rhat riches arenee todecondemnedandreiaìied, 213 thefe fmall things, (hall be made rulersof much; they who haue well vied there earthly talents, they (hall enter into Mar.ar.ar. their malletsheauenly ioyes,as our Sauiour teacheth vs; and thus were the holy Patriarchs by the poffeflion ofearthly richesafï'itred, as by types and pledges,of the eternall trea- lures in Gods kingdome; by long life,of life euerlafling; by Manna in the wilderneffe, ofthat heauenly food which ne- uerperifheth; and by thepoffeßïon of the earthlyCanaan, that they fhould for euerremaine in the fpirituall Sion,and heauenly Ierufalem. And therefore Dauid concludeth, that becaufeGodhad bellowedon him the bieflìngs ofthis life, hewould without queftion continue vntohim his loue,and makehim to dwell with him for euer in his heauenlyhabi- Pfala3.& tation. And thus it appeareth that riches are the good blefhngs 4.Sttl1.6, ofGod, tothole that are good, and haue altoa good vie ofThereafoaof them. The whichpoint may feemetoneede little proofe, or theta/owing, enforcing in this couetous age, wherein the moll men e- drfsosrf4 lleeme riches their chiefeft good, and recite more earneftly after them,then the glorieofGod, or the faluation oftheir ownefoules; but yet becaufe Satan isreadietobring vsfrOM oneextreame to another; andas heBothvfe all alluring in- ticements,tocaufeworldlings tofix theirhearts vpon them; fowhen he hath todealewith a weakeChrif+ian, whole al fe6lions'are weanedfrom the world, hee contrariwife per- fwadeth'him to hate thefe gifts ofGod, andutterly toreiea thern,as beingin themfelues vnlawfull to be' poffeffed. And finally; becaufe there hauebeen force fo farre deludedwith thefe tentations, drawing _ them to thisextreame, that they hauenotonlycondemned the vfeofriches,and afle6tedvo- luntarie pouertie,but alfohaue perfwaded others todoe the like; asamongÿ Heathens CratesaPhilofopher at Thebes, amanofgreatriches, who when hewent to (ludic Phiofo. phie atAthens,cafl a great treafureofgoldinto the (éa, lay- ing that hee would defiroy it, left itfhoulddeflroy him; whole praCtifc I7ierome approueth,whoallobeing poffeffed , ad with this conceit, runneth much on this firing, abafiag ri- Paulin ches,and magnifying pouertie : and in our times diuers or- toms. P 3 ders
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