RICHES is commonly taken for a Plenty of the Necessaries for the Support of Human Life: And if every Man would seek the Good of others, as truly and sincerely, as men ought to seek their own; there would be no Occasion for any Man to have his Ri­ches or Estate to himself. For every [Page 4] Man would labour sincerely, in his calling, for the Good of the Whole, the Hus­bandman, the Trades-man, the Merchant, the Sailor, the Ruler, the Teacher, and all other needful Employs. And all that is produced, would be for every one as he needs. And what People raise in one Country more than they need, would be carried to another Country that needs it. And what they of the other Country have to spare, would be brought back to the Country that needs it. And no Price would be talked of; but every man would labour faithfully in his calling to raise all he can; and the Merchants deal out, re­ceive and transport; the Carpenters build for such as need &c. Thus all Men would have Plenty, and Contentions would cease, and most of the Miseries of this World would be taken away.

It is an approved Way, Acts IV, 32. Sin is the only Hinderance: For now, since men love none but themselves, such a thing would be vain to talk of; few men would labour faithfully, and all things would come short, so that there is a Necessity that each man be the proper Owner of what his Industry raises. And [Page 5] Covetousness (which is Idolatry) must be the Support of the World, and the Mise­ry of it both. Each man coveting to make himself rich, carries on the Publick Good: For Men cannot gain Riches and use 'em, except they help others by it. Thus God in his Wisdom and Mercy turns our Wickedness to publick Benefit, or the World could not stand.

Riches are given for Publick Good, and it is not in the Skill of the most co­vetous and envious Man to make it other­wise. It must be put to the use it was made for. He cannot swallow it all into his own Belly. Others must have part with him, or he cannot gain or keep his Riches. And he can have but his neces­sary Food and Raiment out of it, (for God has given him no more, and nothing more will do him good) and if Covet­eousness do not hinder, the poorest Man has that as well as he. He pleases him­self, that he will leave his Riches to his Children. But how commonly doth this prove their Undoing for ever (as the gaining of it was to their Father) while Poor Mens Children by honest Industry prove happy in this Life and the next.

[Page 6]A rich Man is a Slave to others: while he thinks others are Slaves to him. He is a great Friend to the Publick, while he aims at nothing but serving himself. God will have us live by helping one an­other; and since Love will not do it, Co­vetousness shall.

The Merchant cannot gain his Riches, except he bring the Goods from other Lands, which they there have no need to keep, and give 'em in exchange what they need more, and bring to us what we need, or think we need; and take off from our hands for it, the Produce which we have no need to keep. He slaves and breaks his Rest to do this: and (if he deal honestly) they that deal with him have the Benefit, and he has the Be­holding of it with his eyes, for his Re­ward. Eccl. V, 11.12. And if he deal knavishly, they that deal with him are wronged, and he must answer for it in the great Day. And while he is here, he cannot eat nor wear with the more Comfort.

What the Husbandman raiseth more than he can eat and wear, is to feed o­thers, or he is never the better for it. [Page 7] Thus while men covet All for themselves, they do others more good then they do themselves; but no Thanks to their good Intention.

The like of the Tradesman, if he deal honestly.

But the Userer does no body good. He did not make the Money. He did not dig it out of the Ground: He did not bring it into the Country in Exchange for other Produce more needed in ano­ther Country. The Money had been in the Country, if he had never been. He hath his Heart's desire, to live for no body but himself. So the Landlord who lives upon his Rents: He did not make the Land, nor bring it into order for Im­provement. What good has he done in the World for his Money?

But that we may view the Truth on both Sides of it; lest we take up a wrong Idea of it (the Neglect whereof is the Cause of all Errors) If he that gets his Money so easily, improve it and his Time in doing good, we have the less to say against him.

And he that builds Houses, and rents 'em out, does publick good for his Money.

[Page 8]And if a Man borrow Money to make himself an Estate, by carrying on some profitable Design; his Money has done Publick Good: And it is just that the Owner of it should have a Reward from him that has made his Gain by it. But if a Man be in necessity, He that has it is bound to give or lend it for nothing, Exod. XX, 25. Deut. XV, 7.8.9.10.11. Ezek. XVIII, 8.13.17. &c.

We are not made to live for our selves only. And tho' Sin has brought the Ne­cessity that every Man ought to know his own Property, and God will punish him that invades another's Property without his Consent: Yet God is the proper Ow­ner of all, and we are but Stewards in­trusted, and must give an Account to him, how we use all that we are intrust­ed with, and must part with it as he pleases.

So we may not lawfully withold from such as are in necessity. Yet they may not meddle with it without our Leave: that we may have the Honour and Re­ward of giving it with a free Heart, or be punished if we refuse it. And there­fore there must be needy People to do good to. Deut. XV, 10.11.

[Page 9]So the Lawyer is oft times so far from getting his Money by doing good, that he gets it by doing Harm, in helping Peo­ple to undo each other. The like of the Physician, if he take Money where he can do no good, or take extravagantly where he really does good.

But let a Man come by his Goods just­ly or unjustly, the more he has, the grea­ter Slave he is, and the greater is his Uneasiness of Life here, and Difficulty in preparing for another Life.

And if he come by any part unjustly, except he make Restitution to the utmost of his Power, he is utterly debarred from all Treasure in the next Life: and must surely be punished for all his Injustice. Psal. LXII, last. Levit. VI, 4.5.6.7. Num. V, 7.8.

The Ruler or Teacher, if they receive so much as to support' em in their Work and Office, so as to be able to perform it well, it is as well as the Merchant, Hus­bandman or Tradesman who deal honest­ly. But if they or the Merchant, Hus­bandman or Tradesman take more (ex­cept there be plenty enough to afford it) it is no better than the Usurer or Land­lord, [Page 10] (which are useless ways of getting a Livelyhood) whereas the World can­not be supported without the other.

What a Man gains to himself, by do­ing the Publick as much good as he does himself, and wronging no Man by doing it, is honestly and lawfully gotten, and nothing else that I can think of. And I think this may pass for an universal Rule. The Needy helped I do not call Gain: except by God's Blessing to the Giver. The Provision raised by the Husband­man make so much the more in the Coun­try, (yea in the World): So the Work of a Tradesman: So Fish and wild Beasts taken, and the like. So the Merchant exporting and importing, to the Benefit of both Countries. So a Physician when he cures a Disease, does good to the Pu­blick, by saving the Life or Health of a Member of the Common-wealth Some body has the Benefit more than he that gets Money by it. So a Lawyer, when he defeats the Design of a Knave. A Ru­ler or Teacher, who is worthy of his Of­fice, does the Publick much more good, than what he receives of the Publick. And if his faithful Endeavours fail, he is no more to blame than the Merchant, [Page 11] who loses his Goods at Sea, and so can [...] the Publick no good by them.

What ever is gotten by making ano­ther the poorer, (not helping him to something better for him, in the Room of it) is unjustly gotten: The Publick has no Benefit by it. And he that doth it, presumes to take into his own Hands, what God hath betrusted another with: which is a Rejecting of God's Authority, and Injuring the Person so made poorer.

For these Reasons Theft and Robbery are unlawful, and accounted so intolera­ble as to be punished with Death. And he that over reacheth or cheats a Man, doth him as much wrong as he that steals from him, and therefore it is as much a Sin against God. He that takes the Ad­vantage of anothers Ignorance or Necessi­ty, to make his Gain from him, is a Thief before God, tho' he hold his Nose ever so high: And except he make Restitu­tion, he can no more be saved than a Thief that is hanged for Stealing, and ne­ver repented, 1 Cor. VI, 10. 1 Thess. IV, 6.

The like it is of him that puts his Neighbour to unnecessary Charges at Law, or otherwise damnifies him, altho' [Page 12] he get nothing by it himself. Psal. XV, 3. The like of him that runs in debt, when he sees no way to pay it. And the like of such as promise and take no care to perform, nor to give seasonable No­tice, if it fall out impossible for 'em to perform.

Alas, how many go to Hell on this Score! altho' they now pass for Topping Christians. Eph. V, 5. A Man in Ne­cessity has a Right to as easy dealing as a Man in no Necessity; because every Man has a Right to every good Thing that may be had without doing wrong to another. So if my Neighbour be in Ne­cessity, and I can help him without wrong to myself or another, he has a Right to my Help from God. And I wrong him of what God hath given him, if I deny it. And if I make my Advan­tage of his Necessity, I may as well steal out of his Pocket. The like if I deceive him, to make the more gainful Bargain with him, to his Loss: For then should I act the part of a False Devil, and not the part of a Man who loves his Neigh­bour as himself: nor of a man who hath one Spark of Honour in him, nor of one [Page 13] that is worthy to be accounted a Man a­mong those that deserve to be called men. Thus for his deceit, which unmans a Man, and beside he is a scandalous Thief who does it: And such can never be saved without a broken-hearted Repentance. Rev. XXI, last. Beside so much other Wickedness which abounds in the Land, and the many other ways of unjust Deal­ing, which God will take Vengeance of, (as Reason alone must testify.) These ways now mentioned are known to be so common, that the Devil seeing so plen­tiful a Harvest continually flowing in upon him, he would surely be content, if he were not like a Rich Man, who is ne­ver satisfyed, but the more he has, the more he desires. When Men trade to the Advantage of both Parties, it is law­ful: but not when the one designs it to the Loss of the other.

These Rules, and many more relating to them, men might easily see, if they would but consider: They are so plain. But if men will not look, how shall they see? And so O how many go blindfold to Hell!

But now let us consider what Men get [Page 14] for their Souls, when they sell them for worldly Gain.

A Rich Man has a miserable Life: for he is always full of Fear and Care: And the more he has, the more he wants. And if he lose any part of his Riches, the Grief of his Loss is far more than the Pleasure of calling it His was while he had it. And he can eat no more, nor wear with more comfort than a Man who has but sufficient from Hand to Mouth. Whereas a Man that has but Food and Raiment with honest Labour, is free from these Fears and Cares, and is not in dan­ger of such Grief for his Losses: And has the Comfort, that if Sickness disable him from Labour, the Rich must give him Food and Raiment: which is the highest they can enjoy themselves.

If a Man have so much that he need not labour with his Hands, he must have a harder Labour with his Mind, and must break his Rest. While a poor la­bouring Man, who has no Expectation of rising higher, labours and rests, and eats and drinks with Comfort, and sleeps with a cheerful mind, Eccl. V, 12. In­deed if a Man overdo his Strength by La­bour, [Page 15] he is as bad of it as the Rich. He might better lose what he labours for. For more means to live, and more Ho­nour of Strength, (the Honour of a Beast, and yet we need it) may be got when more Health cannot, nor the other if Health be lost. Rest after moderate La­bour is a Pleasure, which those that la­bour not cannot have: As Eating is made a Pleasure by Hunger. And in­deed, what Pleasure have we in this World (since Sin [...] spoiled it) but the Removal of Trouble.

If a Man live upon his Rents (a use­less Life) and so be free from these Cares; he hath a far worse Life yet, except he take to some profitable Imploy suiting his Station. For men's Thoughts can­not be idle: he must be studying some­thing to satisfy his mind. If he seek it in Pleasure and Sports, it leaves him un­satisfied, and his mind worse disquieted than before. He must go to it again, to ease his uneasy mind, and what doth it help in the End? It cannot give the Contentment wich the performance of some profitable Work would give: And being still discontent, he seeks to please [Page 16] his mind with other Pleasures [...] in vain. And thus he is laid [...] the worst Lusts that are in his Nature.

And if he seek to satisfy himself with pleasurable Eating and Drinking (the Happiness of a Beast) he soon suffocates his Appetite and spoils it. So that a poor unpampered Man has much more Pleasure in his course Food and a Draught of cold Water, than these can have in all their Dainties.

Yea our Cattle and Hogs and unpam­pered Horses and Dogs have much more Pleasure in Eating and Drinking than the best of us have; as appears in the ear­nestness for it, and Signs of Pleasure in taking it. So that a Man, whose Portion is in this Life, is far worse of it, even in this Life, than a Beast: and especially those that lead a useless Life and live for Pleasure. Beside they are incident to an hundred Sorrows of Mind which Brutes are not capable of. Thus when Men bru­tify themselves, they make themselves much more unhappy than Brutes. No­thing so honourable, nothing so happy in this World as a useful Life. Eccl. III, 12.

[Page 9]It is a mean fordid Spirit that would live only for himself, (or worse, an ido­latrous Spirit) yet such will be honour­ed, O ridiculous! when there is no Ho­nour in them. As God is Owner, so he will call us to an Account, not only how we come by what we have, but how we use it. The rich Man, Luke II.16, 19, 20. got his Goods honestly, manuring his Land, so there was so much the more in the Country: but was condemned because he sought no higher use to make of it than to take his Ease, eat, drink and be merry. This also concerns such as spend their Plenty (uselesly come by) in chargeable Retinues, and in pampering Horses and Dogs, and imploy and take up the Time of men for their scandalous Honour, who might be imployed in profitable Labour.

Thus it were better for the most of People to be poor, than to be born rich. For such have, in general, really a more comfortable Life here, and far less dan­ger as to the next Life. But as Sin is al­ways a Snare to the Sinner; Men who live not for God, but for themselves, gather Estates for their Children to send 'em to Hell!

[Page 15]Some are of a more manly noble Tem­per, and it is too mean for them to seek to satisfy themselves with brutish Plea­sures: but seek after Honour, when the Publick Good does not call for it. And these oft times work their own Ruin by it.

But if a Man grow Rich, by honest In­dustry, it is a great Benefit to the Publick, tho' he make himself a Slave to do it.

If a Man be poor thro' Idleness or Ex­travagance, he is a publick Waster, and brings upon himself Trouble enough in this World: Beside the Account he must give of every Penny mispent, and of eve­ry Hour mispent. And the Land were better quit of him. But of all men the moderate Labouring Man has the best Life as to comfort here, and least Ob­structions in his Preparations for a bet­ter; Prov. XXX, 8. Except one of these Things befall him: If his Mind be a Torment to him, (as it is to many, both Rich and Poor, and is the greatest and most hurtful Trouble Mankind are incident to.) If his Pride be not satis­fyed in his low Estate: Or if an unbelie­ving Distrust of Gods Providence put him [Page 16] into a sinful disquieted [...] Matth. VI.32, 33. O [...] and have not wherewith [...] and fall into the Hands [...] unmerciful Men, who love none but [...] selves, and make Riches and Revenge their God.

It is a great Benefit to a Country where there are many Rich Men, especially rich Merchants (but not rich Landlords nor Usurers:) For without these, Goods can­not so well be exchanged from Country to Country. The People, who pretend not to the Riches, have the Benefit, and the Merchants the Slavery. Indeed, who that is wise would desire to be Rich, ex­cept it be for Conscience sake? that he might do the good he sees needed in the Land. I suppose the most will readily dream this to be their Motive: But how few do shew it in their Practice! But God's Kindness to Men, who are not so kind to one another, makes covetous men by seeking to gratify their Idol Lust, to do the good they least desired.

He that gains Riches must employ o­thers, who can eat and wear of it as com­fortable as he can himself; which some [Page 20] are too coveteous to allow, and yet can eat and wear never the better themselves. And perhaps some (especially such as know not the getting of it) are as profuse for their Dogs and Horses. O what a Creature is Man!

But what am I doing? If this discou­rage People from seeking after Riches, it would be a great Detriment to the Pu­blick, if not the undoing of the World. Yet I have no fear of hurting two Sorts of People by it. Those that make Riches their God, will not be dissuaded. For a Man will part with any thing, yea every thing rather than forsake his God. (As it is likewise with those that make some Faction their God.) And those that make Riches their God, are so very numerous among us; that I have little Fear of do­ing Harm in this matter. And as little Hope of doing such Men good. For as the Eye fixed on a certain thing, is there­by hindered from the Sight of other things. So the Mind and Heart fixed upon Riches, can see no Argument against them, nor against the covetous Interest.

And those that make the Glory of God in doing good, their Motive and Delight, [Page 21] will not be hindered by it, from a duti­ful Industry. So I have no Fear of doing Harm to these two Sorts of People. But my Fear is of spoiling those that are good for nothing already: by their taking ex­cuse from it to be idle. Which is in it self sinful, and renders the idle Person un­worthy to eat. 2 Thess. III.10, 11.

Industrious Labour keeps men's Tho'ts from studying Mischief, is healthy for the Body, and naturally gives a pleasant Mind, and fit for religious good. Whereas Want of Imploy brings all the contrary Evils. God has not made us to spend our Time for nothing.

These Things considered, it follows: 1. We need to pity and love Rich Men. To pity them because of the Troubles and Temptations they undergo. And to love them, because of the publick Benefit we receive by them. Provided they be merciful Men, and do not make others poorer to make themselves richer: Nor by their Example in wasting Good on Foppish Pride, tempt Fools to fall to Po­verty.

2. Appropriating any publick Benefit to particular Men, except full Amends [Page 22] be made by it to the Publick, is unlawful.

3. A selfish Spirit, which rules in almost every one, is a great wrong to themselves, and every one beside. When there is a publick Benefit proposed, if men cannot find it will be a Benefit to themselves, & no body else, they will hardly stir in it. And if they see it to be for the good of All, and are willing to be Sharer in it, they would gladly have others be at the Charge: So that they will do so little for their part, that it must fall to nothing, and they that have expended nobly must lose it, and the Publick suffer the Want. How many a noble Design both for Re­ligion and for Temporal Benefits is thus utterly lost! What Benefit will this be to ME? is all the Argument they can see into.

4. Of all Men publick spirited Men are the only Men worthy of Honour. For no other Men have any true Honour in them. Yet narrow spirited Creatures who love none but themselves, do neither regard love or honour 'em the more for it: but if they can make their own Gain by them they will not leave it. And this their Thanks!

[Page 23]5. If it were not for coveting Riches, and limiting Industry for private Advan­tage, and cherishing foppish Pride, all men might live with much more Plenty, less Slavery, less Contention, and less undoing one another by the Law.

6. It is the greatest Folly (not to speak of the Wickedness) to seek Riches by de­priving others. Our Life here is like a Iourney, and we know not every day, but that we are come to the End of it. Our temporal Goods are the Food we carry with us, to live upon in our Journey: which we have no use for at the End of our Journey. Now the more we carry, the heavyer Load we have: and all the Company must eat of it (for in this case we cannot eat alone, as aforesaid.) Now will Men in such a Case pull the Burthen from anothers Shoulders against his Will? and will men contend who shall carry the heaviest Burthen? What Folly were it for men to contend, who shall have the most Trouble! Yet this men literally do, Ps. XXXIX, 6. Sin is a Punishment to it self, Psal. IX, 16. Well does Solomon so often call wicked men Fools.

7. Here see the Folly, Wickedness & [Page 14] Madness of those who neglect their Souls for the sake of worldly Gain; to gain more Riches, that is to say, more Trouble in the World▪ See Matth. VI, 24. to the end.

Riches, Honours and Pleasures, with which the Devil baits his Hook (accor­ding to the Temper of those he fishes for) appear to be excellent Food, till they have it in their Mouth, and then finding a bitter Tang in it, they still hold the Bait fast (thinking the Fault to be in some­thing else) till the Devil gets his Hook fast in their Iaws. The Fish taken hath no Benefit by the Bait: and the Soul taken has Trouble by the Bait. Our Soul is of such noble Make, that no created thing can give it full Satisfaction: and by seek­ing it in Things beneath us, men miss of the true Happiness, and are ever turmoil­ing, and never can be satisfyed. Our Cat­tle can have Pleasure and Nourishment in their Grass and Hay, which would choke us to eat, and hinder place in our Sto­mach for our proper nourishing Food. But men of a mean sordid selfish beastly Spirit unman themselves, and will not con­sider these things, Isai. XLVI, 8. They [Page 25] bring their Spirits down into the Earth ▪ where their Heart is, and have Reason as if they had it not: because they will not use it. Oh shameful! 1 Iohn II.28.

8. Riches do not make a Mans Life hap­py, nor want of Riches, make it unhappy, Luke XII, 15. A cheerful Mind is the best Comfort upon Earth: And if Grace go with it, it is the best Happiness upon Earth, 1 Tim. VI.6, 7, 8, 9, 10. And a troubled disquieted Mind is the greatest Misery. Prov. XVIII, 14 And People punish themselves for their Sins by the Sinfulness of it. A discontented Mind is very displeasing to God. It was the Sin our first Parents began with: It is the Root of all Sin, and Cause of all Trouble.

God in his Providence usually shews his Displeasure at it in a particular man­ner; and People of a Fretful unthankful disquieted Behaviour have usually many Troubles, Psal. XVIII, 26.

It is observable that such Families as quarrel and contend much among them­selves, usually come to Poverty or other Ruin, sooner or later. The more Peo­ple give way to a discontented Mind, the worse they make it: and by being trou­bled [Page 26] for a small Cause, they usually make a great Cause, and by being trou­bled without Cause, they make Cause. Thus to ease their Minds of Anger, they make, cause, and increase it, in them­selves and others. To ease their longing after Riches, Honours, Pleasures, Re­venge, or the like; they striving to ob­tain it increase the Desire, which makes the Torment the greater: And if they obtain it, the Desire is so far by this Time increased, that they are no better satisfyed than before. And the Effects are almost all the Miseries that befall Mankind.

All the Troubles we are incident to in this World, are either in our Body, such as Sickness, Wounds, Pains, Hunger, Heat and Cold; or in a disquieted unea­sy Mind: Which is no Trouble at all, except the Mind make it so. This is far more unsupportable than bodily Trouble, and makes bodily Trouble much worse than it would otherwise be, by suppres­sing the Spirits &c. Prov. XVIII, 14. ( aforesaid.)

The Mind can make a great Trouble of that which is in it self little or none. [Page 27] And a thankful Submission to Gods Will can make great Troubles easy; yea make them no Trouble.

There are these Ways to cure an un­easy Mind: 1. A Stupid Carelessness: but this would make the Remedy worse than the Disease. 2ly, Faith in Christ, (who attoned for Sin, that we might be healed) put in Exercise, &c.

A dutiful Industry to divert the Mind, may give some Relief. He that has a cheerful Mind is a Rich Man.

A Mind disturbed by Desire, Fear, or Anger, deprives men so far of the free Use of their Reason; and makes 'em act oft times to their own Destruction. A troubled Mind, when sinfully yielded to, wounds the Stomach, Spleen, Vitals, or Brain: according to the Constitution of the Person; it falls upon the weakest part. If it fall upon the Stomach, it wounds every part of the Body by it. If upon the Spleen, it breeds a multitude of melancholy Fancies, imagining the greatest Trouble where there are none, and makes Mountains of Mole-hills, and breeds every Distemper in Fancy, and makes the very Anguish of it. And the [Page 28] Sorrow increases the Disease continually. If it fall on the Vitals, it oft proves mor­tal. (As some have dyed of Grief, Love, Ioy, &c.) If it fall directly on the Brain, it makes the Person distracted.

It is observable, that many Children, who were promising to be very witty, being often blamed and faulted, have been discouraged, and their young Brains were dulled, till they became little bet­ter than Dunces all their Life after. This is the Fruit of an uneasy Mind in their Tutors! Others of a more hardy Mind, being so often blamed, become hardned to it, till they care not what mischief they do.

One thing is lawful to be grieved for, and that is, that we have sinned against God. But while we have the Offer of Christ, it is not lawful to be discouraged. But Sin leads to all Extreams at once: to be grieved or angry where we ought not, and to be easy minded where we ought not.

How lovingly, happily and safely might People live in this World, were it not for that dreadful Judgment for Sin, A discontented or angry Mind! Whence [Page 29] come Contentions, Thefts, Robberies and Oppressions? but from a discontent at the State God has set us in, or at the Means he hath appointed us to help ourselves by.

9. When a Man, not moved with Pity nor Conscience, will sue (and with Law-Charges, undo) men, because they are not able to pay: and the Grief of it brings upon some of 'em a melancholy Distemper, which (being began, grows upon 'em, and so) makes 'em miserable all their Life after. What is such an E­nemy the better? Can he eat or wear the better? And does he think that God will not take Vengeance on him for it?

He will say that for Want of the Money he cannot carry on his Designs; which would be for Publick Good. But is it for Publick Good to undo men? And was this his Motive to do it? Was it not rather a Sacrifice to his Idol God Riches? Let him read his Portion Matth. XVIII. la­ter end. Will he think to be saved by Christ, when he will not obey him? When he was so dealt by himself, did he think it well done? Luke VI, 31. So if I afterward find that I have overdone [Page 30] my Neighbour in a Bargain. I must make him Amends, if I will be saved by Christ.

And if a Man ow me Money, when I had traded with him with Expectation of Profit, what Justice is it that a Bonds­man, who never had any Thing for it, should pay it, more than that he shall pay a Husbandman that loses his Crop or Cattle, or a Merchant that loses his Goods at Sea?