Dirca. 2. Dirdl.3· Dit£[1, 4· IJirc[J. 5· Dirc[J.6, . 9 3• Dind:. 2• To this tHd, acquaint yottr hearts with the greattr ricbeJ nf the life to CIJme-: And then you will meet with true fatisfad:ion. The true hopes of Heaven, will cure your greedy de. fires of earth. You durfl: not then forfeit your part in that perpetual Bleffedncfs, fOr the temporal fupp\y of fame bo.!i\y want : You durll not with Ad•m part with Patadifcfor a forbidden bit; nor as Efa• prophane\y le\\ your birthright for a morfe\. It is the unbe\ief and contempt of Heaven which ma-keth men venture: it for the poor commodities of this world. , §· 4· DircCl:. 3. Be contented 10 }land to Gods dijpofal ; and fuj[er not any carl(!ng difconttntcd tboughu to feed upon yoHr heartJ, When you futfer your minds to run all day long upon your ne· cdlitics and Hraits, the Devil next tempte!h you to think of unlawful courfes to fupply them. He will 01ew you your neighbours money, or goods, or etlares, and tell you, how well it would be with you if this were yours: He il1ewed Achan the Golden Wedge: He told Gehezi how unreafonablc it was that N.1aman1 money and Rayment Chould be refu[ed : He told B11l.1am of the hopes of prefer· ment whi'h he might have with Balak._: He told Jud.sr how to get his thirty pieces: He pcrf\.\•adcd A n.JniM and s.,phir", thit it was bur rcafonable to~ retain part of that which was their own. N.1y, , ommonly it is difcontcnrs and cares which prep:ueth poor wretches for thofc appearances of the De~ vil, which draweth them fO Witchcraft, for the £Uppl)"ing of their . wants. If you took God for your God, you would take him for the fufficient difpofcr of the world, and one that is fiw:r to mea· fure out your plrt of earthly things, than you your felves: And then you would reil in his wifdom, will, and fatherly providence; and not fhift for. your felves by finful means. Difconwuednflj} of mind, and dijlrujl of God, are the caufc of all fuch frauds and injuries. Truft God, and you will have no ne<d of thcfc. ~· 5· Direc1:. 4· Remember what Promifu God bath m•de, for t,e comprtcnt fupply of nU your n>ant!. Gcdlintfs hath t\·c promifc of this life and of that to come : All other things flu\\ be added to you, if you fcek fill\ Gods Kingdom a11d the rightcoufnefs thereof, M•ttfJ, 6. 33· They that fear the Lord fl1a\\ want nothing that is good, Pf•l. 37· All things ilia\\ work together for guod to them that love God ? Rom. 8. 2 g, Let ytJur conver[ation be witbo1tt covetoufnefJ, and be content ~itb fuciJ things ., ye have: for he b;th faia, I wiUnever leave thee nor forfak.,e tbre, Hcb. t3· 5· Live by faith on thefC fufficicnt promifcs, and you need not fteal. ~· 6. Direct. S· Overvalue not the accommodt~tion and pleafurc of the flef/J, and live tt·1t i1t the fr..s of gluttony, drunkptncfi, pride, gaming, or ryotous courflJ, whicb may bring ynu into want, and[o t(} fttk.. unlaJ'9ful maintenance. He that is a fetV.lnt to his flc-{h cannot endure to difpleafe it, nor can· bear the want of'.my thing which it needeth. But he that hath mafiercd and mortified his flefu, can endure its labour and hunger, yea, and death too, if God w·ill have it [o. Large revenues will be too little for a flefuly minded perfon : But a little will fervc him that hath brought it under the powtr of reafon. Magna pars Jibertati-1 tjt bene morqtu.s 'Vtnter~ faith Semca : A wdl nurtllred, fair conditioned belly, is a great part of a mans liberty, bccaufl! an ill·raught and ill-conditioned belly, is one of the bafd\ Oaveries in the world. As a Philofopher faid to Viogcnrs, If thou could!I flatter Dionyfisu, thou ncedefi not eat herbs: Bur, faith Diogems, If thou couldll eat hearbs, rhou nee-deft r.-ot flatter Dion)/fiU: He took this for the harder task: So the Thiefand deceiver will fay to the poor, If you could ~o as we do, you need nor fare fo hardly: Bm a contented poor man may better anfwer him, If you could fare hardly as I do, you need not dccdve or Heal as you do. Aproud perfon, that cannot endure to dwell in a Cottage, or eo be feen in poor or patcht apparel, will be ealily tempted to any unlawful way of getting, to kt:(p him from difgracc, and fen•c his pride: AGlut· ton whofe Heaven is in his throat, mull: needs fare well, how ever hi! cumc by it ; ATiplcr mull: nec<)s have provition for his gu~gle, by right or by wrong. But a humble mm, and a temperate ma11, cail fpare all this, and when he looketh on all tht: proud nuns furnicure, he can blefs himfelf as Socratu did in a F.1ir, with f<!!_am multa font quibur ipfe non egr:o: How m.:ny thin,~J be there, 1tbich I have uo need of: And ht: can pity the {enfual ddlres which others mull: needs fulfil! ; even as a fou11d man picieth anoth<.r that hath lhc itch, or the thirfi of a fick man in a Fcavor, th·Jt cry· eth out fOr drink. As Scnec.J faith, It HVice and not Naturt, whicb needttb nmcb: N<.Jture, and ut· crffity, and duty are contented with a litde. But he that muf\ have thepleafure of his fin, mu!l have provition to maincain that plcafure. Ol!_ench the fire of pride, fi.n[aality add lull, and you may fpare the cofi of fuel, Rom. 13· IJ, t4· & 8. •3· • · 9· 7· Direct. 6. Ljlle not in Idlcne{r or jlJtb: but be laboriozu in y1ur Calliugs tb;Jt you may efcape · that nrcd or poverty whicb. is.the temptation to thU fin of theft· Idlemfs is a crime which is not to be tollerated in Chriitian Societies. 2 Tht.~ 2 . 6, S, 10} 1 r, 12. N 11W wt command j•ou, brethren, iJr tbe namt of our Lord Jc[Uf Chrijl, that y.e withdrdw your ftlves Jfom every brother that walketb diforderly, and not after the traditiw n·bich be received of U1 : For you knew bow ye ought trJ faUI)w ZH; for we bthavcd not om{tlvrJ difordrrly among ) 'OU, neither did n·e tat any numJ bread for nougbt; but JPorf<! n•ilb laho11r and travail night and day, that n·c mifl_IJt not be cbargtablt toany of you: Not btcaufe we h.;ve not porrcr, but toma~e cur Jdt:ts an en[ample to y~u t9 foUo:.v UJ: For when wt wtrc with you, this we commandedyo,, that if any rvould not work, neither j!Jou/d be eat : For we bear that there are ' [ome amo11g :you n:hicbwal~ d.ifordcrly, wor~ing net at all, but are bufit bodiu: Now tbem that are fuch,we command and exhort by fiHr L9rd Je[tu Chrijf, that with quietmji tbcy worl{and. eat their own brettd. Eph. 4· 28. Ltt him that jiole, flea/ no more, but rather let him /abot$r, working with hi! h11nds the thing which is good, that he may bave to give to bim that nudeth. He that Hcaleth to maintain his Idlencfs., finneth that he may tin; and by one fin getteth proviGon for anor her~ You {ee here that )'OU are boUnd not only to work to maintain your felves, but to have to give to others in their need. ~· s.
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