94 The LIFE of the LIB. I. ments, (or Law of Pra&ice) which afford matter to add to the knowledge of molt Profefforsof Religion, a tong time : And when that is done, they mutt be led on hill further by degrees, as they arecapable ; but fo as not to leave the weak behind : and fo as (hall Rill be truly fubfervientto the great Points of Faith, Hope, andLove, Holinefs andUnity, which mull be fill inculcated , as the beginning and the end ofall. a7. Another help to my Succefs was, that my People were not Rich: There were among them very few Beggers,becaufe their common Trade of Stuffweaving would find workfor all, Men, Women and Children, that were able i And there werenone of theTrades-men very rich, feting theirTrade was poor, that would but find them Food and Raiment. The Magiftrates of the Town were few of them worth 401. per An. and moll not half iomuch. Three or four of theRicbeft thriving Matters of theTrade, got but about soo or boo 1. in twenty years, and it may be lofe coo 1. of it at once by an ill Debtor. The generality of the Ma- iler Workmen , lived but a little better than their Journey-men, (from hand to mouth) but only that they laboured not altogether fo hard. And it is thePoor that receive the glad Tidings of the Gofpel, and that are ufually rich w faith, and heirs of the heavenly richeswhich God bath promifed to them that love him; Yame, 2. g. Do not rich mm apprefiyou, and draw yen before the f udgment Seats? As Mr. George Herbert faith in his Church Militant : Gold and the Gofijel never did agree : Religion always Pet with Poverty. Malty the Rich are Proud and Obflinate, and will not endure the due Con- do& of the Miniffry : Let them be never fo ignorant, they mutt not be croft in their Conceits and Way ; and if they be, they form, and raife Perfecution upon it ; or at leaf draw away a Fa&ion after them. Let them be never fo Guilty (un- lefs it be fonre fwinilh inexcufable Sin) they will notendure to be told of it. Their Gentility feemeth to allow them, in the threeoc four Sins of Sodom, Pride, Fulneß of Bread, and Abundance of Idleneß,and not conftdering the Poor and Needy. And their falneß and idleneß tempt them to further Voluptuoufnefs and Senfuality, to Filehi- nefs, or to Time-wafting needlefs kinds of Sports: And they mutt not be croft in anyof this. Do but offer to ExercifèChrift's Difcipline upon any of thefe, and tell themof their Faults alone, and then before two or three, and when they hear not, tell the Church ; and you will make them hate bothyou and Difcipline, and fay you affe& a Domination, and to trample upon your Superiours, and are as proud as Popes. Chrift knewwhat he Paid , when he faid , How hardly fall a Rich Man enter into the Kingdom of Heaven! Even m a Camel through the Eye of a Needle. But if a poor man be bad, and hate both Piety and Reproof,yet his oppofition is not fò fierce or fo fignificant ; he maketh not fo much ado, nor en- gageth fo manywith him, nor is fo much regarded by the reft. One Knight (Sir R. C.) which lived among us did moreto hinder my greater Succeffes, than a multitude of others could have done : Though he was an old Man, of great Courtfhip and Civility, and very temperate as toDyet, Apparel and Sports, and feldom would Swear any lowder than [ By bis Troth, &c.] and (hewed me much Perfonal Reverenceand Refpe& (beyond my defert), and we converfad together with Love and Familiarity ; yet (having no relishof this Precifenefi and Extem- porary Praying, and making fo much ado for Heaven; nor liking that which went beyond thepace of Saying the Common Frayer, and alfo the Inure; ofbimfelf and his Civil and EcclefiafticalParties, leading him to be ruled by Dr. Hammond) hiscoming butonce a day to Church on the Lord'sdays, andhis Abftaining from the Sacrament, ere. as ifwe kept not (efficiently to the old way , and becaufe we ufed not the Common Prayer Book, when it would have caufedus to be Sequefred) did caufe a great part of the Parifh to follow him, and do as hedid; when elfe our Succefs and Concord would have been much more happy than it was. And yet Ci- vility and yieldingmuch beyond others of his Party, (fending his Family to be Ca- techized and perlonaily Inftru&ed) did fway with the worft almoft among us to do the like. Indeed we had two other Perfons of Quality, that came fromotherplaces to live there, and were truly and judiciouflyReligious,who did much good, (Col. John Bridges, and at last Mrs. Hammer) : For when the Rich are indeed Religious, and overcome their Temptations, as they may be fuppofed better than others , be- caufe their Conqueft is greater, fo they may do more good than others, becaufe their Talents are more. But fach (comparatively) arealways few. a8.Another
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