Certain sermons, first preached, and after published at several times, by M. Thomas Gataker…Certaine sermons, first preached, and after published at severall times, by M. Thomas Gataker…

Secondly, Men would strive one to go beyond another in Godliness, if they counted Godliness a matter of Gain. For as the Heathen writer well observeth,^y there is a kind of emulation commonly among worldly neighbours, whereby they emulate such as go beyond them in wealth: one neighbour striveth to out-build another, one to get and purchase more than another. The covetous man casteth his eye on his rich neighbours,^z as a man in a race doth on those that have won ground of him, he striveth to get even with this man, whom he is yet behind, to out-strip that man, whom he hath got even withal. And the envious man (as those two vices are seldom asunder) looking through the spectacles of envy on his neighbours goods,^a thinketh every thing that his neighbour hath better than his own, and it may be better than indeed it is, his grounds fertiler, his beasts fairer, his revenues larger, his gains greater &c. and is ready enough oft to say with himself, Why should not my beasts look as fair as his? why should not my grounds yield as much as his? why should not I thrive as well as he, having as good means to thrive by as he hath? And even^* so would it be with us, held we godliness to be gainful. We would ⟨p. 142⟩have a kind of godly emulation and ambition among us, as the Apostle speaketh, in matter of Godliness; we would even^b emulate and^c ambitiously, as it were, strive and contend to out-go one another in goodness and grace. And this were^d a good and godly emulation, a goodly and a commendable strife and contention Indeed. We would be eying of those that are got beyond us in grace, and endeavour to get even with them, yea, if it be possible, to out-strip them, and to cast them behind us,