The bright star which leadeth wise men to our Lord Jesus Christ, or, A…

Likewise in Eccles. 6. 1. Solomon speaks of the same sin, he calls it an evil sickness, a plague of the soul, and a pestilence of the conscience. And yet it is very common among men, that a man should have good and wealth enough, enough to serve the husband and wife to spend to their days merrily ⟨image 164⟩together, and to suffice the parents to rejoice with their children, and governors, to live quietly among and with their servants, if they had a heart to take their part, but through the unsatiablenesse of the mind there are such sears, such cares, such wishing, such desiring, such wrestling such wrangling with wife, and chafing with servants, that it is a house of disquiet and vexation, and in the midst of all outward means of comfort, they live all without comfort.

Likewise in Eccles. 6. 1. Salomon speakes of the same sinne, he cals it an euill sicknesse, a plague of the soule, and a pestilence of the conscience. And yet it is verie common among men, that a man should haue good and wealth enough, enough to serue the husband and wife to spend to their daies merily ⟨image 164⟩together, and to suffice the parents to reioyce with their children, and gouernours, to liue quietly among and with their seruants, if they had a heart to take their part, but through the vnsatiablenesse of the mind there are such seares, such cares, such wishing, such desiring, such wrestling such wrangling with wife, and chafing with seruants, that it is a house of disquiet and vexation, and in the midst of all outward meanes of comfort, they liue all without comfort.

This is a sick family, this house is infected with the plague of God, & that upon the soul, this is a most miserable and grievous disease. Therefore we must all learn to beware of this baseness, which is ordinary with men of most ability; of all in the parish you shall have them come seldomest to Church upon the sabbath days, no more then needs they must, but upon the week day never at all, not once in a twelve month, and if you ask them, why? what is the reason, you can find no leisure to come to hear Gods word, and to seek the means your salvation upon the week days? why alas we have such a deal of business, so much rouble, as that we cannot dispatch it in any time, we must needs follow our calling, and see to our household, and thus commonly it is seen that those which have most land & living, have most pains and vexation, all lies upon them and all must come through their own hands, they have no servants, none to help themselves, and they must needs look to it; but who puts them to all this trouble, who lays such a burden upon them? surely this it is that either they be so miserable, and close fisted that ye will not lay out any thing to hire help, or else if they do entertain a servant, they punish him so miserably in his diet, & deal so deceitfully with him in his wages, or oppress & overcharge him so cruelly with labour, as that he that hath had experience of them one year, will not be persuaded to live with them the second, and thus they trouble themselves with plain niggardise, and no necessity that God hath imposed upon them. This men commonly call good husbandry and thrift, for a man to lay about him so, and take on, and do all himself; but it is plain theft before God,