THE RICH MANS WARNING-PEECE.
A SERMON, VPON OCCASION, FORMERLY PREACHED, AND NOW published, by the Author, Humfrey Sydenham, late Fellow of Wadham Colledge in Oxford.
AT LONDON, Imprinted by Felix Kyngston for Nathanael Butter. 1630.
TO THE GREAT ORNAMENT OF HER SEX, AND NAME, MISTRIS ANNE PORTMAN, &c. THE accumulation of Honours, here, and of Glory, in future.
WHat you formerlie vouchsafed to peruse in a rude transcript; J here present you in a character, like your selfe, and vertues, faire, and legible; J thinke it my prime honour, that it must now weare your liuery, and what shall immortall it, your name; Had it nothing else to make it liue in the opinion, [Page]and esteeme of others, this were enough to giue it both countenance, and eternity; Greatnesse can onely patronize our endeauours, Goodnesse glorifies them. Vnder that stampe and seale of yours J haue aduentured it abroad, that you might know my respects are the same in publike, which they were, lately, vnder a priuate, though noble roofe; J neuer yet whispered an obseruance, but J dar'd proclaime it to the world, and then, too, when there might be some pretence and colour to suspect my loyalty; where I am engag'd once in my seruices, and professe them, J am not beaten off by the causelesse distastes of those J honour; you J euer did, and the name you beautifie; on which, though I am no longer an Attendant, J am still a votary, and such [Page]a one, whose knee speakes as loude for it, as his tongue; his deuotions, as his thanks; and both these from a heart swept so cleane of deceit, or falsehood, that could it lodge so much sophistrie as to teach the lips to quauer, and dissemble, J had not been thus (perhaps) vnder the furrowes of a displeased brow, but might haue prooued as faire in the smile and cringe of many, as J am now downe the winde, both in their countenance, and opinion. But, sinceritie is the same, still, whether in exile, or aduancement, in disgrace, or honour; wheresoeuer I trauell J carry my selfe with me; I am not torne into distractions, and feares, not parcelled (as others) into doubtes, and hopes; but, where J am, J am in the whole man; and, where J am, so, [Page]I am All yours; All in my morall, ciuill, and diuine obseruances, one that will thanke you, honour you, and pray for you, vnfainedly, willingly, constantly, whilest I am thought worthy of the name, or attribute of
THE RICH MANS WARNING-PEECE.
If Riches increase, set not thy Heart vpon them.
I Finde no dispute here, about the title of this Psalme; 'tis D [...]ds to Ieduthun; that Ieduthun [...]ho prophecied with the Harpe, and with Trumpets, and Cymballs, and loude instruments of Musicke, magnified the Lord, 1. Chron. 16.42.
The Theame and Subiect of it is various, and mixt; not set mournefully to straines of penitence or mortality (as in others of his sacred Anthems) but to Aiers of more spirit and life, such as would sublimate and intraunce the Deuotion of the Hearer. The former part whereof is key'd high, very high, and reacheth God, and his powerfull mercies; the other tun'd lower, to Man, and toucheth on his frailties and weake deportment. That which concernes [Page 2]his God is (as 'twere) the plaine-song; the ground and burden of it graue, and sober, but full of maiesty, My soule watteth vpon God, He is the Rocke of my Saluation and defence, at the second verse; but, The Rocke of my strength, and Refuge, at the seuenth. That which concernes Man, is full of Descant, runnes nimbly on his state, degrees, condition; diuides betweene the humble, and the proude, and censures both, Men of lowe degree are vanitie, and men of high degree are a lye, verse 9. Thus hauing warbled sweetly about the heart and middle of the Psalme; at length he shuts vp his Harmony in Discord: In the front of this verse He quarrels with the Robber, and the Oppressor: and at the foote thereof (as if the Great Man were neere allied them) Hee throwes in a cauill concerning Riches; where He first, put's the case, with a si affluxerint, If Riches increase, then, the resolution or aduice on it, nolite cor apponere, Set not your heart vpon them. These are the parts, plainely, without violence, or affectation; so is the discourse on them; in the deliuery of which, I must beg that double charitie which doth commonly encourage weake men in their endeuours; Patrence, Attention: and first of the si affluxerint, if Riches encrease.
Riches haue carried their weight of Honour and esteem through all Ages, Pats. 1. and, almost, all conditions in them; but not alwaies, at the same hught; Those of our Fore-fathers lay most in their Flocks, and Droues; the Fold was their Treasure-house, and not, the Tent. The word poecunia, money, was not [Page 3] then heard off, but Peculium, Gaine, which (as Viues notes it vpon Augustine) was first deriued from pecudes, Cattell, Jn lib. 7. de ciu Dei cap. 12. Aug. etiam lib. de Domo disciplina cap. 6. because these were all the wealth of Antiquitie, for they were then (for the most part) Shepheards. The glory and respect of Riches were neere their Meridian in the daies of Solomon, when they first began to shine in their full lustre; before a few Asses loaden with Lentiles and parched Corne, were thought a large present for a King; Then, multitudes of Camels, with Spices, gold, 1. King. 10.2. and precious stones scarce worth acceptance; Of old, 1. King. 10.27. Exod. 30.18. a few shekels of siluer were a canonized treasure; Now, they were of no repute, but as stones in the streets of Ierusalem. In fine, 1 King. 10.22. Lauers of brasse were in the beginning rich enough for the Tabernacles of our God; but vessels of beaten gold must be heere hammer'd, for the v [...]ensels of a King.
Riches are now at their high spring; euery Tide wafts in siluer, in ships of Tarshish, and gold in the Nauy of Hiram; Treasure flowes in that aboundance, that it doth no more satisfie, but amaze; a Queene beholds it, and there's no spirit in her. 1. Reg. 10.27. From amazement in this age, it growes to veneration in the next; that which was, erewhile, but an Ingot, or rude lumpe, is, Now, trick't vp into a Godhead Gold shall be no longer for vse, or ornament, but for worship; and now the Nations begin to kneele to it, and giue it the deuoute posture of the whole man; the eleuation of the eye, and expansion of the hands, and the Hosanna of the tongue, and the Magnificat of the heart; and thus, in a zealous [Page 4]applause of their new-got Deity, the Cornet, the Flute, the Sackbut, the Psaltery, and the Dulcimer shall sound out their loude Idolatrie. Nay, the ancient Romanes were growne so superstitious to their masse of Treasure, Aug. lib. 7. de ciu. Dei cap. 12. &, de discipl. Christ. tract. cap. 6. that they made not onely money their God, but cal'd God, money; so their Iupiter was named pecunia, because there was (as they coniectur'd) a kinde of omnipotency in money, which though it creates not, yet it commandeth all things. O magnam rationem Diuini nominis (saith Augustine) hoc Auaritia Ioui nomen imposuit: Auarice, no doubt, thus Christned Iupiter, at first, that Those which affected Coyne, should not seeme to loue euery God, Aug. ibid. but the very King of gods. Had Hee been called Riches, the Title had been more passeable, and the deuotion lesse sottish; for, Diuitiae are one thing, and, Pecunia, another; we call the Good, and the Iust, and the Wise, Rich; which haue little, or nothing but in vertus; the Auaritious, and Greedy, Poore; because they euer want. Moreouer, God himselfe we truly stile Rich; yet not, Pecunia, but, Omnipotentia; so saith the Father in his seuenth booke De Ciuitate Dei. cap. 12. And indeed, the God of our happinesse wee stile Omnipotence, and not Money; but, sometimes, to beautifie and set out his perfections, Riches. So we finde, Riches of his goodnesse, Rom. 2. and Riches of his mercy, Rom. 9. and Riches of his grace, Ephes. 2. and Riches of his wisedome, Rom. 11. Loe, his Goodnesse, Grace, Mercies, Wisedome, and to shew their Height, and Greatnesse, and Immensitie, and Euer lastingnesse no thing [Page 5]to expresse them, but Riches; which, if they affoord such glory in the Metaphor, no doubt, there is something of worth and estimation in the letter, too; Riches, as they are Riches, haue both their vertue and applause; for the Spirit calls them Blessings, and Good things; but they are externa media, Good things without vs, which we may, vti, not frui, vse onely, not enioy, or rather not ioy in them; if Delight, here, be not more proper then Ioye; since Ioye (for the most part) poynts to things Spirituall; Delight, to pleasures Temporall. Howeuer, Riches may sometimes lawfully touch, both with our Pleasure, and Desire, so the Ayme be not preposterous, and oblique; either, to make them as Fuell for our Pride, or Bellowes for our Lust, or Oyle for our Concupiscence, or Flames for our Ambition, or Smoake for our Vncharitablenesse. For though matters of Beneficence and gift looke towards Riches, as their Source, and Instrumentall cause; yet, commonly, where there is most of Fortune, there is least of Charity, and so when there is Abilitie of Distribution, there wants Will; and that euer strangles the Noblenesse of Those which are to giue, and the shoutes and Bencdictions of them which should receiue. And this, I beleeue, first gaue life and breathing to that grey-hair'd paradox: Si opes sint bona cur non reddunt possidentes bonos? If Riches be good, why haue they not influence into him that ownes them, and so make the possessor good? Soule (saith the Rich man in the Parable) Thou hast much good, laid vp for many yeeres, Luke 12. [Page 6] sleepe and take thine ease; marke the Paraphrase. Quid est iniquius homine, qui multa bona vult habere, & bonus ipse esse non vult? Indignus es qui habeas, qui non vis esse, quod vis habere: The Father in his 28. Sermon de Diuersis. What a masse of iniquiquitie is man swolne vnto, that still desires much good, yet not to be good himselfe? He is vnworthy to haue any thing that he might Bee, which would not bee what he would haue.
Riches therefore, though they challenge the Name of good, yet there are such, as both Good and Bad doe indifferently inherit, and whilest they are good, cannot denominate their Master good; and therefore to rectifie this obliquitie, Saint Augustine acquaints vs with a Two-fold Good; Bonum quod facit bonum, and Bonum vndè facias bonum: There is a Good which doth make good, and that's thy God, and there is a Good by which thou maiest doe good, and that's thy Mammon. Doe good; how? Hearke, the Psalmist; He hath dispersed abroad, Psalm. 1 12. He hath giuen to the poore, his righteousnesse endureth for euer, Psalme 112.9. Hoc est Bonum, hoc est bonum vndè sis Iustitiâ bonus; si habeas bonum vndè sis bonus fac bonum de bono, vndè non es bonus: So the Father warbles, in his third Sermon de verbis Domini. Behold, thou hast large heapes of Treasure; distribute them; in so doing, thou dost inlarge thy happinesse; Heere is but giuing to the Poore; and then, Righteousnesse for euer. Loe, an exchange of infinite aduantage; weigh thy Disbursements with thy Gaine, [Page 7]thy Diminutions with thy Encrease; thy store, perhaps, is somewhat thinner, but thy Iustice is enhaune'd; That onely is lessened which thou wert shortly to lose; and this improoued which thou art euer to possesse. In fine, there is onely a Dispersit, or a Dedit, in respect of the gift; he hath disposed, or giuen; no more; but there is a Manet in aeternum: for the Reward of the giuer, His Righte-ousnesse endureth for euer; for euer, why? The Apostle answereth, He that hath charity hath God, 1. Iohn 4 God dwels in him, and He in God: and where God dwels, there must needs be a Manet in aeternum; for God is eternity. A Rich man, then, if he haue not Charity, what hath he? And a Poore man if he haue Charity, what hath he not? Tu fortè putas, Aug. serm. 64. de Temp. quod ille sit diues cuius Arca plena est Auro, & ille non est diues cuius conscientia plena est Deo: Thou thinkest, perchance, that Hee is Rich, whose chests are throng'd with gold, and he not Rich, whose Conscience is fil'd with God; But the Father puts the Lye vpon this foule misprision with an Ille vere Diues, in quo Deus habitare dignatur, in his 64. Sermon de tempore. Hee is truely Rich in whom God hath vouchsafed to dwell, for There is Sacietie, and full content, Metell is or Croesus not halfe so rich; and He truly poore, in whom God hath refaied to dwell, for There is nothing but Anxiety and lamentable Indigence, Regulus, or Irus, not halfe so poore. Quite, & alia nouit, non propter illa beatior, sed propter te solum beatus. The same Saint Augustine in the third of his Confessions, cap. 4.
How miserable then is the condition of those who suffer the current of their Affections to be inordinately carried from the euer-springing fountaines aboue, vpon broken Cisternes that will hold no water? From the Creator of the world, to Creatures heere, of ouer-valued, and false esteeme, a little Idolatriz'd Earth, or magnified trash; a few garish Transitories, Riches but improperly, for they haue neither Truth, nor Certaintie; their worth is lame, and crutched meerely vpon opinion; their lustre counterfeit, like those false lights which delude the wandring Sea-men; and betray them to shelues and rockes, where both their Hopes, and they, are vntimely split. But suppose those Riches (as I suppose onely) to be as true, as those Lights are false; yet thus to indulge them is dangerous Idolatry, since that which is ordained for a Seruant, they make not onely their Master, but their God. And indeed, Such may be said to haue Riches as we are said to haue the Feauer, when the Feauer hath vs; Sen. ep. 78. They haue not Riches, but Riches, them; for They which are either transported with their glory, or rapt with their possessions, doe by Riches as birds doe by Daring-glasses, play with their owne ruine; how euer, such are their faire allurements and inuitations, that Those who are onely taken with the outside, and Barke of things, are strangely infatuated: but in this, They resemble little Children, which valew euery painted trifle, as a Treasure; a Bugle, or glassie Carkanet, as precious as that of Onyx. And [Page 9]what difference is there (saith the Stoicke) betweene them and vs, Nisi quod nos circa tabulas & statuas insanimus, charius inepti, wee are madding after Statues, and Pillars, more coftly foolish, Illos, reperti in littore calculi leues, & aliquid habentis varietatis, delectant, they taken with stones and shells of various colours, found on the Sea-shore; Sen. Ep. 119. we, with pillars of Iasper, and Porphirie, from the Sands of Egypt, or Deserts of Affrica, to shoulder some Porch, or Dyning-roome, to banquet or reuell in. All this Equipage of Greatnes is but a Glorious vanity, Sen. vt supra. and that which the Moralist call's Bracteata foelicitas, a spangled happines, a leafe of gold laid on Iron, which for a time glitter's, and then rust's; a gaudie Vane, or Streamer on the top of some Turret, whiuer's and flicker's with euery blast; a quaint Iewell, hung loose in haire, which, as it dangle's, fall's; a verie Glassie Pompe, cùm splendet, frangitur; like Bubbles, which in their swelling, breake; Flattering and deluding Blessings, and such as proue better to them that hope for them, then to those that doe enioy them; For insteed of that Contentment which should assaile them by the fruition of their desires, here is nothing but Calamity, & new torment; Care of their preseruation, and doubt of their disposall, and feare of their losse, and trouble of their improuement; to these, leane watchfulnes, broken thoughts, hollow resolutions, interrupted peace, besides a whole Hoast of selfe-vexations and) the wheele the Racke not halfe the Torture. Thus, Gold is a stumbling-Blocke [Page 10]to him that doth sacrifice vnto it, and very fooles shall bee taken with it, (saith Iesus the son of Sirach) shall be taken with it? nay, shall be taken from it, euen when he doth sacrifice vnto it; so saith Iesus the sonne of Dauid, Foole, this night shall thy soule be taken from thee, taken from thee, two wayes; First, thy soule from the riches of thy bodie, and then thy soule from the bodie of thy riches; And therefore, there is a vae Diuitibus, denounced against such, Amos 6.1. Woe to you that are at ease in Sion, and trust in the mountaines of Samar [...], which, though the Marcionite would make a vae, only of Admonition, and not of Malediction; yet, Tertullian, in the chasticement of that error, saith; that a Canete is alwayes vsed in matters of Aduice, but a vae neuer, but in those thunder-claps of fury and malediction. So, we find only a Cauete against Auarice, because That is the Semen, and first matter (as 'twere) of Riches, Beware of Coueteousnesse, for mans life consisteth not in Abundance. Luke 12.13. But there is a fearefull vae against Riches, as though they still cryed for diuine Castigations, Woe vnto you that are rich, why? you haue receiued your consolation, Luke 6.24. your consolation, how? Ex Diuitijs, de gloria illarum, & secularibus fructibus, of your riches, and their glory, and all secular content, not otherwise. So saith the Father in his fourth Booke against Marcion. Cap. 5. What folly ist then to pursue that with violence and Intention, which when wee haue gain'd is no satisfaction, but a torment? what madnes thus to macerate [Page 11]and crucifie the whole man for a few titular and opinionated riches; of which hee that carouse's and drinke's deepest is euer thirstie? Nothing quenches an immoderate appetite, poculum respuit, quia fluutum sitit (aith Augustine) Cataracts and riuers are but draughts competent for such concopiscences to swallow Habes Aurum habes Argentum, concupiscis aurnm, concupiscis argentum, & Habes, & concupiscis, & plenus es, & sitis; morbus est non opulentia, the same Father in his 3. Sermon de verbis Apostoli. How miserable are those desires, which are not bounded by what wee doe possesse, but by what wee can atchieue. If a man suppose that Fortune hee is Lord of, not voluminous enough, although hee be Monarch of the whole world; yet is hee wretched: hee is not happie, Sen. lib de paupertate that thinks himselfe happie; hee that agreeth well with his pouertie is a rich man, and hee that agreeth not well with his riches is a poore man; hee is not rich that still lack's something, nor he poore that wanteth nothing, vtrum maius habere multum, an satis, 'tis the Sto cks Dilemma; whether had'st thou rather to haue much, or enough? hee that hath much, desires more, which is an argument, hee hath not yet sufficient; he that hath enough, hath obtain'd the end, which neuer befals a rich man. Seneca labour's to presse this home to his Lucillius; Ep 119. Set before me the reputed rich, Crassus, or Lucinius; let him calculate his full Reuenewes, what hee hath in present, and hoped for Possessions; this [Page 12]man (if thou beleeue me) is poore; or (if thy selfe) may bee poore; whether is hee Couetous, or Prodigall? if Couetous, he hath nothing; if Prodigall, he shall haue nothing; The Gold thou cal'st his, is but his Cabonet's, Et Quis Aerario inuidet? who would enuy a full coffer? The man whom thou suppose'st to be Master of his treasure, is but the bagge that shut's it vp.
Loe then, the base Idolatry of these times, and men, which not onely raise their Hecatombs to their Golden Saint, but Deifie the very Shrine that keepe's it, A peece of wrinckled prouidence, or gray hayr'd thrift; nay worse, a meere decrepit Auarice; when for a little languishing and bedrid Charitie, they embalme the Honours and Memory of rich men with their precious Perfumes and Oyntments, such as should cast only their Odours on the Monuments of good men; And not onely so, but they aduance their Statues and Pillars in our very Temples, I know not, whether more to the dishonour of our God, or to the Immortalitie of their owne Name. What's this but to turne Israelite againe, and take off from the glory of the Lord of Hoasts, to worship a Golden Calfe? By the Law of Nature (saith the Epicure) the greatest riches are but a compos'd pouertie, and by the Law of God, the greatest pouertie is but ill-compos'd riches; for he that pile's them by fraud or violence, builds Aauarice one storie higher, to oppression; and then not onely Pouerty, but Iudgement followes; God shall raine snares vpon them, Psal 18 That [Page 13]which should otherwise cherish, shall now intangle them; and then, Storme and Tempest shall bee their portion to drinke, such a storme as will not be allaid without a shower of vengeance. Hearke, how it blowe's? Woe vnto them, That ioyne House to house, and lay field to field, till they be placed alone in the middest of the Earth; This is in mine eares; saith the Lord of Hoasts; of a truth, many houses shall be desolate, euen great and faire without an Inhabitant; Ten Acres of vineyard shall yeeld one Bath, and the seed of an Omer shall yeeld an Ephah: Is this all? No, the Thunder clap is behind, Hell hath enlarged her selfe, and opened her mouth without measure, and their multitude and their Pompe shall descend into it. Esay 5.14. There is no misery to vniust riches; no leannesse of teeth like those which grow fat with the substance of another; but, to them which grind Pouertie by Extortion, & deuorant plebem, sicut escam panis, eate vp my people, as a morsell of bread, what Hell, here? what Horror in after times? Oh, the fearefull Eiulations some haue shrik'd! Would God had giuen me a heart senslesse like the flint in the rockes of stone; which, as it can tast no pleasure, so no Torment; no torment, here; but, when the Heauens shall shriuell like a scroule, and the Hills moue like frighted men out of their place, what Mountaine shall they get by entreaty to fall vpon them? what couert to hide them from that fury, which they shall neuer bee able to suffer, nor auoide? Iudgements doe not alway follow Crimes as Thunder doth Lightening, [Page 14]Instantly; but, sometimes, an Age is interpos'd, as betweene two Earth-quakes; though they may escape the darts and wounds of temporall persecutions heere, yet the sting that lie's behind is Dreadfull. They shall sucke the Gall of Aspes, Iob 20.14. and the Vipers tongue shall slay them.
Thus, wee see, Riches and Blessednesse doe not alwayes kisse; He's not euer Happie that is prosperous; the acquisition of much wealth, is no End of miserie, but a change: the Low-built Fortune harbour's as much Peace, as that which is Higherroof'd; and hath one aduantage beyond it, 'tis lesse wind-shooke. The humble Hysope and Shrub of the valley are not so expos'd to Tempests, as the Cedar in Libanus, or the Oke in Basan; they are threatned with many a Cloud and Exhalation, which the other neither Feare, Epicurus. nor Suffer. Contented Pouertie (saith the good Athenian) is an Honest thing; but 'tis no more Pouertie if it bee content; we cannot say, hee is poore that is satisfied, but he that couet's more. He that is at peace with his desires, and can compose himselfe to what Nature only requires from him, is not only without the Sense, but without the Feare of miserie; is he poore that hath neither Gold, nor Hunger, nor Thirst? plùs Iupiter nòn habet. Iupiter himselfe hath no more; That is not little which is enough, nor that much which is not enough; He that think's much Little, is still poore; and he that think's Little much, is euer Rich; Rich in respect of Nature, though not Opinion. The man thou cal'st poore, [Page 15]hath, doubtlesse, something that is superfluous; and where Superfluitie is, there can bee no want; where no want, no pouertie; on the otherside, the man thou stil'st Rich, is either Poore, or like a poore man; he cannot improue his Store but by Frugalitie; and Frugalitie is but paupertas voluntaria, a voluntarie pouertie, Seneca call's it so in his fifteenth Epistle ad Lucillium. Let's, then, Epist. 91 [...] borrow Aduice from that sacred Heathen (pardon the Epethite, Seneca will owne it) and presse it home to the practice of a Christian, Measure all things by naturall desires; only, beware thou mixe not Vices with Desires; Nature content's her selfe with a little, what is, beyond, or aboue that, is impertinent, and not necessarie. Thou art hungrie, reach not after Dainties, the Appetite shall make that toothsome, which is next, whether thy bread be white, or browne, Nature question's not. Illa ventrem nòn delectari vult, sed impleri. She would haue the bodie fed, not delighted. Thou art drie; whether this water runne from the next Lake, or that which is arted by Snow, or forraine cold, Nature disputes not; she labour's to quench thy Thirst, not to affect thy Palate, whether the cup be Gold, or Chrystall, Sabinian, or that of Murrha, or else the hollow of thine owne hand, it matter's not; Fixe thine eyes vpon the End of all things, & thou wilt loath Superfluities: Nùm tibi cùm fauces vrit sitis Aurea quaeris pocula? Nùm esuriens, fastidis omnia praeter pauonem? Hunger is not Ambitious, shee looke's not after the qualitie of meates, but the [Page 16] measure; how shee may Fill the bodie, not pamper it; These are torments of an vnhappie Luxurie, when wee seeke new wayes how to prouoke, and glut the Appetite, and not only to refresh our Tabernacles, Ecclus 37. but to cloy them. Delicates powred vpon a mouth shut vp are like messes of meate set vpon a graue, things only for Spectacle, not Repast. Of all Gluttonies, that of the Eye is most Epicuricall, when it would still see Dainties which it cannot taste, till the Desire hath as much surfeited, as the Bodie, and so we abuse the Bountie of a better Nature to satisfie the Lust and Concupiseence of the whole man; and this Rapine and greedinesse of the sence, is as vnwarrantable, as that of fortune, which breake's downe all bankes of moderation; and therefore, without either Morall or Diuine prescription. There can be no Vertue in Extreme; no good, which consist's not in exactnesse of proportion, so that by the diminution or excesse of that proportion, Vice insinuates; insomuch, that in the exuberancie of these outward creatures, Sinne is conceiued, Aquin. 2.2. q. 118. Art. 1. a Capitall, and Daring sinne, when aboue a due equalitie, and measure, we either acquire or retaine them eagerly; And this the Schoole-man call's [...], an Immoderate hunger, and persuite of temporals, in secunda secundae 118. quaest. Art. 1. There is no outward state of life so blessed as that which Diuide's betweene Penurie and Abundance; the extreame on either side is Miserie. And therefore the wisest King that euer was, and the greatest both for Treasure [Page 17]and Retinue, in his owne desire of secular things euer mixt his Orisons with this Petition, Lord giue me neither Riches nor Pouertie, Sed victui meo tribue necessaria, Feed mee with food conuenient (the English giue's it) but the Latine, necessarium, is more Emphaticall; there are some things Conuenient for the Maiestie of a King, which are not alwayes Necessary for his person; but Salomon, here, desire's only to haue Nature accommodated, and not State; Riches he would haue none; and these are conuenient for him as a King, but something to feed him with, and that is necessarie for him as a Man; an humble request for so mightie a Potentate, and yet so much as he need's to beg, though, not so much as God hath purpos'd to bestow; his Blessings come oftentimes in showers when they are sued for but as sprinklings. In that exquisite plat-forme and rule of Prayer prescribed vs by our Sauiour, all temporall defires are inuolu'd in this, Giue vs this day our daily bread, 'tis Bread, only, wee aske, and bread only, for a day, and these are Both necessarie; Necessary two wayes; First, in respect of our selues, for Bread (saith the Psalmist) strengthen's the heart of Man; man's chiefest part, the Heart; and that chiefe part, fraile; and frailtie needs strengthning euery day; Then, in respect of the command; it must be Bread, for a day, too; The Lord bidd's the Israelites gather Manna, only for a day, and the Gospell enioynes the Disciples, with a Nolite cogitare in crastinum, Care not for to morrow, but let to morrow care for it [Page 18]selfe. Meritò ergò Christi Discipulus victum sibi in Diem postulat, qui de crastino cogitare prohibetur; saith Cyprian; Cyp de Orat. Dom. Hee rightly demand's bread only for a day, who is forbid to prouide any thing for to morrow. I came naked out of my mothers wombe (saith Iob) and naked shall I returne. Wee brought nothing into this world (saith Paul) and nothing we shall carrie out; Nakednesse? and Nothing? into the world? and out of it? What then can we require heere, but Necessaries? and what these are, the Apostle giue's in two words, Victum, Tegumentum, Food and Raiment, and enioyne's Content with these, 1. Tim. 6.8. But what food, what raiment must wee be contented with? Necessarium victum, Necessarium tegumentum, nòn inane, nòn superfluum, Saint Augustine resolue's in his fifth Sermon, De verbis Apostoli, Food and Raiment necessarie, not Luxurient, not Superfluous; Nature require's not the Latter, but if God sometimes bestow them, make those Superfluities another's Necessaries, Sint tua superflua pauperibus necessaria; 'tis the same Father's aduice in the same Sermon. Mistake me not; I am no Disciple of Rome, nor Athens, no Stoicke I, nor Iesuite, I hate a Cloister, or a Stoa; I like not the Monke in his Monasterie, nor the Cynicke in his Tub, nor the Anchore: in his Cell; I loath the Penitentiarie and his water, the Capuchin and his Stonie Pillow; I pitie the thredbare Mendicant, and the bare-footed Pilgrime; such wilfull penancing of the body (for ought I reade) God neither command's nor approue's. A [Page 19]voluntarie retirement from Societie, or Fortune sauour's more of Will, then Iudgement, of peeuishnesse, then Religion. If God send me Riches I accept them thank fully, and imploy them, in my best, to his seruice, and mine owne; But if by Casualtie, or Affliction, or some vnhappie Accident, I am driuen to Indigence, or Calamitie; or else, if God haue proportion'd mee such an humble Condition; Ile take no indirect course to any higher, but carrie this cheerefully, without Solitarinesse, or Discontent; and, as with the spirit of old Attalus, so with his Language too, Torqueor, sed fortitèr, benè est. Sen. Epist. 5. occidor, sed fortitèr, beuè est.
And hence, (no doubt) it was, that Augustine so magnified his Paulinus; who hauing fallen from infinite riches to a retired pouertie, Aug lib. de Ciuit. Det, cap 10. when the Barbarians besieged Nota (of which hee was Bishop) spoiling all as they went, as a generall Deluge, and making him prisoner both to shame, and want, thus powr'd-out his deuout expressions to his God, Domine non excrucior propter Aurum, &c. Lord, I am not troubled for gold, or siluer; for where all my treasures are, thou knowest: euen there had he repos'd all his, where Hee aduis'd to lay them, who foretold these miseries to fall vpon the world. A braue resolution, and worthy of that Crowne, which wreathe's all Martyrdomes; and yet but such as wee, out of the honour of our Profession, should haue, and, in our fires of Treall, ought to vse. That Christian who hath sometimes sh [...]d in the glory of outward Fortunes, and afterwards [Page 20]endur'd the Batteries of some temporall afflictions, and yet in the mid'st of these cannot awake his Harpe, and Psalterie, and sing with Dauid, My heart O God is fixed, my heart is fixed, I will giue praise, Praise, aswell for thy punishments, as thy Blessings, is a very Coward in temptation, and vnworthy either of his Conntenance, or Colours; Hee that cannot take vp the Crosse with patience, and loose all to find his God, deserue's him not, Minùs te amat, Aug. 10. Conf. cap. 9. qui tecum aliquid amat, quod non propter te amat, saith Augustine: Hee loue's thee little, who loue's any thing with thee, that hee doth not loue for thee; All this shadow and froth of tranfitorie things must vanish, for the hope of our blisse in future, Master we haue left all and followed thee (the Disciples cry) What shall we haue? What shall yee haue? All things in hauing him, so saith Saint Cyprian, Cyprian. de Coen. Dom. Cùm Dei sint omnia, habenti Deum nil deerit, si ipse Deo nòn desit. Since all things are God's, to him that hath God, nothing can be wanting, except hee bee wanting vnto God; Nothing, saith the Father? No good thing, saith the Prophet, The young Lions doe lacke, and suffer hunger, but they that seeke the Lord shall want nothing that is good; Psal. 34.10. Though all earthly persecutions entrench thee, and Miserie semes to come on like an Armed man; and thou art fallen into the iawes of those enemie's, whose Teeth are Speares, and Arrowes, and their Tongue, a sharpe Sword; yet Angels shall encampe about thee, and the Lord of Hoasts shall bee thy Buckler, and thy Shield; the [Page 21] Neighing of the Horse, the Noise of the Trumpet shall not inuade thee; or if They doe, and at such a strait, that the Arme of Flesh growe's weake, and all earthly fortification, vaine, yet his mercie is great vnto the Heauens, and his Truth reacheth vnto the cloudes; the glorious Hoast aboue shall muster all their forces to assist thee, the Starres shall fight for thee, and Thunder speake loud vnto thine enemies; Nay, God himselfe shall vndertake thy quarrell, He shall bow the Heauens, and come downe; the Earth shall tremble, and the Foundations thereof shall shake because Hee is angrie; Hee shall set his Terrours in Array, and fight mightily thy Battels, his seuere wrath he shall sharpen as a sword, and put on Ielousie for compleate Armour; Loe, how hee breaketh the Bow in peeces, and Knappeth the Speare insunder, and burneth the Chariots in the fire, Hailestones full of furie he shoots as Arrowes, his right ayming thunderbolts goe abroad, and from the cloudes, as a well drawne Bow, they flye vnto the Marke. Thus in thy Height of miseries, God shall bee thy Castle, and strong Tower; and vnder the shadow of his wings shall be thy refuge, till these calamities be ouer-past. God neuer leaueth His, in their extremities; whether in the Caue, or in the Mountaine; in the Den, or in the Dungeon; he is alwayes there, both in his Power, and Assistance, and, sometimes, in his Person, too; when all naturall supplies grow hopelesse, God purueye's for his children, by his Miracles; Rockes shall burst with water; and Rauens prouide Bread; and Cloudes drop fatnesse; and [Page 22] Heauens showre Manna; and Angels administer comforts; And at length. when all these whirlewinds, and fires and earthquakes of thy persecutions are gone by, God himselfe shall speake in the still voyce, Peace, peace vnto thee; Peace aswell in thy outward, as inward state; hee that hath giuen thee Ponerty, can giue thee Riches, and (vpon thy Sufferings) will; But when they come, take heed of that disease which commonly attend's those which are risen from a despis'd and meane condition; other goods giue onely greatnes of minde; Riches, insolence. And therefore the Apostles aduice comes seasonably heere, Be not high-minded, but feare, Feare, least that God which bestowed them on thee for thy Humiliation, will take them off againe for thy Pride; and so, when Riches come, put not thy trust in them, and if they increase, set not thy heart vpon them: that's the second part, the resolution, or aduice giuen on the Case put, If Riches increase, set not thy heart vpon them.
Pars secunda.Set not thy heart vpon them.
THe Rabbines, and Hebrewes, of old, attributed the whole Regiment of man to the Heart, and made that the Throne and chaire of the Reasonable Soule; seating in it not onely the powers of vnderstanding; Choice, but of Will and Action too; So did the anncient Grecians; specially, their Poets. The Philosophers, on the other side, place them [Page 23]in the Braine; and leaue onely the Affections to the Heart; But, Diuinity is more bountifull, the Scripture giuing it the whole rationall power; vnderstanding, will, iudgement, consultation, thought, endeauour; hence 'tis, that God so often scourge's the Hearts of men, commanding vs to confesse, honour, loue, and feare him with all our heart; And therefore, that part is sometimes taken for the reasonable Soule; somtimes, for the whole man; Herevpon the Prophet's Lacerate corda vestra, Rent your Hearts, and not your garments; and This people honour me with their lips, but their Heart is farre from mee; the Heart, the Shrine and Temple where I am truely worship'd; that Holocaust and Oblation only which smoke's from this Altar, beare's the acceptable Odour; all other Sacrifices are abominable, the Heart is God's Iewell; hee doth appropriate it to himselfe, onely, and wholly; the hand, or foote, or eye are not forbidden to doe their office, both in gathering lawfully, and preseruing riches; any member but the Heart may be thus employed, that must not intermeddle, for this were to whore after a false Numen, and Burne Incense to a strange God: 'Tis not the meere possession or vse of riches that offend's, but the Affectation; And to this purpose, Lumbard puts in his Obseruation, with a non dicit Propheta, the Prophet saye's not, nolite habere, but nolite cor opponere; In koum. wee are not forbidden riches; but when wee haue them, to set our Hearts vpon them; so that, the errour hang's not vpon those, but vs; not on Riches, but [Page 24]that which Idoll's them, our Heart. And therefore, Moses gaue a stong Caueat to the Israelites, that when their Flocks and heards encreased, and their Siluer, and their Gold was multiplied, they should beware least their hearts were lifted vp, and so they should forget the Lord their God. De [...]t. 8.13.14. Those sublunarie creatures raise not Distraction in vs, so wee make them not our Centre, if wee rest not in them, if we can looke through them, to the Giuer; And, doubtles, wee may entertaine the vnrighteous Mammon, not onely as a Seruant, but a Friend, by no meanes, as a Lord. There is Vertue in the true vse of it, if there be a Qualification in our desires. And therefore, S. Augustine disputing of that impossible Analogie betweene Heauen, and a Rich-man, a Camell, and the Eye of a Needle, would haue a Rich man vnderstood there Cupidum rerum temporalium, & de talibus superbientem, such a one, as ioynes Auarice to Riches, and Pride to Auarice, in his 2. Booke of Euang, quaest. Cap. 47. And this is the Burden of his Interpretation in three seuerall Tracts more, non opes damno sed desideria, in his 10. Sermon de tempore; non Diuitiae, sed Cupiditas accusatur, in his 5. Sermon de verbis Apostoli; in Diuitijs reprehendo cupiditatem, non facultatem, in his first Booke de Ciuit. Dei. Cap. 10. A moderate and timely care of necessary temporalls is not prohibited, but the inordinate Appetite is cryed-downe by the generall voyce and consent both of Fathers and Schoolemen; if you require a Catalogue; view more [Page 25]punctually Gregory de Valentia vpon Aquinas 2.2.3. Tome 4. disputation, 5. question. Hereupon, Sen. de Beat. vit. the Moralists, and those of rigid and seuerer Brow, would haue a wise man passe by Riches, in contempt, Nonne habeat, sed ne solicitus habeat, not in regard of their propricty, and possession, but the difficulty and eagernesse of the pursuit; which as hee can manage without Indulgence, in their fruition; so, without disturbance, in their losse; In what store-house may Fortune better locke vp her Treasure, then there, from whence shee may fetch it without the complaint of him that keepes it? M. Cato, when he praised Curius and Caruncanius, and the voluntary and affected pouertie of that Age, wherein it was a Capitall offence to haue some few plates of Siluer, Sen. Epist. 119. Possidebat ipse quadragies sestertium, saith Seneca, had his owne store cram'd with many a Sesterce. A wise man, as hee will not make Riches the Object of his pursuite, so not, of his refusall, non amat Diuitias, sed mauult; non in animam illam gazam sed in domum recipit; nec respuit possessas Diuitias, sed contemnit; 'tis Seneca's againe, to his Iunius Gallio, hee weigh's them so euenly betweene, Desire, and Scorne, that hee doth neither vnder-valew, nor indulge them; hee make's not his minde, their Magazine, but his House, in which he doth not locke but lodge them; he loue's them not, properly, but by way of comparison, not as they are riches, but as they are aloofe from Pouerty: Yes, Stoicke, Sen. de Beat, vit. cap. 7. as they are riches, they may not onely be temperately lou'd and [Page 26]desir'd, but also prayed for, prayed for as our dayly bread; not absolutely, as for our spirituall improuement, but by way of restriction; first humbly, with submission to the will of God; then, conditionally, so they proue aduantagious either to our ciuill or morall good. But here wee must warily steeere betweene a vigilant prouidence, and a fretting solicitude, a discreete and honest care, and that which is anxious, and intemperate; for if they are pursued either with vnlawfull, or vnbrideled desire; they leade our Reason captiue, Blindfold our Intellectuals, startle and disturbe our sublimated, and better thoughts, weane our Cogitations from Sacred proiect to matters of Secular employment, steale from vs the exercise of spirituall duties, and so damp and dead all the faculties of the Inward man, that in way of Conscience or Religion, we are benum'd meerely; Naball himselfe not so stony and churlish, not halfe so supine and stupified as we. And therefore, your earthly Sensualists haue this wofull brand set vpon them by the Spirit of God. They are men of this world, they haue their portion in this life onely. Psal. 17.14. Riches haue nothing substantiall in them that may allure vs, but our custome of admiring them, Non quia concupiscenda sunt, Sen Ep. 119. lau [...]antur; sed quià concupiscuntur, laudata sunt, They are not praised, because they are to be desired, but they are desired because they are praysed. To cut out our desires by weake presidents is at once folly and madnesse; 'tis miserable to follow error by example; [Page 27]That this man hugg's his Mammon, is no authority for my Auarice; I must chalke out my proceedings by the line of precept, square them by the rules of Diuine truth; and that tel's mee Riches are but snares, thornes, vanities, shadowes, nothing. 1. Tim 6.9. Math. 13.22. Wilt thou set thine eyes vpon that which is not? saith the Wise man; For certainly, Riches make themselues wings, they flye away as an Eagle towards heauen, Pro. 18. Marke, all their pompe is without certainty, or station: Things not onely fleeting, but voluble; they steale not from vs, but they flye away; flye away as an Eagle doth, both with strong, and nimble wing; Their Ebbe is as sodaine, as their flowe doubtfull; the Text onely presupposes the one, with a si affiuxerint, if they flow about thee, as if their increase were meerely casuall: But if they doe, what then? Nolite cor opponere, set not your heart vpon them; They are transitory obiects, they flye away, not only with the pinions of an Eagle, but with the wings of a Doue, of the Doue, in the Psalmist, whose wings were couered with siluer, and her feathers with gold. Riches (I confesse) haue their Beauty, and lustre; but they are false, like globes of Christall, which though they take the eye both with varietie and delight of Obiects, yet haue of themselues but a hollow and brittle glory, nihil ex his quae videmus manet, currit cum tempore: Winds and Seas are not so roling and vnstable as Riches are, when they begin to surge and swell the Heart, that is set vpon them: vides quia fluunt, Ambros. ad Mamm [...]. non vides quiapraeter fluunt, [Page 28] fluenta sunt quae miraris, quomodò veniunt, sic transeunt, et recedunt vt discas superflua non acquirere, Loe, how the Father, playing on the word, chide's his folly, and opening the stickle condition of these sliding Temporalls, prohibite's all desire of vnnecessary Treasure, to sweate after superfluities, and vaine Abundance, since the way to them is both steepe, and slippery, and like the climbing of a sandie hill to the feete of the Aged. No man can be possessed of a peaceable and quiet life that toyle's much about the inlargement of it. Seneca's habere quod necesse est, & quod sat est, may well compleat all earthly happines, and terminate our desires in way of riches, to haue that which is necessary, & that which is sufficient; But this latter we must bound againe with the rules of Nature, not opinion. The Epicure tels vs, If we liue according to Nature, we shall neuer be poore; if, according to opinion, neuer rich. Our naturall desires haue their lists, and Bounds; Those that are deriued from false opinion, haue no pale; to him that goeth in a right way there is an end; Error is infinite. As therefore there are diuers sorts of Riches, so there are of Desires, too; there are Riches naturall, and there are Riches Artificiall; there are Desires of Nature, and there are Desires of Choice. Naturall Riches, such as are surrogated to man for the supply of naturall defects; as meate, drinke, clothing; Artificiall; by which Nature is not immediately relieued, but by way of consequence, as Coyne, Plate, Iewels, and the like, which the Art of man first [Page 29]found out for easier trafficke and exchange; or (as the vnhewed language of the Schoole. man rough's it) propter mensuram rerum venalium. Now naturall desires shake hands with naturall Riches; they are not infinite, but haue their measure, and growth, and proportion with the other. Artificiall Riches are without period, and come vp to those defires of Choice; which because inordinate, and not modified; are noe lesse then infinite. Hee that drinke's of this water (saith Christ, by temporalls) shall thirst againe, Ioh. 4. The Reason is, because their insufficiencie is most knowen when they are had, and therefore discouer's their imperfection more; so that Naturall Riches are more exquisite because they haue naturall desires which are infinite; The other not without Confusion and Disorder, because their desires depend on Choice, which are mutable and various; and so, Infinite. Aquin. seeunda secundae, q. 1. art. 1. ad secundum. Cato. That Rigid censor of the Romanes, was both Home, and witty, to the supefluous vanities of his time, Any thing will suffice, if what we want we require of our selues; hee that seeke's for content, without him, looseth both himselfe, and it; not to desire, vis fieri diues Pentifice? nii cupias Mart, Sert Epist. 119. and haue, are of a nere Bloud - Quare igitur a fortuna potius impetrem, vt det, quam a me, ne petam? saith the Stoicke, Why should I rather desire of Fortune, that she would giue mee? then of my selfe that I would not desire? Riches haue nothing solid in them; for if they had, they would sometimes either fill or please vs; but they play with our appetites as the apples did with the lips of Tantalus, [Page 30]which he might kisse, not Taste; or, suppose, Tast them, 'tis but as water to one sicke of a violent feuer, now drinking eagerly to allay his thirst, enlarges it; and seeking something to coole his Torments, he enflame's them. Wee are neuer in our selues, but beyond; Feare, or Desire, or Hope draw vs euer to that which is to come, and remoue our sence and consideration from that which is, to muse on that which shall be, euen when wee shall be no more. Inuentus est, qui concupisceret Aliquid post omnia. There are some, that hauing all things, haue (notwithstanding) coueted somewhat; like wide mouth'd Glasses brimb'd vp with rich Elixars; put gold in them, They are ne're the fuller; And this is a punishment euer waites vpon vnbridled, and immoderate Appetites, Hee that loueth siluer, shall not bee satisfied with siluer, nor hee that loueth Abundance, with increase, Eccle. 5.10. Miserable Desires, haue miserable effects; They degrade and deuest Man of that preheminence he hath aboue other Creatures, and bring him down to Beasts; nay, vnder them; For they hauing quenched their Desires, by their Fruition, remaine fully satisfied, till Nature quicken againe their Appetites, like plants in a fat soyle, which neuer require shewers, but in drought; those of Man are euer rauenous and insatiate, like barren & thirsty ground, which euen then lacks moisture, when ouer flowed. Thoughts which streame towards wealth, or Honour haue no certaine channell; but, like a Torrent or full tide, either beate downe or else ouer-runne [Page 31]their bankes. There was neuer Mammonist, whose Excesse of Treasure, or Extent of Fortune, could limit his Concupiscence; but it might well riuall the Ambition of those Proud Kings of old, who not satisfied with the Glory of their owne Crownes, and hauing nothing more on earth to bee desired, would counterfaite the Lightning and Thunder, to haue themselues thought powerfull in Heauen also, make him Lord of the whole Earth; giue him her Mynes of Gold, Coasts of Iasper, Rocks of Diamonds; nay, all the Treasure the wombe of the Earth, or bowels of the great Deepe haue swallowed; yet, euen in these flouds, hee thirsteth, in this surfet, he is hungry, in these Riches, poore. O the Inexhaustednesse of Humane Appetite. Quod naturae satì; est, Homini nòn est. Sen Epist. 119. Nature hath not in her vast store-house wherewith to supply our bottomlesse Desires; those Desires, I meane, which attend our Choice; For as they depend on the Imaginations of men (which are fertile, and euer blooming) as this Power represent's the formes and Images of infinite Obiects, so our defires multiply strangely to pursue all those things the Imagination hath propounded; insomuch, that we prosecute them (oftentimes) without Rule, or Measure, and there is sooner an end of vs, then of our Couetousnes. I know there are Desires Innocent enough, if they had their Bounds; But their Excesse, and Restlesnesse, doth blemish their pursuite; the Chrysolite, the Berill, and the Saphire, and all the sparkling, and shelly Maiestie, of Pearle, and [Page 32] Stone, are the Obiects of a harmelesse delight, if we could vse them moderately; But, we suffer our selues to be transported with such violent Affections, and we seeke them with such enraged heate, that 'tis rather Madnesse, then Desire; Nay, of all humane Aspirations there are none so lawlesse, and Exorbitant, as those which wander after Riches; For whereas the Rest aime only at the Ioy and Content which may arriue them by the possession of their Obiects, and so, lull, and stumber, (like two loude and steepe Currents, which meeting in a Flat kisse, & are silent.) Those of Riche, grow more violent, by Abundance, like the flame of a great fire, which increaseth by cafting wood into it. There can be no true Riches, without Content; and there can be no true content where there is still a Desire of riches; will you haue the Reason? the Moralist giue's it, Sen. Epist. 112. but not home, Plùs incipit habere posse, qui plùs habet, Hee that hath much, begin's to haue a possibilitie, to haue more; and thus, as our Heapes are inlarged, so are our Affections, and They once Inordinate, the Heart is instantly rent asunder with the whirle-winds and distempers of various lusts; sometimes, it hunt's for Treasure, sometimes for Henours and Preferment, and hauing gotten the possession of these, still fight's against her owne Satisfaction by desiring more; Insomuch, that if we could empty the Westerne Parts of Gold, and the East of all her Spices; the Land of her vndig'd, and the Sea of her shipwrack't store; if we could lay on our Masse to the very Starres; [Page 33]yet Desire is as woman, and the Graue, as Death and Hell, which will not bee satisfied. Such are the restlesse wandrings of our Affections, set once on Temporalls, that They sinde neither Banke, nor Bottome; there is no rest to man's Soule, but in God's Eternall Rest; for there being no proportion betweene Spirits, and Bodies; 'tis impossible that the infinite desires of the Soule should be confin'd to Creatures heere below, as Things too Languishing, and Transitorie, for such Diuine Substances to reside in, with full satisfaction, or finall Rest: The heart of man, not fixt in the contemplation of Eternitie, is alwayes erraticke, and vnstable, Et omni volubilitate volubilius (saith Augustine) more voluble then volubilitie it selfe; It trauel's from one Obiect to another, seeking rest where there is none; but in those fraile and fleeting Temporals, in which, our Affections are (as 'twere) shackled, and let bound, It shall neuer find any Lasting and true Content; For our Soule is of that vast comprehensiuenesse, and our Desire of that wilde Latitude, and Extent, that no Finite Excellencie or Created Comfort, can euer fill it, but it is still tortut'd on the Racke of restlesse Discontent, and Selfe-vexation, vntill it fasten vpon an Obiect, infinite, both in Endlesnesse, and Perfection; only admit it to the Face of God by Beatificall Vision, and so consequently to those Riuers of pleasure, and fulnes of Ioy flowing thence; and then presently (and neuer till then) It's infinite defire expire's in the Bosome of God, and lie's [Page 34]downe softly, Bolt. walke with God, pag. 125. with sweetest peace, and full contentment, in the embracements of euerlasting Blisse.
And now, O Earth, Earth, Earth, heare the Word of the Lord. Thou whose Bodie and Soule, and Desires are lumpish, Earth meerely, thrice Earth; Raise thine Affections from this Dull Element where they now grouell, and looke vp to the Hils from whence thy saluation commeth: why do they flutter heere about corruptible Glories? Why doe they stoope to false and vaine Comforts, such as are not only open to Casualtie, but to Danger? Riches are to Both? to Both, in a triple way; First, in their Acquisition, Secondly, Possession, Thirdly, Depriuation. In their Acquisition, first; As the Partridge sitteth on egges, and hatcheth them not; so He that getteth Riches, and not by right, shall leaue them in the midst of his Age, and at his End bee a foole. Ier. 17.11. Next in their Possession, where Moth and rust doth corrupt them, and where Theeues breake through, and steale, Math. 6.9. Lastly, in respect of their Depriuation, or Losse. He hath swallowed downe Riches, and Hee shall vomit them vp againe; God shall cast them out of his Belly; the Increase of his house shall depart, and his goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath, Iob 20.15, 28. Loe, how the Hand of Iustice houers heere, and with a Double Blow strike's through the very Ioynts and marrow of the Worlaling, euen to the sundring and dissipation both of his Posteritie and Fortunes? His goods shall flow away, and the Increase [Page 35]of his house shall depart; shall depart? whither? to the Graue; with whom? (two lamentable Companions.) The Foole and the Beast that perisheth. So saith the Singer of Israel in his 49. Psalme, thrice in that one Psalme, at the sixth verse, He trust's in his wealth, and glorie's in the multitude of his Riches, and at the tenth Verse, He is a foole, and brutish, and leaueth his goods to others. O vaine Insolence? O transitorie height? what? After all those ouerflowings and swarmes of Treasure, must he leaue his Substance to Others? Yea, to others, perchance, neither of his Tribe, nor Countrey. Please you to looke vpon him at the eleuenth Verse, his very heart is transparent, and you may discouer his inward thoughts. Hee conceiue's his house shall contìnue for euer, and his Dwelling place to all generations, and therefore cals his Lands after his owne Name; yet view him againe at the fourteenth Verse. He is a Beast, a silly one, a sheepe laid in the graue, Death shall feed vpon him, and the vpright shall haue Dominion ouer him in the morning, and his strength shall consume in the pit from his Dwelling place. Once more, He is twice in that Psalme stil'd A Man of Honour, but 'tis sauc'd with a Neuerthelesse, He abideth not, at the twelfth Verse; and He vnder standeth not, at the twentieth Verse; and in both, He is a Beast that perisheth. Marke, how the Spirit of God paint's out this very Earth-worme, this great Monopolist of pelfe, and Rubbish. He is ignorant, Transitorie, Sensuall; He abideth not, hee [Page 36]vnder standeth not, and (anon) he dieth; Dieth? no, perisheth; perisheth as a Beast doth, as if the Soule rotted with the Body, or his Memory with the Soule; no Remainder either of Name, or Fortune, and which is worst, of Honour; so saith the Text; What though rich; and the Glory of his house increased? yet, He shall carry away nothing with him, his Honour shall not descendafter him, verse 17. what? carry nothing away with him? not that Glorious Earth? that Gaudy Luggage his Soule Doted on? that shining Saint? that Burnish'd Deity, which he could, at once, both touch and worship? what? not the Cabonet he hug'd and clasp'd? not the Gold hee Idol'd? nothing of Treasure, or Repute, or Name? Of neither; All these false beames which were wont to dazle him shall bee now clouded in perpetuall darknesse, where they shall neuer see light againe; thus the Text doome's him, at the nineteenth Verse of the same Psalme.
Seeing then, All earthly Dependences are vaine and fragile, and there can be no true peace but that which looke's vpward; Take for Conclusion the aduice of Siracides, Lay vp Treasures according to the Commandement of the most High; and they shall bring thee more profit then gold; Eeclus 39. Treasures of the most high? What are These? How laid vp? and where? The Commandement of the most High tell's thee, Lay vp for your selues Treasures in heauen, Bags which waxe not old, the good foundation against the time to come, the hold of eternall life, the [Page 37]Euerlasting Memoriall before God; that Treasure which the Angell shewed Cornelius in the Vision; euen thine Almes, and thy Prayers; not thy large-lung'd Prayers, without Almes, such as the old Pharisee bleated in his Synagogue, or the New one, in his Conuenticle; but thine Almes, and thy Prayers, hand in hand, with one cheerefulnesse, and Truth; thy hearty Zeale towards God, and thy willing Charity towards Man, and both these, in secret, and without noise. Such, and only such, are Golden Vialls full of Odours, sweet Incense in the Nostrils of the Almighty; They shall yeeld a pleasant smell, as the Best Myrrhe, as Galbanum, and Onyx and sweet Storax, and as the fume of Frankincense in the Tabernacle. Heere are Treasures which neuer faile, where no Moth corrupteth, nor Thiefe approcheth; these shall fight for thee against thine Enemies, better then a mighty shield, or a strong speare. If thou breake the Staffe of thy Bread vnto the hungry, and afflicted, God shall make fat thy Bones, and satisfie thy Soule in Drought; Thou shalt be like awatred Garden, and like a spring whose streames faile not; Treasures thou shalt lay vp as Dust, and Gold of Ophir, as the stones of the Brooke; Thy Pastures shall be cloth'd with flockes, the Valleys also shall stand so thicke with Corne, that they shall laugh, and sing; In sine; Thou shalt take root in an honourable place, euen in the portion of the Lord's Inheritance, when thou shalt be exalted as a Cypresse tree vpon the Mountaines of Hermon, like a Palme tree in Engedy, and as a Rose plant in Iericho: And, at [Page 38]length, when the Glory of those Earthly Mansions must bee left, when thou canst bee no longer Steward, but art to passe thy strict Account before the Great House-holder at the Generall and Dreadfull Audit, when the Booke of all our Actions shall be vnclaps'd, thine shall be found square, and euen, and thou shalt receiue that happie Applause, and Remuneration, Well done, thou good, and faithfull Seruant, Enter into thy Masters Ioy. Which the Lord grant for Christ Iesus sake,
Amen.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.