Downame - Puritan-02038 v2

rhat riches are nee to de condemned and reiaìied, 213 thefe fmall things, (hall be made rulers of much; they who haue well vied there earthly talents, they (hall enter into Mar.ar.ar. their mallets heauenly ioyes,as our Sauiour teacheth vs; and thus were the holy Patriarchs by the poffeflion of earthly riches afï'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 earthly Canaan, that they fhould for euerremaine in the fpirituall Sion,and heauenly Ierufalem. And therefore Dauid concludeth, that becaufe God had bellowed on him the bieflìngs of this life, he would without queftion continue vnto him his loue,and make him to dwell with him for euer in his heauenly habi- Pfala3.& tation. And thus it appeareth that riches are the good blefhngs 4.Sttl1.6, ofGod, to thole that are good, and haue alto a good vie of Thereafoa of them. The which point may feeme to neede 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 glorie ofGod, or the faluation of their owne foules; but yet becaufe Satan isreadie to bring vsfrOM one extreame to another; and as he Both vfe all alluring in- ticements,to caufe worldlings to fix their hearts vpon them; fowhen he hath to deale with a weake Chrif+ian, whole al fe6lions'are weaned from the world, hee contrariwife per- fwadeth'him to hate thefe gifts ofGod, and utterly to reiea thern,as being in themfelues vnlawfull to be' poffeffed. And finally; becaufe there haue been force fo farre deluded with thefe tentations, drawing _ them to thisextreame, that they haue not only condemned the vfeofriches, and afle6ted vo- luntarie pouertie,but alfo haue perfwaded others to doe the like; asamongÿ Heathens Crates a Philofopher at Thebes, aman of great riches, who when he went to (ludic Phiofo. phie atAthens,cafl a great treafureofgold into the (éa, lay- ing that hee would defiroy it, left it fhoulddeflroy him; whole praCtifc I7ierome approueth,who allo being 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