A golden chaine: or The description of theologie containing the order of the causes of saluation and damnation, according to Gods word. A view whereof is to be seene in the table annexed. Hereunto is adioyned the order which M. Theodore Beza vsed in comforting afflicted consciences.

The affirmatiue part.

Thou shalt preserue and increase thy neighbours goods.

To this are required these that follow:

• I. A certen calling: wherein euery man, according to that gift which God hath giuen him must bestow himselfe honestly, to his owne and neighbours good. 1. Cor. 7. 24. Let euery man wherein he was called, therein abide with God. Eph. 4.28. 1. Pet. 4.10. According as euery man hath receiued a gift, so let him ad∣minister to another, that ye may be good dispensers of the manifold graces of God. Galat. 5.13. In loue serue one another.
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  II. The true vse of riches, and all the goods a man hath: to which belong two vertues; Contentation, and Thriftinesse.

  Contentation is a vertue, whereby a man is well pleased with that estate, wherein he is placed. 1. Tim. 6.6. Godlinesse is great gaine, with a contented mind: 7. For we brought nothing into the world, neither shall we carie any thing out of the world. But, hauing foode and raiment, let vs be content. Philip. 4.11. I haue learned in whatsoeuer state I am, therewith to be content. 12. I can be abased, and I can a∣bound, euery where in all things I am instructed, both to be full, and to be hungrie, and to abound, and to haue want. Math. 6.11. Giue vs this day our daily bread. Heb. 13. 5. Let your conuersation be without couetousnes, and be cōtent with the things which you haue: for he saith, I will not forsake thee, nor leaue thee.

  Thriftinesse or frugalitie, is a vertue, whereby a man carefully keepeth his goods which he hath gotten, and imploieth them to such vses, as are both necessarie and profitable. Prou. 5.15. Drinke the water of thy cesterne, and of the riuers out of the middes of thine owne well. 16. Let thy fountaines flow forth, and the riuers of waters in the streetes. 17. Let them be thine owne, yea, thine onely, and not the strangers with thee. Prou. 21. 5. The thoughts of the diligent doe surely bring abundance. 17. He that loueth pastime, shall be a poore man, and he that loueth wine and oyle shall not be rich. Prou. 12.27. The deceitfullman rosteth not that which he hath taken in hunting: but the riches of the diligent are pretious. Ioh. 6.12.

• III. To speake the truth from the heart, and to vse an harmelesse simpli∣citie in all affaires. Psal. 15.2. He that walketh vprightly, and worketh righteousnes, he that speaketh the truth in his heart. Gen. 23.15. Ephron said to Abraham, The land is worth foure hundreth shekels of siluer, what is that betweene me and thee? burie therefore thy dead. 16. So Abraham harkned to Ephron, and Abraham weigh∣ed to Ephron the siluer, which he had named in the audience of the Hittites, euen foure hundreth shekels of currant money among marchants, &c.
• IV. Iust dealing. 1. Thess. 4.6. Of this there are many kindes:
  • I. In buying and selling, in setting and hiring of Farmes, tenements, lands: in marchandize, and all manner of commodities, men must racke nothing,

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  • but keepe a iust price. A iust price is then obserued, when as the things pri∣zed, and the price giuen for them, are made equall, as neere as may be. For the obseruation of this equalitie, these foure rules are to be considered: for by them all bargaines must be ordered. I. There must be a proportion and e∣qualitie in all contracts: the which will then be, when as the seller doth not va∣lue the thing, onely according to his owne paines, and cost bestowed vpon it, but also seeth what profit it may be to the buyer, and in what need he standeth of it. Leuit. 25.14. When thou sellest ought to thy neighbour, or buyest ought at his hands, ye shall not oppresse one another: 15. But according to the number of the yeres after the Iubilee, thou shalt buie of thy neighbour. Also according to the number of yeeres of thy reuenues, he shall sell vnto thee. ••6. According to the number of yeeres thou shalt increase the price thereof: and according to the fewnesse of yeeres, thou shalt abate the price of it: for the number of fruits doth he sell vnto thee. II. They must be squared according to the law of nature, the summe whereof Christ propoundeth in these words: Whatsoeuer ye would that men should doe to you, doe the same vnto them. III. The bonde of nature must be kept, which bindeth him that receiueth a benefit, and maketh a lawfull gaine of another mans goods, that he beeing once enriched, shall make a proportionable and natu∣rall recompence, euen aboue the principall. IV. Men must communicate and make vse of their goods, with that cauent which Paul giueth. 2. Cor. 8.13. not so to bestow them, as that others may be eased, and they grieued: or contrari∣wise.
  • II. Men must make ••ale of such things, as are in their kinde substantiall, and profitable.
  • III. They must vse iust waights and measures Deut. 25.13. Thou shalt not haue in thy bagge two manner of waights, a great and a small: but thou shal•• haue a right and iust waight, a perfect and iust measure shalt thou haue. Ezech. 55.10. Ye shall haue iust ballances, a true Ephah, and a true Bath. Mich. 6.11. Shall I iustifie the wicked ballances, and the bagge of deceitfull waights?
  • IV. He that hireth any thing, must not onely pay the appointed hire, but make that which he hired good, if ought but good come vnto it, by his de∣fault. Exod. 22.14,15. If a man borrow any thing of his neighbour, and it be hurt, he shall surely make it good, &c.
  • V. The pledge or pawne ought to be redeemed, and if it be of important necessitie, as that which preserueth the life of our neighbour, it must be resto∣red to him in continently. Exod. 22. 26. If thou take thy neighbours rayment to pledge•• thou shalt restore it againe before the sunne goe downe: for that is his couering onely. Deut. 24.6. No man shall take the neather or vpper milstone to pledge•• for this gage is his liuing. Neither may a man in a pledge be his owne caruer, but he must take such an one as is offered. Deut. 34.1••. When thou shalt aske againe of thy neighbour any thing lent, thou shalt not goe into his house to fetch his pledge. 11. But thou shalt stand without, and the man that borrowed it of thee, shall bring the pledge out of the doores vnto thee. 12. Furthermore, if it be a poore bodie, thou shalt not sl••epe with his pledge. 13. But shal•• restore him the pledge, &c.
  • VI. To become surety only for men that are honest, & very well known: and that warily, with much deliberation. Prou. 11. 15. He shall be sore vexed

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  • that is suretie for a straunger. And he that hateth suretiship is sure. Prouerb. 17. 18. A man destitute of vnderstanding toucheth the hand, and becommeth suretie for his neighbour. Prou. 22. 26. But if it be so that a man hath intangled himselfe by suretiship, the best way is to craue his creditours fauour, by his owne hum∣ble suit, and the instant request of his friends. Prou. 6. 1. My sonne, if thou be suretie for thy neighbour, and hast stricken hands with the straunger. 2. Thou art snared with the words of thine owne mouth. 3. Doe this now, my sonne, and deliuer thy selfe, seeing thou art come into the hand of thy neighbour, goe, and humble thy selfe, and sollicite thy friends. 4. Giue no sleepe to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eye liddes. 5. Deliuer thy selfe, as a Doe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fouler.
  • VII. All iust couenants and promises, though they be to our hindrance, must be performed. For a promise doth binde, if it be lawfull, so farre forth as he will, vnto whome we make the promise. Psal. 15. 4. Which sweareth to his hurt, and changeth not. Prou. 25.14. A man that boasteth and keepeth not promise, is like cloudes and winde without raine. Iudg. 1.24. The spies saw a man come out of the citie, and they said vnto him, Shew vs, we pray thee, the way into the citie, and we will shew thee mercie. 25. And when he had shewed them the way into the citie, they smote the citie with the edge of the sword, but they let the man and all his houshold depart. Therefore if after promise made, he either see that he shall be endama∣ged thereby, or hindred in the performance of his promise, he may craue re∣lease, and if it be granted, accept of it.
  • VIII. To lend that we doe, freely. Luk. 6.35. Lende, looking for nothing a∣gaine, and your reward shalbe great. And when we borrow, we must be carefull to make restitution, euen, if neede be, with the sale of our owne goods. 2. King. 4.2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Here the wife of the sonnes of the Prophets selleth her oyle which God sent by the hand of Elisha, to pay her creditour.
  • IX. To restore that, which is committed to our custodie without delay. Math. 21.41. He wil destroy the euill husbandmen, & let out his vineyard to others, which shall deliuer him the fruits in their season. Prouerb. 3.28. But if such a thing be lost, not by our default, we are not vrged to repay it. Exod. 22.7. If a man deliuer his neighbour money, or stuffe to keepe, and it be stollen out of his house, if the theefe be found, he shall pay the double. 8. If the theefe be not found, then the master of the house shall be brought before the Iudges, to sweare whether he haue put his hand to his neighbours goods or no.
  • X. That which a man findeth, is to be kept in his owne hand, if the true owner cannot be heard of: but if he be, he must restore it. Deut. 22.1. Thou shalt not see thy brothers oxe, nor his sheepe goe astray, and withdraw thy selfe from them, but shalt bring them againe vnto thy brother. 2. If he be not neere vnto thee, or thou know him not, thou shalt bring it into thine house, and it shall remaine with thee, vntill thy brother seeke after it, then shalt thou deliuer it to him againe. 3. So shalt thou doe with all lost things.
  • XI. To get our owne, we may, if we cannot doe otherwise, sue our neigh∣bour in law. But we must follow our suites in an holy manner, and with these circumstances. I. In all suites, we must not doe any thing, that may preiudice the profession of Christian religion. Therefore all suiters in law, offend, when

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  • they trust more in man, then in God, and make their religion a iest to world∣lings, partly by striuing about things of small importance: and partly by not admitting any conditions of reconciliation. 1. Cor. 6.1. Dare any of you, hauing busines against another, be iudged vnder the vniust, and not vnder the Saints? II. Law must be the last remedie, as a desperate medecine is the last remedie the Physitian vseth. We must assay all meanes possible, before we vse this, especi∣ally to a brother. 1. Cor. 6.7. There is vtterly a fault among you, because ye goe to law one with another: why rather suffer ye not wrong? why rather sustaine ye not harme? III. In all suites of law, we must be mindfull of the law of charitie, and not so much indeauour to maintaine our owne right, as to recall our bro∣ther, which erreth, into the right way.