• t6o The Cure of Worldlillcfs. mentuf them, you may further his fcrvice and your falvation. Bur this is no reafon why you lhould oHr-love them, ur dtfireand {tek fo great a dangu. Believe Chrill hearrily, and it will quench )'OUt Love of Riches. Dircll. 7 • 9· 28. Dirdt. 7· Renumber that the more you h:Jve, tbe mort! ynu have to gh1e accottnt for. And if the dJy of Judgement be dreadful to you, you lhould not make ir more dreadful, by greatning your own accounts. If you detircd Riches bur for the fcrvice of your Lord, and have ufed them for him and can truly giw in this account, that you laid them not out for the needlefs plea[ure or pride of the fhflt, bur to furni01 yam felves, ctnd families, and otherS for his fervice, and as near as you could t.mploy thuTJ a~.:cording to his will, and for his ufe, then you may expect the reward of good and f~ithtul fuvants; But it you delired and ufed them for the pride and pleafure of your ielves while you lived, and your pol\erity or kindred when you are dead, dropping fOme inconfiderab!t: Prov.;. 1 4· crnms tor God, you will rhen flnd that Mammon was an unprofitable Matter, and Godline[1 wit!JcJn" 1 Tim. 6 · 5 > 6 · tent would have ber.~-1 ;.rratcr ;.ain. Dirr[i. 8. §. 2~· Dind:. S. Renumber how dea'f' it cojleth men, thu1 19 biJtder theirfolvatio~t, and greattn their daHger and acco;mu. \Vh:n a deal ol precious Time is loH npon the world by the Lovers of ir, whi~:h le~ePc~r:lr- might have been 1mproved to the getting ofWifdom and Grace, and making their calling and de~ cbz l_epJd.am Cl::ion fure. If you had btlievcd that the g~i,t of holy .wifo'om, had been fo much better than (he ~~~~~~a:i:c& gaini_ng of Gold, as Sulomo1! ~ait h, Prov. 3· '4· ~ou would have laid ~ut much of that time in la.. Jiberali p;mc bourmg to undcrfia11d the Scnptures, and pnparmg for your endlefs hfe. How matly unnecdfary Di.zJ, IJ· fi. :.. ThougbtJ have you cafi away upon the worid, which might better have been laid our on yourgreater conccrnmenrs ? Hvw many cares, and vexations, and pallions doth it colt men, to overload themfelyes with worldly provifions? Like ::t foolifh traveller, who having a dJycs journey to go, do(h (pend all the day in gath{ring together a load of mrar, and clothes and money, more than he ca.n carry, ·for 5:tirhPlut.rrch· fear of wanti11g by theway: or like a foolifh runner (hat bath a race to .run for his life, and fpends dr~rtv~qllifiit .. the time in which hl fhnuld be·running, in gathering a burden of pretended necdlarics. You have AJwn ~~~xa~u all the while Gods work to do, and your fouls to mind, and judgement to prepare for, and you ar(! h'?~J.secna~/ tiring and vexing your felves for unnecdfary rhings; as if it were the top of your ambition, to be Lord of t':!e able to fay in Hell, that you dyed rich, I Tim. 6. 5, 6,7, 8, 9, IO· Gediinefl witb contentment it great wor!d, w~en gain: For we brouy,ht nothing into thit wol"id, a11d it it certJZin that we can carry nothing om. A~d ~rllles~vttg haviHg food and raimtnt, let Uf be thel'rwitb content: But tbty th.Jt wiUbe l{ich, fall into temptation and 3~~ 2 2 thre('J_ a fnare, and into many fooiijh and hurtfullujit, which dl'own men'i11 dejfru[lion and perdition: For the b::&re C!oke, love of money it the root of all evil, which while fame covettd after, they have erred ( or bun fe· fpem his_ . tl.uced ) frum the faith, and pit:rced themfelves through with many furrow/. Piercing flr;-ows here, and wl.wle hfe m damnation hereafter, are a very dear price to give for money. For faith Chrilt himfelf, Tf'hatjhallil ~trth2s2~t ·t profit a ma;l to gai11 all the world, and lo{e hU own [ottll Or who.~t jhaU a m~ngive in exchange for hi1 ~~~,bee~ ~ foul 1 that is, What money or price will recover it, if for the love of gain he 1ofi: ir? Mark 8. continual fe36, 37· Prov. I 5· 27· He tb<Jt is greedy r1[ gain, troubleth his orvtt hMfe, but lu that hateth gi[tr,jhaU. ilival holy~ live. Do you not know, th'at a godly m.;;t canttmed with his d.Jiiy_ bre~JJ, hath a far f~eeter and tfJt·. 31 . 16 • quietter life and death, than a j"tlftruubling worldling? You may eahly perceive it. Prov. 1 5· 16. Bet~ Prov. 1 6. 8. ter ii little with the fear of tbe Lord, than great tre.z{ztre and troubLe therewith. Dirt/1. 9 • 9· 30. Diretl:. 9· Lool;, much on the life ofChdjl on earth, and fie how jlrangely he eondemned worldlinefs, by hiJ example: Did he choofe to be a Prince or Lord, or to have great pofTdfions, ]andi, Luke 9. 58. or money, or lurnptuous buildings, or gallant attendance, and ·plentiful provifions? His houfing you may read ot~ Mat!h. 8. 20. F1,xeJ h~vt holu, and the Birds of the air bve ntjlJ ; but the Son ofman bath not where to Jay his head. His clothing you may read of at his crucifyi-':lg when they puted it. As fer mo.ey, he was fain to fend Peter to ablh for lome to pay th~ir tribute. IfChrill did fmpe and care for Riches, then [o do thou: If he thought it the happ~< ll life, do thou think fo too. But if he contemned it, do thou contemn it: lf his whole life was directed to give thee the mofi per~ feet example of the contempt of all the profpetity of this world, then learn of his example, if thou take him for thy Saviour, and if thou love thy felf 'Ihou,,b be was rich, yet for our fakes he became poor, tlut yoH through hirpoverty might be rich, 2 Cor. 8, 9· Direll. 10 • 9·~3 I· Direct. 10. 'Think 011 the example of tbe primitive Chrijlians, evrn the btjl of Chrifls {ervantJ, and foe how it condemnetb worldlinrfl. They that by miracle in the name of Chritt could give limbs to the lame, Je! tell him, Sileer and Gold bave we nont. Acts 3· 6. Thnfe that had polfeflions fold tht~, and laid the money at the Apoftles feet, and they had all things common, to thew that faith overcorneth the world, by contemn!'ng it, and fubjeCl::ing it to charity, and devoting ic entirely to Ch'1f•JI"" God. Read whether the Apoftlcs did live in fumpcuous houfes, with g!Cot attendance, and worldly :~i:~':~~:;:d plenty and profperity ? And fo of the reil. him with many crimes, but never wich Covctoufotfs or W4:tlt011i'![>' • And fo it was with CbriR anr.l his euem:es. Dire&. 1 r. . 9· 32· Direct. r I• l{emimber to what entls aU worldly thingt were made andgiven )'OH, attd what a happy advantage you tnay m.:Jk._e of tbem by renotmcing them at 1bcy would be provifion for your lujfr, and by devoting;'our [elves and tbem tiJ God. The ufe of their {weetne[1 is, to draw your fouls to rallc: by faith the heavenly fweetncfs. They are the Looking·glafs of Iouis in fldh that are not ycr Et ficur in p.ttria Deus rft fpecu!um in quo relucent creaturz ; ThtfoJ'l· p. 689. lie Cconverfo in via, crclturx fur.t fpcculum quo creator v1d~tur. PARI. Scitligtr In Ep. c~th. l. 14. admitted
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