Seasonable truths in evil-times in several sermons / lately preached in and about London

In regard of the persons of the world: So Abraham and Isaac did make use of Abimelech; so Jacob did make use of Laban; so the Israelites did make use of the Egyptians; so the Jews did make use of the Heathen Cyrus, Darius, Artaxerxes, for the building of the House of God. Plainly then, a good man may make use of the world, the persons of the world.

And as he may make use of the persons of the world, so he may make use of the things of the world, for they are his own: All things are yours, whether Paul, or Apollo, things present, and things to come; life and death, all things are yours. And who may not make use of his own? If a friend should send a man a gift, it would be accounted an incivility and unthankfulness not to make use thereof. Why truly, as for the things of this world, they are Gods gift; The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh: They are Gods gift: And will it not be accounted an incivility towards God, and an unthankfulness towards God, not to make use of this his gift that he hath given us: May not a Traveller make use of those things in his journey, that are meet and necessary for him in his journey? he may. We are all Travellers to another Country, we are upon our journey, so far therefore as things are necessary for our journey, we may make use thereof: The Lord would have Adam himself to be employed in the state of Innocency, in the things of the world, Six days shalt thou labour, and do all that thou hast to do: And the Apostle in his second Epistle to the Thessalonians, Chap. 3. v. 11. shows, that those are busy-bodies, whose bodies are not busy: We hear that ⟨p. 130⟩there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busy bodies; working not at all, but work in another's ground: busy bodies, because their bodies are not busy: See how they go here together, working not at all, but are at work where they should not work: those whose bodies are not busy, will be busy bodies: And is it not an evil thing to be a busy body? 'tis so; therefore we must work: How can we work if we do not make use of the world, and the things thereof? So that plainly then we see the first thing cleared: A good man may make use of the world, both in reference to the persons of the world, and in reference to the things of the world: A good man may make use of the world.