10 Luketl. lames'· 11. lob 8. '+· eA' Sermon prea.ched oftile better fort)you mull: needs credit theni withyo-ur_e_v-:i--;de-n-ce_s_a-n<i_e_fi_at-es-·-ir_is_ : cercaine w~at wealth the!e two moths d'oe wafic, and in what uncertaintyme'ns ri ~ot are, by thw meanes. c es Thefe are out of Saint P~uls perils: hewasfreefromthefemoths. But rich menmight be brought forth in a faire day and lhew,ed, whofe fubftance h~a~y thefe moths beene fretted to peeces. Thus little certainty hotve wel of theirflat . Y ~~ . ~ z Bur grant,Let it be that they werecertaine : yet,except we our felves were fi to fiay with them alfo, it is as goo.d as nothing. !hatthere may be acertaim ~~: tweene rwo things(as a mm, and his weAlth)tocontmue.together, they muft eith~r of them beJure :elfe,ifrhe one fai'le,where is the other~ affurance~ Gram then we were cenaine ofthem, we are ootcenaine ofour felves; and in very deed, weare'nomore certaine ofthem, thaQ they ofus. Leafes oft~em we have forfixtieyeares; but rhey have no leafcs ofus for three houres: If they might take leafes ofus too,it were fome whar. Now,when theLeafe is taken, nay whe!J the Fee-fimple is b?ught,and thehoufe: and theware-hot~(e filled, and thepurfe too, If Go n fay but Hac nsfle,it dailies all For which caufe) thinke, Saint I4mes (fpeaking in two feve:all p~aces ofour lifeand our rzches;)our rzches he comparerh to thegraj(e,ofno cerramry; It will eitherwither or bepl~cla uplhortly: but thi~is.a great certainty inrefpect ofrhat ofour life,which he refembleth to avapour, whichwe fee now,andby and by werurne us rolookefor ir, and it is vanifbedaway. To us then that arc uncertaine ofour[elves, they cannot bebut riches ofuncertAinty. • But, let us admir, we werefure of both thefc, what isit to have richu and not to enjoy them ~ And the enjoying of riches dependeth upon two wnmtAinties more. · I Firfl:,amanSH/Icertaintie, whichhangeth uponthefavourofaPrince; which ismany times wavering and uncertaine. I know nor,whether Ilhallmake you under· fiand it,becaufe ofrhe want ofexamples in ourtime,by meanes ofthe milde and blef~ fed governemem that we live in. For,a practice it hath been, andmany Records doe our Chroniclesaffoord, in thedaies of fome Princes ofthis Realme, when a manwas growen to wealth, to picke holes and make quarrels againfi him, and fo feaze his goods into the Princes hand: to ufe wealthy Citizens asJJunges,to roulethem up and downe in moifiure till they be full,and thenro wringall out ofthem againe.Godwar, an ealie matter it is, ifaPrince !l:and fo minded, to find matter of difgrace againfi a fubJeCl offame wealth; and then he might fare neverawhit thebetter for his wealrh, for fine and forfeiture whereof, rather than any fault e(fe, the bulineffe it felfe was made againfi him. We cannot tell,what this meaneth; we may thankc the gracious governement, we live under; fothat, I thinke,I doe fcarce fpeake fo that I am under– ftood. But, fuch a thing there is, fuch an tmcertAintie belonging to riches, whether weconceiveir or no. · ~ Againe, if the times which we live in, happen to prove t1111Jtliet andtrouble~ fame, thenagainecomes another- tmcertAintie. For, thedaiesbeingevillanddan– gerous, a man can have joy, and indeed no certainty neither ofriches. For,ifthe:e fall an invalion, ol'garboileintothe State by forren or Civill warre,then(if ever)1s Jebs fimile verified, that Ri>hes are like aco&web ;that which amanlhall beweavmg all hislife long, wirhgreat adoeand much travell, there comes me a fouldier, a bar-. barous fouldier, with his broome,and in the rurningofa hand[weepsit c!eane away: Howmany in our neighbourcmmtries,during their miferie havetal!ed t~ISII»Certamtie ? How many have gone to bedrich, and rifen pooremenin rhe mormng ~ Great troubles are looked for, and great troubles there mull: be and will be,d~ubrleffe. The world now knowethhi5 Majlers wiltanddoth it 11Dt, it m11jl thereforecertamely be beare!' with many (tripes, with many more than theignorant world was. And therefore rh1S word [ofthi5 world] in this Text, wee may with an Emphafispronounceandfa~, Charge them that Are rich in this world, that they trujl not ill thet~nmtJUntltPjn-. ches, - h · T ere:
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