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" and not they him: and he is faid to have goods as "he hath a fever, which holdeth and tyrannizeth over “aman, not he over it. What thing more vile, than "to love that which is not good, neither can make a "good man? yea, is common, and in the poffeffion "of the moft wicked in the world; which many times perverts good manners, but never amends them? "without which, fo many wife men have made them"felves happy, and by which fo many wicked men "have come to a wicked end. To be brief; what thing more miserable, than to bind the living to the "dead, as Mezentius did, to the end their death might "be languishing, and the more cruel; to tye the fpirit "unto the excrement and fcum of the earth, to pierce "through his own foul with a thoufand torments, "which this amorous paffion of riches brings with it; " and to entangle himself with the ties and cords of "this malignant thing, as the fcripture calls them; "which doth likewife term them thorns and thieves, "which steal away the heart of man; fnares of the "devil, idolatry, and the root of all evil. And truly, "he that fhall fee the catalogue of thofe envies and "moleftations, which riches engender into the heart of

man, as their proper thunderbolt and lightning, "they would be more hated than they are now loved. "Poverty wants many things, but covetoufness all: "a covetous man is good to none, and worse to him"felf." Thus much of Charron, a wife and great man. My next teftimony is yielded by an author not unlikely to take with fome fort of people for his wit; may they equally value his morality, and the judgment of his riper time.

§. XXII. Abraham Cowley, a witty and ingenious man, yieldeth us the other teftimony: of avarice he writeth us" There are two forts of avarice; the one " is but a bastard-kind, and that is a rapacious appe"tite of gain, not for its own fake, but for the "pleasure of refunding it immediately through all "the channels of pride and luxury. The other is the "true kind, and properly fo called, which is a reftlefs " and

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" and unfatiable defire of riches, not for any farther "end or use, but only to hoard and preferve, and perpetually increase them. The covetous man of the first kind is like a greedy oftrich, which devour"eth any metal, but it is with an intent to feed upon "it, and in effect it maketh a shift to digeft and excern "it. The fecond is like the foolish chough, which "loveth to steal money, only to hide it. The first "doth much harm to mankind, and a little good to "fome few: the fecond doth good to none, no, not to "himself. The firft can make no excufe to God or angels, or rational men, for his actions: the second "can give no reafon or colour, not to the Devil himfelf, for what he doth: he is a flave to Mammon "without wages. The firft maketh a shift to be be"loved, ay, and envied too, by fome people: the "second is the universal object of hatred and con"tempt. There is no vice hath been fo pelted with good fentences, and efpecially by the poets, who "have pursued it with fatires, and fables, and allego"ries, and allufions, and moved (as we fay) every "ftone to fling at it; among all which, I do not re"member a more fine correction, than that which was "given it by one line of Ovid's:

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"Luxuriæ defunt, omnia avaritiæ. "Which is, Much is wanting to luxury, All to avarice. "To which faying I have a mind to add one member, " and render it thus: Poverty wants fome, luxury many, avarice all things. Somebody faith of a "virtuous and wife man, that having nothing, he "hath all. This is juft his antipode, who having all things, yet hath nothing.

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"And oh! what man's condition can be worse,
"Than his, whom plenty ftarves, and bleffings curfe?
"The beggars but a common fate deplore;
"The rich-poor man's emphatically poor.

"I wonder how it cometh to pass, that there hath "never been any law made against him: against him, "do I say? I mean, for him. As there are publick VOL. II. " provisions

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provifions made for all other mad-men, it is very "reasonable that the king fhould appoint fome per"fons to manage his eftate during his life (for his "heirs commonly need not that care) and out of it to "make it their business to fee, that he should not want "alimony befitting his condition; which he could "never get out of his own cruel fingers. We relieve "idle vagrants, and counterfeit beggars, but have no care at all of these really poor men, who are, me"thinks, to be respectfully treated, in regard of their "quality. I might be endless against them; but I " am almost choaked with the fuperabundance of the "matter. Too much plenty impoverisheth me, as it "doth them." Thus much against avarice, that moth of the foul, and canker of the mind.

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CHAP. XIV.

§. 1. Luxury, what it is, and the mifchief of it to mankind. An enemy to the cross of Chrift. §. 2. Of luxury in diet, how unlike Christ, and contrary to fcripture. §. 3. The mischief it does to the bodies, as well as minds of people. §. 4. Of luxury in the excess of apparel, and of recreations: that fin brought the first coat people not to be proud of the badge of their mifery. §. 5. The recreations of the times enemies to virtue: they rife from degeneracy. §. 6. The end of clothes allowable; the abufe reprehended. §. 7. The chiefeft recreation of good men of old, was to ferve God, and do good to mankind, and follow honeft vocations, not vain fports and paftimes. §. 8. The heathens knew and did better things. The fobriety of infidels above Chriftians. §. 9. Luxury condemned in the cafe of Dives. §. 10. The doctrine of the scripture pofitively against a voluptuous life.

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AM now come to the other extreme, and that is luxury, which is, An exceffive indulgence of felf in cafe and pleasure. This is the laft great im

piety ftruck at in this difcourfe of the holy cross of Chrift, which indeed is much of the fubject of its mortifying virtue and power. A difeafe as epidemical as killing it creeps into all stations and ranks of men; the poorest often exceeding their ability to indulge their appetite; and the rich frequently wallowing in those things that please the lufts of their eye and flesh, and the pride of life; as regardless of the fevere difcipline of Jefus, whom they call Saviour, as if luxury, and not the cross, were the ordained way to heaven. What 'fhall we eat, what shall we drink, and what shall we 'put on?' once the care of luxurious Heathens, is now the practice, and (which is worfe) the study, of pretended Chriftians. But let fuch be afhamed, and repent; remembering that Jefus did not reproach the Gentiles for those things, to indulge his followers in them. They that will have Chrift to be theirs, must be fure to be his, to be like-minded, to live in temperance and moderation, as knowing the Lord is at hand. Sumptuous apparel, rich unguents, delicate washes, ftately furniture, coftly cookery, and fuch diverfions as balls, mafques, mufick-meetings, plays, romances, &c. which are the delight and entertainment of the times, belong not to the holy path that Jefus and his true difciples and followers trod to glory: no, through many 'tribulations (fays none of the leaft of them) must ' we enter into the kingdom of God.' I do earnestly befeech the gay and luxurious, into whofe hands this difcourfe fhall be directed, to confider well the reasons and examples here advanced against their way of living; if haply they may come to fee how remote it is from true Christianity, and how dangerous to their eternal peace. God Almighty by his grace foften their hearts to inftruction, and fhed abroad his tender love in their fouls, that they may be overcome to repentance, and to the love of the holy way of the crofs of Jefus, the bleffed Redeemer of men. For they cannot think that he can benefit them, while they refuse to lay down their fins for the love of him that laid down his life for the love of them; or that he will give them a place in heaven

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heaven, that refuse him any in their hearts on earth. But let us examine luxury in all its parts.

§. II. Luxury has many parts; and the firft that is forbidden by the felf-denying Jefus, is the belly: Take no thought (fays he to his difciples) faying, 'what fhall we eat, or what fhall we drink?---for after these things do the Gentiles feek' as if he had faid, the uncircumcifed, the Heathen, fuch as live without the true God, and make a god of their belly, whose care is to please their appetite, more than to feek God and his kingdom: you muft not do fo, but feek you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all other things fhall be added.' That which is convenient for you will follow: let every thing have its time and order.

This carries a ferious reprehenfion to the luxurious eater and drinker, who is taken up with an exceffive care of his palate and belly, what he fhall eat, and what he fhall drink: who being often at a lofs what to have next, therefore has an officer to invent, and a cook to drefs, difguife, and drown the fpecies, that it may cheat the eye, look new and ftrange; and all to excite an appetite, or raise an admiration. To be fure there is great variety, and that curious and coftly: the fauce, it may be, dearer than the meat: and fo full is he fed, that without it he can scarce find out a stomach; which is to force an hunger, rather than to fatisfy it. And as he eats, fo he drinks; rarely for thirst, but pleasure; to please his palate. For that purpose he will have divers forts, and he must tafte them all: one, however good, is dull and tiresome; variety is more delightful than the best; and therefore the whole world is little enough to fill his cellar. But were he temperate in his proportions, his variety might be imputed rather to curiofity than luxury. But what the temperate man ufes as a cordial, he drinks by full draughts, till, inflamed by excefs, he is fitted to be an inftrument of mischief, if not to others, always to himfelf; whom

a Mat. vi. 31, 32.

perhaps

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