Com.84 Of the right isle of 'Riches,Èc. Chap. 8. 48á thall be beggars, at we fee by common experience, that a prodigal fat: is ufually the heir to a niggardly'father. 2. Theotherextream,is profujenefi orprodigality. He that rightlyufeshis riches, asPro{afinrg is, ótxórop,i&,affeward,and his worka, difpenfátion,but he that runs into this extream is aprodtgal,and his work is draoxóp,rtopt@, walling, he flings his money from him,as if he eared not for it, orwere angry with it ; as Seneca faith, haft gerit, acfr iratus effet pecunie, he behaves himfelf; as ifhewore fallen oat withhis money. As the inordinate delire of riches, began from that other tirauµfá, that luft, men- "tioned in the foregoing Commandment, folightly it ends in the fame, when mend fpend what is unlufilygot,in lulls and pleafutes,vain and finful, and fometimes mon- ftrous andunnatural. And herein the prodigal, as well as the covetous, is furfui, thief ofhú owns for beingpprofufe and prodigal tp'á 14A 47, where ,ht needs not, he (teals fmrn himfelf w,reii, what be may need,he wanesand confumes himfelf inCaper- luitfes, fo thatat fait he wants fuch things as are neceflary. ThePhilofophér obferved, that they which are deíasfor zsot Tdfxdlw,quickand eagerinfuch things at concern them/Ryes, and the fatisfying their own lulls and plea- fuses, aredp4Caú1£toy dull andheavy in any thing that is good ; whenany charitable orgood work is offered to them, as the redeeming a captive, Ace; they are very fpating and backward, though profufe andprodigal in other matters, as in ariotous fupper. But as we muff remember, that as ¡unite,juffice muff beour condos, our layer up, fo we mull have a promus, a layer out too,and who that is, the Heathen mantells us in that fpeech ofhis, ' ri s (.act'sgafàs oanoeúvn,2emperance be thou my [tetrad.. And that to avoid this extreamof prodigality, wemuff avoid that whichis fowls dzei» the whetffoneof riot, which is nothing elfebut ti vallipaov,ttainglory, which if one can takeaway, he may know the Campaisof his own nett, andfo (hall never fall in to this fin. , And although it be true which Come may fay, that how muchflever they fpend, yet they have enough, they areable todoit, though theydo with the 'rich man in the Golpel,lvotorc+.3cu xa$'ñp.ápav Miasrpvs,faredelicipuflyevery day,yet their abundance Luke 16. tq will not etrçufe them from riot, fetingthey are but fiewards,andmuft giveaecompt to Godofwhat they have,and how theyufe it. TheHeathen man could fayof thofe that fpend profufely, becaufe they haúe enough, that this is no reafon, for (faith he) ifyou Ihould allow your Cook a buihel offalt, for the life ofyour hoofe,, and beby putting too much into thepot, ihould make the Pottage too fait, if he fhould anfwer and fay, he did it becaufe he had enough, you would not be fatisfied with fuch a foolith anfwer. Nomore will God, who hath given abundance to fotne men, be fa- tithed with their anfwer, that they fpend riotoufly, and fay theymay doit, becaute theyhave enough. And if this be a fin, in thofe that abound and havewherewithal, muchmoregrit eous is the fin of them that fpend above their ability,whereby they fpend that which is another mans, and run themfelves intodebt, to the rfhine ofthemfelves, and thofe that depend upon them: Now of this áo01(ä, prodigality and excels there are twodegrees. r. When they fpend,repáxi ipa , unfeafonably, upon no jail occafon, daily,or of tener than needs, as the richGlutton, whofared delicioufy every day. 2. When they fpend .flvatstr above their firength,which is, either above their; means and faculties, further than their eflate will bear, or elfeabove their conditi- on (though their eftate will bear it) of the former we have an initance iu him that began to build snipÿov, á tower, whichhe wasnot able to finifh, Of the other Luke 4.28 in Nabal, who though hewere rich, yet it was above his condition to make a feaít like a king, it is not lawful though a man be able, to live above his rank and con- t tam. 23.36 dition, much leis if hispurfe will not reach. Therefore David prayed that his e- nem Mare table may become s to them, becaufe by excels it becomes a lnare pal parties 6y. 22 both to the foul and body; to thefoul which will hereby, deipumare in libidinem; waxwanton, and to the body by bringingdifeafes upon it ;for as Solomon faith , fuch(hail mourn at the lálf , when the flefh , and their body is confumed, and not Prov. et. only to foul and body , but to the elide alto which is-hereby wailed And confu- sued. Thus that fpeechof ophàr is bade good,.though (wealth unjuttlygot) be PPP fweet
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