27o ` The careleff Merchant, or, + Ambitious men. Vie. To tax cove- tous men. Bern. 2. Ambitious. The lofs by this gain, fon. Demoflbenes fora little more gold, inflcad ofpleading, will pretend hehath a cold. May not the Church have a.Báláam ? And the Princes Court have a.baf and,the bar have aDemoftbenc: ?. There is no greedy Monopolizer wherefoever they be , inCity_ or Country , but they are moralized Eagles ; and the coals that they carry (hail fire their own ncft; They' than .have Ahabs curie with Naboths Vineyard, and Gehezies leprofie with 7aamans reward; and while withan eager purfuit they hoard up unrighteous Mammon, it is but wrath heapedup againft the laft day ; they heap tipwrath to themfelves aaaindl the day ofwrath. Secondly, great men are indanger ofambition,' and a (wellinginordinately up- on their promotion. And the ambitious man is follrange1y dazled with the beams of his own luftre, at imperio, &c. thatin the greatcfl of his power, he thinks of nothing but how to be greater, he forgets the Lord that madehim , andGod that raifedíhim out of the mire, to fet himwith. the Princes of the people. And like that famtius fool in his new coat once, heknows not himfelf. So by means of this im- pediment ; though God have fame, noble, and fome worldly-wife, that he hath drawn to himfelf: yet. by meansof this impediment, not many mighty, not many. 2\ oble arecalled. The gates of heaven aretoo too {trait for the fwellingdimenfions of ambition: there is nothing fo eaficto pride, as to.purchafe a fall, and there is no fall fogreat asfrom heaven. It is a,fgn that Lucifer, ifhe.long.for dainties (hall be caft out ofheaven. It is a fign that.eildam, ifhedefir4;th6Apple {hall he caft out ofParadife. It is'a fign thatNebxçhadnezz.ar,if héglory in Babel,he (hall be call out of his Kingdom. Ìt isá fign that Haman byabuhnghis promotion, f saltbe exalted to the gallows. ToOinprife it in a word, the greater the dignity of eminency and honour,the greater the execution ofpains, andhorror... The fum then. is this, in a worldofpromotion, and temporal advancement in woddly pot%flions, and unmea- Earable trcafure, the.covetous,- and ambitious thanMay tote his own foul. .,. Now,for a woed!of,Application,ifthis be fo ; how taxable then are the thoufands ofworldlings in thiskind, that imaginethe gain ofthis earth to bethe greateft hap: pinefs? That fay to the Gold,thouart my God; and to bonour,thau artmyglorj ?That make Gold their God,andMammon their Mediator. Sahli Saint ßernard,Yea cove- tous generation.that glory in filver and gold, in that that is notyonrs,nor precious.s precious itcannot be, but by the avarice ofthe foesofAdámthat prife them. A- gain,, if they be yours, take thcui away with you wIren you go hence. Yet.the children of the. world are wholly for great Diann, Gods offilver and go!d, multi- tudes of lands,and revenues,and advancingof their fecular efface. Many can complain of the vanity of this worid,and the deceivablenefsof it : bur few complain of that Idolatrousconfidence that themfelves repofe in thisfalfe world there are few that recount, how in enjoying outward things, `'fartha,without , 2lstry, profperitywithoutpiety, they may lofe their own fouls. O let a word of exhortation prevail againftthis fore difcafe, if riches encreafe, take heedofcovetorsf- nefs ;,, becovetous offpiritualtbings, for immortality, there hoard up your tteafure in heaven. Again, for ambition take heed of it, behonourable for humility,and ambitious for heaven ; Love not the world, and the things of thisworld ; exalt not your felves againft the Lord ofglory. Thouknowefl not what a day may bringforth : boaft: not ofto morrow. O fool, this night (hall they fetch thyfoul. And what is a manprofi- ted, if begain the world, and lofe hit ,own foul ? So much for the third point, the compo{tibility ofoutward.profperity, a man may lofe lais foul,in gaining the whole world. The fourth and the la1t is, the woful difadvautage by furl: an exchange, what W a man profited? You may call itnot unfitly the account of the carolers Merchant ; or a Summary còlleíhion ofgains and loffes. For (a little to countenance the alle- gory ). every unfatiablc worldling is but merchant adventurer, a ventrous Mer- chant, he exchangeth his precious Soul for thedcceivable riches of this world. But whenGod in his judgement tranfports him to his own place, the infortunateBland ofdamned fpirits;thenhe begins when the time ispalt,to call up his doleful account, to compare his gains,and his loffes; andafter all the ennumeration ofhis imaginary gain ;
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