CHAP. V.

Persons that are free from the necessity of labour and employments, are to consider themselves as devoted to God in a higher degree.

1.GREAT part of the world are free from the necessities of labour, and have their time and fortunes in their own disposal.

But as no one is to live in his employment according to his own humour, or to please his own fancy, but is to do all his business in such a manner as to make it a service unto God; so those who have no particular employment, are so far from being left at liberty to live to themselves, to pursue their own humours, and spend their time and fortune as they please, that they are under greater obligations of living wholly unto God in all their actions.

The freedom of their state lays them under a greater necessity of always chusing and doing the best things.

They are those, of whom much will be required, because much is given unto them.

A slave can only live unto God in one particular way; that is, by religious patience and submission in his state of slavery.

But all ways of holy living, all instances, and all kinds of virtue, lie open to those who are masters of themselves, their time, and their fortune.

It is as much the duty, therefore, of such persons, to make a wise use of their liberty, to devote themselves to all kinds of virtue, to aspire after every thing that is holy and pious, and to please God in the highest and most perfect manner, as it is the duty of a slave to be resigned unto God in his state of slavery.

2. You are no labourer, or tradesman; you are neither merchant nor soldier; consider yourself therefore as placed in a state, in some degree like that of good angels, who are sent into the world as ministring spirits, for the general good of mankind, to assist, protect, and minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.

For the more you are free from the common necessities of men, the more you are to imitate the higher perfections of angels.

Had you, Serena, been obliged to wash cloaths for your maintenance, or to wait upon some mistress, that demanded all your labour, it would be your duty to glorify God, by such humility, obedience, and faithfulness, as might adorn that state of life.

It would then be recommended to your care, to improve that one talent to its greatest height; that when the time came for mankind to be rewarded for their labours by the great Judge of the quick and dead, you might be received with a well done good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.

But as God has given you five talents, as he has placed you above the necessities of life, as he has left you in the happy liberty of chusing the most exalted ways of virtue; as he has left you nothing to do, but to make the best use of variety of blessings, to make the best of a short life, to study your own perfection, the honour of God, and the good of your neighbour; so it is now your duty to enquire how the most eminent saints have lived, to study all the arts and methods of perfection, and to set no bounds to your love and gratitude to the bountiful author of so many blessings.

3. It is now your duty to turn your five talents into five more, and to consider how your time, and leisure, and health, and fortune may be made so many happy means of purifying your own soul, improving your fellow-creatures, and of carrying you at last to the greatest heights of eternal glory.

As you have no mistress to serve, so let your own soul be the object of your daily care and attendance.

Nourish it with good works, give it peace in solitude, get it strength in prayer, make it wise with reading, enlighten it by meditation, make it tender with love, sweeten it with humility, enliven it with psalms and hymns, and comfort it with frequent reflections upon future glory. Keep it in the presence of God, and teach it to imitate those guardian angels; which tho’ they attend on the lowest of mankind, yet always behold the face of our Father which is in heaven.

This, Serena, is your profession. For as sure as God is one God, so sure it is, that he has but one command to all mankind, whether they be bond or free, rich or poor; and that is, to act up to the excellency of their nature, to live by reason, to walk in the light of religion, to glorify God in all his gifts, and dedicate every condition of life to his service.

This is the one common command of God to all mankind. If you have an employment, you are to be thus reasonable, and holy in the exercise of it; if you have time and a fortune in your own power, you are to be thus reasonable, and holy, in the use of all your time and all your fortune.

4. The right use of every talent, is the indispensable duty of every being that is capable of knowing right or wrong.

For the reason why we are to do any thing as unto God, and with regard to our relation to him, is the same reason why we are to do every thing as unto God, and with regard to this relation.

That which is a reason for our being wise and holy in the discharge of all our business, is the same reason for our being wise and holy in the use of all our money.

*As we have always the same natures, and are every where the servants of the same God; as every place is equally full of his presence, and every thing is equally his gift; so we must do every thing as the servants of God; we must live in every place, as in his presence; we must use every thing as that ought to be used which belongs to God.

Either this wisdom, and devotion is to go thro’ every way of life, or it is to go through no part of life.

If we might forget ourselves, or forget God; if we might live by humour or fancy in any thing, or at any time, or in any place, it would be as lawful to do the same in every thing, and every time, and every place.

5. If therefore some people, fancy, that they must be grave and solemn at church, but may be silly and frantic at home; that they must live by some rule on the Sunday, but may spend other days by chance; that they must have some times of prayer, but may waste the rest of their time as they please; that they must give some money in charity, but may squander away the rest as they have a mind; such people have not considered the nature of religion, or the true reasons of piety. For he that, upon principles of reason, can tell why it is good to be wise and heavenly-minded at church, can tell that ’tis good to have the same tempers in all other places. He that knows why he should spend any time well, knows it is never allowable to throw any time away. He that rightly understands the reasonableness of charity, will know that it can never be excusable, to waste any of our money in pride and folly, or in any needless expences.

For every argument that shews the wisdom of charity, proves the wisdom of spending all our fortune well. Every argument that proves the reasonableness of having times of prayer, shews the reasonableness of losing none of our time.

6. *If any one can shew, that we need not always act in the divine presence, that we need not use every thing as the gift of God, that we need not always live by reason, and make religion the rule of all our actions, the same arguments would shew, that we need never act as in the presence of God, nor make religion and reason the measure of any of our actions. If therefore we are to live to God at any time, or in any place, we are to live unto him at all times, and in all places. If we are to use any thing as the gift of God, we are to use every thing as his gift. If we are to do any thing by strict rules of reason and piety, we ought to do every thing in the same manner; because reason, and wisdom, and piety are as much the best things at all times, and in all places, as they are the best things at any time, or in any place.

If it is our glory and happiness to have a rational nature, that is endued with wisdom and reason, that is capable of imitating the divine nature; then it must be our glory and happiness, to improve our reason and wisdom, to act up to the excellency of our rational nature, and to imitate God in all our actions. They, therefore, who confine their religion to times and places, and some little rules of retirement, who think that it is being too strict to introduce religion into common life, and make it give laws to all their actions and ways of living; they who think thus, not only mistake, but they mistake the whole nature of religion, who can think any part of their life is more easy, for being free from it. They may well be said to mistake the whole nature of wisdom, who don’t think it desirable to be always wise. He has not learned the nature of piety, who thinks it too much to be pious in all his actions. He does not sufficiently understand what reason is, who does not earnestly desire to live in every thing according to it.

If we had a religion that consisted in absurd superstitions, that had no regard to the perfection of our nature, people might well be glad to have some part of their life excused from it: but as the religion of the gospel is only the refinement of our best faculties, as it only requires a life of the highest reason, as it only requires us to use this world, as in reason it ought to be used, to live in such tempers as are the glory of intelligent beings, to walk in such wisdom as exalts our nature, and to practise such piety as will raise us to God; who can think it grievous, to live always in the spirit of such a religion, to have every part of his life full of it, but he that would think it much more grievous, to be as the angels of God in heaven?

7. Farther, as God is one and the same being, always acting like himself, and suitable to his own nature; so it is the duty of every being that he has created, to live according to the nature that he has given it, and always to act like itself.

It is therefore an immutable law of God, that all rational beings should act reasonably in all their actions; not at this time, or in that place, or upon this occasion, or in the use of some particular thing; but at all times, in all places, at all occasions, and in the use of all things.

When, therefore, any being that is endued with reason, does an unreasonable thing at any time, or in any place, or in the use of any thing, it sins against the great law of its nature, and against God the author of that nature.

They, therefore, who plead for any foolish fashions, customs and humours, for the misuse of our time or money, plead for a rebellion against our nature, for a rebellion against God, who has given us reason for no other end, than to make it the rule and measure of all our ways of life.

8. When, therefore, you are guilty of any folly or extravagance, or indulge any vain temper, don’t consider it as a small matter; but consider it as it is, acting contrary to your nature; and then you will see that there is nothing small that is unreasonable, because all unreasonable ways are contrary to the nature of all rational beings.

The infirmities of human life make such food and raiment necessary for us as angels do not want; but it is no more allowable for us to turn these necessities into follies, and indulge ourselves in the luxury of food, or the vanities of dress, than it is allowable for angels to act below the dignity of their proper state. For a reasonable life, is as much the duty of all men, as it is the duty of all angels. These are not speculative flights, but plain and undeniable laws, that are founded in the nature of rational beings, who, as such, are obliged to live by reason, and glorify God by a continual right use of their several talents. So that tho’ men are not angels; yet they may know by what rules men are to act, by considering the state of angels. Our blessed Saviour has plainly turned our thoughts this way, by making this petition, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. A plain proof, that the obedience of men is to imitate the obedience of angels; and that rational beings on earth are to live unto God, as rational beings in heaven live unto him.

9. When, therefore, you would represent to your mind how Christians ought to live unto God, and by what degrees of wisdom and holiness they ought to use the things of this life, you must not look at the world; but you must look up to the society of angels, and think what wisdom and holiness is fit to prepare you for such a state of glory. You must look to all the highest precepts of the gospel; you must examine yourself by the Spirit of Christ; you must think how departed souls would live, if they were again to act the short part of human life; and what degrees of wisdom and holiness you will wish for when you are leaving the world.

10. And as Christianity consecrates all states and employments to God, as it requires us to aspire after universal obedience, doing and using every thing as the servants of God; so are we more especially obliged to observe this exactness in the use of our estates and fortunes.

The reason is plain, if we only consider, that our estate is as much the gift of God, as our eyes, or our hands, and is no more to be buried, or thrown away at pleasure, than we are to pull out our eyes, or throw away our limbs.

But besides this consideration, there are several other important reasons why we should be exact in the use of our estates.

11. *First, because the manner of using our money, enters so far into the business of every day, and makes so great a part of our common life, that our common life must be much of the same nature, as our common way of spending our estate. If reason and religion govern us in this, then reason and religion have got great hold of us; but if humour, pride, and fancy are the measures of our spending our estate, then humour, pride, and fancy will have the direction of the greatest part of our life.

12. Another reason is, because our money is capable of being used to the most excellent purposes, and is so great a means of doing good. If we waste it, we don’t waste a trifle that signifies little; but we waste that which might be as eyes to the blind, as a husband to the widow, as a father to the orphan. If a man had eyes, and hands, and feet, that he could give to those that wanted them; if he should either lock them up in a chest, or please himself with some needless or ridiculous use of them, instead of giving them to his brethren that were blind and lame, should we not justly reckon him an inhuman wretch? If he should rather chuse to amuse himself with furnishing his house with those things, than to intitle himself to an eternal reward, by giving them to those that wanted eyes and hands, might we not justly reckon him mad?

Now money has much the nature of eyes and feet: if we either lock it up in chests, or waste it in needless and ridiculous expences whilst the poor and the distressed want it for their necessary uses; if we consume it in the ridiculous ornaments of apparel, whilst others are starving in nakedness, we are not far from the cruelty of him that chuses rather to adorn his house with the hands and eyes, than to give them to those that want them. If we indulge ourselves in such expensive enjoyments, to satisfy no real want, rather than to entitle ourselves to an eternal reward, by disposing of our money well, we are guilty of his madness, that rather chuses to lock up eyes and hands, than to make himself for ever blessed, by giving them to those that want them.

13. *Thirdly, if we waste our money, we are not only guilty of making that useless, which is so powerful a means of doing good, but we turn this useful talent into a powerful means of corrupting ourselves; because so far as it is spent wrong, so far it is spent in the support of some wrong temper, in gratifying some vain and unreasonable desires.

*As wit and fine parts cannot be only lost, but expose those that have them to greater follies, if they are not strictly devoted to piety; so money, if it is not used strictly according to reason and religion, cannot only be trifled away, but it will betray people into greater follies, and make them live a more silly and extravagant life, than they would have done without it. If therefore you don’t spend your money in doing good to others, you spend it to the hurt of yourself. You will act like a man that should refuse to give a cordial to a sick friend, tho’ he could not drink it himself without inflaming his blood. For this is the case of superfluous money; if you give it to those that want it, it is a cordial; if you spend it upon yourself, in something that you do not want, it only inflames and disorders your mind, and makes you worse than you would be without it.

14. Consider again the fore-mentioned comparison; if the man that would not make a right use of spare eyes and hands, should, by continually trying to use them himself, spoil his own eyes and hands, we might accuse him of still greater madness.

Now this is truly the case of riches spent upon ourselves in vain and needless expences: in trying to use them where they have no real use, we only use them to our hurt, in creating unreasonable desires, in nourishing ill tempers, in indulging our passions, and supporting a vain turn of mind. For high eating and drinking, fine cloaths, and fine houses, state and equipage, gay pleasures and diversions, do all of them hurt and disorder our hearts; they are the food and nourishment of all the folly and weakness of our nature, and are certain means to make us vain and worldly in our tempers; they are all of them the support of something that ought not to be supported; they are contrary to that sobriety of heart which relisheth divine things; they are like so many weights upon our mind, that make us less able, and less inclined to raise up our thoughts and affections to the things that are above.

So that money, thus spent, is not merely wasted, but spent to bad purposes; to the corruption of our hearts, and make us less able to live up to the doctrines of the gospel. It is like keeping money from the poor, to buy poison for ourselves.

For so much as is spent in the vanity of dress, is so much laid out to fix vanity in our minds. So much as is laid out for idleness and indulgence, is so much given to render our hearts dull and sensual. So much as is spent in state and equipage, is so much spent to dazzle your own eyes, and render you the idol of your own imagination. And so in every thing, when you go from reasonable wants, you only support some unreasonable temper, some turn of mind, which every Christian is called upon to renounce.

So that, whether we consider our fortune as a trust from God, or the great good it enables us to do, or the great harm that it does to ourselves, if idly spent; on all these accounts it is absolutely necessary to make reason and religion the strict rule of using all our fortune.

15. Every exhortation in scripture to satisfy only such wants as God would have satisfied; every exhortation to be spiritual and heavenly, pressing after a glorious change of our nature; every exhortation to love our neighbours as ourselves, is a command to be strictly religious in the use of our money. This use of our worldly goods, is so much the doctrine of the New Testament, that you cannot read a chapter without being taught something of it. I shall only produce one passage of scripture, which is sufficient to justify all that I have said.

When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all his holy angels with him, then he shall sit upon the throne of his glory. And before him shall be gathered all nations; and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth the sheep from the goats; and he shall set the sheep on his right-hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right-hand, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; naked and ye cloathed me: I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall he say unto them on the left-hand, Depart from me ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry, and ye gave me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; naked, and ye cloathed me not; sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. These shall go away into everlasting punishment; but the righteous into life eternal.

16. I have quoted this passage at length, because if one looks at the way of the world, one would hardly think Christians had ever read this scripture.

Some people look upon this text only as a general recommendation of occasional works of charity; whereas it shews the necessity, not only of occasional charities, but of such an entire charitable life, as is a continual exercise of all such works of charity as we are able to perform.

You own that there is no salvation but in the performance of these good works. Who is it, therefore, that may be said to have performed these good works? Is it he that has sometime assisted a prisoner, or relieved the poor or sick? This would be as absurd as to say, that he had performed the duties of devotion, who had sometime said his prayers. Is it, therefore, he that has several times done these works of charity? This can no more be said, than he can be said to be the truly just man, who had done acts of justice several times. What is the rule therefore, or measure, of performing these good works?

Now the rule is very plain and easy, and such as is common to every other virtue, as well as to charity. Who is the humble, or meek, or just, or faithful man? Is it he that has several times done acts of humility, meekness, justice, or fidelity? No; but it is he that lives in the habitual exercise of these virtues. In like manner, he only can be said to have performed those works of charity, who lives in the habitual exercise of them to the utmost of his power. He only has performed the duty of divine love, who loves God with all his heart, and mind, and strength. And he only has performed the duty of these good works, who has done them with all his heart, and mind, and strength. For there is no other measure of our doing good, than our power of doing it.

17. The apostle Peter puts this question to our blessed Saviour, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him, till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee until seven times, but until seventy times seven. Not as if after this number of offences, a man might then cease to forgive; but the expression is to shew us, that we are not to bound our forgiveness by any number of offences, but are to continue forgiving the most repeated offences against us. If therefore a man ceases to forgive his brother, because he has forgiven him often already: if he excuses himself from forgiving this man, because he has forgiven several others, such a one breaks this law of Christ, concerning the forgiving one’s brother.

Now the rule of forgiving is also the rule of giving. You are not to give, or do good to seven, but to seventy times seven. You are not to cease from giving, because you have given often to the same person, or to other persons; but must account yourself as much obliged to continue relieving those that continue in want, as you was obliged to relieve them once or twice. Had it not been in your power, you had been excused from relieving any person once; but if it is in your power to relieve people often, it is as much your duty to do it often as it is the duty of others to do it but seldom, because they are but seldom able.

18. And the reason of all this is plain; there is the same necessity of being charitable at one time as at another. It is as much the best use of our money, to be always doing good with it, as it is the best use of it at any particular time; so that that which is a reason for a charitable action, is as good a reason for a charitable life; for charity has nothing to recommend it to-day, but what will be the same recommendation of it to-morrow; and you cannot neglect it at one time, without being guilty of the same sin as if you neglected it at another time. As sure, therefore, as these works of charity are necessary to salvation, so sure is it that we are to do them to the utmost of our power; not to-day, or to-morrow, but through the whole course of our life. If therefore it be our duty at any time to deny ourselves any needless expences, that we may have to give to those that want, it is as much our duty to do so at all times, that we may be able to do more good: for if it is at any time a sin to prefer needless expence to works of charity, it is so at all times. If it is ever necessary to take care of these works of charity, and to see that we make ourselves in some degree capable of doing them; it is as necessary to take care to make ourselves as capable as we can be, of performing them in all the parts of our life.

19. Either therefore you must say, that you need never perform any of these good works; or you must own, that you are to perform all your life in as high a degree as you are able. There is no middle way any more than there is a middle way between temperance and intemperance. If you do not strive to fulfil all charitable works, if you neglect any of them that are in your power, let it be when it will, or where it will, you number yourself amongst those that want Christian charity; because it is as much your duty to do good with all that you have, as it is your duty to be temperate in all that you eat or drink.

20. Hence appears the necessity of renouncing all those foolish and unreasonable expences, which the folly of mankind has made so common and fashionable in the world. For if it is necessary to do good works as far as you are able, it must be as necessary to renounce those needless ways of spending money, which render you unable to do works of charity.

You must therefore no more conform to these ways of the world, than you must conform to the vices of the world. You must no more spend with those that idly waste their money as their own humour leads them, than you must drink with the drunken; because a course of such expences is no more consistent with a life of charity, than excess in drinking is consistent with a life of sobriety. When therefore any one tells you of the lawfulness of expensive apparel, or the innocency of pleasing yourself with costly satisfactions, only imagine that the same person was to tell you, that you need not do works of charity, that Christ does not require you to do good to your poor brethren, as unto him, and then you will see the wickedness of such advice; for, to tell you that you may live in such expences, as make it impossible for you to live in the exercise of good works, is the same thing as telling you, that you need not have any care about such good works themselves.