The rich mans vvarning-peece A sermon, vpon occasion, formerly preached, and now published, by the author, Humfrey Sydenham, late fellow of Wadham Colledge in Oxford.

THE RICH MANS WARNING-PEECE . PSALM . 62.10 .

If Riches increase , set not thy Heart vpon them .

I Finde no dispute here , about the title of this Psalme ; 't is 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 his God is ( as 't were ) 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 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 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 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. 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 , 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 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 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 't were ) 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 is t 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 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 , 't is 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 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 bed-rid 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 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 , 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 , 't is 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 't is 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 , 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 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 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 , 't is 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 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 ; 't is 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 thred-bare Mendicant , and the bare-footed Pilgrime ; such wilfull penancing of the body ( for ought I reade ) God neither command's nor approue's . A 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 ; I le 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 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 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 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 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 't is , 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 : 'T is 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 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 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 ; 't is 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 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 ; 't is miserable to follow error by example ; 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 , 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 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 , which he might kisse , not Taste ; or , suppose , Tast them , 't is 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 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 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 't is 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 ; 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 finde 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 ; 't is 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 't were ) 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 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 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 't is 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 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 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 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 . Rode caper vites , tamen hic eum stabis ad Aras , In tua quod fundi cornua possit , erit . FINIS .