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1. HOw many do use all the art they can to make their Wares look better and fairer than indeed they are, that so they may get more for their commodities than in truth they deserve? which is one kind of deceit
2. How many by lying, and equivocating do put off their •…•…ad wares at the highest prices! commending that for the best of the kind, which they know to be stark naught; and so sell their Consciences with their commodities for a very inconsiderable advantage. Surely those are sad gains, that make a man lose peace of Conscience, and Heaven at last.
3. How many are apt to work upon the unskilfulness, and ignorance, or the necessity of the buyer? If they find him unskilful in the commodity he is buying, how are they apt to work upon it? and to demand an unreasonable price of him, far above the worth of it? Or if the buyer hath more than ordinary need of such a commodity, how apt is the seller to take advantage of his urgent ne∣cessity? making him to pay more for the same, than it is really worth, which is cruel injustice.
Or when poor people expose their Wares to sale which they have wrought up, to buy Bread for them∣selves and Family: How many are there who take advantage of their necessity, offering them little more for the same, than their goods cost them before they were wrought up! which is an high degree of oppres∣sion, forcing them to sell their tears, sighs, and groans with their wares, because they are necessitated to part with them at such low rates. Thus many sell their souls for the gaining a few pence, and then bless themselves in their good bargain.
'Tis an evil rule which some men propose to them∣selves, and take to be warrantable enough, To buy as cheap, and sell as dear as they can, that is, to wrong and over-reach if they be able; if they be honest, 'tis because they cannot help it. And 'tis a poor shift they alledge to save themselves from blame, viz. Caveat emptor, let the buyer look to himself. Wherefore hath he his eyes and understanding? If he be deceived, he hath deceived himself. Is that all thou hast to say, Caveat Emptor? Why that's no more but this, Let him count me a knave that he hath to do with: let him trust his own eyes, and not my words, or Oaths, o•…•… Conscience, for there's no trust to be given to them. Is not this it thou sayest, and dost thou not herein say well for thy self?
4. How many do deceive their neighbours in weights and measures, using false weights and false measures, and yet take the full price for their commodities? which is a plain cheat, that is abominable in the sight of God, as Prov. 20. 10. Divers weights, and divers measures both of them are alike abomination to the Lord. As if he had said, Though men may make light of this kind of deceit, and haply boast of it, yet God abhorrs it, and the rather, because it is a sin that tends to the overthrow of humane society.
5. How many use unjust and uncharitable courses to raise the ordinary price of their commodities! as by forestalling the Market, or by ingrossing commodities, that having them all in their own hands, they may sell them at their own rates. Which is a branch of uncharitableness, raising their gain out of their brothers loss.
6. How many buy such goods as they know, or have just cause to suspect, that they are stollen! thereby making themselves accessary to the theft, and making thieves: if there were fewer Receivers, there would be fewer Thieves.
7. How many do make a gain by promise break∣ing, who will readily promise to pay ata day, but make no Conscience of keeping their word, or their time; not regarding how much their neighbour suffers by being disappointed at his day. Christians should be men of their words; should con∣sider before they promise, and then make Conscience of punctual performance.
8. How many seek to put off all the bad money they can, though thy know it to be bad, even for good Wares?
Haply you will say, you took it for good money. Though you did, yet except you can return it to the parties from whom you received it, it is a branch of deceit. Better it is to suffer wrong, than to do wrong in any kind. Because one hath wronged thee, will that be thy warrant to wrong another? whatever pallia∣tions or pretences men may have, yet the thing is pal∣pably injurious: Justice requires that there be an equal and true value betwixt the price, and the commo∣dity. When thou knowest the commodity thou buyest
to be good, and the money thou payest for it to be naught, where is thy justice?
Thus you see what mysteries of iniquity there are in most Trades, which are too well known, and too much practised by many Tradesmen. For the preventing of which, I shall briefly give you some few general Rules to be observed in your dealing with men.
1. Ever observe that Golden Rule of our Saviour, Matth. 7. 12. Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them. As thou wouldst not have mixt wares sold thee for that which is pure: nor that which is so∣phisticated and naught, for that which is perfect and good: do not thou offer the like to others. As thou wouldst not be wronged, nor over-reached by others, do not thou go about to wrong, or over-reach others. But whatsoever thou wouldst that men should do thee; do thou even so to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets, that is, This is that which every Book of the Law and Prophets require of us; this is the summe of that which in the Law and Prophets, is delivered concerning our carriage and behaviour towards our Neighbour.
2. When at any time thou art summing up thy gains and gettings, put all thy unrighteous gains in the one s•…•…ale, and thy soul, which thou hast by thine unjust and deceitful dealing exposed to sale for them, into the other: and withal consider how light all those gains and gettings are in comparison of thy soul. And this through Gods blessing may be a means to take thee of from all dishonest dealings. For what is the gain of many thousands, nay of all the wealth in the World to the loss off thy precious soul? Surely all the wealth and riches in the World can no more coun∣tervail the loss of one soul, than all the dirt of the street can countervail the loss of a rich Jewel.
Young man, thou art now going forth into the World, and thine eyes and thine heart are set upon get∣ting an estate: and gathering thee substance against the time to come: but beware thou lay not up an evil trea∣sure, a treasure of lyes, and oaths, and deceit, with thy treasure of money or goods. Resolve from thy very first to have none by thee but honest gain: if God increase thee, bless him for it; but resolve rather to be
poor, than not to be honest and upright: For riches profit not at the day of wrath, but righteousness delivereth from death, Prov. 11. 4.
3. Consider that all the ways and works of unrighteous∣ness, though acted never so secretly and cunningly, shall one day be made manifest to all the world. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil, Eccles. 12. 14. At the great day of Judgment, whereof Solomon had made mention before, all the ways and works of wick∣edness, all the deceits of men, though never so closely committed, shall be discovered to the view of all. And therefore the day of Iudgment is called (Rom. 2. 5.) the day of Revelation; because then all the hidden things of dishonesty, all frauds and deceits shall be made ma∣nifest.
I shall close this Direction with giving you some few Motives and Arguments unto just and honest dealing in your Commerce with others.
1. Honest dealing is the likeliest way to thrive. Look in∣to the Scriptures, and you shall find that Righteousness, as well as Godliness, hath the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come; promises of things tempo∣ral, as well as of things spiritual and eternal, 1 Tim. 4. 8. Though a righteous man have but a little estate, yet that little is better than great Revenues of the wicked and unrighteous, Psal. 37. 16. The unrighteous▪man who hath got an estate by fraud and deceit, may fare more deliciously every day: but the righteous man may eat his Meals with more true joy and contentation.
2. Iust and honest dealing with men will prove an ho∣nour and Ornament unto Religion and Profession. Yea, there is nothing will grace Religion so much in the eyes of all men, than for such who make profession thereof to be just and honest, true and faithful in their dealing with others. This Argument the Apostle Peter useth, 1 Pet. 2. 12. Have your conversation honest among the Gentiles, that whereas they speak against you as evil doers, they may by your good works, which they shall be∣hold, (meaning such good works of honesty, as they by the light of Nature knew to be good works) glorifie God in the day of visitation.
3. Nothing doth more wound Religion, and dishonour the Gospel, than when men professing Godliness, are found un∣faithful and dishonest in their dealing. Surely never did Religion suffer more dishonour and reproach, through the unjust and unrighteous actings of the Professors thereof, than in these days. It cannot but grieve the heart of every good man, to hear that which is too truly laid to the charge of many professing godliness amongst us; namely, That there is more truth and faith∣fulness, more just and honest dealing to be found amongst Turks and Heathens, than amongst many Christians, who make a great profession of Religion. Woe be to those Christians by whom such offences come: surely it had been better for them they had never been born, than that their lives should be such a scandal to Christianity, and dishonour to the Gospel.
4. Iust and honest dealing with men will be some evi∣dence of thy Right and Title to Heaven, Psal. 15. 1, 2. The Psalmist describing who shall ascend the holy hill of Si∣on, a Type of Heaven, giveth such Characters which chiefly relate to duties of honesty and righteousness: Having propounded this question, vers. 1. Who shall dwell in Gods holy Hill? Maketh this answer in the next verse, He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteous∣ness. So that he is a Citizen of Heaven, who walketh up∣rightly towards God, and worketh righteousness to∣wards men: who doth not only talk of righteousness, but worketh righteousness: who doth not ask, much less exact unreasonable prices for his Commodities, but ob∣serves a due proportion in his buying and selling.
Q. If you ask, what Rule is to be observed for the set∣ting a price upon our Commodities, that we may content our selves with reasonable gains?
A. The best Rule, I know, is to observe the ordinary price of the Market, which valueth things with consi∣deration of all circumstances; as scarcity, plenty, time, &c.
5. Wealth gotten by unjust and deceitful weights, are usu∣ally accompanied with a secret curse from the Lord; so that they seldom continue long, but melt away many times in the same hands that got them; according to
that of the Prophet Ieremiah 17. 11. As the Partridge sitteth on Eggs, and hatcheth them not, so he that getteth Riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a Fool. That which is gathered by the unrighteousness of man, shall be scat∣tered by the Wrath of God. Though men should thrive by their unjust and injurious dealing, yet their worldly wealth can never recompence their spiritual loss. For what will it advantage a man to gain a little Earth with the loss of Heaven?
Take heed therefore, O young man, of seeking to in∣rich thy self by any unwarrantable ways: What thou gettest thereby, may prove to thee as the Flesh that the Eagle catched from the Altar, and carried to her Nest, which having a live coal cleaving to it, set Nest and young ones on fire. The Curse of God is like a secret Moth, eating into such an estate as is got by fraud and deceit.
6. Without restitution of goods ill got, there can be no true repentance, nor hope of pardon. Restitution is an hard work, as necessary as it is: the meat that goeth pleasantly down, costs some deadly pangs in the vomi∣ting up. Whatever unrighteous gains thou swallowest up, it must be restored, or 'twill cost thee thy life. Lay not up such an unrighteous Treasure, which will certainly put thee to the pain of restitution, or damnation. If thou be able, thou must restore or die: if thou be not able to restore, thou must repent or die; and the pangs of thy repentance may be much more bitter, than thy unrighteous gains were ever pleasant to thee.
Be wise, O young man, and consider, if it be so hard for thee to hold thy hands from unlawful gettings, how much harder will it be to shake thy hands of them, when thou hast them. The few instances that ever we hear of, of restitution made (in an age of so much un∣righteousness) do abundantly evidence, that 'tis hard work to restore.
O take heed, lay not up such a temptation for thee against the time to come, which if it prove too strong for thee, will be thine everlasting undoing. Provide thee
better work for the time of thine age, than to unravel the wickedness of thy Youth. Since thou art like to be so hard to vomit, drink not down that which must come up, or will be thy death.
Some there are in the World, who by their unrighte∣ous dealings have raised themselves from nothing to great estates, their fraudulence in their way hath been it that hath built them Houses, and bought them Lands, that hath filled their Purses, and fed their Families, and provided Portions for their Children. O 'twill be hard service for such to let all go back where it ought; to sell their Lands, and empty their Purses, to pluck off their Childrens fine Cloaths, and to cloath them in Rus∣set, or in Rags, and themselves to come down from their greatness to nothing again, and to take up with that little pittance of their estates which they came honestly by. Let it be well considered by such, whose case this is, how hard it is thus to empty themselves. And be thou ware, O Friend, in time, how thou puttest thy self upon this hard choice, either to strip thy self to the skin of all thou hast dishonestly gotten, or to perish everlast∣ingly.