Answ. First of all. If this be his case, and he knows it, let him not run one penny further in his Creditors debt. For that cannot be done with good conscience. He that knowes he cannot pay, and yet will run into debt; does knowingly wrong and defraud his neighbour, and falls under that sentence of the Word of God, The wicked borroweth and payeth not again. Yea worse, he borrows though at the very same time he knows that he cannot pay again. He doth also craftily take away what is his Neighbours. That is therefore the first thing that I would propound to such: Let him not run any further into his Creditors debt. {98a}
Secondly, After this, let him consider, {98b} how, and by what means he was brought into such a condition, that he could not pay his just debts. To wit, whether it was by his own remisness in his Calling, by living too high in Dyet or Apparel, by lending too ravishingly that which was none of his own, to his loss; or whether by the immediate hand and Judgment of God.
If by searching, he findes, that this is come upon him through remisness in his Calling, Extravagancies in his Family, or the like; let him labour for a sence of his sin and wickedness, {98c} for he has sinned against the Lord: First, in his being slothfull in business, and in not providing, to wit, of is own, by the sweat of his brows, or other honest ways, for those of his own house. {98d} And secondly in being lavishing in Dyet and Apparel in the Family, or in lending to others that which was none of his own. This cannot be done with good conscience: it is both against reason and nature, and therefore must be a sin against God. I say therefore, if thus this debtor hath done, if ever he would live quietly in conscience, and comfortably in his condition for the future, let him humble himself before God, and repent of this his wickedness. For he that is slothfull in his work, is brother to him that is a great waster. {98e} To be slothfull and a waster too, is to be as it were a double sinner.
But again, as this man should enquire into these things, so he should also into this. How came I into this way of dealing in which I have now miscarried? is it a way that my Parents brought me up in, put me Apprentice to, or that by providence I was first thrust into? or is it a way into which I have twisted my self, as not being contented with my first lot, that by God and my Parents I was cast into? This ought duly to be considered. {98f} And if upon search, a man shall find that he is out of the place and Calling into which he was put by his Parents, or the Providence of God, and has miscarried in a new way, that through pride and dislike of his first state he as chose rather to embrace; his miscarriage is his sin, the fruit of his Pride, and a token of the Judgment of God upon him for his leaving of his first state. And for this he ought, as for the former, to be humble and penitent before the Lord.
But if by search, {99a} he finds, that his poverty came by none of these; if by honest search, he finds it so, and can say with good conscience, I went not out of my place and state in which God by his providence had put me; but have abode with God in the calling wherein I was called, and have wrought hard, and fared meanly, been civilly apparelled, and have not directly, nor indirectly made away with my Creditors goods: Then has his fall come upon him by the immediate hand of God, whether by visible or invisible wayes. For sometimes it comes by visible wayes, to wit, by Fire, by Thieves, by loss of Cattel, or the wickedness of sinful dealers, &c. And sometimes by means invisible, and then no man knows how; we only see things are going, but cannot see by what way they go. Well, Now suppose that a man, by an immediate hand of God is brought to a morsel of Bread, what must he do now? {99b}
I answer: His surest way is still to think, that this is the fruit of some sin, though possibly not sin in the management of his calling, yet of some other sin. God casteth away the substance of the wicked. Therefore let him still humble himself before his God, because his hand is upon him, and say, What sin is this, for which this hand of God is upon me? and let him be diligent to find it out, for some sin is the cause of this Judgment; for God doth not willingly afflict nor grieve the children of men. Either the heart is too much set upon the world, or Religion is too much neglected in thy Family, or some thing. There is a Snake in the grass, a Worm in the gourd; some sin in thy bosom, for the sake of which God doth thus deal with thee.