A Bright Star which Leadeth Wise Men to our Lord Jesus Christ, Commandment 5 · Part 2
That the Lord thy God giueth thee.
In that he ſaith, God giues them this land; This we learne, that all good thinges are the gifts of God, as the people of god ſay in the Pſalme, the ſword and bowe did not bring them into the land of Canaan but the word of God, and his promiſe made to Abraham to giuegive that land to him and his ſeede for euer. So that God giues poſſeſſions and inheritances not wit nor nature. As Deut. 2. God ſaith he gaue the Edomits, Ammonites, and the Moabites their poſſeſſion, and he did caſt out greate giants, they thought it had beene their valure, but God ſaith it was his gift, for elſe they could not hauehave ſtood before thoſe huge and waſt gyants. And he ſaith they ſhall hauehave it ſtill. So that God both puts and keepes men in poſſeſſion. For he gaue them power, and then giants could not keepe them out. So in the Pſal. The earth is the Lords, and he giues a reaſon, he hath made it, and founded it on the waters, all men in the world can make nothing and when is it made they hauehave no power to preſerue it; becauſe therefore God only can create and make theſe thinges he is the only true honour of them. And though he ſometime put man in poſſeſſion, yet he neuer puts himſefe out, but he will hauehave the diſpoſing of all; No man hath the fee ſimple of his life, the beſt tenure is tenant at will, and if god call the ſoule, it muſt not take day with him.
Sith then the earth is the Lords, and he is the right owner of it, this vſe we muſt make of it; thankefully to acknowledge whence wee receiue all theſe thinges that we enioy. And men will ſay why? Who is ſo ſimple but he knowes and confeſſeth that God giues him all thinges? In word it is true, all moſt none but will ſay ſo, yet indeede and in practiſe how many be there which denie it and say the contrarie? For where there is a true & heartie perſwaſion, that God doth freely beſtow all things, and we hauehave them of his gift; Theſe two thinges will alwaies followe. Firſt, ſuch a one ſo far as he is thus perſwaded will neuer be proud, for he can ſay to himſelf, what haſt thou that thou haſt not receiued? and then he will be the more humble rather, when he knowes that he is more indebted to God, and hath a greater reckoning to giuegive; For all ſwelling proceedes from hence that a man thinkes that he is behoulding to no body but himſelfe. Secondly, he that in truth of heart confeſſeth hee hath it from God, will vſe that he hath to Gods glorie. Elſe if one will ſay. Why I know that, what neede you tell me that I hauehave my wealth frō God? I know it well enough. But how doe you vſe it, to ſerue your owne luſt; ſo that you thinke it nothing to beſtow twentie pound vponupon your filthie luſt, but cannot afford a pennie to a poore chriſtian, to Chriſt Ieſus, then you are a deepe diſſembling hipocrite. For why doth God giuegive you ſo large wages but that you ſhould doe him the better ſeruice? and why hath the ſteward his maſters mony but to lay it out for his maſters profit? elſe if a ſtewarde ſhould ſay, I hauehave the keeping of an hundreth or two of pounds, but it is all my maſters and not mine, but yet he will ſpende it frankely in gamning or riotouſneſſe, then he is eitheir a diſſembler and thinkes not that it is his maſters though he ſay ſo, or elſe he is a theefe that will lauiſh his maſters goods ſo vnthriftily. But in truth the ill vſe of goods ſhewes, that moſt men in their hearts, ſay of their goods as the Atheiſts in the 12. Pſalm. ſay of their tongues, our tongues are ours and wee will ſpeake. And they ſay our wealth is ours and wee will doe with it what our luſt.
But it is not yours, when did you purchaſe it of God, when paide you any price to him for it? Where was the bargaine ſealed? What? is God ſhut vp within the clouds and cooped in heauen, that he hath nothing to doe with the earth? Nay, but time will come that they ſhall know to their greefe, that the earth is the Lords, though he for a while hath permitted the vſe of it to the ſonnes of men. Therefore let them learne to vſe God as a landlord, & let not their luſt be the maſter of the lords goods.
This ſerues alſo for the terror of thoſe that abuſe the good benefits of God to his diſhonour. God will certainly turne thē out. Or if he doe keepe them in, it ſhall be but as in a priſon. They ſhall not hauehave the vſe of theſe things by the vertue of the couenant, that they may ſay as it is heere ſaid, the Lord thy God hath giuen thee theſe and theſe things; but thus they may ſay the Lord thine enemie hath permitted thee to hauehave theſe and theſe things. Iudas could not ſay the lord my God hath giuen me this monie, But the Lord mine enemie hee permitted me to hauehave it. And ſo it is with all ſuch as abuſe Gods benefits they come not in merciemercy as bleſſings as fauours out of Sion, but they come as curſes to harden the heart, to make them proud or couetous, and more ſtrong to follow their luſt.
Laſtly this ſerues for the comfort of Gods true children and faithfull ſeruants. That ſith God giues all thinges, therefore ſurely they ſhall want nothing that is good for them; for hee himſelfe ſaith, it is not good to giuegive the chlidrens breade to dogges; and ſhall we thinke then that he will doe it? Doth God feede the ſwine and will he ſtarue his children? And therefore that which oftētimes they take as a diſcouragemēt, that vile Atheiſts prophane blaſphemers, and filthie drunken ſwaggerers hauehave mony to ſpare and carrie a ſway, when they be in miſerie pinched with want and neceſſitie; This ſhould be a great encouragment and ſtrengthning to their faith. For be the dogs kept thus fatte and well liking, ſure then the children though they hauehave not thinges ſuperfluous to make them wanton, yet ſhall not be debard of thinges neceſſarie, to driue them into want. Therfore the Lord is our habitation, the Lord is food and apparell &c. And theſe things they hauehave by vertue of Gods couenāt & as teſtimonies of Gods louelove & therefore though they be not altogether ſo large, yet a little thing that the righteous hath, is better then the troubleſome abundāce of the wicked; for they may ſay, the Lord our God hath giuen vsus theſe thinges. Therefore if God be true and iuſt, if he be the Lord of heauen and earth, if they caſt themſelues and their truſt vponupon him, hee will caſt all thinges good and neceſſarie vponupon them in the due and fitte time; or if they hauehave ſome outwarde wantes, they ſhall bee recompenced with inwarde and better comforts.
And thus much for the eight commandement, concerning the duties of all ſortes of men in reſpect of their place ſuperiour or inferiour. The ſixt commandement followes.