A Treatise of Love, Chapter 12
CHAP. 12. Of the Poores duties.
NOw for the Poores duties, a word or two. I speake to you from the Lord, how you should behaue your selues in this your condition (and its very needfull) know them, and God giuegive you a heart to do them.
You must labour to be contented with your estate, & giuegive glory to God, and know it to be the state that he seeth fittest for you, if you were borne to it; or hee hath brought you into it, especially, if you hauehave by any wicked courses brought it vponupon your selues, you can hauehave the lesse comfort in it. But if you can be so wise as make it vntounto you a spur to true repentance, you shall be happy.
Keep your Church diligently, though your clothing be meane: Keep holy the Sabbath day, and know nothing is lost by that: Pray daily, and labour to liue in the feare of God, that though you be poore to the world-ward, yet you may be as St. Iames saith, Cap. 2. Rich in Faith, and heires of the Kingdome, which hee hath promised to them that louelove him.
Follow your calling diligently, that as much as may be you may eate your own bread, & that God may moue mens hearts to supply willingly that that is wanting. Be not ouer clamorous: Keep a good tongue, though men deale not very well with you.
Carry your selues dutifully and humbly towards the rich, and all your superiours; not saucy, surly, ill-tongued: patient and meeke, when you receiue a reproofe, and not swell or giuegive ill words.
Be thankfull for any kindnesse you receiue; First and chiefly to God, who giues the ability, the commandement and the heart to doe you good; and vponupon former experience, depend vponupon him in after needes: and resolue, that whatsoeuer want you suffer, you will vse no vnlawfull meanes to help your selues, but rather make knowne your burthens, and God will make a way. Secondly, be thankfull to those, whom he hath made his instruments to doe you good, so God giues good leaue; and see it practised by godly Hezekiah, 2 Chron. 31. 8. In token of your thankfulnesse, pray to God for them, that God would blesse their basket and store, themselues and theirs, especially, that hee would giuegive them much ioy and comfort to their soules, and to hauehave long life and happy dayes.
For you that are borrowers, borrow no more than you hauehave possibility of paying againe. Appoint such a day, as in all likelihood you may repay it: worke night and day to keep touch, borrow it of another to pay, rather than breake day; for if you keep your day, you keepe your friend. Or if you be much disappointed that you cannot, then come before the day, tell your case, and craue fauour, and a new day, and shew your selues as carefull to pay, as euer you were to borrow; so shall you hauehave a good conscience, and prouide well for your selues: for if you deale honestly, you shall not neede to feare but you shall finde friends.
Many there be, that care not what they borrow, & neuer care for paying; they cared to borrow it, they say, let the Owner care to come by it againe: they doe not meane to take two cares. which beare the marke of wicked men, Psal. 37. 21. for the godly make great conscience of it, as the son of the Prophets, that was so sorry for the losse of the axe; Alas, Master, it was but borrowed, 2 Kin. 6. 5. And the Prophet Elisha wrought a miracle to this purpose, encreasing the oyle in the Widowes cruse, and bade her sell it, and, first pay her debts, and then liue of the rest: For we must owe nothing to any, but to louelove one another; that is, not wilfully, or through carelesnesse, but what we can, & meane to pay. They will appoint, it may be, a neer day, though they know no means to compasse it, onelyonly to obtaine their purpose: But when they hauehave it, they care to keep no day, nor yet come at the Creditour, nor in his sight, as neare as they can. These play the fooles as well as the wicked men, and vndoe themselues vtterly, which otherwise might hauehave beene vpheld, and liued comfortably of their credit, though they had no ability of their owne. But when they hauehave no ability nor credit neither, they must needes hasten apace to misery, and thank themselues.
Let all, that hauehave any wit or conscience, take heed of this: But especially, let all those, that make greater profession of Religion than others, beware of this, that they giuegive no iust occasion to carnall men, to speak ill of them, and their holy profession for their sakes; nor to the godly to be griened by their vnfaithfulnesse.
FINIS.
End of the text · John Rogers, A Treatise of Love (1629)