Chap, 2 2 about Baying, and tilling. 206 who facrilegioufly buy and fell Church-livings , and fuch things as have been freely confecrated to the fervice of God, of which fort are they that have bought Bifhops, and Deanes, and Chapters lands; and Impropriations. Secondly, the feller ought to fell, and thebuyer to buy fuch things as are II. vendible , and may ;Wily be bought, and fold. Such therefore offend as fell, or buy the gifts of the Spirit, asSimon ul2agus, Aar 8. r 8: or holy things, which belong to God and thofe who fell , and buy juflice, or injuftice by bribery liven , or taken to fill their own purfes , and to pervert right , Ifa. i. z;. And 5. z . Amos 2. 6. They alfo who fell andbuy truth and lies, as falfewit- netfes, and fuchas hire them togive in falfe teflimony. But molt of all fuch as for corruptible things fell their foulsunto finas Ahab did, t King. z I. 20. and thofe, z King. r7. 17. Thirdly,we ought alfo to fell only thingsas are fitfor fale,orknowing them to III be otherwif , to acquaint the buyer with it, and fo to pitch a lower price ac- cording to their leffer value, We mutt not otherwife fell things that are falli- fied in refpeet of their fubftance, and fuch as are mixt andcorrupt , for fuch as are good, which is a common fault amongft Merchants , and tradefinen , who for their greater gaine adulterate their wares , and mingle things of different degree ingoodneffe,felling them all at thebelt rates. Fourthly, we mutt fell fuch things onely as are fomewayes profitable to the IV, Church orCommon-wealth, either for neceffary ufe or for ornament , and delight: they therefore offend who fell fuch things as are unprofitable to o- thers, much more they that fell fuch thingsas are pernicious , and hurtful in their nature : as they that fell Popifh and heretical books to ignorant people, who are like tobe feduced by them , obfceane, or Popifh pieCures, books full of ribaldry, and profannelTe, fit only to corrupt fuch as read them. Fifthly,weought in felling and buyingto fet our wares atan equal price,thebelt V. rule whereof for the molt part is the market, which valuesthings not fimply in their own worth , but with confederation of circumftances of fcarcity , plenty, time andplace, and not according to the price wegave,whether leffe,or more, nor only refpeaingwhetherwe gain much or little, whether we get nothing, orlofe thereby. For as necefiànly through the change of prices we mutt fometimes lofe , fo we may gain at another time to regaine thefe loffes,- and to repaire our elate : and as we mutt not when we have an ill bargain , ex- ceed the market, and fo transferre our loffe upon others , but patientlybeare it as impofedby God : fo whenwe have agood bargain in refpea of the dif- ference of places,and times,wemay not,unleffewe wouldbe uncharitableto our felves, put offour gain to others, but receive it thankfully as Cods Wetting upon our labours. But yet hereinwe muff take heed that webe not overftri&, feeking only our own gaine without refpea to the Common wealth , nor un- charitable to the poore in joyningwithothers to keep up the market in times of fcarcity: But when we can afford it, we ought to abate fomething , and by our example to bring down others to the like reafonáble rates. Againe , we mutt take heed that we ufe nounjust , nor uncharitablecourfes to raifethe mar- kets, by fore(ialling, and buying up the things that are brought , at low rats with purpofe tofell them dearer in the fame place : Or to ingroffe comino- dities , that having them all in our own hands, we may fell them at our own rates. Neither may we (as fome companiesufe to do ) combine our felves to- gether to fell our wares at a certaine rate. Nor keep in our commodities to caufe a dearth ; feeing ifwe defraud the people of Gods bleßt ngs, we (hall be liable to their curfe , as,Prov.s 1.26. Neither may the buyer defire to have commodities under the worth, efpecially when he hath todeal with the poor, whole neceffitiesOft-timescon(irain them to take , not what their wares are worth , but what they can get for them. Such Shop keepers therefore offend grie-
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=