William Gouge (1575 - 1653), was one of the very earliest Puritans, strictly speaking. He was minister of St. Ann's, Blackfriars, London, for forty-five years. He was esteemed the father of the London ministers, and thus many heralded him as the spiritual oracle of his time. In 1643 he was voted to become a member of the Westminster Divines, and he had such a spotless reputation that he often chaired the meetings in the absence of the moderator.

In his writings, Gouge is very straight-forward and to the point. Exactly how many treatises he published is unknown, but a number of his principal works survive, albeit they are hard to find. By common consent, his magnum opus is Commentary On The Hebrews, which is comprised of roughly a thousand of his Wednesday lectures.

"Covetousness is an immoderate desire of riches... that is, when a man is not content with that portion which God by his providence in a lawful and warrantable course doth afford unto him... he will have more than God alloweth him in a fair way; and if he cannot otherwise get more, he will be discontent." On Covetousness

"Things necessary may be desired, but not superfluity." On Covetousness

"Whatsoever is by force or fraud, by stealing, lying, or any other indirect course gotten, is an effect of covetousness." On Covetousness

"An immoderate getting is, when men spend their wit, pains, and time in getting the goods of this world, and rather than fail, lose their meal's meat, and sleep, and other refreshments, yea, and neglect the means of getting heavenly treasure: they are only and wholly for the things of this world." On Covetousness

"Covetousness in keeping wealth is practiced... when men hoard up all that they can, though they have enough for the present, yet fearing want for the future, treasure up whatsoever they can get... These are they that take thought for the morrow; that is, cark and care for the future time, which Christ expressly forbiddeth." On Covetousness

"When men hoard up only for themselves, they care not what treasure for the future the commonwealth or the church hath against times of need and trial, nor do they care for the flock of the poor." On Covetousness

"There are many circumstances concerning covetousness which do much aggravate the heinousness thereof; for, it is a deceiving sin; it blinds the understanding and corrupts the judgment in a main point of happiness... Upon this conceit of happiness, wealth so stealeth away a man's heart, and so inflames his affections, as he maketh it his god. Justly therefore is a covetous person called an idolater." On Covetousness

"Covetousness is like a dropsy, which increaseth thirst by much drinking; and like a fire, which by addition of fuel is the more fierce. The desire of a covetous man ariseth from abundance, and in that respect is unnatural; for nature is satisfied with sufficiency. Hunger and thirst cease when a man hath eaten and drunk that which is sufficient." On Covetousness

"Nothing makes death more unwelcome than a covetous desire of the things of this world." On Covetousness

"Wealth, as it is a bait to allure men to snap thereat, so it is a snare fast to hold them, and a hook to pull them down to perdition." On Covetousness

"There is no evil which a covetous man will forbear. His covetousness puts him on to all evil. It is a root of impiety. It draws the heart from God, so as there can be no true love nor fear of God in a covetous heart. It makes a man be of that religion which is professed in the place where he liveth, though it be palpable idolatry. A covetous man can swallow all manner of oaths, yea, and perjury itself. For gain he will profane the Sabbath. It makes inferiors purloin from their superiors, and superiors to neglect their inferiors. It is a cause of much rebellion, of many treasons, murders, thefts, robberies, deceit, lying, false witness, breach of promise, and what not." On Covetousness

"The longer men live in the world, the more covetous they use to be after the world. Old men are commonly the most covetous. Herein it differeth from other violent sins, which by age abate in their violence." On Covetousness

"Covetousness causeth a curse from man and God." On Covetousness

"It is the blindness of a man's mind that maketh him place a kind of happiness in the things of this world, whereby he is brought even to coat upon them. If therefore we shall be rightly instructed that happiness consisteth in matters of another kind than this world affords, and that the things of this world are so vain as they can afford no solid comfort to a man, especially in spiritual distress, and so uncertain as they may suddenly be taken away from men, or men from them, surely their immoderate desire of riches could not be but much allayed." On Covetousness

"A beast which is feeding in fair and fresh pasture will not stray into a bare and barren heath; much less will an understanding man, that finds the sweetness of spiritual and heavenly blessings, feed upon earthly trash. This made Paul account all outward things but dung, because his heart had tasted of the sweetness of Christ." On Covetousness

"A man's confidence must be placed on God and his providence. God's providence is an overflowing and ever-flowing fountain. The richest treasures of men may be exhausted; God's cannot be... By experience we see how children depend on their parents' providence. Should not we much more on our heavenly Father? This resting upon God's providence is the more to be pressed in this case, because nothing makes men more to misplace their confidence than riches... Be content, therefore, with that portion which God gives thee, and be persuaded it is best for thee." On Covetousness

"Contentedness and covetousness are directly opposite, as light and darkness." On Covetousness

"We must pray against covetousness... In case God by his providence give abundance, as he gave to many of the patriarchs -- to Job, David, Solomon, and others -- great care must be taken about well-using the same." On Covetousness

"So order the goods of this world which God giveth thee, as with them thou mayest maintain the service of God, and promote piety... According to the abundance which God hath given thee, abound in works of charity." On Covetousness

"Seriously and frequently meditate on the account that men are to give of using their wealth. We are not lords of our riches, but stewards; and a steward must give an account of his stewardship... Be ready to let go whatsoever God shall be pleased to take away." On Covetousness

"Covetousness being such a sin, as hath been declared, in the nature, practice, and heinousness of it, it nearly concerns every Christian to consider how far it hath seized on him, and how guilty he stands thereof... Covetousness doth especially consist in the inward desire of a man, which is best known to himself." On Covetousness

"Observe the inward wishes of thine heart. If they be especially for the things of this world, they argue a covetous disposition... that is, an inward inordinate desire arising from the sight of such and such a thing... Many things may be seen which are not desired, but if desired, and that inordinately, there is covetousness." On Covetousness

"If earthly things be preferred before heavenly, temporal before spiritual, that disposition is covetous." On Covetousness

"All unjust and undue ways of getting, arise from covetousness. A mind free from it will rest content with that portion which by the divine providence shall be allotted." On Covetousness

"Well weigh the effects of thy desire of riches. If thoughts thereupon break thy sleep, and care thereabouts consume thy flesh, and labour and toil therein take up all thy time, and impair health and strength, that desire is immoderate; it is plain covetousness." On Covetousness

"Take notice of thy disposition in hoarding up and keeping wealth, and sparing to spend it; for covetousness consisteth as much (if not more) in keeping as in getting." On Covetousness

"It may be that to lay covetousness to one's charge will not bear an action in our courts of justice, but in God's court of justice it may prove a matter of condemnation." On Covetousness

"A covetous mind is never satisfied with any estate: and a contented mind is never unsatisfied with any." On Covetousness

"A contented person doth not only forbear outward indirect courses of getting more and more; but doth also restrain the motions of his mind or soul, from desiring more than God is willing to allot unto him... Contentedness makes a man account that estate, be it joyous or grievous, whereunto God brings him, to be the fittest and seasonablest for him." On Covetousness

"Although that which is spoken by ministers is only the sound of a man's voice, yet that which true ministers of God preach in exercising their ministerial function is the word of God." Preaching God's Word

"God did immediately inspire extraordinary ministers, and thereby informed them in his will... As for ordinary ministers, they have God's word written and left upon record for their use... They therefore that ground what they preach upon the Scripture, and deliver nothing but what is agreeable to it, preach the word of God." Preaching God's Word

"So close ought ministers to hold to God's word in their preaching, that they should not dare to swerve away from it in anything. The apostle pronounces a curse against him, whosoever he is, that shall preach any other word." Preaching God's Word

"We have just cause to avoid such teachers as preach contrary to this doctrine... The whole body of Roman Catholicism is to be rejected for this reason. So are the manifold errors and heresies which have been broached in former ages, and in this our age. The feigning of new light and immediate inspiration in these days is a mere pretence." Preaching God's Word

"We must hear nothing with approval except what we know to be the word of God. We must, therefore, be well acquainted with the Scriptures ourselves, and by them test the things which we hear, whether they are the word of God or not." Preaching God's Word

"That which we know to be grounded upon the Scriptures we must receive, not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God. We must with reverence attend to it; we must in our hearts believe, and we must in our lives obey it." Preaching God's Word

"It is God's word that does convert, quicken, comfort, and build up, or, on the other side, wound and beat down. What is the reason that there was so great an alteration made by the ministry of Christ and his disciples, by the apostles and others after them, indeed, by Luther, and other ministers of reformed churches? They did not preach traditions of elders like the scribes; nor men's inventions like the Roman Catholics do. They preached the pure word of God. The more purely God's word is preached, the more deeply it pierces and the more kindly it works." Preaching God's Word