True gain, opened in a sermon preached at Pauls, Nov. 9. 1656

Therefore God is pleased, 1 To Dehort men from the ways of sin by undeceiving them, and discovering the unprofitableness and perniciousness of those ways. My people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit, Jer. 2.11. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which satisfieth not? Isai. 55 2. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof you are now ashamed? Rom. 6.21. The voluptuous sinner promiseth himself abundance of delight in his stolen waters; let us take our fill of loves, let us solace our selves with loves Prov. 7.18. but at last when he hath destroyed his name, and gotten a wound, and dishonour, when he hath destroyed his estate, and strangers are filled with his wealth, when he hath destroyed his body, and given his years to the cruel, when he hath ⟨p. 9⟩destroyed his soul, and is gone down to the chambers of death: then tell me whether his perfumes of Myrrh, Aloes, and Cinnamon, be not all turned into gall and wormwood? The worldling promiseth himself much content in his dishonest gain, in fraud, oppression, circumvention, and violence; Populus me sibilat, at mihi plaudo ipse domi. I shall have a brave vineyard ▪ says Ahab; I shall have sheep and oxen, says Gehazi, I shall never want friends, nor contents, money answers to All, O nummi vos estis fratres. But what says God? Thou fool, this night shall they take thy soul from thee: Thy vineyard, O Ahab, shall bring forth grapes of gall: Thy talents, O Gehazi, shall purchase thee and thine heirs a leprosy: Thy wedge of gold, O Achan, shall cleave thy soul from thy body; Thy thirty pieces of silver, O Judas, shall be the price of thine own bowels, as well as of thy masters blood. Treasures of wickedness shall not profit in the day of wrath, Prov. 10.2. They that will be rich; drown themselves in destruction and perdition and pierce themselves through with many sorrows, 1 Tim. 6.9, 10