The Temptations of the Poor. be and do, God will care fufficimtly what you fhall/uve. And fo be it you faithfully do your .bu- Mauh.6. finefs, your other care wi-ll add nothing to the fucccfs, nor make you any richer, but only vex and 1 ~er. 5· 7• difquiet your minds. It is the p0or as well as the Rich, that God hath commanded to be careful for Phd. 4 ' 6 • nothing, and to cafl aU tbtir care on him. . y. 1 5. Tempt.?· Povercy ~l~o will tempt yo.u to repinin~, impati~nce ·and difco~tent and to fall out 'fempt. 3• with others; wluch becaufe 1t lS one-of the chiefTemprauons, I w111 fpeak to by tt fclf anon. §. r6. 1cmpt- 4· Alfo you will be tempted to be CoVeting after more : Satan maketh Poverty afnare Tempt. 4• to draw many needy cicatures, to greater Covetoufoefs than many of the Rich are guilty of; None l'rov. ;~.;. 4· rhirll more eagerly after more : And yet their poverty blindcth them, fo that they cannot fee chat they arc cqvctous; or elfe rxcufe it as a jullifyable thing. They think that they dcfire no more but nccrfJ.Lritr, and that it is not Covttoufiuji, if they dcfire. not Jitpcrflteiti'cs. But do you not covet mol' eo than God allotceth you? And are you not diicontent with his allowance' And doth not he know bcjl what is 1tcccff.Jty for you, and what fupcrjluous ? What rhcn is Covetoufncfi, if this be not 'it ? 9· 17 . _'tempt. 5 . Alfo you will ~e tempre~ ro Envy the Rich, and to Ccnfure th~rn in matters where Tempt. 5 • you are mcompecent Judge~. le IS ufual w1th the .foor to fpcak of the Rtch with Envyand Ccnforic~{nefs : They call them Covetous mcedy becaufe they are Rich, cfpecially if they give them nothi~tg: when theyknow not what wayes of n<:cdfuy cxpcnce they have, n(lr know not how many others they 3.re liberal to, that they are unacquainted with. Till you fee their accounts you are .unfit to cen(Ure them. ~ . 1 8. 1cmpt. 6. The poor alfo will be tempted to t!fe unlawrul means to rupply their wants: Tempt. 0 • How mmy by the t(mptation of nee( ffity have been tempted to comply with finners,and woun.d their Pro\', 30 • s, 9 • confcicnces, and lye and fl.ttrer for favour or preferment, or to cheat, or fieal, or ove~·reach ! A John c. 17. deJr price! ro buy the food that perifheth, with the lofs or hazard of everlafiing life; and lofe their fouls to provide for thtir flefh ! · . , · §. 19· Tempt- 7· Alfo you will be tempted to neglect your (ouls, and omit your fpiritual duties, Tempt. 7· and as M.1rth.1 to be rroubkd about mant things, while the one· thing needful is forgotten : And you will thin\{ that Nwffity will cxr.u!£ all this: Yea, fame think to be faved, becaufe they arc poor, and lay God will not punifh .them in this life and in another too? But alas, you are ffiore unex~ cufablc than the Rich, if you arc ungodly ~nd mlndlcf~ of the l.ife to come• .For he that will love a life of poverty and mifo1y better rba;~,Heaven, deferveth indeed to go wichour it much more than he that prcferreth a life ot' plenty and prllfperity before it. God .hath taught you by his providence to know, th;H you rnuf\: either behapp). in Heaver~, or no where: If you would be worldlings, and part with Heaven for yOur put on Elrrh~ how poor a bargain are ydu like to make. To love rags, a.nd toil, and wanr, and [orrow) better than Eternal }oy and happinefs, is the mofi unreafonable kind of UngodlinefS in the world. Its true, th'at you are nor called to fpcnd fo many hours of the Week~ daycs in Reading and Meditation, as fome ~hat have greater lei[urc are: Bur you havereafon tofeek Heaven, aud fet your heirts upon it, as much as they : And you t'huf\ thin~ of it when you are 3bour your labour, and take thofe opportunitif? fqr your fpiritual duties, which are allowed you. Poverty will excufe ungodlinefs in none! Nothing is fo NecefTary as the fervice of God and your fa!- ,; vation; and therefore noneccffity can excufe y<;m from it, Lu~e 1o. 41, 42· Read the cafe ofMtJry and Martha : One would think that your hearts fhou!d be wholly fit Hpon Heaven, who have nothing elfc: bur it to trufi to. The poor have fewer hinderances than the rich, in the way to)ife eternal! And God will fave nOman becaufc he is poor; Out condemn poor and 1ich that are ungodly. .9· 20. 1empr. ~· Ano~hcr great Tcmpta~ion of. the poor, is to negled' the holX education of their 1cmpt. 8. ch 1 ldrcn: fo that m mofi places, there are.none fq 1gnorant, and rude, and ·hcathem{h, and unwilling to learn, as the poorcil people and their children~ They never teach them to rr.ad, nor teach them any thing for the Caving of their fouls : and they think that their poverty will be an excufe for alJ. when reafqn tclleth thcm 1 that none lhould be more careful to help their children to Heaven, than they that can give them nothing upon earth. 9· 21. Dirtc1. 9· Be acquainted 'C#itb thefpecial Dmiu of the poor; and carefuUy ptrform them: Dircl1. 9 • They are thefe. 1. Let your fufferings reach yoU to contemn the world: It will be a happy poverty if it do but help Dut 1 • to wean your affections from all things below; ~hat you fer as little by the world as it deferveth. y 2. Be eminenrly Heavenly·minded: The Je!S you have or hope for in this life, th~ more fervently Dmy 2 • feck a betc~r. You are at l~a.fi as_ capable of the heavenly treafures as the greatefi Prmces: God pur· Phi!. J. 1 g, pofely f\rauneth your condruon m the world, that he: may force up your hearts unto hirnfclf, and l01 u. teach you to feek tirfi for that which indeed is warth your feeking, MtJtth. 6. 33, 19, 20, 2 r. 1 Cor. S· 7, 8. 3· Learn to live upon God alone: Study his Goodnefs, and faithfulnefs, and all·lufficiency: when Duty .... yo.u haVe not apl.Jce nor a friend in the world, that you can comfortably betake your f)_lves to for re~ G:~.l. 7..' 20• lief, retire unto God, and uufi him, and dwell the mme with him. If your poverty hive but this cf- Pl::.J. 73· ~r. fdt, it will be betrer to you than all the Riches in the world. 26, ~7, 18. 4· Belaborious and diligent in your Callings: Both precept and neceflity call yoU unto this: And ; Cor. •· 10 ' if you cheerfully ferve him in the labour of your hands, with a heavenly aud obedient mind ·it will E ~?r 4~ 18 be as acceptable to him> as if you had fpent all that time in more fpiritual c:xcrcifes: For h; had ra- P~ov. ~~. ~;. ther have ~brdiwce than Sacrific_c ~ and all things are pure a~1d Emditied to the pure: If you cheerfully 1 Sam. n-.u. fcrve G?d m the me.:mcjt work,_, 1t IS the more acceptable to h1m, by how much the more fubjed-ion and 1 Thd.;.8,l<~ fubmithon there is in your obedience. 5· Be humble and fubmiffive unto all. A poor man proud is doubly h&tdul : And if Po- Duty .5· verty
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