666 The RighteousMammon. ---- once for but a licence to begge for ever. Did thefe menever heare that the bleffing A' ofGod maketh rich? That thewings ofrichescarry them up to heaven? That the crowneofthe wife is their wealth? Do they not l:now,rhat ifLa:.dTtH were poorc yet Abral!4m was rich, and Plum PaupmtJJfu{cepilJimn d•vitil; It was chehappi~ neffe ofpoore Lazarw, that hewas lodged in the bofomeofrich AbrabiiJt, I am no' 1 whit afraid, ( 0 ye richCitizens) le [I: this pmdox ofom holy Mendicant> fiJJII make you out oflove with your wealth; I.feare, fome ofyou would be rich, though yee might ~ot; Nowwe tell yo~1 f:om h1m, whofe title is Rich;, MuCJ, that yemay bear once nch and holy; In diVJ/111 wpidrtalem rtprehend1t, nonfacultatem, faith ' Aujline: It is atrue wordofthe fonne of Siracb, which I would have you cary home with you, and write it as a fit Motto, in your Counting·houfe; Bona ejlfubjlanlia ji non fit percatum in confciuJ/ia: 9Hbjlance rlotb "'"'in the band, ifthue beeno evilli• B thehtart, Ecclefiafricus I 3. ~ 5· chPrge the rich. Who are they? Thereis nothingwherein is greater mifprifion. One man in Laodician conceirednes thinks himfelfe rich, when hec bath nothing. Anotherinacovccoushumorthinksheharh norhing, when he is rich· andho'~ eafieisitforanotherman comi[l:akeus, ifwemay thu•eafily mifrakc ~ur felves? I feare, fomeofyou are like the Pageantsofyour great folemnities, wherein there is the lbewofafolidbody, whether ofa Lion, or Elephant, orUnicorn: but ifthey becuriouOy lookt into,there is norhing bur cloth, and fricks, ond ayre. Others of you contrarily, are like adiffemblingCovenr, that prof<lles poverty, andpmchafes Lordfhips. The very fame did Sal•mon obferv~ in his time, in the great Bmgo· ma[\ers ofJerufalem, Pro. 13·7. Forthe avo~dmg ofbothextremes, let us inquire c who is rich. And though greatneffe and rrches bee in ranke of thofe things which are held eohave no abfolute determination, but coofi[l: rather in refpeCl: and comparilon:(for arichFarmer is yet poore to a richMerchant,and arichMerchant is but poore to aPrince, and he tofome great Emperor : That great Mammoni[l: would fay, he is rich, that canmaintaine anAnnie: A pooreman would fay,accor- ! cling tothat ltaliminfcription,1 He is ri<h that wantsJJot bread;) Yet cenainely • th<re are certain generall [l:akes tnd bounds, whlch divide betwixt poverty & cornpetency,betwixtcompetency & wealth; As therewere varietyof!bekelsamong the Jewes, yet therewas one !bekel oftheSanctuary that varied not; Who then is rich? I mu[\ give you a double anfwer, onewill nor ferve. Theone, acoordingro rrue El morality; theother,according to vulgar ufe: In rhelirll he is rich that hathcnough, whether the world think foor nor1Even E[4w,rhough be were poore in grace,yet in e[\ate he was rich:! havanougkmy 6rother.A nd herbar faid Sow/, thoH hilf/ goods'""' for nta»Jymes, was almofr fo; I r was nor ~is .Emir that he thought he had enough, bntthat hemeant to lye down, and wallowmu. Amans wealth or poverty is mollwhat in himfelfe; And though nature have prof<ffed to read untoheathen men this ltffon ofwife moderotion, yet it hath beene feldome feene, that any thing but erne piety , bath taught them to take it Out ; Godlim!fo is grtat gaine rt>ith co»- tentmenl: VilJw & vef/iltH divili£ chrijliatJirum, faith HieronJ: Food and raiment ue rhe Chrillianswealth; Thofcmen therefore,which are llill in the horfe-leeches note, rucking and craving;which, like Phar4ohtleane kine, are ever feeding, .and E never the fatter, are as farre from true wealth, as they would be from poverty; and fmther I am fure they cannot bee, and not further from wealth then ·godlineffe. Having, is the meaftue ofoutwardwealth: but it is thinkingthat mu[\ meafure the inward thoughts, I fay ofcontentment, cheerefulneffe, and thankfulnefl'e,which il ye wanr, it is not either ofboth the Indies that can make you rich. In rhe latter, he is rich, that harhmorechen enough, whether he thinke fo orno: He that h•th thepoffeffion(wherhercivillornaturall)ofmore then nccelfary. Now ifneceffary and fuperfluous feeme as hard to define as rich; know, there are jufrli· mits fur both thefe: Superfluous is defined by necelfary ; forwhot isabove neceffary is fuperfluous; There is then adouble neceffiry; One, ofnature, the other, ofeflate: That is neceffiry ro nature, wiihout which wee cannot live; that toellate, without whichwee cannot livewell: That is neceffary to efute, which were fuperfluou•
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