3. If your estate be small,1 yet God can bless a little. 'Tis not how much money we have, but how much blessing. He that often curseth the bags of gold*, can bless the meal in the barrel, and the oil in the cruse. What if thou hast not the full fleshpots? yet thou hast a promise, I will bless her provision*, and then a little goes a great way; be content, thou hast the dew of a blessing distilled: a dinner of green herbs, where love is, ⟨p. 70⟩is sweet; I may add, where the love of God is: another may have more estate then you, but more care; more riches, less rest; more revenues, but withal more occasions of expense: he hath a greater inheritance, yet perhaps God doth not give him power to eat thereof*, he hath the dominion of his estate,5 not the use; he holds more, but enjoys less: in a word, thou hast less gold then he, perhaps less guilt*.
3. If your estate be small,1 yet God can blesse a little. 'Tis not how much money we have, but how much blessing. He that often curseth the bags of gold*, can blesse the meale in the barrel, and the oyl in the cruse. What if thou hast not the full fleshpots? yet thou hast a promise, I will blesse her provision*, and then a little goes a great way; be content, thou hast the dew of a blessing distill'd: a dinner of green herbs, where love is, ⟨p. 70⟩is sweet; I may adde, where the love of God is: another may have more estate then you, but more care; more riches, lesse rest; more revenewes, but withall more occasions of expence: he hath a greater inheritance, yet perhaps God doth not give him power to eate thereof*, he hath the dominion of his estate,5 not the use; he holds more, but enjoyes lesse: in a word, thou hast lesse gold then he, perhaps lesse guilt*.
- 13. Reply
- *Ex malè Quae•itis vix gaudet tertius haeres.
- *Psal. 132. 15.
- *Eccles. 6. 2.
- 5[Greek or Hebrew]. Menand.〈non-Latin alphabet〉. Menand.
- *Lucrum in arca, damnum in Co•scientia. Aug. in Serm. Innocent.
