A guide to godliness or a Treatise of a Christian life showing the dutiesA guide to godlynesse or a Treatise of a Christian life shewing the duties

§. Sect. 6 That in buying and selling all fraud and deceit must be avoided.

§. Sect. 6 That in buying and selling all fraud and deceit must be auoided.

Lastly, in respect of the manner of selling and buying, we ought to use honest simplicity, and carefully to avoid all fraud and deceit. In which respect, men grievously offend in these days, who have & use a thousand devices to circumvent and defraud their neighbours. As first, by blinding their minds with their partial and false praises of their wares, and their eyes with false and deceitful lights. By concealing the known faults of their wares, and yet coveting to get the highest prices, as if they were faultless. By asking for them a double price to their value, and taking it also, if the party be so simple to give it. By abusing their acquaintance and customers under colour of love and friendship, and selling their wares dearer unto them, then a mere stranger could buy them. By telling untruths, either about the worth of their commodities, or the price which they cost them, or the money that they have been offered, or that which they will take, and not under, and (that which is worse, though this be too too bad among Christians) by countenancing and confirming their lies with intermingled oaths. Unto these, innumerable other faults might be added, common in these days amongst Tradesmen, which I will only name, because it is not my purpose to rake up these filthy puddles to the bottom, but only to point at the grossest of them with my finger as I passed by, that the conscionable Christian, who desireth to please God in all his courses, may shun and avoid them. As first, they offend in their manner of selling, who sell one thing for another, and when they meet with those, who being simple and ignorant, are apt to be abused, do thus deceive them both in the colours and stuffs. So they also, who sell that which is mixed, for that which is pure; that which is sophisticate and naught, for that which is perfect and good; that which is bad, for the middle sort; and that which is mean and indifferent, for the best. They in like manner who set false glosses on their wares, by gumming, starching, pressing, and burning, and so to cause them to seem much better then they are, make them much worse for use. Finally, they who use false weights and measures, buying by a greater, and selling by a lesser; and such also as by their Art and skill increase the