Eighteen Choice and Useful Sermons, Sermon 12
The Twelveth SERMON.
PROVERBS. 30.8.
Give me neither poverty nor riches.
THeſe words are part of Agurs Prayer, and his Prayer in the whole verſe conſiſts of two parts, a deprecation of evil, and a Petition of good. The evil which he deprecates or prayes againſt is of two ſorts, either ſuch as is ſimply evil in it own nature, as vanity and lying, againſt which he prayes in the beginning of this verſe, Remove farre from me vanity and lies: Or ſuch as are not ſimplie evill in their own nature, but yet may be occaſions of evil, as riches and poverty, againſt which he prayes in the next words, Give me neither poverty nor riches. The good which he prayes for is a competent Eſtate, in the end of this verſe, a mediocrity between the two extreams of want and ſuperfluity. Feed me with food convenient for me. And theſe are the parts of the whole verſe.
Here then he prayes that God would give him neither poverty nor riches, neither over little nor over much, that he may neither live in want, nor yet in abundance; not becauſe theſe in themſelves are evil, but becauſe they may be, and many times are occaſions of evill.
To begin with the former, Poverty may be an occaſion of evill two wayes, firſt, of evill to him that is poor; and ſecondly, of evill to others, through his being poor.
Firſt, Of evill to him that is poor, becauſe poverty doth commonly make a man diſcontented and envious: diſcontented with his preſent eſtate, becauſe he hath ſo little, and envious towards thoſe whom he ſees to have more: and theſe two, Diſcontent, and Envy, do commonly make thoſe that live in want, to live in miſery. Though a man have but little, though he have no more then will ſuffice nature, though he have but food and rayment; yet if he have the virtue of contentation, if he have learn'd with Jacob, to deſire no more, but bread to eat, and clothes to put on; Gen. 28.20. Job 1.21.if he have learn'd with Job, to bleſſe God as well when all his goods are taken away, as when he had them; if he have learn'd with Paul, in what eſtate ſoever he is, therewith to be content, Philip. 4.11.12.and be inſtructed both how to abound, and to ſuffer need: then any eſtate will be pleaſing unto him, becauſe he lives contented; but where this contentation is wanting, as it is for the moſt part in thoſe that live in want, there the life is unpleaſant, as we ſee by the Iſraelites, Exod. 16.3.who preſently cried out when they were in want Would to God we had died in the Land of Egypt
And as Poverty doth make a man diſcontented becauſe he hath ſo little, ſo it makes him envious towards thoſe that have more: as Rachell envied her Siſter Lea, Gen. 30.Gen. 30.1. becauſe her ſiſter had children, and ſhe had none. For envy is a repining at anothers vvelfare, and therefore whoſoever he be that is envious, muſt needs be miſerable whereſoever he is: and if it were poſſible for an envious perſon to be in heaven where there is nothing but felicity, yet becauſe there are degrees of glory there, and he ſhould ſee others in higher glory then himſelf, he vvould be miſerable, and could not be vvell while he ſavv another better. Therefore Sololomon calls envy Prov. 14. the rottenneſſe of the bones, Prov. 14.30.becauſe envy is as hurtfull to the mind and body, as rottenneſſe is that lies in the bones, which eates up the marrovv, conſumes the fleſh, and makes the body to pine and languiſh. And this is another evill which is occaſioned by want, that for the moſt part it makes thoſe that have but little, to be envious towards thoſe that have more then themſelves.
Secondly, as poverty is an occaſion of evill to him that is poor, ſo of evill to others through his being poor; becauſe want commonly dravvs a man to uſe unlavvfull means, for the bettering of his eſtate, and ſupplying of his vvants, even to the damage and hurt of others. As ſometimes by borrovving and not repaying. For he that is in want, is commonly more ready to borrovv vvhat he needs then to pay what he borrows, he is forvvard in borrowing but backward in paying, vvhichwhich David notes to be the property of a bad man,Pſal. 37.21. The wicked (ſaith he) borroweth, and payeth not again. For a man to be in want, ſo he be not in vvant through his ovvn fault, is no ſin, and to borrovv vvhat he vvants, ſo he repay vvhat he borrovvs, is no ſin: but to fall into vvant through his ovvn fault, through idleneſſe, drinking, unthriftineſſe, and the like, and ſo to be driven to borrovv, to ſupply his vvants, and aftervvards to be careleſſe to pay vvhat he borrovvs, this is a ſin, and this commonly is the ſin of ſuch as are in vvant. Yet he that is in vvant, though he pay not vvhat he borrovvs, he thinks it no fault, becauſe he of vvhom he borrovvs is better able to bear it then he is to pay it. But vvhat though he be? Would'ſt thou be content, if another vvho is not ſo ſtrong as thou art, having an heavy burden lying upon him, ſhould remove it from his ovvn, and lay it on thy back, becauſe thou art ſtronger, and better able to bear it? Thy vvant is thy burden which God hath appointed thee to bear, and ſhouldeſt thou disburden thy ſelf thereof, and lay it upon another, becauſe he is better able to bear the ſame? mighteſt thou not as well by the ſame reaſon, deny to pay thy Land-lord the rent of thy houſe, becauſe he is better able to bear the loſſe of the rent then thou to pay it? & therefore thy poverty will not excuſe thee for doing wrong, as thou doeſt when thou borrovveſt and payeſt not again. Yet poverty ſometimes doth draw men to a greater evill then this, even to ſteal from others to ſupply their own vvants. For want is often an occaſion of theft. This Agur implies in the next verſe, where he gives this reaſon, why he deſired a competent eſtate, and that he might not live in want; Leſt (ſaith he) I be poor and ſteal. Luke 16.Thus the unjuſt Steward, Luke 16. fell from want to theft. For when he ſaw that his Lord had given him warning to give over his ſtewardſhip, he bethought himſelfe what courſe of life he ſhould take, to ſupply his wants when he was turned out of ſervice, and being unwilling to labour, and aſhamed to begge, he reſolved to ſteal, and in his accounts to defraud his Lord for his own advantage. And thus many will do if they be in want, and think that their want will excuſe them for it. But will thy want excuſe thee for doing that which God hath forbidden thee? muſt God be diſhonoured becauſe thou art in want? & were it not better for thee to ſuffer want for a time, then that God ſhould juſtly condemne thee for ever, for thy diſobeying him? God never ſuffers any ſo to be in want, that their want will excuſe them for ſinning againſt him, but though he give them not all that they want, yet all that they want is not ſo much as that which he gives them, and they may finde more comfort in that which they have, then their wants can diſcomfort them. Though the poor have mean houſes, and hard lodging, yet this may be their comfort (which is a great bleſſing of God) that they can ſleep in their houſes, and take their reſt in the night time, and commonly more ſoundly then rich men do, Qui vigilant in-pluma, as Cyprian ſpeaks, who lie awake and cannot ſleep in their beds of down. Therefore, ſaith Solomon, Eccleſ. 5.12. The abundance of the rich will not ſuffer him to ſleep. Though the poor have many a hard meale, and very ſlender fa…e, and though they want many neceſſaries for their bodies, yet they may comfort themſelves in this, that God hath provided them a liberall diet, his Word and Sacraments for the food of their ſoules, and hereunto they have a right and intereſt as well as any others. Though the poor may not come into great mens houſes, but are kept out by Porters, yet they have free liberty to come into Gods Houſe; and though they have not acceſſe to rich mens tables, yet they may have acceſſe to the Table of the Lord as well as the richeſt. And though here the poor toile and take great pains to ſupply their wants, yet this may be their comfort, That God hath provided them (if they ſerve him) a place of reſt hereafter, and that the time is but ſhort that they ſhall live in want, and be forced thereby to toile and take paines, for when they die, they ſhall be freed from their wants, and ſhall reſt from their labours. Rev. 14.13.And in the mean time though the poor do live in want, yet as that holy Martyr ſaid, when ſome threatned to famiſh her,Elizabeth Young. If you (ſaith ſhe) take away my meat, I truſt that God will take away my hunger. So if the poor depend upon God for that which they want, inſtead thereof he will give them contentment, by taking away their deſire of that which they want, that they ſhall not need it. And theſe things, if the poorer ſort conſidered, it would make their poverty leſſe evill to themſelves, and leſſe hurtfull to others.
And as Agur here prayes, That God would not give him poverty, ſo likewiſe that God would not give him riches, Give me (ſaith he) neither poverty, nor riches. To pray againſt poverty (which many ſo fear) is no more then the moſt will do; but to pray againſt riches (which the moſt ſo deſire) may be thought a Paradox. But Agur here deſiring rather to be good then great, and fearing that riches would make him worſe, he praies that God would not give him riches. Though riches be not evill in their own nature, yet they may be (as we heard before of poverty) occaſions of evill, occaſions of evill to him that is rich, and of evill to others through his being rich. Firſt, Of evill to him that is rich. For riches do often make men proud, and to forget God. This Agur implies in the next verſe, by giving this reaſon why he deſired that he might not be rich, Leaſt (ſaith he) I be full, and deny thee, and ſay, who is the Lord? For none are ſo prone to forget God, as they commonly are whom he hath bleſt with riches, though their riches ſhould make them the more to remember him, as gifts call to mind the givers of them. Therefore Moſes gave a ſpeciall Caveat to the Children of Iſrael to beware they forgat not the Lord when he had enricht them in the Land of Canaan, Deut. 6.10.When the Lord thy God (ſaith Moſes Deut. 6.) ſhall have brought thee into the Land, to give thee great and goodly cities which thou buildeſt not, and houſes full of all good things which thou filledſt not, and wels digged which thou diggedſt not, vineyards and olivetrees which thou plantedſt not, when thou haſt eaten and art full, then beware leſt thou forget the Lord. Deut. 8.11.And again, Deut. 8. Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, leſt when thou haſt eaten and art full, and haſt builded goodly houſes, and dwelt therein, and when thy heards and thy flocks do multiply, and when thy ſilver and gold, and all that thou haſt is multiplyed, then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord; implying that then they would be moſt prone to forget him. For riches by the fair ſhew they make, do ſteal away mens hearts from God,2 Sam. 15.6. Pſal. 62.10. as Abſolon by his fair ſhews to the people, did ſteal away their hearts from David. Therefore David gives rich men this counſell, Pſal. 62. If riches increaſe ſet not your hearts upon them: becauſe if the heart be ſet upon riches, then not upon God, For no man (ſaith our Saviour) can ſerve two Maſters, Mat. 6.24.ye canno… ſerve both God and riches: no more then the eye, as St. Auguſtine ſaith, can both look up to heaven, and down to the earth at the ſame time.
And as riches do ſteale mens hearts from God, and make them not to regard him: ſo ſometimes they ſteale mens hearts from themſelves, that they regard themſelves leſſe then they do their riches, and therefore toyle continually to get Wealth; and yet are not ſatisfied though they have more then enough.
And therefore Agur in the 15. and 16. ver. of this Chapter, compares the covetous rich-man to thoſe things that are the moſt inſatiable of all other: as to the Horſe-leach which is ever crying give give, which ſucks the blood untill ſhe be filled, and then ſhe fals off; and yet preſently after ſhe fals to it a freſh and is as hungry of it as ſhe was before: To the grave that never cries it is enough, but though it receive never ſo many dead bodies, yet it conſumes all; and is ſtill gaping as it were, and opening the mouth that it may receive more: To the earth that cannot be ſatisfied with water, but though ſometimes it be ſo glutted with raine, and made as it were drunken, ſo that it vomits it up againe, that a man would thinke that it had taken ſuch a ſurfet, that it would brook rain the worſe for a long time after; yet ye know if it be but without ſhowers for a while, it will begin to chappe and chaune, and be as thirſty thereof as it was before: And ſo likewiſe to fire, which is of ſo inſatiable a nature, that it cannot be exſtinguiſht with adding fewell unto it; but the more fewell it has, the more greedy it is, catching hold of all that is round about it; firſt of the chimney where it was firſt kindled, then of the roof of the houſe, then of the whole building; and yet it will not ſtay there, but will preſently take hold of the houſe that is next it, and ſo will ſtill go further & further, till it have devour'd and conſumed whatſoever is nere it. Now as theſe are inſatiable, as the Horſe-leach is not ſatisfyed with ſucking blood, the grave with the dead, the earth with water nor the fire with fewell: no more can a covetous rich-man be ſatisfied with riches, though he have never ſo much.
Hence it is, that ſuch do make themſelves drudges to the world to get wealth; and yet grudge themſelves any part thereof, as unwilling to leſſen that which they have. For the more they have,Viri divitiarum. the more they deſire; their riches which ſhould be a medicine to cure them of covetouſneſſe, increaſing their diſeaſe, and making them more covetous, and leſſe willing to ſpend any thing upon themſelves. For Mammon doth commonly uſe his ſervants, as Gardeners uſe their Aſſes in ſome Countries, loading them to the Market with good herbes, which are a burden to them and food for others,and turning them when they have done to feed upon Thiſtles. And thus doth Mammon deale with his followers, loading them with wealth, and not ſuffering them to injoy the benefit thereof, but makes them to fare the more hardly themſelves to leave the more for others. This is called by Salomon Eccleſ. 6. an evill diſeaſe, whatſoever his heart deſires, and yet he hath no power to eate thereof, but ſpares from himſelf & leaves it to ſtrangers: And thus riches are occaſions of evill to him that is rich.
Secondly, To others through his being rich. For riches make many to be ſcornfull and contemptuous towards their inferiours. For as poverty makes men to envy thoſe that have more then themſelvs: ſo riches on the contrary to deſpiſe thoſe that have leſſe. This made the Church being in captivity, to ſay, Our ſoul, is filled with the ſcornfull reproof of the wealthy, Pſal. 123.becauſe they when they reprove do reprove ſcornfully. This we ſee by Nabal 1 Sam. 25. whom though David did reverence becauſe he was rich,1 Sam. 25. & called him Father, Give I pray thee ſaith he, to thy Sonne David; yet Nabal gave him a ſcornfull anſwer, Who is David and who is the Sonne of Jeſſe? There be many ſervants now a daies that break a way from their Maſters, ſhall I then take my bread and my water, and my fleſh that I have killed for my ſhearers, and give it unto men whom I know not whence they be, Lucri genus quoddam divites habent iram, odiſſe quà donare viliùs conſtat. Martial.Rich men do make a gaine of their anger, and are more ready to reprove then to give, becauſe it is cheaper. It was fault enough in Nabal, to give nothing to David being then in want; but withall to reproach him becauſe he would give him nothing, made his fault the greater.
Secondly, As riches make many to be ſcornfull and contemptuous: ſo more ready to offer then to ſuffer injuries. For many preſume upon their wealth to do wrong, as knowing that they to whom they do it muſt be faine to put it up; becauſe they are not able to contend with them. But God hath not therefore given men wealth, to arme them thereby to do injuſtice; but to inable them the better to do good unto others. And therefore if God have made thee wealthy, thy wealth ſhould rather keep thee from wronging any, eſpecially thoſe, who are not of ability when they are wrong'd to help themſelves.
Thou would'ſt count it great baſeneſſe in another if he ſhould fly upon thee with a weapon in his hand and ſtrike thee with it, when thou haſt none in thy hand to reſiſt him. And doeſt thou not the ſame when thou flieſt upon another, and doeſt him wrong, becauſe thou haſt wealth to bear thee out, & the other hath none? How far would'ſt thou befrō bearing with him if he ſhould do thee wrong? For then thou wouldeſt ſay, ſhould ſuch a one as he do wrong unto me, and were it not a ſhame and diſgrace unto me if I ſhould ſuffer him? But indeed the meanneſſe of his condition ſhould rather move thee to bear with him. I am ſure our meanneſſe moves God when we offend him to bear with us, our vileneſſe makes him to ſpare and pity us. For ſo ſaith David, Pſa. 103.14.Pſal. 103. where he gives this reaſon why God doth pity us, and pardon our offences, and the reaſon is drawn from the baſeneſſe of our condition, For he (ſaith David) knows our frame, he remembreth that we are duſt. And therefore his meanneſſe that doth thee wrong, ſhould rather move thee to ſpare & pardon him, as our vileneſſe moves God to pardon us when we ſin againſt him. We ſee then the reaſons why Agur praies that God would not give him riches, leſt his riches might be evill either to himſelfe, or to others, to himſelfe by making him proud, and not to regard God, or by making him covetous, and to regard himſelfe leſſe then he did his riches; or evill to others, by making him to ſcorne & contemne his inferiours, and to be more ready to offer, then to ſuffer wrongs
Here then obſerve from Agurs prayer to God, to give him neither poverty, nor riches, that both riches and poverty come from God, who gives leſſe unto ſome, and more unto others, of his free-gift. God had enough to have given enough unto all, that all might have been rich, and none poor. For the earth is the Lords, Pſal. 24.1.as David ſaith, and all that therein is; Pſa. 115.16.and though he have given it to the children of men, yet the right of diſpoſing and diſtributing thereof he hath reſerved to himſelfe, to give how much, or how little, and to whom he pleaſe, and to take it again when he will from them, and to give it to others.1 Sam. 2.1…. Therefore Hannah 1 Sam. 2. The Lord (ſaith ſhe) maketh poor, and maketh rich, he bringeth low, and liſteth up. So the Virgine Mary, Luke 1.Luke 1.53. He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he hath ſent empty away. Therefore God hath ſo diſpoſed, that when we are borne, we come naked into the World, and bring nothing with us, and that again, when we die, and leave the World, we carry away nothing, but leave all behind us, that thereby we might know, that we have all from God, and nought of our ſelves. Si veſtra ſunt tollite vobiſcum, ſaith Bernard, if they be yours, take them away with you. But man (ſaith the Pſalmiſt) ſhall carry away nothing with him when he dies, neither ſhall his pomp follow him. And therefore ſeeing we have them from God, and that it is he that gives both poverty and riches.
This may firſt teach us,Ʋſe. 1. To aſcribe unto God Whatſoever we have, and to acknowledge him to be the fountain from whence they ſpring, and the giver of them. Many make account that the goods which they have, they have not from God, becauſe they were either left them by their predeceſſours, or ſuch as they have got by their own labour and paines. It is true indeed, that many are born to fair lands and poſſeſſions, and have much left them by inheritance from their Anceſtours; others attain unto great wealth and riches, by their own labour and induſtry, and other means. But is not the gift of God in all theſe? who was it at the firſt that made their Anceſtours rich, and inabled them to leave ſo much wealth behind them?Dent. 8.18. was it not God? It is not he (as Moſes ſaith) that gives us power to get wealth and ſubſtance? Is it not he that preſerves mens goods from fire, from water, from theeves, from enemies, and from a thouſand other caſualties that befall others? Is it not he that moves the hearts of our friends to be beneficiall unto us? Is is not he that gives men health and ſtrength to labour for their livings? that gives his bleſſing unto their labours? and that gives men wit and forecaſt to attain unto riches? He could if he pleaſed have made all our Anceſtours as poor as La…arus, that they ſhould have left nothing behind them for us. He can if he pleaſe ſo viſite us with ſickneſſe, that like the woman in the Goſpell, We may ſpend all that we have upon the Phyſicians. Nay he can,Luke 8.43. Deut. 28.23. if he pleaſe, make the earth as iron, and the heavens as braſſe, and ſend a famine, as he did in the time of Elias, and then what would all that we have do us good, if we were debarred from the fruits of the earth which ſhould ſuſtaine and preſerve us? And therefore we muſt not aſcribe what we have, to our ſelves, or our friends, but unto God, who gives, as Agur ſaith, both poverty and riches.
Secondly, Seeing it is God that gives them, this may therefore teach us,Vſc. 2: To be content with that portion which God hath given us, whether it be more or leſſe. Though we have a leſſe portion then many others have, yet we muſt remember that we have it of God, of his free-gift, and therefore ought to be contented with it, and not to murmure that we have leſſe then others, leſt we provoke him by our murmuring to leſſen that portion which he hath given us. The Jews in their Talmud have an Apologue to this purpoſe. That the Moon, upon a time, did murmure and complaine that God had not appointed her for ſo good a uſe as he appointed the Sun, becauſe the Sun ſhines in the day, and ſhe in the night time; and that God therefore for her murmuring did, as they ſay, diminiſh her light, and leſſen her ſhining. Which though it be but a fable, yet it hath a true morall, that if we be not content with that portion which God hath allotted us, we do provoke him thereby to make it leſſe. The Lord (ſaith Job) hath given, and the Lord hath taken, Job 1.21.bleſſed be the name of the Lord. If we ſhould fall into poverty by the hand of God, as Job did, yet we are not to repine and murmure againſt him, becauſe whatſoever he takes from us he takes but his own, which he gave us before of his free-gift, and not of our deſerving. And indeed, if we conſider our own deſerving, though we have but little, yet even he that hath leaſt, hath more cauſe to wonder, that he hath ſo much, then that he hath no more, becauſe we have more then we do deſerve, though we have never ſo little. For that which we have is of Gods free-gift, as Agur here acknowledges, Give me neither poverty, nor riches.
Thirdly, Seeing riches are from God,Ʋſe. 3. it may therefore teach us to uſe them well, and to imploy them to good uſes. For God hath given them, that we might uſe them to the glory of God, the maintenance of our ſelves, and the good of others; which if we do not, we abuſe his bleſſings.Mat. 25.28. The ſervant…which imployed not the talent well which his Maſter had given him, had it taken from him, and was caſt beſides into outer darkneſſe. What then may we think ſhall become of thoſe that imploy them ill, and abuſe the bleſſings which God hath given them to ſurfetting, drunkenneſſe, and voluptuous living? Theſe God will call to a fearfull account at the day of judgement, for abuſing, waſting, and miſpending his gifts. And in the mean time, God many times ſuffers them to want that which they have careleſly waſted, that they may ſee their fault what it is to waſte by their want of it. I have read of a Duke in another Countrey, who ſeeing through his window a company of young Gallants that were a hunting, and ridde up and down over the corn-fields, and tread down the corn, he ſent to bid them the next day to dine with him. And when they were come, he made them great cheere, but took order that no bread except a manchet for himſelfe ſhould be ſet on the Table. One of the Gallants ſpake to a Servitour, to bring in ſome bread, he went out as if he would fetch ſome, but came not again; another ſpake to another, who likewiſe went out, but came in no more: at laſt they told the Duke, that they wanted bread, And well ſaith the Duke, do ye deſerve to want bread with your meat, who ſo trampled down the corn under your horſe-feet. And thus doth God many times deal with thoſe that do waſte his bleſſings, cauſing them to want what they have formerly waſted, as the Prodigall did. Yet many that live waſtefully will excuſe themſelves, and think their fault the leſſe, both becauſe (as they will ſay) they have enough to ſpend, and are able to do it, and becauſe it is their own, and not anothers which they ſpend. But will this excuſe them? Though thou haſt enough, mayeſt thou therefore uſe it at thy pleaſure, and is it no fault to waſte and miſpend it? If thy Cook that dreſſeth thy meat for thee, becauſe thou alloweſt him to have ſalt enough alwayes lying by him, ſhould therefore put too much ſalt in the pot, or caſt too much on thy meat, and when thou reprooveſt him, he ſhould excuſe himſelfe, and ſay that he did it, becauſe he had ſalt enough, and therefore need not to ſpare, wouldeſt thou take this for a ſufficient anſwer? And will God take this as an anſwer from thee, That becauſe that he hath given thee enough, thou mayeſt ſpend it waſtefully, and though it were thine own (as indeed it is not, for thou art but a ſteward to uſe what thou haſt as God hath appointed) yet if it were thine own and not anothers, mayeſt thou therefore miſpend it as thou pleaſeſt? mayeſt thou not ſay as well that thy tongue is thine own, and mayeſt thou therefore ſpeak what thou liſteſt? but as thou ſhalt anſwer for the words which thou ſpeakeſt, ſo for the goods which thou ſpendeſt, becauſe thereby thou doeſt wrong unto him who is the giver of them.
Laſtly,Ʋſe. 4. Seeing riches are the gift of God, therefore we are to be thankfull to him for them, Qui ſerit beneſicium metere debes fructum, He that ſowes a benefit, great reaſon he ſhould reap ſome fruit of it, the fruit of thankfulneſſe for the uſe of his benefits. Therefore they were commanded in the old Law, To offer unto God their firſt-fruits that ſo they might acknowledge that they had them from him, and therefore were to return them to him from whom they had them, as the rivers (ſaith Solomon) return to the ſea from whence they came, and as Hannah did dedicate her Son Samuel to God, Eccleſ. 1.7. 1 Sam. 1.27.28.from whom ſhe received him.
FINIS.