from you, and all things which are dainty and goodly, fhall depart from you, and you fhall find them NO MORE: O Dives! No more.' Lay your treasures therefore up in heaven, O ye inhabitants of the earth, where nothing can break through to harm them; but where time fhall fhortly be fwallowed up of eternity." §. VIII. But my arguments against these things end not here; for the contrary most of all conduces to good; namely, temperance in food, plainnefs in apparel, with a meek, fhamefaced, and quiet fpirit, and that converfation which doth only exprefs the fame in all godly honefty as the apoftle faith, Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the ufe of edifying, that it may adminifter grace to the hearers; neither filthinefs, nor foolish talking, nor jeft ing, but rather giving of thanks: for let no man deceive you with vain words, becaufe of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience." And if men and women were but thus adorned, after this truly Chriftian manner, impudence would foon receive a check, and luft, pride, vanity, and wantonness, find a rebuke. They would not be able to attack fuch univerfal chastity, or encounter fuch godly austerity: virtue would be in credit, and vice afraid and afhamed, and excefs not dare to fhew its face. There would be an end of gluttony and gaudinefs of ap Rev. xviii. 14. Luke xii. 33, 34 I Pet. iii. 1, 2, 3, 4. Col. iv. 5, 6. 1 Thef. iv. II, 12. Eph. iv. 2. & v. 3, 4, 5, 6. 1 Tim. iv. 12. • 1 Pet. ii.. 12. Prov. xxxi. 23 to 31. Phil. iii. 16 to 20. parel, flattering titles, and a luxurious life; and then primitive innocency and plainness would come back again, and that plain-hearted, downright, harmless life, would be restored, of not much caring what we should eat, drink, or put on, as Chrift tells us, the Gentiles did, and as we know this age daily does, under all its talk of religion; but as the ancients, who with moderate care for neceffaries and conveniencies of life, devoted themselves to the concernments of a celestial kingdom, and more minded their improvement in righteoufnefs, than their increase in riches; for they laid their treasure up in heaven,' and endured tribulation for an inheritance that cannot be taken away. §. IX. But the temperance I plead for, is not only religioufly, but politically good it is the intereft of good government to curb and rebuke exceffes: it prevents many mischiefs. Luxury brings effeminacy, lazinefs, poverty, and mifery; but temperance preferves the land. It keeps out foreign vanities, and improves our own commodities: now we are their debtors; then they would be debtors to us for our native manufactures. By this means, fuch perfons, who by their excefs, not charity, have deeply engaged their eftates, may in a short space be enabled to clear them from those incumbrances, which otherwise like moths, foon ear out plentiful revenues. It helps perfons of mean fubftance to improve 2 Pet. iii. II. Pfal. xxvi. 6. ¶ Luke xii. 22. to 30. •Prov. x. 4. Eccl. x. 16, 17, 18. their small stocks, that they may not expend their dear earnings, and hard-got wages upon fuperfluous apparel, foolifh may-games, plays, dancings, fhews, taverns, ale-houses, and the like folly and intemperance; of which this land is more infefted, and by which it is ren dered more ridiculous, than any kingdom in the world for none I know of is fo infefted with cheating mountebanks, favage morrice-dancers, pick-pockets, and profane players, and stagers; to the flight of religion, the fhame of govern ment, and the great idlenefs, expence, and debauchery of the people: for which the Spirit of the Lord is grieved, and the judgments of the Almighty are at the door, and the fentence ready to be pronounced, Let him that is unjust, be unjuft ftill. Wherefore it is, that we cannot but loudly call upon the generality of the times, and testify both by our life and doctrine, against the like vanities and abufes, if poffibly any may be weaned from their folly, and chufe the good old path of temperance, wifdom, gra vity, and holinefs, the only way to inherit the bleffings of peace and plenty here, and eternal happiness hereafter.. S. X. Laftly, fuppofing we had none of thefe foregoing reafons juftly to reprove the practice of the land in thefe particulars; however, let it be fufficient for us to fay, that when people have firft learned to fear, worship, and obey their Creator," to pay their numerous vicious debts, to alleviate and abate their oppreffed Rev. xxii. 11, Eccl. xii. 1. Pf. xxxvii. 21. Pf. x. 2. Pf. iv. 2. Pf. lxxxii. 3, 4, Prov. xxii. 7, 9. Ifai. iii. 14, 15. X tenants; but above all outward regards, when the pale faces are more commiferated, the pinched bellies relieved, and naked backs clothed; when the famifhed poor, the diftreffed widow, and helpless orphan, God's works, and your fellow creatures, are provided for; then I fay, if then, it will be time enough for you to plead the indifferency of your pleaDT fures. But that the fweat and tedious labour of the husbandman, early and late, cold and hot, wet and dry, fhould be converted into the pleafare, eafe, and paftime of a small number of men; that the cart, the plough, the flail, fhould be in that continual feverity laid upon nineteen parts of the land, to feed the inordi nate lufts and delicious appetites of the twentieth, is fo far from the appointment of the great Governor of the world, and God of the fpirits of all flesh, that to imagine fuch horrible injuftice as the effects of his determinations, and not the intemperence of men, were wretched and blafphemous. As on the other fide, it would be to deserve no pity, no help, no relief from God Almighty, for people to continue that expence in vanity and pleasure, whilst the great neceflities of fuch objects go unanswered; efpecially fince God hath made the fons of men but ftewards to each other's exigencies and relief. Yea, fo ftrict is it enjoined, that on the omiffion of these things, we find this dreadful fentence partly to be grounded, De * Amos v. 11, г2. Ch. viii: 4. 7, 8. Rom. xii. 20. 2 Cor, ix. 7. Pfix!. 4. Eph. vi. 9. Col. iii. 25. 1. Pet. i. 17. James . 15. 16. Pf. cxii. 9. Ifai. i. 16, 17, 18. Jer. vii, 6. part from me, ye curfed, into everlasting fire, &c.' As on the contrary, to vifit the fick, fee the imprisoned, relieve the needy, &c. are fuch excellent properties in Chrift's account, that thereupon he will pronounce fuch bleffed, faying, Come, ye bleffed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you, &c. So that the great are not, with the leviathan in the deep, to prey upon the fmall, much less to make a fport of the lives and labours of the leffer ones, to gratify their inordinate senses. §. XI. I therefore humbly offer an address to the ferious confideration of the civil magiftrate,* that if the money which is expended in every parish in fuch vain fashions, as wearing of laces, jewels, embroideries, unnecessary rib. bands, trimmings, coftly furniture, and attendance, together with what is commonly confumed in taverns, feafts, gaming, &c. could be collected into a public ftock, or fomething in lieu of this extravagant and fruitless expence, there might be reparation to the broken tenants, work-houses for the able, and almshoufes for the aged and impotent. Then fhould we have no beggars in the land, the cry of the widow and the orphan would cease, and charitable reliefs might eafily be afforded towards the redemption of poor captives, and refreshment of fuch diftreffed Proteftants as labour under the miferies of perfécution in other countries: nay, the Exchequer's needs, on just emergencies, might be supplied by such a bank: this facrifice and fervice would please Mat. xxv. 34, to 41. • Prov.xiv. 21. Mat.xix. 21. |