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

§. Sect. 4 Of the duties which respect the right use of our goods.

§. Sect. 4 Of the duties which respect the right vse of our goods.

And these are the duties which we ought to perform, in respect of the lawful getting and possessing of our goods; the duties which concern the ¹right use of them, respect either our selves, which is the lawful & comfortable fruition of them; or others, which consists in the free and wise communication of them. Concerning the former, having justly gotten goods into our possession, we are comfortably to enjoy them, as the good gifts and blessings of God; unto which, two virtues are required; First, that (shunning niggardliness, which keepeth men not only from the communicating ²of their goods to others, but also from enjoying them for their own benefit, committing therein a double theft) we do embrace parsimony, which consisteth in the honest saving and sparing of our goods, that they be not idly and unprofitably wasted and spent. Secondly, ³that avoiding wastefulness, and misspending our wealth to uses either dishonest or above our means and ability; we do embrace frugality, which consisteth in the discreet, sober and moderate spending of our goods, according to our calling and ability, to profitable, charitable and needful uses, in which this rule is to be observed, that our expenses in some reasonable good proportion, be less then our comings in. To the free communication of our goods to the benefit of others, two other ⁴virtues are required. First, that shunning covetousness and hardheartedness,