A guide to godliness or a Treatise of a Christian life showing the dutiesA guide to godlynesse or a Treatise of a Christian life shewing the duties

Finally, let all those know, who object their poverty, and their continual labours to supply their wants, as an excuse for their neglect of Gods service in the duties of a godly life, that it is but a false and frivolous pretence, whereby they palliate and colour their irreligious profaneness. For they who will not serve God when they are poor, would much less do it if they were rich. They that will sue and seek unto God for help and succour, when they are destitute of necessaries, would much more neglect him, if their storehouses were full, and their tables furnished with all plenty. They that will not call upon ¹the Lord when they are in trouble, nor pour forth a prayer unto him when his chastisement is upon him, would much more forget him and neglect this duty in their prosperity and security from danger. And who seeth not by continual experience, that many who have seemed diligent and devout in the duties of Gods service, in their poor and mean estate, have afterwards been loose and lazy, cold and negligent, when the world hath smiled upon them, and their wealth and riches have been increased and multiplied? Neither in truth is poverty, and pains to supply our wants, any hindrance to the daily and necessary duties of Gods service, seeing if we order our time aright, and wisely dispose of our business, both of them may well stand together. For the Lord requireth not at our hands, that we should spend the greatest part of our time in religious exercises, and neglect the duties of our callings, but only that we allot some small time to holy duties, and perform our honest labours in the rest, therein yielding obedience by performing these works, because he hath required them. And so far is he off from exacting of us monkish idleness,