Usury (you say) is exploded among Saints, I would you would deal no worse with covetousness: But alas, this is too general a fault, to give any hope of amendment: He that railed on Beelzebub pulled all Ekron about his ears: He that slighted Melchom, provoked the Ammonites: But he that condemns Mammon, speaks against all the world. This is the delight, the love, the solace of many, the God of some: Poverty, sickness, age, are all the Devils they tremble at, and Belial, Melchom, Mammon, Pleasures, Honours, Riches, all the Gods they worship: These three usurping Kings, like the three seditious Captains in Jerusalem, or those three Roman Tyrants, Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey, have shared the world amongst them, and left God ⟨image 29⟩least, who owes all. Lactantius speaks of one Tullus Hostilius, that put Fear & Paleness into the number of Gods: It is pity that ever his Gods should go from him, it is (not pity, but) justice, that these Gods, and the true God too, should forsake such reprobates, that idolatrize the honour to Creatures, wherewith they should worship the Creator. But alas, how is Pharaoh's Dream verified among us? The lean Kine eat up the fat: Gods lean blessings, riches, and pleasures, devour his fat ones, Grace and Religion: How it dishonours God, disparageth our selves, and our creation, to put Lead in a Cabinet of gold, base desires in a fair and precious soul. We never yet attained the top of Mount Zion: He that stands on the Tower of Divine meditation, will judge those Pygmies, which below he thought Giants: but we desire not Heaven,1 because we know it not; we never look beyond our Horizon: we live in our contented slavery of Egypt, and never dream of the freedom of Canaan, (Ubi amor, ibi oculus:) where the love is, there is the eye. This S. Augustine shortly and soundly reproves: (Si sursum os, cur deorsum cor?) hath Nature given us an upright •ace,2 and a grovelling heart? this is a preposterous dissimilitude of the mind and countenance: do but compare (as lifting up thy soul with thy eyes) heaven with earth, and thou wilt change thy opinion: Through want of these meditations, these earthly vanities carry away our enchanted hearts, to neglect those better things of our eternal peace: and by the testimony of our Saviour, It is hard for a rich man to get into Heaven:
Vsury (you say) is exploded among Saintes, I would you would deale no worse with couetousnesse: But alasse, this is too generall a fault, to giue any hope of amendment: He that railed on Beelsebub pulled al Ekrom about his eares: He that sleighted Melchom, prouoked the Ammonites: But he that condemnes Mammon, speakes against all the world. This is the delight, the loue, the solace of many, the God of some: Pouertie, sicknesse, age, are all the Deuils they tremble at, and Beliall, Melchom, Mammon, Pleasures, Honours, Riches, all the Gods they worshippe: These three vsurping Kings, like the three seditious Captaines in Ierusalem, or those three Romane Tyrants, Casar, Crassus, and Pompey, haue shared the world amongst them, and left God ⟨image 29⟩least, who owes all. Lactantius speakes of one Tullus Hostilius, that put Feare & Palenes into the number of Gods: It is pittie that euer his Gods should goe from him, it is (not pittie, but) iustice, that these Gods, and the true God too, should forsake such reprobates, that idolatrize the honour to Creatures, wherewith they should worship the Creator. But alas, how is Pharaobs Dreame verified among vs? The leane Kine eate vp the fatte: Gods leane blessinges, riches, and pleasures, deuowre his fatte ones, Grace and Religion: How it dishonours God, disparageth our selues, and our creation, to put Lead in a Cabinet of gold, base desires in a faire and precious soule. We neuer yet attained the toppe of Mount Syon: He that stands on the Towre of Diuine meditation, will iudge those Pigmeys, which below he thought Giants: but we desire not Heauen,1 because we know it not; we neuer looke beyond our Horizon: we liue in our contented slauery of Egipt, and neuer dreame of the freedome of Canaan, (Vbi amor, ibi oculus:) where the loue is, there is the eye. This S. Augustine shortly and soundly reproues: (Si sursum os, cur deorsum cor?) hath Nature giuen vs an vpright •ace,2 and a groueling heart? this is a preposterous dissimilitude of the minde and countenaunce: doe but compare (as lifting vp thy soule with thy eyes) heauen with earth, and thou wilt change thy opinion: Through want of these meditations, these earthly vanities carry away our inchaunted hearts, to neglect those better things of our eternall peace: and by the testimony of our Sauiour, It is hard for a rich man to get into Heauen:
- 1Ignoti nulla cupido.
- 2Preaepostera dissimili•udo vultus et animae. &c.
