Works, Part 4 · Religious instruction · Chapter 60
CHAP. LX. Of Riches and their abuse.
RIches and sinne hauehave some affinitie, in regard whereof Christ saith, in a compassion of their miserie whom wee so wonder at, Oh how hard a The miserie of rich men.thing is it for a rich man to enter into the kingdome of heauē? Adding (which the world condemneth for a hard speech,) That it is as easie for a Cable to goe through the eye of a needles &c, Christ calleth riches thornes, forewarning vsus that we handle them well, least we bee pricked with them. They are euil commonly in either getting, or in keeping, or in vsing,quicunque diues aut iniquus, aut iniqui haeres. or in louing them. It is an old prouerbe among the heathen, the rich man is either vniust himselfe, or his father. Marke the euil Steward in the Gospel, the gorgeous Rich man, the Glutton that promised to himselfe abundance for many yeeres, who possessed it not many houres. When Christ catechised the Rich man, he went away sadly. He calles riches the Mammon of iniquitie, Matth. 6. The glorie of a mans house, Psal. 37. The blessing on the left hand, Prouerb. 3. And the fatnesse of the earth, is as well the blessing of Esa… as of Iacob. Demas loued the world, Paul loued not the world. Esay poore, and Sabnah rich. I put the question to the veriest reprobate, & let him answer me, whether Esay be not now wise,Riches stinke in a short time. and Sabnah be not a foole. Alas what will it profite a man to hoord vp any thing in such a chest, as in foure dayes will stinke? What if a man can reioyce in his wicked riches seuenty yeeres, when he shall be grieued for them seuen hundred thousand yeeres, when they shall say to the mountaiues fall on vsus, and to the hils couer vsus?
2 Riches dimme our eyes as a cloude, that we cannot see farre with them, and one mayHow riches are abused, and how many waies they may decay with vsus and deceiue vsus. well say: Pouertie hath slaine a thousand, but riches hath slaine tenne thousand. They are very vncertaine, they promise that which they cānot performe: neither can they affoord a contented minde. A man will say, Oh, if I could get so many Furres, I should bee verie warme, and yet his heate commeth from his body, so many will say, if I had many farmes, I should bee well contented, when as a contented minde commeth from the Lorde. Take …iuet and rubbe a Beggers cloake with it, it will make the cloake sweete; rubbe Veluet with it, and it will slaine it. Likewise take riches, and giuegive them to a poore man, andSimile. they will refresh him, giuegive them to one alreadie rich, and they will surcharge him. They are not the water of life alwayes flowing, but they are as the brookes of Arabia which areSimile. most drie, when one should most neede them for water. And they be as Spiders webbes,Simile. which when they waxe 'great, are swept away with a beesome, and then eyther thou perish…st from them, as did the rich man, or they perish from thee, as wee may see in Io…, Art thou rich in money, thou art in daunger of theeues? Art thou plentifull in houshold stuffe, thou art in daunger of fire? Hast thou much gold, the rust doth venim it and thee? Is thine apparell gorgeous, thou hast the Moth thine enemie? Hast thou much cattel, thou fearest rottennes, in marchandise Pirates feare thee, in husbandrie blasting hindreth thee? Thus the Lord of Hosts hath set an host of enemies against all worldly things whatsoeuer. When the ice is frozen, one may walke on it for a time, but when the Sunne commeth, it melteth, and such things perish sooner than they grow, In momento ardet, quod diu crescebat lignum. The Temple was destroyed in fortie and sixe houres, that was so long in building.
3 The lesse account wee make of earthly things, and the more account of heauenly things, the liker we are to hauehave them: for wordly things must be so craued, as we first giuegiveHow to hauehave both earthly and heauenly riches. them to God, and then wish to hauehave them if it please him, as Dauid did when he was driuen out of his kingdome, and Abraham when he was ready to sacrifice his sonne: the one had his kingdome restored, the other had his Sonne giuen him againe. But when wee desire earthly things greedily, and care little for heauenly, the Lord withdraweth them from his children, to teach them to seeke after spirituall riches; and if we desire heauenly things, the Lord wil giuegive them with earthly too: as when Salomon asked wisedome, it was giuen him with riches too; and so had Iacob his desire with earthly blessings also: therefore let vsus seeke heauenly especially, let vsus seeke them in and for Christ, which may giuegive vsus the forgiuenesSeeke the kingdome of God and the righteousnes thereof. of our sinnes, which if we can make sure, all other things shall be ioyfull vntounto vsus: for then shall we be made members of his bodie, and that prayer which once he made, Ioh. 17. shall euer be profitable to vsus, that is, That the Father would louelove vsus with the same louelove, wherewith he had loued him. And as God the Father in louelove hath giuen vsus his Sonne: so will he with him giuegive vsus all things, so farre forth as he knoweth them good and fit for vsus.Matth. 6.
4 The nature of fleshly minded men, is, vnwisely to discerne of Gods dealings: for theyIohn 17. The worldling prefers one corporall blessing before many spirituall graces.had rather for go many spirituall blessings, than one corporall, as the Israelites, who for the want of bread, despised their deliuerance out of Egypt, which was a signe of their spirituall deliuerance. And thus do men now adaies; for if they be in prosperitie, they are more grieued to forgoe some part of their riches, than to forsake many of their sinnes. Again, if they want riches, it greeueth them more than the want of spiritual things. But we are to learne, that riches are no signes of Gods fauour: and if we see not his louelove but in them, we are too earthly minded, and would binde God to be like vntounto vsus. Without riches many men eare not for God, which although they say not, yet because they neglect the word, prayer and sacraments, and despise his Ministers (as the Israelites did Moses and Aaron) they shew that the thoughts of their hearts are so: but let vsus take heede that this be not in our hearts, and by all meanes auoid it, least the God of this world, whom wicked men serue, doe giuegive vsus here our hearts desire, that in the world to come, he may hauehave vsus for his portion.
5 We may not aske these earthly things as signes of Gods fauour, therefore if we hauehave his fauour, let vsus not esteeme the want of them as tokens of his displeasure. Againe, the Lord holdethNote. vsus without these things, because we would abuse them, and set more by them, than by spirituallWherefore God denieth vsus many earthly blessings. things: yea, the Lord for a time holdeth vsus without these, that we might esteeme of spirituall graces the more, that so in time we may hauehave them both together. Againe, if we hauehave wealth and riches, the Lord trieth vsus if we will be more thankfull, and more dutifull to him, more reuerent in hearing his word, and more louing to our neighbour, which will ensue, if we doe truely profite by them: but if we be vnthankfull, sluggish in hearing the Word, in Prayer, and Sacraments: proud and contemptuous to our brethren; then doth the Lord shew vntounto vsus the corruptions of our hearts, which vnlesse we speedily cut off, we may iustly feare, that he will either cut vsus off from them, or them from vsus, if we belong vntounto him.
Whatsoeuer you get by lawfull meanes, giuegive euermore the tenth to the godly poore.
No through reformation can be hoped, in Familie, Church, or Cōmon-wealth, (except the Lord worke it by some notable affliction) where long case and prosperitie hauehave bredde either superstition or prophanenesse.
6 Many are outwardly well and rich in this world, which are inwardly ill and poore inPoore in godlines. godlinesse; and many hate outward euill things, which for want of spirituall knowledge, see not the corruptions of their hearts.
7 Nothing is ours, but as we feele our title in Christ, and as it is sanctified by the word, and by prayer.
8 It is a common Prouerbe: He that loueth the law, loueth the King: and I say, He thatqui diligit legem, diligit Regem, qui diligit Verbum, diligit Deum. loueth the word, loueth God. Well, thou shalt know, at this time, or at that time, in thine owne conscience, by the word preached, that Christ doth offer to come thee: it standeth thee in hand to entertaine this Prince, not without some solemne preparation. How thou must make prouision for his comming, thou art taught, Matth. chap. 3. First beware the great mountaine of thy reason rise not against the Word, least speake Christ what Christ can speake, we will doe as we list. When this is pulled downe, yet there are many crooked waies of hypocrisie to be made straight, and many by-pathes in stepping to the world from the sight of our infirmities, hindring our perseuerance, are also to be made euen.
9 We must not thinke that sinne will goe from vsus of it selfe, or that saluation will be wrought with a trice, but we must deale forcibly with nature, because when sinne and the word cannot dwell together, Sathan will take such order, as he will by all meanes hinder vsus frō the word: which if he cannot doe, then he stirreth vp a fight in vsus, like the strugling of the two children in Rebeccaes wombe, so as sometime we are readie to say with Rebecca, Strife in the regenerate.had I knowne of this, I would neuer hauehave done so; I would neuer hauehave heard the word. Rebecca had two nations in her wombe, Paul had two Princes in him, and we hauehave two MonarchesRom. 7▪ dwelling within vsus. We can be content to heare, vntill the word rifle vsus. But as a purging potion, as long as it is a drinking, is but as another drinke vntil it work, and then we could be content to cast it vp againe; or as a drawing plaister seemeth fauourable enough vntill it worketh, and after we could willingly put it off againe: so we can quietlySimile. heare the word, vntill it workes vponupon vsus, and then we could forsake it. But if ye be such, as because ye will not for your health suffer a little paine, but wil cast vp your purgation, and scratch off your plaister, go to, ye shall be seered, and a crust shall be vponupon you, and ye shall not feele it, but in death the crust shall be taken off. This fight must be in vsus, as it was in Dauid, Psal. 42. and in Paul, Rom. 7. whose heires if we will be, we must follow their steps. But here is the helpe, many will keepe off the word, that it shall not hauehave a full blow, and so they shield and ward that stroke, that should martyr and crucifie sin in them. Let vsus thrust the word vponupon him, by hearing and meditation: but alas, many giuegive so few blowes, or so weake strokes in vsing these exercises so seldome, that they preuaile little. But thou wiltChrist must not onelyonly ouercome for vsus, but also in vsus. say, Christ hath ouercome for thee. True it is, but had he suffered a thousand times, he neuer ouercame for thee, vnlesse in some measure he ouercome in thee. Now we must ouercome, euen as Christ (Matth. 4.) did ouercome. Doe this, doe that, saith the diuell. No, saith Christ, it is not agreeable to the word. But how did Christ ouercome the world? euen by being ouercome of the world. First of the crosses of the world, a strange thing to obserue by being ouercome, and so shall we doe. How then must we ouercome the flesh? By crucifying it, Galath. 5. We crie against the Iewes for killing of Christ, we may crie as iustly against the nayles of theOur sinnes crucified Christ. Crosse, and say, that they crucified him: it was the corruption of my heart that crucified him, the workes of mine hands did naile him, my sinnes were the speare that pierced him. What did my faults crucifie him? Well, I will be euen with them, I will hauehave a Scriptum est Zach. 12. 10.for them, I will surely naile them, and in the reuenge of the death of the Sonne of God Christ Iesus, I will neuer make much of them, I will certainely persecute them. Alas, how can we make of our desires, seeing they crucified Christ? We must kill them and burie them, that so caused Christ to be killed and buried. Nay, if we see one that would kill our sinnes, we would kill him, and on those sinnes, which on Christ did set a crowne of thornes, we are not ashamed to set a gorgeous garland. But if we can ouercome God, may we not easily ouercome the Diuell, the world and the flesh? What is there a way to ouercome God? I surely, euen as a poore woman ouercame him: this is your victorie euen your faith, as thus. God hath set downe this rule: Whosoeuer calleth on the name of the Lord, shall be saued: the woman marking this calleth on Christ: Christ would not heare her, a hard point, he had promised to saue her, and now he will not heare …er. Well, she comes againe to him: what then? He saith nothing to her. This was strange, yet she prayethChrist …ow ouercome to our comfort. againe. Now he speaketh, but with small comfort. I am not sent (saith he) but to the lost sheepe of Israel. The sillie woman replies by the word, then he yeeldeth and consesseth himselfe to be ouercome, saying: O woman goe thy way, thy faith hath saued thee. See, she held still the word of the Scripture more than the word of Christ. Well then, faith is the victorie, and by it God is ouercome, and much more sinne, the world, the flesh, and the diuell.
11 This is the plea of the Lord against vsus, that we dwell in a land, where we are vsurpersThe Lord will cōdemne vsus for the vnworthie possession of his creatures and hauehave no right. No man is of so reprobate a sense, but he will grant, that whatsoeuer we hauehave, we hauehave it at the Lords hand. But are these free gifts, and without all condition? No, Come to the land of Canaan. Was it giuen to the Israelites vponupon no couenant or without any agreement? It is not so. For it is plaine, Psal. 105. The Lord gaue them the possessions of the Heathen. What barely? No, but vponupon this condition, that they should keepe his statutes. There is no man hath a foote of ground, or neuer so small a possession to dwell in, but he hath it on this condition: Whosoeuer inhabits this or any other land, he keepes all by violence, because he keeps it without performance of the condition: but if we keepe the Lords statutes, we keepe the condition, and consequently hauehave a good right, and the Lord hath nothing against vsus: otherwise (I say) we are violent vsurpers, because the Lord his grant is vponupon limitation, and for such a one, if the Lord either remoue him from the land, or take the land from him, he cannot say, but that the Lord his action is iust against him. Now albeit if we seeke elder times, this people of England hath as much been dispossessed, as any countrie. But it is all one, whether this displacing be generall, or particular in losing some part of our possessions. If we enquire of the reason, why it comes to passe that tenures and lands be often alienated▪ so as they be here among vsus: our verdit is, that howsoeuer sinfull the father was, the sonne is an vnthrift, I aske then, why another keepes his inheritance. Thus they say, he is wiser; then this man was a foole. True, the question is, how he comes to be so: answere is made, the fault is in education. But there is no end inSin the cause of the losse of many blessings. these things. Men will not see the cause to be sin, but they flie to couerings and curtaines. Let vsus come then to the Lord his awarding, and that is, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge: but killing▪ stealing, and whoring, Hos. 4 1. 2. Whether then we know of whole townes, or of particular families, that hauehave lost their inheritance: we must know the Lord his inditement to be executed there against some sinne. Therefore when we blesse our selues for our riches, and say, the Lord be blessed for my wealth, this is a goodly inheritance: My lines are fallen in a faire place: we must also say, though this also be a good saying, All this I hauehave of the Lord, and hold whatsoeuer I hauehave of him: doe I keepe that part of the couenant, which is of my part, as he hath performed his part of his condition with me? If I doe, then I am no vsurper: for he hath giuen me a condition, and I hauehave kept it; he commended knowledge to me, and I know in knowledge: so that I am able to make an account of it, &c. but otherwise though I neuer come for any other sinnes to iudgement, yet our action for dwelling in our possessions is sufficient to stand against vsus. For if we keepe not the couenant, the Lord hath, or will enter an action, and to thee or thy posteritie he will surely performe the execution of it.