A sermon preached before the Right Honourable the House of Peers, in the Abbey…A sermon preached before the Right Honourable the House of Peeres, in the Abbey…

First, there are more duties required of men who abound, then of those who want. A poor man who works hard for his living all day, what hath he to do, but in the morning to commend himself and his family to God, and so go forth to his labour? but you who abound, have a great deal of work to do, the great businesses that concern the public good of State and Church lye heavy upon your shoulders. Some think when they have great estates, they may live idly, that they have nothing to do but to spend their days in mirth and jollity; but certainly there are no men in the world who have greater work to do then Princes, Noblemen, Lords, and such as are in place of dignity and power.

First, there are more duties required of men who abound, then of those who want. A poore man who works hard for his living all day, what hath he to doe, but in the morning to commend himself and his family to God, and so goe forth to his labour? but you who abound, have a great deale of work to doe, the great businesses that concern the publique good of State and Church lye heavy upon your shoulders. Some think when they have great estates, they may live idly, that they have nothing to doe but to spend their dayes in mirth and jollity; but certainly there are no men in the world who have greater work to doe then Princes, Noblemen, Lords, and such as are in place of dignity and power.

Secondly, there is a greater variety of temptations in abundance, then in want. It is true, Poverty is not without its temptations, but Prosperity hath far more attending it. Flies come thickest to sweet things; so Beelzebub, which signifies the god of flies, the prince of devils, loves most to be amongst men who do most abound. Rats and Mice come to full barns, rather then ⟨p. 25⟩to empty places; so the vermin of temptations do more haunt abundance then want. We read of Josephs portion, Deut. 33.13. Blessed of the Lord be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep, and for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, and for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills, and for the precious things of the earth, and fullness thereof. Thus we find Joseph was very rich, but we read of no Tribe that was to suffer so much opposition as the Tribe of Joseph.