Chap. 24. An Expofttion upon the Book of jO B. Vert r I. 5 37 hiechambers by wrong, that urea; hie neighbours fervice without wages, andgiverb him notfor hie wor(e.As forceunrighteous men build chambersand houles with the gold and flyer which they havewrongfully gotten from the rich,fo force build their houles by getting the labour and pains of the poore wrongfully from them, that is, by denying them the wages which is due for their worke ; Woe to fuch faith the Lord. And againe (ramer 5. 4. ) the Apoftle chargeth this upon the rich, Behold ( faith he) the hireof the labourers, that have reapeddowne your fields, which u of you kept backbyfraud, cretb;and the cry ofthem which have reaped are entredinto the tares of the LordofSabaotb,or oftheLord ofbofts; As if he bad laid, the Lord who bath all the Armies of heaven and earth inhis power, even he bath taken notice how ye wrong the labourer, and he will put forth his power to avenge their quarrel; TheLordof hofts is the poore labourers friend, and he will be his Avenger. It is a fin crying for vengeance, that when a poore man hath fweat out his ftrength to doe fervice to the rich, he fhould not have his wages given him to renew his ftrength, and revive his fpirits for further labour. The Apoftle (z ?het. 3.) gives a charge that they that will not labour fhould not eats; weheart (faith he) that there areTome who walkamong you diforderly, working not at all, now then, they that are (itch we commandandexhort byour Lord refeu Chrift, that withquietneffe they workeand tate their own bread ; and (ver. to.) If any will. not work, neither fhouid he Bate. But as they chat will not worke have no right to cate; what they Bate, they fteale : fo they who worke fhouldBate, elle they are deprived of their right. Woe be to thofe who ease, and worknot in tomekind or other, and woe be to thofe who doe not give them to ease who work; who com- pel or but call the poore to treade their winepref es,and then let them fugèr hunger and thirft. This fin is committed not only by the total denyingof reward, and wages ; that's the groffeft way ofit ; But, Firft, This tin is committed, when the poor man receives not areward proportionable to his labour,when he bath not what an- fwers his work; but is wages is fo fcanty, and fhort, that he is not able to make a livingof it for the comfortable (according to hisdegree)rnaintaining ofhis charge: many are apt in this cafe to appreffe the labourer while they pay him. They will give him Z z a lome-
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