Four useful discourses viz. ... /Four usefull discourses viz. ... /

Fourthly, You that have rich friends any of you, you see what need you have here to pray for them. It was the speech of a holy man once, when he met an acquaintance of his, that he had not seen a long time before, and it seems he had a great estate befallen him; as soon as he ⟨p. 69⟩met him, O Sir (saith he) I had never need to pray for you so much as now. His friend stood amazed at it, supposing that he had heard of some great evil that had befallen him. He gives him this answer, I hear you have a great estate befallen to you. Certainly there's no men in the world, that have so much need of Prayer, as those that are high in estate.

And then, You who do abound, be you exhorted to what you have heard, and now to set upon the work, To learn how to abound.

Learn this one Lesson farther (that should have been spoken) Learn throughly your dependence upon God in all your abundance; To see as much need of God in the midst of your abundance, as in the greatest depth of affliction. That's one thing that is of very great use. A man hath attained to a good measure of Grace when he comes to this, that he sees he hath as much need of mercy from God in his abundance, as in the lowest afflicted estate in the world. Many men and women they think that they have need of God in their affliction; then they depend upon God. I but you should depend upon God as much if you had all the world to possess, as the poorest beggar in the world. This you may either put into the mystery that there is in it, or into the Lessons; for indeed it is a mystery to the men of the world: and therefore Christ teaches not only poor people to come and say, Lord give us this day our daily bread; but the richest men in the world is to pray so: the greatest Prince and Monarch in the World is every day to come to God, to the Gates of Mercy, to beg his bread. Now if rich men would be so sensible of their condition, that, they depend upon God for the enjoyment of what they have every moment; have as much need of mercy as the poorest wretch