A09376:1079
A cloud of faithful witnesses, leading to the heavenly Canaan, or, A commentary upon…A cloud of faithfull witnesses, leading to the heauenly Canaan, or, A commentarie vpon…
A cloud of faithful witnesses, leading to the heavenly Canaan, or, A commentary upon the 11 chapter to the Hebrews preached in Cambridge by that godly, and judicious divine, M. William Perkins ; long expected and desired, and therefore published at the request of his executors, by Will. Crashawe and Tho. Pierson, preachers of Gods Word, who heard him preach it, and wrote it from his mouth.A cloud of faithfull witnesses, leading to the heauenly Canaan, or, A commentarie vpon the 11 chapter to the Hebrewes preached in Cambridge by that godly, and iudicious divine, M. William Perkins ; long expected and desired, and therefore published at the request of his executours, by Will. Crashawe and Tho. Pierson, preachers of Gods Word, who heard him preach it, and wrote it from his mouth.
London: printed by Humphrey Lownes for Leo. Greene, 1607London: printed by Humfrey Lownes for Leo. Greene, 1607
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
2. Quest. Whether may a man lawfully seek to be rich, seeing we must profess our selves to be pilgrims and strangers in this life? Ans. Riches are taken two ways: 1. for things sufficient. 2. for abundance. For the first, by things sufficient, I mean things necessary and meet for a mans estate, to maintain him and his family; and thus a man may seek to be rich: for, so we are taught to pray, in the fourth Petition, Give us this day our daily bread; that is, things meet and needful for the day. From whence I reason thus: That which we may lawfully ask at Gods hands, we may lawfully seek for: But we may lawfully ask of God all things necessary to this life; Therefore we may lawfully use the means to attain unto them. And this,1 Agurs prayer showeth also, Give me not poverty nor riches, feed me with food convenient for me. Where we see, it is requisite a man should labour for things necessary to this life. Now, because mans corrupt nature is so gripple, that he would not be contented with the whole world, ⟨p. 291⟩though it were all his; therefore we must learn this rule of contentation, for worldly things: namely, to follow the counsel and example of wise and godly men, who are neither covetous, nor riotous; but rest contented with that which is sufficient. As for the wearing of apparel, we have no special rule, nor precept in Gods word: and therefore our direction, must be the example and fashion of the most grave and godly, in that calling whereof we are; whose president must be our direction in all cases, whereof we have no precept nor rule in Gods word.
2. Quest. Whether may a man lawfully seeke to bee rich, seeing we must professe our selues to bee pilgrimes and strangers in this life? Ans. Riches are taken two waies: 1. for things sufficient. 2. for aboundance. For the first, by things sufficient, I meane things necessarie and meete for a mans estate, to maintaine him and his family; and thus a man may seeke to be rich: for, so wee are taught to pray, in the fourth Petition, Giue vs this day our daily bread; that is, things meete and needfull for the day. From whence I reason thus: That which wee may lawfully aske at Gods hands, wee may lawfully seeke for: But we may lawfully aske of God all things necessary to this life; Therefore wee may lawfully vse the meanes to attaine vnto them. And this,1