Thomas Gouge

Thomas Gouge, English Puritan (1605 — October 29, 1681) was the son of William Gouge and a noted minister in his own right. He was ejected from his pulpit for nonconformity in 1662. He was known for his generosity and charity throughout his ministry and one of his greatest contributions was his sermon on charity. At the age of 57 he was removed from his pulpit for nonconformity and spent his latter years in “evangelism and acts of charity.” He was known for his faithful attendance of the sick and his generosity to the poor, distributing alms among them once a week. He provided hemp and flax for the unemployed to spin, and even sold their products for them!…Gouge lost many possessions to London’s Great Fire, but he bore the loss with patience and humility. He had a large estate from his father, which he used to help the poos. After giving portionsof the estate to his children, he was left with and income of 150 pounds per year (roughly $40,000 per year by today’s standards). Of that amount, he gave two-thirds to charity and lived on 50 pounds (around $13,000 per year by today’s standards). Again, having wealth is not bad but can be good, the love of money is what is wrong. Many of us are richer than we realize. We have more money than we need to supply our needs. Even many who have debt and do not feel financial freedom, have this debt because of extra wants and not basic needs. Some may think they do not struggle with the issue of wealth because they don’t have much, but seated deep within the love of money drives them. Learn from Thomas Gouge that our riches are increased by giving