Rules How to Use the World, Chapter 5
CHAP. V.
The things of the World must be no matter of our inordinate Desire, or distracting Care to get.
First, No matter of our Distracting Care.
WE must be careful for Phil. 4. 6.nothing; viz. for nothing, but only to cast away Care; yet so, as to cast it upon God who careth for us. He 1 Pet. 5. 7.undertakes for the burden of Care, and we must do the Duty of it. His Care for us may make us less diffident, but must not less diligent; for his Providence must no more cause us to neglect our Diligence, than our Diligence make us deny his Providence. By relying upon him without it, we tempt him, by distrusting him in it, we deny him. Success and Events are his, Industry is ours, and must no more be neglected, then trusted to: For to rely on Providence, so as to neglect Diligence, is not Faith, but idle Presumption.
Gods Providence must not take Prov. 10. 4. 18. 9.away ours.
Secondly, No Matter of our Inordinate Desire.
All Desires to these things are not unlawful, nor forbid, but that only which is inordinate. We may Love and Desire (for Desire is grounded on Love) what is needful for us, so it be not either in a way of Anxiety or Injustice.
1. Of Anxiety.
There is a twofold Necessity; one of Subsistence, the other of Expedience; one, relating to our Life, the other to the Comforts of Life; one for our being, the other for our well being; one is Absolute, the other Convenient, but neither Unlawful. We may lawfully (with Jacob) desire Bread to eat, for we live no more without Bread, then we do by Bread alone, Mat. 4. 4.no more without it, than we do without the Word of Gods Power and Blessing upon it, and so we may things for Convenience too, as well as for necessity, but we must not be peremptory in our desires of either, (for, what we so ask as Bread, or a Fish, may prove a Stone, or a Serpent) but resign our will to Gods, who is engag'd by Promise to supply our wants, though not to gratify our Lusts. Jacob desir'd but Bread to eat, and Gen. 28. 20.Raiment to put on (just enough to bear his Charges in the way, and to keep him alive in it) Agur Prov. 30. 8.desir'd but Food convenient (a Window just large enough to let in Light, and keep out Weather) and so must we; as content if we have to Necessity, though not to Superfluity; to Sufficiency, though not to desire; for Food and Rayment Cibus & potus sunt Christianorum divitiae.are a Christians Riches.
A little is as much as we need, more then we deserve, and as much as we should desire.
The Petition for daily Bread in the Lords Prayer, is set down (as is usually observ'd) after the great things relating to Gods Glory, and it is but one single Petition, whereas there are many for Spiritual things, intimating thereby, that the motion of our Souls to the things of the Earth should be like that of the Fowls of the Air, who on a sudden come down to the Earth for their Food, and on a sudden fly up again; and yet, what insatiable Desires abound in the Hearts of Men? how anxiously solicitous are they for their Bodies? as if there was no God to care for them, and how careless of their Souls, as if he was oblig'd to care for them whether they did or no. Living, as if they had no Souls, or none worthy of their Care; or as if they thought the Earthly House of this Tabernacle, 2 Cor. 5. 1.their Bodies (like that Building of God in the Heavens, the House not made with Hands) was Eternal, and would never be dissolv'd, and fall into the Dust. It is too much the sickness of the World, a Disease that is become Epidemical, the Old, as well as the Young are sick of this disease of the Worms, and many die of it; a death more dishonourable, and of far more dangerous consequence than (with Herod) to be eat up of Worms, for the never dying Worm will gnaw them.
The Covetous shall not inherit the 1 Cor. 6. 10.Kingdom of God.
2. Of Injustice.
Murmuring at our Wants, will rather withhold than procure the Mercies we need; and rather hinder, than further them (like boisterous Winds that keep off the Rain) but an undue seeking of them (viz. in a way of Injustice) will curse them to us. The Souldier says he will never be Valiant that will not venture his Body; and they that will be Rich, think they cannot be so, unless they venture their Souls; and therefore will not stay until God makes 1 Tim. 6. 9.them Rich, (which he does when he adds his Blessing to our Diligence,) but will make themselves Rich by stepping out of his way to be so, if one way will not do it, they will try another, if they cannot find Riches in Gods way, they will seek them in the Devils. An Evil Covetousness prompts them to it, and Mammon they will Cui nihil satis, nihil turpe.have (the most potent of all tempting Devils, as Cornelius Agrippa calls it) though it be the Mammon of unrighteousness. Prodigious Hab. 2. 9.Fools! that (thus swallowing down Riches) take down that Poison that they must either vomit Job 20. 15.up again or die. Labour to lose, and lose while they gain; lose in the Conscience, whilst they get in the Chest; lose their Souls, by getting for their Bodies. A sorry Gain, that will neither continue long, nor be blessed while it does; for,
What the Devils Blessing brings together, Gods Curse will scatter.