Micah6. The Righteous Mammon. yet ifwe weigh his'power aright, .we !hall conclude ofMammon (as P4rtcelfus doth ·A ofthe Divell) chathe is a bafe and beggerly limit.: F~rwhar, I befeech you, can he doe? Canhemakea man honefr? Canhemakehtmwtfe? Can hemake him healthfull ? Canhe give aman lo live moremerrily, to teed more heartily, tolleepemore quietly ? Can he buy off the_gone, cares, dfath, , mu~h Jeife the paincsof another world? nay, dothhenotbrmgall thefe? Goecochen, chounchm10; Cod is of· fended with thee, and meane! to plague thee with difcafeand death; Now crywhar thy bagges can doe; Begin firfr with Cod, and fee whether rhoucanfr bribe him with thy gifts, and buy off hisdifpleafure; Wherewitbfh•lttiJDH comebefore the Lord, andbow thj felft before the bigbGodi Will the Lord be pleafedwith thouJ•ndJof R•vu, or with ten thoufand rivert ofoyle l The jiver i1mine, aNd tbe gold if 111i11e, faith the LordofHoftu, Haggat 2. It that fpeed not, goe to the fergeant ofGod, death; fee if thou canfi fee him, not ro arrefr thee ; He lookes thee frernely in the face, and tells cheewich Ebud, he bath a meff.1ge to thee from Cod, and bids thee with the Prophet, Set thi11ehou[e in order,for tbou mujldie; Yer, if hehearethee not, goetothe under-baylilfe ofDeath, difeafe; fee ifhe c•n bewrought to forbeare thee : beanfivers theewith L•b•n, This thing isproceededofthe Lard, I <"11not thmjoreftJ tothu evil/or good. In fumme, Dileafe will fummon thee unto dearh; death will arrelf thee ro rhe Judgment feat ofGod, Cod wJIJ patfe btS doome upon thee; and in all thefe, Richesavaile 1101 in thed•J ofwrath : And who would be fo mad asto tmfia fnend thlt he knoweswill be fure never to faile him bur when he harh mofi need ? Take heed therefore, as ye love your foules,how ye befrowyour TrHjl upo>uiches: Ye may ufe them, and ferve your felves of them ; yea, ye may enjoy themin a Chriftian C moderation; Cod will allow it you: That praife which the Jefuires Colledgeat coli'>'"'" G,.,. Granadogives of their Sa11cbez, that (though he livedwhere they had avery fweet :~,7J;:;;:[;,. garden) yet he was never feen to touch aflower, and chat hewould rather dye than car Salt, or Pepper,or ought tbltmight giverellifh to his meat; like as chat offome otherMonkes, that cbey would not fee rhe Sun, nor lhift theircloathes, nor cleanfe their teeth , carries in it more fuperfrition and aufrerity and Oovellry, thenwit or grace : Wherefore bath God made hif creatures but for ufe? This niggardli,neife is injuriou.<to the bounty oftheir Maker; we may ufcthem,we may not trufr to thelllj t in.vitam R.I~. TbQ. Sanc/Jt': prttji~. Optri M1rali in pr~ ctptaDtcaf. wemay ferveour felvcs ofrhem, wemay notferve them ; we may injoy them, we may nor over-joy m them ; fo mufr we be affclted toour goods, as T!Jtodtricthe ~;:::~~~~jt good Kingof Aq11it11i~te was withhis play; In6oniJ jalJibm l4cel, in ffl41uridtt, ill B Tl~t«ltr. ntHirit inzfcitur, it~Hirifque Philofophatur: In good caflshe was filenr; in ill, merry; in neither angry, aPhilofopher in both. But ifwewill bemaking ourwealthari· vall untoCod, now the jealou6eof God !hall burne like fire: this is theway tO bring acurfe upon our riches and us; if we Jeaneupon this reed, it !hall breake, •nd runne incoour hand; and he that tmflelbin richujballf•ll, Prov. 11. z8. Now as the difdainfull rivall will be fure ro cafr reproaches upon his bafe com1 • ., """' ' petitor; fodorh God, tharwemay fee howunworrhy riches areofour trufl, he richt:.t tells us, they are HlltertetiNe, yea uncenaintie it felfe. Were our wealth tyed roour t~' 4~~~~~111" I life, it wereuncertaineenough;what is that but a flower, avapor, a tale,~dreame,a .,. w,..,... l11adow, adreame of a!hadow, a thought, a norhing ? What are great men but like Hailefrones, that leapeupon the Tiles, and firaight filii downe againe, and ~ye E frill, andmelcaway? Bur now, as we are cenaine that our richesdetenninewtth our un:ertaine life (for goodsand life ore both in aborrome, bothareca!laway at once) fo we cannot becerraine theywill hold fo long : Our life flyes ha!lily away, butmaoy timesour riches havelonger wings, aud our-fly it. It was awittyobferva· cion ofBa{tl, that wealth roles alongby aman, like as an heady frreame glidesby the bankes : Timewill molder away the very bankeitwalherh, butthecurrent !\ayes 'p•~·~o::unr n ..";71$,xH- ,_u:.'rpwt;~.~7lf., ~7!r:<:;:ctr &c.,Ba(i!.i11 Pfal. 16: not for chat, but fpeeds forward from one elbowofearth unto another: fodothour wealth, even while we fray, it isgone. In our penalllawesthere aremorewayesro forfeit our goods then our lives; Onour high-waye;, howmany f•vorableth;eves take the purfe, and fave the life? And generally, our Jifei; the tree, ourwealth tsthe leaves or fruit; the rreefrands frill, when the leaves arefalne, the fruit beatendown: Yea _
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