The works of the reverend and faithful servant of Jesus Christ M. Richard Greenham,…The workes of the reuerend and faithfull seruant af Iesus Christ M. Richard Greenham,…

So here is another reason, we must give because we have received it, the Lord requires nothing but his own, he requires nothing to be given, but that we have received of him, & therefore we see of them that received talents, the Lord requires nothing to be repaid but his own. There is & hath bin these many days a complaint against the pastors of the land, because they feed as though they fed not, and for this there is great hatred against them sprung up from the people, which though it be a just conceived wrath, yet I think we measure them not by the right measure,¹ that is by another measure than we measure our selves by; for we have a talent of riches, as they have a talent of knowledge, wherein we are as slack to perform mercy to the² poor, as they to the ignorant; so that in condemning them, we condemn our selves. For as it is sure, that the harvest is great in spiritual things, & there are but few labourers, so in³ respect of temporal things there is as great an harvest, & the labourers are as few, because as the ignorant people are the harvest of the learned Ministers, so the poorer sort is the harvest of the rich men. Another reason is this, because we cannot retain, it is therefore a good policy to give, and to make us friends of the wicked Mammon. We cannot carry any thing with us from hence, have we never so much: here it is gotten, and here it is gone: and though we could carry our gold with us, yet when we come in another world, ⟨p. 699⟩that which is currant here will stand us in no stead, for it will not go for currant there. Well, admit, these things could do us good, yet we cannot carry them safely with us, for there are many robbers will meet us in the way, & therefore we must follow the manner of them, that go by pirates, they carry not all they have with them, but they commit all to others of their friends by writings and bills, which we see to be used of our exchangers: So then we must carry with us only our bills, which will stand the spoilers in little steed, though they light upon them.

So here is another reason, we must giue because we haue receiued it, the Lord requires nothing but his owne, he requires nothing to be giuen, but that we haue receiued of him, & therefore we see of them that receiued talents, the Lord requires nothing to be repaid but his own. There is & hath bin these many daies a complaint against the pastors of the land, because they feed as though they fed not, and for this there is great hatred against them sprung vp from the people, which though it be a iust conceiued wrath, yet I thinke we measure thē not by the right measure,