A09965:117
Four godly and learned treatises Entitled, I. A remedy against covetousness. II. An elegant…Foure godly and learned treatises Intituled, I. A remedy against covetousnesse. II. An elegant…
Four godly and learned treatises Entitled, I. A remedy against covetousness. II. An elegant and lively description of spiritual death and life. III. The doctrine of self-denial. IV. Upon the sacrament of the Lords Supper. Delivered in sundry sermons, by that late famous preacher, and worthy instrument of Gods glory, John Preston, Doctor of Divinity, chaplain in ordinary to his Majesty; master of Emanuel College, and sometime preacher of Lincolns Inn.Foure godly and learned treatises Intituled, I. A remedy against covetousnesse. II. An elegant and lively description of spirituall death and life. III. The doctrine of selfe-deniall. IV. Vpon the sacrament of the Lords Supper. Delivered in sundry sermons, by that late famous preacher, and worthy instrument of Gods glory, Iohn Preston, Doctor of Divinitie, chaplaine in ordinarie to his Majestie; master of Emanuel Colledge, and sometime preacher of Lincolnes Inne.
London: printed by Thomas for Michael Sparke, 1633
COLLOS. 3.5. And Covetousness which is Idolatry.COLLOS. 3.5. And Covetousnesse which is Idolatrie.
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.
1I answer, that the end of mens callings is not to gather riches, if men make this their end, it is a wrong end; but the end of our calling is to serve God and man. The ground of which is this. Every man is a member of the Common wealth, every man hath some gifts or other, ⟨p. 42⟩which must not lie idle: every man hath some Talents, and must use them to his Masters advantage; and how can that be, except he do good to men? Every one is a Servant to Christ, and must do Gods work: no man is free; every one is Christs servant, and must be diligent to serve Christ, and to do good to men.2 He that hath an office must be diligent in it, and attend on it: every man must attend his calling, and be diligent in it. If riches come in by our calling, that is the wages, not the end of our calling, for it looks only to God: we must not make gain the end of our callings; there are many that make gain their godliness, and the end of their professions:3 Some preach only for gain: others use all other callings only for gain: but if any man will make gain the end of his calling, though he may conceal and hide his end from men, yet let him be sure that he shall answer God, the searcher of the hearts for it: on the other side, if a man by diligence in his calling have Riches following him, he may take them as a blessing of God bestowed on him,4 and as a reward of his calling. The diligent hand maketh rich; that is, GOD will surely reward it; not that we must eye riches and make them our end:5 GOD makes a man rich, and man makes himself rich. God makes us rich, by being diligent in our callings; using them to his glory and mans good, he doth cast ⟨p. 43⟩riches on us: Man makes himself rich, when as he makes riches the end of his calling, and doth not expect them as a reward that comes from God. I shall express it by Jacob. Jacob he serves Laban faithfully,