Works, Part 4 · Religious instruction · Chapter 10
CHAP. X. Of Care, Couetousnesse, and Contentation.
IT is no great thing for a man liuing on another mans charges, not to be couetous: butParēts to rest …n Gods preuidence. for one that hath wife and children, &c. for to rest vponupon Gods prouidence, and to vse onelyonly lawfull meanes with patience, this is an argument of Faith. So if death or age make vsus carefully couetous and vnfit for heauenly exercises, we may soone see what faith is in vsus. This triall must be diligently taken in prosperitie, least if we neglect it, our FaithTriall of our faith in Gods prouidence. doe faile vsus in aduersitie. For if we doe not in the good day store vp our selues with comforts, we shall be emptie in the euill day when it commeth. If in prosperitie we set our delight on heauenly things, wee shall easily want earthly things, because wee neuer set our hearts on them. But if our delight be in riches…, then assuredly when they are taken from vsus, our Faith must faile vsus, because our ioy is taken away with our riches. Beware then ofCouetousnes, how dangerous. couetousnes, which is a sinne when all other sinnes waxe olde, this waxeth young in thee: for we see daily manie freed from other vices, yet fouly spotted with this.
2 We must take heede that we indent not with the Lord, but simplie giuegive vp our selues to him, and seeke the grace of God at all times, & with all our hearts, and let vsus aske other things as it pleaseth him. For when we giuegive these outward things to the Lord, then will he soonest giuegive them vsus againe. Salomon desired Wisedome, and God gaue him wisedome which his heart desired, and riches which his heart desired not. O happie man, if withal he desired the feare of the Lorde. Abraham gaue the Lord his sonne Isaak; the Lorde then gaue Isaak to Abraham againe: So the readyest way to obtaine outward things at GodsThe readyest way to obtain temporall blessings. hand, is to giuegive them vp to the hands of the Lord, not that we must commit them to the Lord with this condition, for that were to mocke the Lord, but with Abraham wee ought to giuegive them to him freely, without hope to receiue them againe; and yet being content in respect of the Lordes glory and will, with the want of them: and then if they bee good for vsus wee shall hauehave them, or else some spirituall grace, which with the better shall supplieCarking care the want. Therefore the carking and greedy care of these things, is left to the godlesse which are ignorant of the forgiuenesse of sinnes, and of Gods prouidence.Carking care. Earthly blessings no signs of Gods fauour.
3. Wee may not aske earthly blessings as signes of Gods fauour: neither must wee esteeme the wants of these things as tokens of his displeasure. Againe, the Lord often keepeth these things from vsus, for that wee would abuse them, and set more by them than by spirituall things: yea the Lord holdeth vsus without these, that wee might esteeme his spirtuall graces the more, that so in his good time we may hauehave both together.
4 Wee must vse and not louelove, that is, wee may not set our hearts on the creatures of God, 1. Cor. 7. 31.
5 Seeing saluation is our ende, all that hinders saluation, must bee cast off, whether itWee must take heec… & to what end we vse things lawfull in themselues. be marriage, farming, trying of oxen, or any other thing lawfull in it selfe, if euer it presse vsus downe, Heb. 12. 1. 2. The soule is made for God, and therefore considering the very nature of the obiect, we had need hauehave a speciall vigilancie of our louelove to any other thing. It is like a purgation which must be taken in quantitie, & in a certaine measure, that it purge not out as wel good humours as bad, and as there was first a couering of gold in the Arke, and then of Badgers skins; so our more precious louelove must be bestowed on God, his louelove must chiefly possesse our heart. It is said, in the first Epistle to the Corinths. Doth God care for oxen? Nay this is written for our instruction: and yet it is certaine that God doth care for oxen, but in respect of that care which he hath for man it is no care. So are wee to take no care of oxen in respect of him.