N00592:80
Durable riches. Two brief discourses, occasioned by the impoverishing blast of heaven, which the…
Durable riches. Two brief discourses, occasioned by the impoverishing blast of heaven, which the undertakings of men, both by sea and land, have met withal. : The one, handling, the true cause of loosing; the other, giving, the true way of thriving. / By Cotton Mather. ; [Four lines of quotations in Latin]
Boston: printed by John Allen for Vavasour Harris, 1695
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
That Liberality is wonderfully Advantageous to them that use it, and this, for a Long while afterwards.
Our Lord assures us, in Mat. 10.42. Whosoever gives but a Cup of Water, shall […] no wise Loose his Reward; and yet that is the least piece of Liberality, that can be thought of. We have the word of Him that cannot Lie, to assure us, that we shall not be Losers by our Liberality; that our Estates thus Laid out, Non pereunt sed parturiunt; that tho' our Bread be Cast on, yet it shall not be Lost in, the Waters. I will not here dispute about the Lawfulness of Usury; but I will tell you of an Usury ⟨p. 23⟩that I am sure is Lawful; and yet it is an Usury so far exceeding that of Six in the Hundred, as that it is an Hundred for Six, yea, 'tis far more than an Hundred for One. Let a man be Liberal upon Pious Uses, and upon the word of a God, Let him know, that as in Mark 10.30. He shall Receive an Hundred fold now in this Time; and in the World to come, Eternal Life. He•••, there are two Metaphors, with which our Good God Condescends to give us this Assurance. One Metaphor is that of, Sowing. Thus 'tis said, in 2 Cor. 9.6. He that Soweth bountifully shall Reap bountifully. Let a man be Liberal with what he has, and he shall be sure of a Good Crop; the Bread Cast on the Waters, will prove but a Seed cast into an Earth more fertile than that of which we read that Isaac, did Receive an hundred fold. Another Metaphor is that of Lending. Thus 'tis said, in Prov. 19.17 He that hath pity on the Poor, Lendeth to the Lord; and then we may take for granted what follows, That which he hath given, will He pay him again. Let a man be Liberal, and he shall have the Counter-bond of the most High •o save him harmless. As for the Bread Cast into the Waters, our God under