Riches of mercy to men in misery, or, Certain excellent treatises concerning the dignity…

Object. This is that we had need to exhort you to, it ¹may be every man will be apt to say, we serve the Lord and who is there that serveth him not?

1. 1Object.

Answ. But my brethren the truth is we do not serve the ¹Lord, and whatsoever we say yet we serve other masters and not him, we serve men, we serve the world, we serve our riches, we serve our credits, we serve our lusts, and very few there are that serve the Lord, that is look what men have an eye to in their actions, that they serve. Consider therefore what you do in your actions; look what you do with respect to your wealth and profit, therein you serve but your profit and not God, look what you do with respect to honour amongst men, therein you serve men and not the Lord, the like I may say or other things, so that if you examine your actions you shall find that God hath but a little part in all your performances, but still some by-respect cometh in between. But you must know that all the talents that you have are given you for this end that you may serve your master with them, all the riches, the honour, the strength, the wit, the learning &c. that you have you should serve the Lord with them, but we do not serve him altogether, we serve respects of our own, by respects we serve men with them, when there is a man upon whom our rising dependeth, it is wonder to see with what solicitude and vigilancy we serve him, the like we may say of other respects that we have in things that concern our selves, in these, or the like we use the talents that God hath given for his service to our own advantage, and not for our masters benefit.

Answ. But my brethren the truth is we do not serve the ¹Lord, and whatsoever we say yet we serve other masters and not him, we serve men, we serve the world, we serve our riches, we serve our credits, we serve our lusts, and very few there are that serve the Lord, that is look what men have an eye to in their actions, that they serve. Consider therefore what you do in your actions; look what you do with respect to your wealth and profit, therein you serve but your profit and not God, look what you do with respect to honour amongst men, therein you serve men and not the Lord, the like I may say or other things, so that if you examine your actions you shall finde that God hath but a little part in all your performances, but still some by-respect cometh in between. But you must know that all the talents that you have are given you for this end that you may serve your master with them, all the riches, the honour, the strength, the wit, the learning &c. that you have you should serve the Lord with them, but we do not serve him altogether, we serve respects of our own, by respects we serve men with them, when there is a man upon whom our rising dependeth, it is wonder to see with what solicitude and vigilancy we serve him, the like we may say of other respects that we have in things that concern our selves, in these, or the like we use the talents that God hath given for his service to our own advantage, and not for our masters benefit.