I do as well as others, I but is there as much distance between the service that I do, and the service my poor neighbour doth, as between my estate, and his estate? you perhaps can look upon poor people carrying Tankards, earning dearly ten pence or twelve pence a day, and you have many hundreds a year coming in, now is there as much difference? You would be loth to be in such a condition as those are in, Oh! but is there as much difference between the glory that God hath from you, and the glory that God hath from them? It may be some of them when they have been hard at work all day, they get home, and get alone with wife and children and fall a praying, and letting their tears fall down, and blessing God for their bread and drink that they have. And perhaps you in your many hundreds a year, and many dishes at your table, are but discontented and froward, Oh! consider, that though God hath raised you above others in estates, yet you are lower than many others in good works; If a man hath increased his estate more than before you shall quickly see it in his clothes, and his house shall be finer than before, his furniture shall be finer than before, you shall see his estate raised that way; but can you see it raised in his good works more than before? Oh! that such a man doth more for the service of God than before, more for the relieving of ⟨p. 323⟩the woeful necessities of his poor Brethren than before: Men are ready if so be that men come finer to the Exchange than they did before, they think, What is this man grown richer than he was before? You should (if God doth raise your estates) make it appear in being forward with good works, in good works that are chargeable, as that men may take notice of your riches by your rich works, rather than your rich clothes; except there be a proportion between our plenty and our prosperity, there is no evidence that our prosperity comes in mercy: but if a proportion, then not only an evidence that our prosperity comes in mercy, but a good addition to the good of our prosperity. If a Merchant hath his Ship come home and he hath gotten a thousand pounds by the Voyage, now if God raises his heart in a proportionable way to the furtherance of the Gospel, that is more than ten thousand pounds; a man would account that well if he hath gotten so much and he could employ it to get ten times so much more, think but thus:
I do as well as others, I but is there as much distance between the service that I do, and the service my poor neighbor doth, as between my estate, and his estate? you perhaps can look upon poor people carrying Tankards, earning dearly ten pence or twelve pence a day, and you have many hundreds a yeer coming in, now is there as much difference? You would be loth to be in such a condition as those are in, Oh! but is there as much difference between the glory that God hath from you, and the glory that God hath from them? It may be some of them when they have been hard at work all day, they get home, and get alone with wife and children and fall a praying, and letting their tears fall down, and blessing God for their bread and drink that they have. And perhaps you in your many hundreds a yeer, and many dishes at your table, are but discontented and froward, Oh! consider, that though God hath raised you above others in estates, yet you are lower than many others in good works; If a man hath encreased his estate more than before you shall quickly see it in his cloaths, and his house shall be finer than before, his furniture shall be finer than before, you shall see his estate raised that way; but can you see it raised in his good works more than before? Oh! that such a man doth more for the service of God than before, more for the relieving of ⟨p. 323⟩the wofull necessities of his poor Brethren than before: Men are ready if so be that men come finer to the Exchange than they did before, they think, What is this man grown richer than he was before? You should (if God doth raise your estates) make it appear in being forward with good works, in good works that are chargable, as that men may take notice of your riches by your rich works, rather than your rich cloaths; except there be a proportion between our plenty and our prosperity, there is no evidence that our prosperity comes in mercy: but if a proportion, then not only an evidence that our prosperitie comes in mercie, but a good addition to the good of our prosperitie. If a Merchant hath his Ship come home and he hath gootten a thousand pounds by the Voyage, now if God raises his heart in a proportionable way to the furtherance of the Gospel, that is more than ten thousand pounds; a man would account that well if he hath gotten so much and he could imploy it to get ten times so much more, think but thus:
