of good to our selues and of doing good vnto others but being seuered from godlinesse and the true feare of God are rather occasion of euill than otherwise rather an instrument of vice than any furtherance to virtue a meane to make as our sinnes the greater here so our condemnation accordingly the more grieuous hereafter So that as the Heathen man saith that Gaine gotten by losse or hazard of a mans good name is no gaine but losse because a man looseth therein more then all his gettings can counteruaile since that A good name is as Salomon saith aboue riches and treasure of greater worth