Chapter 4: Godliness at the Door of Poverty

Showing how Godliness, in his travels, came to a poor cottage, where dwelt one called Poverty, with whom he earnestly desired to make his abode; and how he was shamefully denied entertainment there also.

Godliness finding how basely he had been served by Riches, and that he could not with all the strongest arguments and motives imaginable get any entertainment with him, travelled further, and as he wandered up and down in the wilderness of this world, at last he chanced to come to a small village, at the furthermost end of which (upon the common) he espied a little cottage, a poor old ruinous thing it was, the windows being all broke, only they had crammed into the holes some old rags to keep out the cold, and by the propping it up, it seemed as if it was ready to fall; but however, he remembering what his blessed Lord and Master said, The poor receive the Gospel, resolved to go there, and see whether he might not meet with entertainment there; (for he is no respecter of persons, he is as willing to be guest to the poor, as to the rich, and to dwell with the peasant as with the prince; or to make his abode in a cottage as in a palace:) And being come up to the door, he understood the poor man's name who dwelt there, was Poverty: Now Godliness knocked five or six times before he could have any manner of answer for it seems he was asleep in bed with his wife; but at last being between sleeping and waking, he asked (though very faintly) Who's there? who's at the door?

Godliness: I am here; pray arise, and let me in.

Godliness listened, but he could not hear what Poverty said, by reason of the noise that was within; for he having many children, it happened that by this time they were waked, and fell into a fit of crying; some wanted victuals; and some of them cried for other things which he had not to give them; which made him one while to weep, and another while to fret and storm at the poor children, so that Godliness could have no answer till he knocked again; which he did, and that pretty hard.

Poverty: Who is at my door.

Godliness: A friend; my name is True Godliness.

Poverty: Godliness! Pray what business have you here?

Godliness: I want a lodging.

Poverty: Where do you come from, sir? I doubt you have lost your way; is this a likely house to afford entertainment to a traveller?

Godliness: I came last from a great man's house not far off, whose name is Riches.

Poverty: Well! had he no lodging for you, that you are come to me?

Godliness: No, he has utterly refused to entertain me; and not only so, but has basely abused me, calling me at his pleasure, and also raised all the rude rabble of the town upon me.

Poverty: He had some reason for it, I warrant you; and truly I myself do not like very well what you talk of; for he is a man ready enough to open his door to any who are worth entertaining; I mean profitable guests: if you could get no lodging at his house, what ground have you to think you should meet with any here; besides, though I can't deny but that I have heard of your name, yet I know you not; and moreover, I am forbidden by certain edicts of this country, to entertain one who goes by your name, and it may be you as far as I know: 'Tis sir, a dangerous thing to open one's door to strangers at any time, but more especially now, when there are so many grand cheats and robbers abroad: Sir, though I have not much to lose, yet my life is as dear to me as any man's; and should I let you in, how you would deal with me, God knows; for I have heard that many thousands through your means have lost their sweet lives as well as their estates.

Godliness: I will, poor soul, do you no wrong, but contrariwise, if you please to open the door, and kindly entertain me, you shall find me the best friend that ever you met with in all your life.

Poverty: You speak well; but what is it you will do for me? Have you any money to give me to buy my family a little good victuals (for we have had little else besides bread and water a great while to live upon) and some better clothes? for my poor children go almost naked.

Godliness: I cannot at present assure you of much earthly fullness, or worldly good things; I do not use to proffer men money, or hire them to open their doors to me; no I hate the thoughts of setting one foot in such a person's house; If I am not freely and heartily received, I will not come in at all: Friend, I do not trade in gold and silver; but this I will promise you, if you will kindly let me in, whatever good thing the Lord sees you do need, you shall upon my honest word, nay, and upon the word of Christ himself, have it; Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you (Matthew 6:33). You complain of want, come open to me; do you not remember that word, They that fear the Lord shall not want any good thing (Psalm 34:10); the Lord will give grace and glory, and no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly (Psalm 84:11). What do you say, Poverty.

Poverty: I am in a very low condition; what you mean I cannot tell, but this I know, my head and heart is filled about other things; alas, what can you think to meet with, or expect from me; do you not see what abundance of poor hungry and ragged boys and girls I have? 'Tis enough for me to get bread for them, I must leave such things which you talk of, to my betters; I mean such who have more time to mind them, and are better learned; God help me, I can't tell what to say to you.

Godliness: Come, let me in; that is to say, become a true convert, get a right faith, and lead a good and holy life, and I shall teach you to be more diligent and industrious in your calling than you have been, and not foolishly and idly to waste so many days' work in the month: You will gain, you will find every way by True Godliness.

Pov.: Truly we poor folks in the country, think it's godliness enough for us to bear an honest mind, and pay truly for what we have, and go to church now and then to hear some good prayers there, and say the Creed, the Ten Commandments and the Lord's Prayer now and then at home when we come from work, if we do not chance to fall asleep first; for it has been so with me, God knows, many a time, the Lord help me; but if I thought it would be for my profit, I could find in my heart to open to you.

Godli.: Poverty, I will assure you it will be infinitely for your advantage; have you not read? —

Pov.: I cannot read, Sir.

Godli.: But have you not heard then of that word, "Godliness is profitable to all things, having the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come" (1 Timothy 4:8); and that other word, "Godliness with contentment is great gain"? And now because I see you are weak, I will tell you of some of those great blessings you will gain, if you do receive me in truth: first, wherever I come, I bring along with me reconciliation with God, pardon of sin, peace of conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost; indeed, I raise men to honor too; I will make you a son of God, an heir of heaven, and at last set a crown of endless glory upon your head. What do you say, Poverty?

Pov.: I had rather have some better clothes, and store of good provision, and a better house to live in; these things suit my present necessity; but as touching those things you talk of I do not well understand what they are, they may be but fancies as far as I know: besides, what work will you set me about? I cannot endure hard labor.

Godli.: But stay, Poverty, what kind of fellows are those you have got in your house?

Pov.: What is that to you? Why do you not answer my question?

Godli.: Why then I'll tell you; you must very fervently read the Holy Bible, and every Lord's Day with great reverence and seriousness hear God's blessed Word, and pray at least twice a day; also you must believe in Christ; indeed, and I shall teach you to be more diligent and laborious in your trade and worldly business; but this I know cannot be done, unless you put away that crew of loose and naughty fellows in your house.

Now Poverty had it seems, various base and lazy companions, who were all grand enemies to True Godliness; also some of them 'tis said, were his own children, or natural [reconstructed: offspring]; their names were these; namely, Unbelief, Ignorance, Sloth (also known as Idleness), Wasteful, Light-fingers, Faint-heart, Carping-Cares and Fear-man, together with some others: now when he began to open to Godliness these hindered him.

First, Sloth and Idleness would not suffer him to rise up out of his bed of security, to call upon God, nor take pains to pull up the briars and thorns that grew in his heart; by which means his field lay barren and untilled, nothing growing therein, but what the ground brought forth naturally. Indeed, these made him of such a sluggish temper, and such a lover of rest, that he complained many times because he could not go without motion; indeed he was unwilling to be at the trouble of feeding himself; therefore would wish that men might live as trees and plants do: and though there was offered him a cabinet of rich jewels, yet he would not so much as stretch out his arm to take hold of it, and notwithstanding he had many fiery darts stuck in his breast, yet he would not be at the pains of pulling them forth; by which means he was in a sad and lamentable condition. I remember a very wise man told me, that he hides his hand in his bosom, and it grieves him to bring it again to his mouth, by the means of these two lazy fellows, Sloth and Idleness (Proverbs 26:15).

Ignorance told him, he had received True Godliness already, and that he had dwelt in his house ever since he was a child, and that baptism brought him in; and that the chief business which God required of him, was to get bread and clothes for his family.

Unbelief told him, that those things which Godliness talked of, were mere fictions; being unseen things; there was no reality in them: but when he questioned the truth of what Unbelief spoke upon this account, then the wretch told him, however, they were things far out of his reach, and that he had no part nor lot in them, neither could they (if it was possible to obtain them) answer his present necessities.

Light-fingers told him, he had been for a great while his best friend; and if it had not been for him, he had been starved to death long before now.

Distrust fell into discourse with his thieving brother, and positively said, if he turned Light-fingers out of his house (as he knew he must if Godliness came in) he would certainly go begging from door to door.

Wasteful told him that True Godliness, if entertained, would never suffer him to buy such good pieces of beef and mutton, etc. as he was used to do on trust, unless he knew he was able to pay for them; and that he would not suffer him to go any more to merry meetings, and carouse it among good fellows at the alehouse, nor recreate himself at cards, bowls, nine-pins, and other sports, for money on holidays; and that he must be content with such mean clothes and fare he had got, and never lose a day's work to gratify the lusts of the flesh; and that also he must change his company; which particularly was grievous to Poverty to hear.

Carping-Cares filled his head so full of distracting thoughts, that he had no time to think of God, Christ, nor his own soul, from one week's end to another; but his great study was, either to think where to borrow money, and so get more in debt, or else how to pay what he owed, to get out of debt, or what he should do for work, trade being grown (by the badness of times) very dead; by this means [reconstructed: the villain] filled him with sad thoughts, not knowing how he should get more bread, when that he had was eaten up, and more clothes, when those he had would hang on no longer; besides, it could not go out of his mind, but that at one time or other he should be arrested, and thrown into a jail, having many times fearfully broke his word.

Faint-heart and Fear-man presented to him the danger he would be in upon any consideration, if True Godliness were entertained.

For first, they told him how contemptible Real Godliness was grown at this present time, being of very little credit or esteem among any sort and degrees of men in the world, by reason of Vice, which was never more rampant; insomuch that True Godliness was like to be driven out of the world, and forced to fly into some hole or corner of the earth to hide himself. Mr. Riches, who is the Lord of the Manor, has beaten him away from his door, and hates him with a perfect hatred. Now if you entertain him, he will soon hear of it, and so will become your deadly enemy, and pull down your cottage, or warn you out, or be sure not let you have a farthing of the Poor's Money, nor ever set you to work any more; and what will become then of your poor wife and children? In fact, said they, we will tell you more; do you not hear what cruel edicts the Prince of the Ancient Gauls' country has made against True Godliness? And how many of the Protestant churches he has pulled down and utterly demolished? And how he is persecuted almost everywhere? Come, say they, it is that pleasant and lovely form of Counterfeit Godliness that will in little time be generally embraced, and those who entertain True Godliness must expect to be reproached and basely reviled. Moreover, do you not hear how many thousands in France, and in other places, who have for a long time entertained him, have turned him out of doors; they are weary of him, or afraid to own him: and is this a time for you to think of embracing him, Poverty? (Said they) pity yourself, and have more wit, you are poor enough already, and this is the way to make you more miserable: if Riches will not entertain him, who has many advantages to relieve and help himself in distressing times, and sad exigencies, over what Poverty has, or can promise himself, there is no ground of encouragement for you to open to him.

Upon this poor Poverty resolved not to let True Godliness have a lodging in his house; but rather instead thereof, to put stronger bolts and bars on his door. Godliness having waited all this while, to hear what these cursed enemies of his would say, and perceiving they had now done, he broke silence, and began to speak after this manner;

Godliness: Well Poverty, I expected but little less from you, when I perceived you were resolved to hearken to those graceless villains you lodge in your house; for they (I hear) would do their worst to keep me out; but I shall now however, to undeceive you, answer them all. First, as to these lazy companions, Sloth and Idleness, who will not suffer you to labor for the good neither of body nor soul, they have in part brought you into this poor and miserable condition you are in. Oh how many have they brought to beg their bread from door to door! and stirred up others to rob, steal and commit horrible murders, to uphold them in their loose, lazy and ungodly lives; by which means they have brought, and daily do bring a number of men and women to the gallows: but the greatest mischief they do, is to the souls of men; for they have cast thousands into such a deep sleep, that never awake until they lift up their eyes in Hell. They will not suffer men to labor to find out their great danger, till it is too late; and others, when they do perceive their woeful condition, are hindered by them from endeavoring timely and in a right manner to get out. They many times cry, Lord help us, and Lord have mercy upon us; but never strive to take hold of the offers and tenders of his grace and mercy, by cleaving to Christ, and leaving all their abominable wickedness. It is the idle soul that suffers hunger; who shall beg at harvest, and have nothing, though there is bread and enough to spare for you in God's house, yet they will not suffer you to seek out for it, but cause you to cry, yet a little sleep, yet a little slumber, yet a little folding of the hands to sleep. Is it not sad notwithstanding your house is on fire, and you like to be burnt in your bed, yet cannot through this base Sloth and Idleness rise up; you are just ready to drop into Hell, and yet will not endeavor to deliver your own soul. O remember that word, Take the slothful and unprofitable servant, and bind him hand and foot, and cast him into utter darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:30). And then secondly, as to Light-fingers, he is a thief; and if you follow his dictates, he will bring you to the gibbet; besides, no thief shall enter into the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:10). Thirdly, Wasteful, his brother, for all his huffing, is almost as bad as he; it was this vain fellow that brought the poor Prodigal to eat husks with the swine (Luke 15); it is he, not only causes you to waste, and foolishly spend your money (when you have got a little) but also your precious time, which should be improved for the good of your poor perishing soul. Poverty, can it do you any harm to be taught to become a better husband, and not to consume the little you sometimes get among riotous company, which might be a great comfort to your poor wife and children; also I will appeal to my neighbor Morality, whether there is any ground for you to refuse to entertain me, because I teach you to be content with mean things, hard fare, and do put you upon hard labor, and not to run into debt, unless you knew which way to pay it. Ignorance is a murderer, and has destroyed millions of souls, though there was a time indeed when God seemed to wink at him, that is, did not lay (as it were) his hands immediately upon him; but now he is left altogether inexcusable, because God has afforded you a sufficiency of light to bring you to the true knowledge of salvation, the necessity of faith and true godliness, if you would escape the damnation of Hell. Unbelief, I found the other day with Riches, and indeed I am come to no body's door but I find him within; I gave a plain character of him then, to which I refer you, if you have a mind to know what a dangerous person he is; but however, take one word or two in answer to what he says to you against me. He affirms, that all my promises are fictitious, being unseen things, they have no reality in them, or things that you can never attain to, if you could, yet they could not answer your present necessities. If you will give credit to such a notorious liar, murderer and blasphemer, who certainly in a sly and treacherous manner seeks to stab you at the heart, who can help it? Are Christ's promises of grace and peace here, and glory hereafter, because not seen with external eyes, fictions? He will tell you also before long, if you will believe him there is no God nor devil, Heaven nor Hell, because not seen with visible eyes; he may suggest the one to you as well as the other. Come, Poverty, thousands of my children, by blessed experience have found my promises no fictions nor idle fancies, but things full of reality, marrow and fatness: O taste and see how good the Lord is. And why may not you obtain these glorious good things, namely, union and communion with God, pardon of sin, peace of conscience, and joy in the Holy Ghost, as well as others? They were commonly given in the time of the Gospel to the poor. Come, Poverty, these things are yours (as sure as God is in Heaven, if you will but let me in) — poor Lazarus understood them, and experienced the sweetness of them, and shall to eternity. And then lastly, have you no need of these good things of mine, because they may not so directly answer your outward necessity? Are not the necessities of your soul more to be minded than to get store of meat, drink, clothes, silver and gold? What are all these things to the love and favor of God, an interest in Christ, and to have a right to the kingdom of Heaven? How soon, alas, may your life be gone, and what good will those things do you; do you not see they perish in the using? And as they are corruptible, so likewise they can never satisfy nor fill the desires of your soul, nor do they suit the necessities thereof. Consider, can any of these things make your soul happy? Can gold or silver enrich it, or the rarest worldly dainties feed it, or wine cheer it? No, Poverty, if you had the things of this world in never so great abundance, yet till you let me in, and make me your chief companion, your soul would be miserable. What is it to have plenty of all good things, and no God, no Christ, no pardon, no peace, but contrarywise, the curse of God, horror of conscience, and Hell at last? You will, Poverty, become more happy if you do open the door to me, and you and I dwell together, than the proudest and haughtiest monarch in the world; your comforts, inward peace and joy will excel theirs, and your riches be more abundant in quantity, besides the rare and excellent quality of them; no, and your glory will be far more transcendent; and besides, it will abide with you to the days of eternity. As touching Carping Care, he has almost broke your heart already; he will not let you sleep at nights, he by telling you of your wants and necessities sadly disturbs your mind, but never helped you to a farthing in all his life, and why should you hearken to him any longer, he is your utter enemy as well as mine. Hear what the Lord Christ says, Who by taking thought can add one cubit to his stature (Matthew 6:27). He has even eaten up your very spirits, and weakened your body, marred your senses, especially the spiritual senses of your soul, so that you cannot think one serious thought all the day for him; no, when Sloth and Idleness will let you go to hear God's Word he follows you there too, and so confounds your mind with wandering thoughts, that all your devotion is spoiled, you can profit nothing: Therefore I beseech you do what you can to thrust him out. Distrust, that faithless fellow, sets on this base wretch, Carping Care, to perplex your mind; and this is not all, for he tells you if you turn Light-fingers out of door, you will certainly go a begging. Come, Poverty, they are a pack of cursed villains, set on by their great master Apollyon, to bring you to shame, as if there was no way to live, but by breaking of God's commandment — You shalt not steal. And is he not a wretch, that shall call into question the care and faithfulness of God, whose promises are to feed and clothe you, and to supply all your necessities in the way of your duty, so that you shall want no good thing, (as I said before) though you possibly may think that good for you, which God knows is not. And now in the last place, let me speak a few words to those cowardly fellows, Faint-heart, and Fear-man; these are they that would have you fear man more than God; and yet I am ready to believe some of their words take much place upon your heart as anything you heard from the other. But what reason there was or is for it, we will come now to consider. First, they say I am grown here of late very contemptible, and am of very little esteem or credit among any sort or degrees of men; and that I shall before long be forced to fly into a corner to hide myself, etc. To this I answer, first I never had much esteem among great men; no, in every age of the world very few gave credit to me; and now being come (almost to the end of my travels) into the last and worst age, I could expect no other usage than what I meet with. How should I have many to admire and fall in love with me, when the text positively says, All the world wonders after the Beast (Revelation 13:3). That is, they are in love with, and admire counterfeit godliness; and the truth is, I marvel not at it, because all along the false prophets were more readily embraced than the true, and their words generally believed. If another comes in his own name (said Jesus Christ) him you will receive (John 5:43); the reason is easily discerned, because they smooth the people up in their sins. Alas, don't you see how counterfeit godliness gives liberty to men to please their sensual and brutish lusts, teaching an easier way to Heaven than ever I did or can, for I always taught, as at this day the doctrine of self-denial, the necessity of faith in Christ, regeneration and mortification of sin, etc. Secondly, whereas they say, I shall before long be forced to fly into some corner; that is, I know the fear of these paltry fellows; but if it should chance so to come to pass, woe be to you, and all the world besides, if true godliness once finds no place nor countenance in any nation of the earth, and indeed you had the more need with all speed receive me into your house, lest hereafter you find me not, and so perish in your sins (John 8:22). Thirdly, what though Riches has rejected me, he never had much kindness for me, but was generally always my enemy, and whereas they say, he will be displeased with you, and warn you out of your house if you entertain me. What then — Christ will receive you into his house, and you were better have him to be your friend than any potentate of the earth. When my father and mother, says David, forsakes me, the Lord will take me up (Psalm 27:10). Have you not read of that poor man which the Pharisees excommunicated for cleaving to me, and how the Lord Jesus graciously received him (John 9:35)? Come, Poverty, don't fear, the worst that men can do, God will help you, and he is above them all, and it will be but a little while before that word shall be made good. Your brethren that hated you, and cast you out for my name's sake, saying, Let the Lord be glorified, but he will appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed (Isaiah 66:5). And what though some great potentates of Rome combine together to tread me under their feet, and set up idolatry, popery and superstition, should this deter you from receiving me? Alas man, the time is at hand when all will be undone, and be forced to cry out, Woe, woe, woe, that ever they were born; but those only who have made me the joy and delight of their hearts say to the righteous, it shall go well with him. Woe to the wicked, it shall go ill with him (Isaiah 3:10). It is sad indeed to see any leave me in my adversity, but they were false friends, and let them go, they never loved me in truth; but do you but kindly embrace me, and I will keep you from falling; no, you shall find me a sure refuge and defense to you in the day of distress; indeed, and I will store you with all good things which the rich have not; I am resolved to feast your soul continually, and never leave you to your dying day. Come, you and I shall live splendidly together, notwithstanding you are poor, if we can but get my dear friend Content to dwell with us. What do you say, Poverty, shall I come in? But notwithstanding all that Godliness could say, Poverty would not give way to him, but began to give him reviling words, saying, he was born a gentleman, though he was fallen to decay; and that he would not suffer such tumults at his door (for it seems while Godliness was praying and pressing for entertainment, one Persecution, the offspring of Adam's eldest son Cain, had raised abundance of lewd fellows together to drive Godliness away from Poverty's door): so that by the opposition within doors and without, Godliness found no lodging there neither; indeed, and escaped not without many bitter threatenings, execrations and blasphemous words. Now one reason why Riches and Poverty did not receive true godliness was, because Consideration dwelt with neither of them, who being a grave counselor, might possibly have given them better advice than to deny entertainment to so sweet a friend. Godliness after this began to be at a stand which way to travel next; but hearing of one Youth, who lived not far off, he resolved to see whether he might not get a dwelling with him, because he was one that his commission particularly directed him to visit. Sad is the state of woeful man I see; Riches slights Christ, and so does Poverty. The snares are great which do Riches attend, and Poverty to virtue proves no friend. But this poor wretch I pity most, for why, he has no portion here, yet does deny to entertain true godliness, that so he might have Heaven above, though none below. But by cursed foes he is so perplexed, that he cannot find the way to true felicity. Not many rich, nor many very poor, to true godliness do open their door, but rather such who in a medium be, between great riches and low poverty. This state, with Agur, Lord, I beg of you.