Graphautarkeia, or, The Scriptures sufficiency practically demonstrated wherein whatsoever is contain'd in Scripture, respecting doctrine, worship or manners is reduced to its proper head, weighty cases resolved, truths confirmed, difficult texts illustrated and explained by others more plain.

CHAP. XXXIX. Of this present World, and the Riches, Honours, Pleasure, and other things in this World; the use of them, the snares and tentations in them, and of the Saints duty in relation to them. (Book 39)

AND Abraham was very rich in Cattel, in Silver and in Gold, &c. Lot also went with Abraham, &c. their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together, Gen. 13. 2.

When Rachel said, Give me children, &c. Jacob said, Am I in Gods stead? who withheld, &c? Gen. 30. 1, 2. chap. 33. 5.

All the earth is mine, said the Lord to Moses, Exod. 19. 5.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbours house, &c. nor any thing that is thy neighbours, Exod. 20. 17.

Israel wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat, &c? and God was angry, Numb. 11. 4, 10. 1 Cor. 10. 6, 10.

He fed thee with Manna, &c. that he might make thee know, that man doth not live by bread only, but, &c. thy raiment waxed not old, &c. The Lord thy God will bring thee into a good land, &c. wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, &c. when thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land, &c. beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, &c. lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built godly houses, &c. then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord, &c. and thou say in thine heart, My power, and the might of my hand, hath gotten me this wealth: but thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he who giveth thee pow∣er to get wealth, Deut. 8. 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18. Matt. 4. 4.

Jesurun waxed fat, &c. then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed, &c. Deut. 32. 14, 15.

Achans covetousness and worldliness, was Israels trouble and his own ruine, Joshua. 7. 1, 20, 21, 25, 26.

The Lord maketh poor and maketh rich, he bringeth low and lifteth up, he raiseth up the poor out of the dust: lifteth up the beggar from the dunghil, to sit among princes, &c. 1 Sam. 2. 7, 8.

Saul said to Samuel, I have sinned; yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the Elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, &c. 1 Sam. 15. 30.

The women, &c. said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thou∣sands: and Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, they have ascribed unto David ten thousands, &c. and what can he have more but the kingdom? and Saul eyed David from that day forward, 1 Sam. 18. 6, 7, 8, 9.

God said unto Solomon, Because thou hast asked for thy self this thing, and hast not asked long life, neither hast asked riches, &c. I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches and honour, 1 Kings 3. 9. 10, 11, 12, 13.

Ahabs covetous desire of Naboths vineyard, made him sick with discontent, 1 King. 21. 1, 2, 3, 4.

Gehazi, Elisha his servant, for his covetousness, punished with Leprosie, 2 Kings 5. 20, 21, 22, to the 27.

Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, &c. both riches and honour come of thee, &c. 1 Chron. 29. 11, 12.

Haman, then next the king, boasted of his riches, honour, and worldly advantages; yet so ambitious, that because Mordicai did not bow to him, he saith, All the rest availeth me nothing, Hester 5. 9, 10, 11, 12, 13.

Job said (when he was spoiled of all) Naked came I out of my mothers womb, and naked shall. I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord taketh away; blessed be the name of the Lord, Job 1. 21.

The wicked, &c. he hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly, &c. In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits, Job 20. 15, 22.

What is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul? &c. though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay: he may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, Job 27. 8, 16, 17.

If I have made gold my hope, or said to fine gold, thou art my confidence: If I have rejoyced because my wealth is great, and because my hand had gotten much, &c. Job 31. 24, 25.

Who accepteth not the persons of Princes; nor regardeth the rich more than the poor: for they are all the works of his hands, Job 34. 19.

Deliver my soul, &c. from men of the world, who have their portion in this life, whose bellies thou fillest, &c. they leave the rest of their substance to their babes, Psal. 17. 14.

The earth is the Lords, and the fulness thereof, &c. Psal. 24. 1.

A little that a righteous man hath, is better than the riches of many wicked, &c. I have been young, and now am old, yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken; nor his seed begging bread, &c. I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay-tree; yet he passed away, &c. Psal. 37. 16, 25, 35, 36.

Every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heap∣eth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them, Psal. 39. 6.

They who trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in their riches: none can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransome for him, &c. wise

men dye, &c. likewise the fool, &c. and leave their wealth to others, &c. their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, &c. they call their lands by their own name, &c. man in honour and abideth not, is like the beast which perisheth, &c. be not afraid when one is made rich, when the glo∣ry of his house is increased; when he dyeth, he shall carry nothing away, his glory shall not descend after him, Psal. 49. 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 20.

Every beast of the forest is mine, and the Cattel upon a thousand hills, &c. If I were an hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine and the fulness thereof, Psal. 50. 9, 10, 12.

Lo, this is the man who made not God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, Psal. 52. 7, 9.

Men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lye, &c. If riches increase, set not your hearts upon them, Psal. 62. 9, 10.

Thou visiteth the earth, and watereth it: thou greatly enricheth it, &c. thou preparest them corn, &c. thou waterest the ridges, &c. Psal. 65. 9, 10, 11, &c. Deut. 11. 14, 15.

These are the ungodly who prosper in the world: they increase riches, Psal. 73. 12.

He causeth the grass to grow for the Cattel, and herb for the service of man, that he may bring sorth food out of the earth, and wine, &c. these all wait upon thee, that thou maist give them their meat in due season, &c. Psal. 104. 14, 15, 26, 27, 28. Psal. 145. 15. Psal. 147. 8, 9.

He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the water-springs into dry ground, a fruitful land into barrenness, &c. he turneth the wilderness into a standing water, &c. he blesseth them also, so that they are multiplied greatly, &c. Psal. 107. 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39.

He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, &c. he maketh the barren women to keep house, to be a joyful mother of children, Psal. 113. 7, 8, 9. Psal. 128. 3.

So are the ways of every one who is greedy of gain, which taketh away the life of the owners, Prov. 1. 19.

Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of thine in∣crease; so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, Prov. 3. 9, 10.

Go to the Ant, thou sluggard, &c. yet a little sleep, &c. so shall thy poverty come, Prov. 6. 6, 10, 11.

The rich mans wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is his po∣verty: The blessing of the Lord it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow to it, Prov. 10. 15, 22. ch. 18. 11.

Riches profit not in the day of wrath, &c. there is who scatter, and yet in∣creaseth, and there is who withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty: the liberal soul shall be made fat, &c. he who trusteth in his riches, shall fall, Prov. 11. 4, 24, 25, 28. Ezek. 7. 19.

There is that makes himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is who maketh him∣self poor, yet hath great riches, &c. wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished, &c. Prov. 13. 7, 11.

The poor is hated even by his own neighbour: but the rich hath many friends, Prov. 14. 20. chap. 19. 4.

Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure with trouble, &c. He who is greedy of gain, troubleth his own house, Prov. 15. 16, 27.

Better is a little with righteousness, than great revenues without right, Prov. 16. 8.

An inheritance may be gotten hastily, &c. but the end thereof shall not be blessed, Prov. 20. 4, 21.

He who loveth pleasure, shall be a poor man: and he who loveth wine, &c. Prov. 21. 17.

The rich and the poor meet together: the Lord is the maker of them all, Prov. 22. 2, 7.

Labour not to be rich, &c. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings, and flee away, Prov. 23. 4, 5.

Riches are not for ever: and doth the crown endure to every generation? Prov. 27. 24.

The rich man is wise in his own conceit, &c. a faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he who maketh hast to be rich, shall not be innocent, &c. he hath an evil eye, and considereth not the poverty which shall come upon him, Prov. 28. 11, 20, 22.

Give me neither poverty nor riches: feed me with food convenient: lest I be full and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain, Prov. 30. 8, 9. Gen. 28. 20.

Vanity of vanities, all is vanity, &c. And I gave my heart to seek and search out by Wisdom, concerning all things which are done under heaven, &c. and behold all is vanity and vexation of spirit, &c. I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they, &c. and I gave my heart to know Wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceive that this also is vexation of spirit; for in much wisdom is much grief: and he who increaseth knowledg, in∣creaseth sorrow, Eccles. 1. 2, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18.

I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and behold this also is vanity. I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doth it? I sought, &c. to give my self to Wine, &c. I made me great works: I builded me houses: I planted me vinyards, &c. gardens and orchards, &c. I got me servants and maidens, &c. I had great possessions of great and small cattel, &c. also silver and gold, &c. I got me messengers and women-singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts, &c. whatsoever mine eyes desired, I kept not from them: I withheld not mine heart from any joy, &c. Then I looked on all, &c. and behold all was vanity and vexation of spirit: and there is no profit under the sun, &c. I hated all my labour, &c. because I should leave it unto the man who shall come after me; and who knoweth whe∣ther he shall be a wise man, or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my la∣bour,

&c. Nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, &c. this also I saw, that it was from the hand of God, Eccles 2. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 18, 19, 24.

I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoyce and to do good in his life: and also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of his labour: it is the gift of God, Eccles. 3. 12, 13. chap. 5. 19.

There is one, and not a second: yea, he hath neither child nor brother; yet there is no end of all his labour, neither is his eye satisfied with riches: neither faith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? this also is va∣nity, Eccles. 4. 8.

He who loveth silver, shall not be satisfied with silver: nor he who loveth a∣bundance, with encrease: this also is vanity. When goods increase, they also are increased who eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes: the sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep, &c. Riches kept for the owners thereof, to their hurt, &c. What profit hath he who hath laboured for the wind? Eccles. 5. 10, 11, 12, 13, 16.

A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth and honour, so that he wanteth nothing, &c. he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat there∣of, &c. All the labour of man is for his mouth: and yet the appetite (or, soul) is not filled, Eccles. 6. 2, 7.

Wo unto them that joyn house to house, and lay field to field, till there is no place, &c. Wo unto them who rise up early in the morning that they may follow strong drink, &c. and the harp and the viol, &c. are in their feasts, &c. Isa. 5. 8, 11, 12.

Doth the Plowman plow all day to sow, &c? for his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him: for the fetches are not threshed, &c. this also cometh from the Lord of Hosts, Isa. 28. 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29.

All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof as the flower of the field: the grass withereth, the flower fadeth, &c. Isa. 40. 6, 7, 8.

Thou saidst, I shall be a Lady for ever, &c. Hear now this, thou who art gi∣ven to pleasures, who dwellest carelesly: who sayest in thine heart, &c. I shall not sit a Widow, neither shall I know the loss of children: but these two things shall come to thee in a moment, in one day, the loss of children and Widowhood: and they shall come upon thee in their perfection, Isa. 47. 7, 8, 9.

Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain, &c? Art not thou he, O Lord, &c? Jer. 14. 22.

Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might: let not the rich man glory in his riches, &c. Jer. 9. 23.

He who getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days: and at his end shall be a fool, Jer. 17. 11.

I have made the earth, the man, and the beast upon the ground, &c. I have given them to whom, &c. Jer. 27. 5, 6.

Their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord: they shall not satisfie their soul, nor fill their bowels, &c. Ezek. 7. 19. Zephan. 1. 17, 18.

Thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy trea∣sury, &c. and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches; therefore thus faith the Lord, &c. Ezek. 28. 4, 5, 6, 7.

She said, I will go after my lovers who give me my bread and my water, my wool, and my flax, mine oyl and my drink, &c. She did not know that I gave her corn, wine and oyl, and multiplied her silver and gold: therefore I will return and take away my corn in the time thereof, &c. Hosea 2. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.

Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines: the labour of the Olive shall fail, &c. yet I will rejoyce in the Lord, &c. Habbak. 3. 17, 18.

Is it a time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lye waste, &c? Consider your ways: ye have sown much, and bring in little: ye eat, but ye have not enough, &c. I did blow upon it: Why, faith the Lord of Hosts? because of mine house that is waste; and ye run every man unto his own house, Haggai 1. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.

Lay not up treasure on earth, where moth and rust corrupt, and thieves break in, &c. for where your treasure is, there will your hearts be, &c. No man can serve two masters, &c. ye cannot serve God and Mammon, &c. Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, &c. Is not your life more than meat, &c? Behold the fowls, &c. are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought, can add a cubit unto his stature, &c? your hea∣venly father knoweth you need these things, &c. but seek ye first the king∣dom of God, &c. and these things shall be added unto you, Matth. 6. 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34.

When Christ had suffered the evil spirit to go into the herd of swine, so that they were drowned: the whole City came out, and besought Jesus to depart, Matth. 8. 31, 32, 33, 34.

He who loveth father or mother, &c. or son or daughter, more than me, is not worthy of me; and he who taketh not up his cross and followeth me, is not worthy of me, &c. he who loseth his life for my sake, shall find it, Matth. 10. 37, 38, •…•…9. Luke 14. 26.

He who received seed among the thorns, is he who heareth the word, and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches choak the word, &c. Matth. 13. 22. Luke 8. 14.

What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Matth. 16. 26.

Go and sell that thou hast, and give, &c. but when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions: Then said Jesus, &c. That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven, Matth. 19. 21, 22, 23.

Those who were invited to the feast, made light of it, and went their ways: one to their farm, another to their merchandize, &c. Matth. 22. 4, 5. Luke 14. 16, 17, 18, 19, 20.

Wo unto you who are rich, for ye have received your consolation: Wo un∣to

you who are full, for ye shall be hungry: Wo unto you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep: Wo unto you when all men shall speak well of you, Luke 6. 24, 25, 26.

Christ said to one, Follow me; but he would bury his father first: another would go and bid them farewel who were at home, Luke 9. 59, 60, 61.

—Martha, Martha, Thou art careful about many things: but one thing is needful, &c. Luke 10. 40, 41.

Jesus said, Take heed and beware of covetousness: for a mans life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth, &c. The rich man said to his soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years: take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry: but God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee, then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided? so is he who layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God, Luke 12. 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21.

The parable of the rich man, and poor Lazarus, Luke 16. 20, &c.

Take heed to your selves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and cares of this life: and so that day come, &c. Luke 21. 34.

How can ye believe who receive honour one from another, and seek not the honour which cometh from God only? John 5. 44.

Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that which endureth, &c. John 6. 27.

—He is of age, ask him, &c. These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, That if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the Synagogue: therefore said his parents, &c. John 9. 21, 22, 23.

Among the chief rulers also many believed on him: but because of the Pha∣risees, they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the Synagogue: for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God, John 12. 42, 43.

In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good chear, I have over∣come the world, John 16. 33.

I pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil, John 17. 15.

Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not, &c. John 18. 36.

Pilate sought to release Jesus; but the Jews cryed out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Cesars friend, &c. When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, &c. John 19. 12, 13, 15, 16.

What house will ye build for me, saith the Lord, &c? Hath not my hand made all these things, &c? Acts 7. 48, 49, 50. chap. 14. 15, 17.

When Saul had cast out the evil spirit out of the damsel, and her masters saw that the hope of their gain was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, &c. and said, That they did exceedingly trouble the City, &c. Acts 16. 18, 19, 20, 21.

—God, who made the world, &c. he is Lord of heaven and earth, &c. He gi∣veth to all life, &c. and all things, Acts 17. 24, 25.

So Demetrius a Silver-smith (and others of the same trade), who made silver-shrines for Diana, &c. complained against Paul for pr•…•…aching the Gospel; cryed up Diana, because they were like to lose their gain, if men esteemed not of Diana as a goddess, Acts 19. 24, 25, 26, 27.

Your selves know, that these hands of mine have ministred to my necessities, and them who were with me: I have shewed you all things, how that so la∣bouring, ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of our Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give, than to receive, Acts 20. 33, 34, 35.

The carnal mind is enmity against God: it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be, Rom. 8. 7.

Make no provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof, Rom. 13. 14.

Ye see your calling, brethren: how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many noble, are called: but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, &c. that no flesh should glory, &c. 1 Cor. 1. 26, 27, 28, 29.

The time is short: it remaineth, that both they who have wives, be as though they had none: and they who weep, as though they wept not: and they who rejoyce, as if they rejoyced not: and they who buy, as though they possessed not: and they who use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away, &c. He who is marryed, careth for the things which are of this world, how he may please his wife, 1 Cor. 7. 29, 30, 31, 32, 33.

The Devil is called the god of this world, 2 Cor. 4. 4.

The sorrow of the world worketh death, 2 Cor. 7. 10.

You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich, 2 Cor. 8. 9.

God is able to make all grace abound towards you, that ye always having all sufficiency, &c. 2 Cor. 9. 8.

Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God, &c. Gal. 1. 4.

The flesh lusteth against the spirit, &c. so that ye cannot do the thing that ye would, Gal. 5. 17.

God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ; by whom (or, whereby) the world is crucified to me, and I unto the world, Gal. 6. 14.

Covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh Saints, &c. for this ye know, that no whoremonger, &c. nor covetous man, who is an Ido∣later, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ, and of God, Ephes. 5. 3, 5.

—Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, whose glory is in

their shame, who mind earthly things, Phil. 3. 19.

Be careful for nothing: but in every thing by prayer and supplication, &c. let your request be made known to God, &c. I have learned, that in what∣soever state I am, therewith to be content: I know how to be abased, and how to abound: every where, and in all things I am instructed both to be full, and to be hungry: both to abound, and suffer need, &c. but my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory, by Jesus Christ, Phil. 4. 6, 12, 19.

Set your affections (or, mind) on things above, not on things on the earth, &c. Mortifie therefore your members, &c. inordinate affections, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is Idolatry, Col. 3. 2, 5.

—Meats which God hath created to be received, &c. for every creature of God is good, and nothing to, &c. 1 Tim. 4. 3, 4.

She who liveth in pleasure (or, delicately) is dead while she liveth, 1 Tim. 5. 6.

Godliness with contentment is great gain: for we brought nothing into the world; it is certain we can carry nothing out: and having food and raiment, let us be therewith content: but them who will be rich, fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in de∣struction and perdition: for the love of mony is the root of all evil, which while some coveted after, have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves thorow with many sorrows: but thou, O man, flee these things, &c. Charge them who be rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God; who giveth all things richly to en∣joy; that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, &c. laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, 1 Tim. 6. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 17, 18, 19.

Endure hardness as a good soldier of Christ: no man who warreth, entangleth himself with the affairs of life, that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier, 2 Tim. 2. 4.

In the last times, &c. men shall be lovers of their own selves, &c. lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, 2 Tim. 3. 4.

Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, &c. 2 Tim. 4. 10.

The earth, &c. bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed: receiveth blessing from God, Heb. 6. 7.

Ye, &c. took joyfully the spoiling of your goods: knowing in your selves that ye have in heaven a better and enduring substance, &c. Hebr. 10. 34.

By faith, Moses when he came to years, refused to be called the son of Pharoahs daughter: chusing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season: esteeming the re∣proach of Christ, greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, Heb. 11. 24, 25, 26.

Let your conversation be without covetousness: and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee: so that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, &c. Heb. 13. 5. 6.

Let the brother of low degree rejoyce in that he is exalted: but the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass shall he pass a∣way: for the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man perish in his ways, &c. James 1. 9, 10, 11.

Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, &c? but ye have despised the poor: Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment-seat? do not they blaspheme that worthy name, &c? James 2. 5, 6, 7.

Know ye not, that the friendship of this world is enmity with God? who∣soever therefore will be a friend of the world, is the enemy of God, &c. Go to now ye that say, To day, or to morrow we will go into such a City, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain; whereas ye know not what will be on the morrow: for, what is your life? it is even a va∣pour, &c. for that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this or that: but now you rejoyce in your boastings: all such rejoycings are evil, James 4. 4, 13, 14, 15, 16. Acts 18. 21.

Go to now, ye rich men: weep and howl, for your misery which shall come upon you: your riches are corrupted, your garments moth eaten, your gold and silver cankered, and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire; ye have heaped treasures together for the last days: Behold, the hire of your labourers who reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, cryeth, &c. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, ye have been wanton: ye have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter, &c. ye have condemned the just, James 5. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass: the grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away, 1 Pet 1. 7, 24.

Humble your selves therefore under the mighty hand of God, &c. casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you, 1 Pet. 5. 6, 7.

Love not the world, neither the things which are in the world: if any man love the world, the love of the father is not in him: for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the father, but is of the world: and the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, 1 John 2. 15, 16, 17.

Greater is is he who is in you, than he who is in the world: they are of the world, therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them, 1 John 4. 4, 5.

Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the World: and this is the victo∣ry which overcometh the World, even our faith. Who is he who overcom∣eth the World, but he who believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? 1 John 5. 4, 5.

The kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief Captains, and the mighty men, &c. hid themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne, &c. Revel. 6. 15, 16, 17.

Heaven and earth shall pass away: all these things shall end, Psal. 102. 25, 26. Isa. 51. 6. Matth. 24. 35. 2 Pet. 3. 7, 10, 11. 1 John 2. 17.