Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, &c. Add, &c. to virtue, knowledge, &c. If these things be in you and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge. of our Lord Jesus Christ: but he who lacketh these things is blind, &c. Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of private interpretation.-2 Pet. i. 2, 3. 5. 8, 9. 20.

But these, &c. speak evil of the things that they understand not, &c. If, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world, through the knowledge of the Lord, &c. it had been better for them not to have known, &c.-2 Pet. ii. 12. 20, 21. Jude 1.

This they are willingly ignorant of, &c. be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day, &c. Paul, &c. in all his epistles, &c. in which are some things hard to be understood; which they that are unlearned and unstable, wrest, &c. seeing ye know, &c. Grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.-2 Pet. iii. 5. 8. 15-18.

Hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and, &c. I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him, &c. ye know all things, &c. as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, &c.— 1 John ii. 3, 4. 13. 20, 21. 27. 29.

Therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not, &c. Whosoever sinneth, hath not seen him, neither known him: we know that we have passed from death to life, &c. Hereby we know that we are of the truth, &c.-1 John iii. 1. 6. 14. 19. v. 2.

Hereby know ye the Spirit of God, &c. he that knoweth God, heareth us, &c. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error, &c. Every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God; he that loveth not, knoweth not God; we have known, and believed the love that God hath to us.-1 John iv. 2. 6-8. 16.

That ye may know that ye have eternal life, &c. We know that whosoever is born of God, sinneth not, &c. We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness; and we know that the Son of God is come, &c.-1 John v. 13. 18-20.

These speak evil of those things which they know not.-Jude 10.

All the churches shall know, that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts. Rev. ii. 23.

And knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.-Rev. iii. 17.

CHAP. XXXVII.

OF THIS PRESENT WORLD; ITS RICHES, HONOURS, AND PLEASURES: THE USE OF THEM; THE SNARES AND TEMPTATIONS IN THEM: OUR DUTY IN RELATION TO THEM.

WHILE the earth remaineth, secdtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, shall not cease.-Gen. viii. 22.

And Abraham was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold, &c. Lot also went with Abraham, &c. their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.-Gen. xiii. 2.5, 6. Job i. 3. Gen. xxvi. 12—14.

If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I go, and give me bread to eat and raiment to put on, &c. then shall the Lord be my God. -Gen. xxviii. 20, 21.

When Rachel said, Give me children, &c. Jacob said, Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld? &c.—Gen. xxx. 1, 2. xxxiii. 5.

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

God gave inventions to men, to do work of divers sorts.-Exod. xxxv. xxxvi. xxxvii. &c.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, &c. nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.-Exod. xx. 17.

Israel also wept, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? &c. and God was angry.-Num. xi. 4. 10. 1 Cor. x. 6. 10.

Balaam, upon great rewards offered by Balak, went out, being desired to curse Israel.-Num. xxii.

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 bringeth 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 which he hath given thee. Beware that thou forget not the Lord

covetousness, punished with leprosy. 2 Kings v. 20-27.

Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, &c. both riches and honour come of thee, &c.-1 Chron. xxix. 11, 12. Deut. x. 14.

thy God, &c. lest when thou hast eaten, and art full, and hast built goodly 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 that giveth thee power to get wealth.-Deut. viii. 3, 4. 7—14. 17, 18. Matt. iv. 4.

Haman, then next the king, boasted of his riches, honour, and worldly advantages; yet, so ambitious was he, that because Mordecai did not bow to him, he saith, All the rest availeth me nothing.-Esth. v. 9-13.

Hast thou not made a hedge about him? &c. Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased, &c. Job said (when he was spoiled of all), Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.-Job i. 10. 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 xx. 15. 22.

The wicked live and prosper often in every thing of this world.-Job xxi.7-13. Jer. xii. 1,2. Ps. lxxiii. 3, &c.

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, &c.-Job xxvii. 8. 16, 17.

If I have made gold my hope, or have said to fine gold, Thou art my confidence: if I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because my hand had gotten much, &c.

Job xxxi. 24, 25. 38, 39. 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 xxxiv. 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.-Ps. xvii. 13, 14.

The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof, &c.-Ps. xxiv. 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.-Ps. xxxvii. 16. 25. 35, 36.

Every man walketh in a vain show; surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.-Ps. xxxix. 6.

They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; none can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him, &c. Wise men die, likewise the foolish, &c. and leave their wealth to others: their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, &c. they call their lands by their own name: nevertheless, man being in honour, abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish, &c. Be not thou afraid, when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased; for when he dieth, he shall carry nothing away, his glory shall not descend after him. —Ps. xlix. 6,7. 10—12. 16, 17. 20.

Every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills, &c. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee; for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.-Ps. 1. 10. 12.

Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches.-Ps. lii. 7.

Men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie, &c. If riches increase, set not your heart upon them.-Ps. lxii. 9, 10.

Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it; thou greatly enrichest it: with the river of God, which is full of water, thou preparest them corn, &c. Thou waterest the ridges, &c.-Ps. lxv. 9, &c. Deut. xi. 14, 15. Job xxxvii. 11-13. v. 10.

These are the ungodly who prosper in the world; they increase riches.Ps. lxxiii. 7. 12.

And they tempted God in their heart, by asking meat for their lust. -Ps. lxxviii. 18. cvi. 14, 15.

He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth, and wine, &c. These all wait upon thee, that thou mayest give them their meat in due season, &c.-Ps. civ. 14, 15. 27, 28. cxlv. 15. cxlvii. 8, 9.

The heavens are the Lord's; but the earth hath he given to the children of men.-Ps. cxv. 16.

He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the watersprings 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.—Ps. cvii. 33-39.

He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, &c. He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children.-Ps. cxiii. 7-9. exxviii. 3.

Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.-Ps. cxix. 36.

So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain, which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.-Prov. i. 19.

Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase; so shall thy barns be filled with plenty.-Prov. iii. 9, 10.

Go to the ant, thou sluggard, &c. Yet a little sleep, &c. So shall thy poverty come as one that travaileth. Prov. vi. 6. 10, 11.

The rich man's wealth is his strong city. The destruction of the poor is their poverty: the blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.-Prov. x. 15. 22. xviii. 11.

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Riches profit not in the day of wrath, &c. There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that

withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat, &c. He that trusteth in his riches shall fall.Prov. xi. 4, 24, 25. 28. Ezek. vii. 19. There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing; there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches, &c. Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished, &c.-Prov. xiii. 7. 11.

The poor is hated even of his own neighbour; but the rich hath many friends. Prov. xiv. 20. xix. 4.

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

Better is a little with righteousness, than great revenues without right: the lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord.-Prov. xvi. 8. 33.

The rich man's wealth is his strong city, and as an high wall in his own conceit.-Prov. xviii. 11.

An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning, but the end thereof shall not be blessed.-Prov. xx. 21.

He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man; and he who loveth wine and oil, shall not be rich.-Prov. xxi. 17.

The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the maker of them all.-Prov. xxii. 2. 7.

Labour not to be rich; cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away.-Prov. xxiii. 4, 5.

Hell and destruction are never full, so the eyes of man are never satisfied, &c. Riches are not for ever; and doth the crown endure to every generation?-Prov. xxvii. 20. 24.

The rich man is wise in his own conceit, &c. A faithful man shall abound with blessings; but he that maketh haste to be rich, shall not be innocent, &c. he hath an evil eye, and

considereth not that poverty shall come upon him.-Prov. xxviii. 11. 20. 22.

Give me neither poverty nor riches: feed me with food convenient for me; 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. xxx. 8, 9. Gen. xxviii. 20.

Vanity of vanities, all is vanity, &c. And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom, concerning all things that 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 perceived that this also is vexation of spirit: for in much wisdom, is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow.-Eccles. i. 2. 13, 14. 16-18.

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 in mine heart to give myself unto wine, &c. I made me great works: I builded me houses, I planted me vineyards: I made me gardens and orchards, &c. I got me servants and maidens, &c. I had great possessions of great and small cattle, &c. also silver and gold, &c. I got me men singers 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 was no profit under the sun, &c. I hated all my labour, &c. because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me: and who knoweth whether he should be a wise man, or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour, &c. Nothing better for a man, than that he should