209 / 772
SatitnJ
temptations
concerning Cods
elciíon
anfwered
z
ót
get
any
wealth
:
but ifthou
art preordained to be rich,
fell
all
thou
haft and fcatter
it
abroad
in
the
ftreetes,fpend
thy time
in
gaming,drinking
and
whoring,
neuer
troubling
thy
head
with
care,
nor thy
hands
with worke, yet (halt thou bee
-a
wealthie
man.
Now
who would not
laugh at
fuch
abfurd
manner
ofreafoning
if
any
fhould
vfe
it
?
becaufe euery
man
knoweth, that
as
God
hath
decreed
the time
of
our life, fo
he
hath
decreed
alto
that
we should
vfe
the meanes, where-
by our
liues may bee preferued
fo Ion
g
as
hee
hath ordained
that
wee
fhould liue, nainelie, auoiding
of
dangers,
good
.diet,and phyficke; and
as
he
hath
decreed
that
a
man
fhould
'be rich,fo
hee
hath decreed
alto
that
hee
fhould
vfe
all
good
meanes
of
attaining vnto
riches, namelie, prouidencc and
;
paires
in
getting,
and
care
and
frugalitie
in
keeping
that
he
'hath
gotten;
and
whofoeuervfe
not the
meanes, doe
make
it
manifeft
that
they
were
not
ordained vnto the end. Al-
though
indeed,
becaufe
the
Lord would
fhew his
abfolute
and almightie power,hee doth
not
alwaies
tie
himfelfe
vnto
meanes,
but
fometime
croffeth
and maketh
them
vneffe61u-
all
to
their
ends, and fometime
hee
effe1eth what
hee
will,
without
or contrarie to all
tneanes;
and
hence
it
is
that
fome
quicklie
die
who
vfe
all
meanes
to
preferue
health,and
fore
become poore who
vfe al
meanes
ofobtaining
riches,where-
-as
others bcing,depriued
of
the
meanes
attainevnto long
life
and
riches
by the immediate bleflìng
ofGod.
But
ordinarily
the
meanes and end
goe
together,
and therefore
it
is
fond
prefuunption
to
imagine
or
hope,
without
the
vfe
of
the
meanes,
to
attaine vnto
the
end. And thus it
is
alto in fpiri-
tuall matters
appertaining
to
euerlafling
life
;
thofe whom
God
bath
ele
&ed,he
hath.ordained
alto
that
they fhould
at-
taine unto and
vfe
al
good
meanes
tending thereunto,name-
lie faith,repentance,
fanó}ification,and newnelfe
oflife
:
and
therefore
it
is
as
abfurd for any
to imagine,
that
they
(hall
be
faued continuing
in
their ignorance, infidelitie, vnrepen-
tancie,and
filthie
corruptions,as
it
is
for a man
to thinke
that
he
(hall
hue to
be old,
and yet
runneth into
all
dangers, for
-
faketh phyfcke
yea and
foode
alfo
whereby
his
life
fhould
be
fuflained. For
the
fpirituall meanes
offaluation
are
as
wel
.N
3
(nay