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* 1.1An instruction to liue in any meane place and sort, then to steale. Dauid, and the men with him, though they liued in want, yet liued not by spoile: and though they were poore men, yet they were true men: and asked reliefe as strangers, but would not command it as Rogues, 1 Sam. 25.5.6.7.8.15.16. So vertuous Ruth gleaned in Boaz Field, Ruth 2.3.7. Shee gleaned onely, but tooke not from the
vvhole sheafe, nor vvhole sheaues, as some leasers now.
Saint Paul, vvho bids euery Christian to labour with his hands, rather then to be idle, & to eat his owne bread in some cal∣ling, rather then stollen Bread in no law∣full calling, 2 Thes. 3.12. doth rather chuse to make Tents, then to eate vvith offence, where yet he might haue eaten with authoritie, Act. 18.3. 2 Cor. 11 8 9. In∣deed, the vniust Steward that vvas asha∣med to begge, Luke 16.3. was not afraid to steale, verse 6.7. so, though to begge be euill, and to steale vvorse: yet the wicked, rather then they will eate their owne bread, that is, bread that they haue right vnto by their honest labour, will doe one, or both. But vvhat get they by such vn∣righteousnesse? surely, the curse, spoken of, Zachar. 5.3. the curse that will out them off, and finde them out to destruction, though they vvould hide themselues, vers. 4. not a lingring curse, but a flying curse. Nor a curse that will leaue something, Obad. 5. but a fretting curse, or leprosie, that will seaze on all: nor the curse of damage onely, but the bitter curse of damnation. A curse
that vvill suffer nothing to prosper with it, or that is neere vnto it, Haba••. 2.9. And therefore stolen wares are rightly called infectious wares, because they bring all to nothing, house and all, by a kinde of leprosie, or fretting canker in them.
* 1.2And one saith vvell, that a man vvere as good put a coale of fire into the thatch of his House of Barne, as to lay vp stolne goods among his other stuffe: for, they will turne all into a fire of de∣struction, and no man shall quench it.
* 1.3A terrour to Theeues, and Robbers: and threatning to all that liue by vnlawfull idlenesse, or by vngodly profit, in no law∣full calling. For, such are farre from re∣pentance, being more lost then the lost Sonne. There is no trade of life so meane, whereout God calleth not some by his grace in the Ministerie. But how many are so called, being out of a Trade, or in no lawfull Trade? Meane Trades, in the burning raigne of Queene Mary, gaue glory to God, by sending some continu∣ally from their shop to giue witnesse to Christ in the fire. But, how many good-fellowes (as we call good fellowship) and
drinking mates, and dicing mates, and o∣ther lose mates, (then) receaued such honour? It it a step to Religion to liue according to Gods ordinance, in some honest place of some liberall or other Science, to the benefit of the Church, and Common-wealth. Therefore, Moses, keeping Sheepe, saw the Lord, Exod. 3.1.2. Amos and Elisha, two Prophets: the one called from the plough, 1 King. 19.19. the other from the heards, Amo. 7.14. and Lidia, in her honest trade, receaued the benefit of her conuersion, Act. 16.14. Con∣trarily, Dicing-houses, houses that liue by tippling & Drunkennes, Play-houses, and the whole stage of those that coun∣terfait goodnesse, and act vice in kinde: what Trades are these, that a Christian may liue in, vvith comfort to be saued? I haue not sayd any thing of the Vsurers trade, that moth in the Common-welths-garment: fretting it to a bare thread of necessitie, which yet I iudge to be a Coue∣tousnes, not worthy to haue any standing giuen to it among the lawfull trades of a kingdome. It is fearefull, either to liue out of a trade, or in such trades.
But must all haue a calling? must rich men and landed men liue in a calling? yea, if they wil liue as members of their coun∣try, and not as diseases in it. It is not meant that all should goe to Plough and Cart; or all be Trades-men, and men of occu∣pation: for there are profitable Sciences which are not done with the body, or chiefely by it, as these are, but with the industry of the minde, wherein the rich∣est and greatest should liue a helping member of his Country•• in the Church, in the Common-wealth, or in his priuate house. Hee that doth otherwayes doth worse then this lost Son, and is no sound, but rotten member among the members of the body, Rom. 12.4 5. 1 Cor. 12.21. So much for that effect of punishment that concerned the lost Sonne himselfe, that that concerned him, in regard of the Citizen, followeth.
[And he sent him to his fields, or Farme, to feede Swine.] In regard to the Citizen, whom this poore man chose for his de∣pendencie in so great a dearth of things, it may (first) be reproued that hee did not imploy him about himselfe, in the Citie,
but basely in the fields, or at his Farme: and then, that, hauing abundance (for so it may be thought) in so great a vvant of bread and dearth of graine, he would not allow what was sufficient to him that ser∣ued him: for, the Text saith, that no man gaue vnto him; no man, no not his Master, v. 16. which maketh me to think that this hard Master, was like some Corn-Masters in our dayes, who by a cursed ingrossing of the markets of the poore, keepe in Corne when they should sell Corne, and starue Men to feed Mice.
But in this example,* 1.4 our Sauiour, by a Parable, and darkely, doth teach what a dead hold the world taketh of those whom it bringeth vnder, for the practise of any oppression, caused by a couetous soule. It maketh them to violate Iustice, and to forget Humanitie. Iustice requireth that they that labor for vs, should eate with vs: and pittifull Humanitie, that no man should with hold that, vvhich being brought forth in time, might saue the life of a man. But where the world is most in minde, these things are most neglected. The bread of the hungry is the life of the
poore: hee that depriueth him of it, is a man of bloud, Sirach. 34.22. yet what mercilesse worldling will not doe this villanie? The hire of the labourer which is kept backe cry∣eth, Iames 5.4. This hire is not onely his portion of money, but that proportion of meate which is kept backe, that is, de∣nyed by hard Masters, when it is neither for quantitie sufficient, nor for time sea∣sonable, Mat. 24.45. Prou. 31.15. The Leuite is forsaken, Deut. 12.19. The com∣fort of his labour is eaten vp by greedy men, at their full Tables, who receiue his spirituall things, and grudge him their carnall, 1 Cor. 9.11. Men ioyne house to house, and lay field to field, Esay 5.8. that is, their study and toyling care is how to in∣crease their wealth, and to inlarge their house. A sinne of great men in Esay's dayes: a sinne of meane men as well as of great ones in our dayes. For, high and low haue solde themselues to this coue∣tousnesse. The Thistle that is in Lebanon sendeth to the Cedar that is in Lebanon, say∣ing; Giue thy Daughter to my Sonne to wife, 2 Chr. 25.18. that is, meane men aspire to set their house vpon d 1.5 Golden
pillars, and to match in great houses: which is not spoken any way to taxe those who haue risen to great Marriages, and meanes, by their industry, and true worth; but iustly to reproue all ambitious Bram∣bles, Iudg. 9.15. who that they may mount and be aloft, care not how vnna∣turally they spare from themselues, and how vniustly they pull from others. Of such Salomon spake long agoe in his Ec∣clesiastes; God hath giuen to man riches and treasures, (I may adde) Abundance, but not the power to eate thereof: For, a stran∣ger shall eate it. This (saith that wise King) is vanitie and an euill sicknesse, Eccles. 6.2. A vanitie and sicknesse that holdeth too many at this day, in the cords of sparing more then is meete, Pro. 11.24. And that maketh them needy that are full, and to borrow that should lend, and to feed, not the poore that should be fed, but the rich by Vsury: in whose net being taken, they are constrained; they, or their children after them, to sell as fast as euer they bought; and sometimes all, both old store and new.
And this ambition of liuings hath shut
vp the dores of Hospitalitie in very ma∣ny houses that haue giuen succour, but are now, eyther occupyed without Te∣nants, or desolate without an inhabitant. What shall I say of our Corne-masters? Haue they not? doe they not vnseasona∣bly, with great distrust of God and instinct of couetousnes, in hard yeeres, with-draw their corne, Prou. 11.26. to make the markets to faile, and peoples hearts, with failing, to looke for no mercy, nor bow∣els of mercy from such obdurate coue∣tousnesse? Doe they not, in a time for∣bidden, reserue their Manna of prouision, where God hath said, Let no man reserue thereof till morning, Exod. 16.19. That is, doe they not hoord vp corne, where God hath said, and the poore mans hunger doth say, Sell corne? But Manna kept out of time was full of Wormes and stancke, Exod. 16.20. To lay vp Corne with Io∣seph, in a time of plentie, against a time of dearth is not vnlawfull, and may bee iudged profitable: but to lay vp corne, or to keepe in corne, in a time of dearth, to make the dearth greater; when men that should sell may spare it, & the poore
that must buy doe want it, is intollerable crueltie.
Such a Corne-monger was that Rich man spoken of, Luke 12.18.19. he would pull downe his lesser, and build greater Barnes, that hee might into them gather all his fruits and his goods, not against a dearth, as did Ioseph, but rather to cause it, as they, who with that cursed rich man, feede and make merry with that which is taken from the life of the poore. But how long had hee peace in his dayes, that had such peace in his wealth? Hee fell into a pleasant dreame of many yeers to come, who had not the respite of one whole night to prouide for his end so neare. For, the Text saith, O foole, this night they will fetch away thy soule, Luk. 12.20. they, that is, the Diuell and his Angels shall fetch it, as God and his good Angels fetch the soules of the righte∣ous, Luke 16.22. And surely, if the Diuell of couetousnesse be gone into any, it is into these, Amos 8.5. It may be they may looke toward Religion, but it is a-skew, and with an heart espoused to that Couetousnes which is Idolatrie. For
so long they will walke with the Gospell, as they may not with-draw their foote from the world: but if the world beginne to goe, then farewell Religion. Demas must be gone, 2 Tim. 4.10.
Thus it is plaine, as vpon Tables, Hab. 2.2. that where the world is ma∣ster, there Compassion, Gentlenesse, Pit∣tie, Mercy, Bowels of mercy, Brotherly Loue, and such fruits of the Spirit, are made vnderlings; and where it may com∣mand, nothing shal beare sway but world∣ly greedinesse. The Reasons are.
Vse 1.
Mr. Dod, on eight Comman∣dement.
Vse 2.
Doctr.
Eccl. 26.18.