THe Apostle Paul hauing planted a Church at Thessalonica, Act. 17.1.2.3.4.5.15. &c. and being driuen from thence by some malicious enemies of the truth, hee made his abode for a while at A­thens: where vnderstan­ding what troubles and persecutions were raysed vp against these new Con­uerts, out of his loue and care for their good,1. Thess. 3.1.2.5 hee sendeth Timotheus vnto them, to visite and comfort them. And being certified by him, with what great patience and inuincible constancy they endured tribulation for the Gospels sake,Ver. 6.7. &c. because hee could not come vnto them as hee desired, hee writeth this Epistle, to confirme and establish them in the present truth. Wherein, in the three former Chapters, he congratulateth with them for their faith, loue, patience, reuerence to the word, and other excellent graces, which God by his spirit had wrought in them, which gratulation he concludeth in the end of [Page 2] the third Chapter with a gracious prayer in their be­halfe,Ver. 12.13. that God, which had begunne so good a worke in them, would stablish them in the same vnto the end. In the two next Chapters, he exhorteth them to holinesse, and to a Christian conuersation: And that first gene­rally, that they should not content themselues with their good beginning,Ver. 1.2. but increase more and more, and labour to surpasse, and to goe beyond themselues. Then more particularly, he descendeth to the parts of sanctificati­on, and layeth downe certaine speciall rules, the better to direct them how to runne in this Christian course. The first respecteth euery mans owne person in the pri­uate carryage of himselfe. Namely, This is the will of God, Ver. 3.4.5. euen your sanctification, &c. The second respecteth a mans dealing with his neighbour, in this verse that I haue read, That no man oppresse, &c. For it is not enough for a man,Tit. 2.11.22. to liue soberly in regard of himselfe, vnlesse hee also liue righteously in respect of others. The words are imperfect in themselues, and must bee supplyed out of the third verse, in this manner. It is the will of God that no man oppresse & defraud his brother, &c. And this is the coherence that these wordes haue with the former.

Now for our more orderly proceeding in the hand­ling of them, wee haue to consider two things in gene­rall. First, the exhortation it selfe; and secondly, the reasons whereby it is inforced. In the exhortation we may obserue first the branches of it; secondly, the ex­tent of it. The branches are two. First, that no man oppresse: secondly, that no man defraud his his brother. The first signifieth violence and manifest force: the second, deceitfull and fraudulent dealing; and that by a generall consent of the most interpreters. The extent is eyther in respect of the persons oppressing and oppressed; no man his brother, of whatsoeuer place or condition he be; or in respect of the obiect, in any matter whatsoeuer, [Page 3] great or small. And howsoeuer these vniuersal tearms be not expressed: yet the proposition being indefinitely set downe, it is as much as if they were expressed. The reasons are likewise two. The first is included in the word his brother, which (as we shall see afterward) con­taineth in it a very forcible argument. The second is expressed, and it is taken from the vengeance of God. For the Lord is the auenger of all such. And this is fur­ther amplified and confirmed by the Apostles former testimony, in the last words, as wee haue tolde you before, and testified. And this is briefly the summe and resolu­tion of this portion of Scripture: Let vs now see the instructions that arise from thence for our further lear­ning.

(That no man oppresse.) This is the first branch of the exhortation. The word here vsed in the Originall, [...]. doth properly signifie, to goe vpon, or to climbe vpon a man, and to tread him vnder foot; representing vnto vs those persons, who hauing oppressed a man by violence, doe trample vpon him. As wee read of Ioshuah, who hauing vanquished those fiue Kings of the Amorites, called the Captaines that were with him, and bad them, put their feet vpon their neckes. Iosh. 10.24. And to this purpose is that threatning denounced by Moses against the dis­obedient Israelites, Deut. 28.43. The stranger that is with thee shal climbe vp aboue thee on high: and thou shalt come downe beneath ve­ry low. A plaine description of that which is signified here. And the Church of God complaining of the iniu­ries of her enemies, saith;Psal. 66.12. Thou hast caused men to ride o­uer our heads. This is referred, as hath been said, to vi­olent oppressions, vvhen they that are mighty & pow­erfull, take boldnesse to hurt and wrong those that are vnder them. As the Apostle Iames saith,Iam. 2.6. Doe not the rich oppresse you by tyranny? &c.

From hence then wee obserue in the first place,Doctrine. that oppression is a grieuous sinne against the will of God. [Page 4] The trueth of this will appeare vnto vs, if wee consi­der how oft, & how earnestly the Lord forbiddeth it in the whole course of the scripturs. He chargeth the people of Israel by Moses, Leu 19.13. & 25.17. Prou. 3.29. Thou shalt not oppresse thy neighbor by vi­olence, neyther rob him. And again, Ye shall not oppresse one a­nother, &c. And Solomon goeth yet further; Intend no hurt (saith he) against thy neighbor, seeing he dwelleth secure­ly by thee; thereby teaching vs, that we should be so farre from doing and practising hurt to our neighbour, that wee must not so much as intend and deuise it in our thoughts.& 22.22. And in another place; Robbe not the poore, be­cause hee is poore, neyther oppresse the afflicted in iudgement. And Dauid maketh it a marke and property of a true member of the Church in this life, and of the kingdome of heauen in the life to come,Psal. 15, 3. that hee doth no euill to his neighbour. And our Sauiour Christ deliuering the summe of the Law, Mat. 10.19. setteth downe this for one branch of it; Doe no hurt. Luc. 3.14. In a word, Iohn Baptist chargeth Souldiers, who of all other men commonly take most liberty this way, that they should doe violence to no man. Besides, there are many reasons to shew the hainousnesse of this sinne. First of all, it is against nature, for euery mans neighbour is his owne flesh, as it were, Isa. 58.7. Now as the Apostle sayth, No man (vnlesse hee bee a mad man) will offer vi­olence to his owne flesh; Ephes. 5.29. yea, the poorest & meanest wretch in the world, beareth the same stampe and impression of Gods Image that the greatest dooth, Gen. 6.6. And therefore one man should bee so farre from hurting of another, as that rather hee should bee a God vnto him, as it were, to protect him, and defend him from wrong to the vttermost of his power. Hence is it, that there are such titles giuen to Gods children, as should put them in mind of that harmelesnes that ought to bee in them. They are called Lambs, and Sheepe, and Doues. The Doue, saith Barnard, Columba simplex est ani­mal, felle caret, rostro non laedit. Bern. in die purificat. is a simple crea­ture, it hath no gall, it striketh not with the bill, as other raue­nous [Page 5] foules doe: such should one man bee to another: But alas, wee see the common practise of most men is cleane contrary: The greatest danger that befalleth mā, commeth from whence it ought least of all to come, e­uen from man himselfe. And now the olde Prouerbe is verified,Homo homini lupus. One man is a Wolfe to another. Nay, there is no brute beast so hurtfull to man, as one man is to another: for they lightly neuer set vpon a man, vnlesse necessity force them to it: eyther by hunger, or by feare they are constrained to fight. But one man taketh pleasure to wrong and to hurt another, which caused Seneca to pro­pound the question, and giue the answer;Quid ho­mini inimicissi­mum? Homo. What is the greatest enemy that man hath? Man himselfe.Caetera animantia in suo genere probè degunt, &c. At homini plutima ex homine mala, Plin. in Prolog. lib. 7. All other creatures, as Plinie noteth, do liue peaceably with those of their own kind; they all hold together, and stand in opposition against all others. The Lions though ne­uer so fierce; doe not fight among themselues: one ser­pent doth not sting another; yea, the great fishes and monsters of the sea deuoure none but those that are of other kindes: But the greatest euils that man sustay­neth, come from man.O humanae malitiae dete­standa crudeli­tas! Ferae par­cunt, aues pascunt▪ homi­nes insidiantur & saeuiunt. Serm. 6. This made Cyprian cry out with wonderment and admiration; O the detesta­ble cruelty of mans malice! the fierce Lyons doe spare Dani­el in the denne: the rauenous birdes doe feede Elias in the wildernesse: but one man exerciseth cruelty vpon a­nother.

Secondly, it is against that iustice, that ought to be in ciuill societies, for the preseruation whereof, it is neces­sary, that men doe conuerse safely together, & without feare one of another. And therefore it was well said by a wiseman, that the first foundation of iustice is to hurt no body; and the second, to procure the common benefit as much as lyeth in a mans power.

Thirdly, it is against Christianity, Vita Chri­stiana est bene faciendi & malè patiendi disciplina. 1. Cor. 6.7. which is a life that teacheth a man, to be ready to do well, and to suffer il, according to that speech of the Apostle▪ Why rather [Page 6] suffer yee not wrong? Why rather sustaine yee not harme? Im­plying that a Christian man should rather part with his owne right, then vse the lawfull remedy of the lavv, to the scandall of the Church. Not that it is not lawfull for a man to prosecute and maintaine his own right; but to teach vs, that if hee will not doe this, much lesse will hee spoyle and vniustly depriue another man of his right. And this was prophesied of long before, that in the time of the Gospell, the Wolfe shall dwell with the Lambe, and the Leopard shall lie with the Kid, Isa. 11.6.7.8. and the Calfe, and the Lion, and the fat beast together, and a little childe shall leade them. And the Kow and the Beare shall feed: their young ones shall lie together: and the Lion shall eate straw like the Bullocke. And the sucking child shall play vpon the hole of the Aspe, and the weined child shall put his hand vpon the Cocka­trice hole. Thereby teaching vs, that though men by nature bee brutish and sauage, like those Indians that Plinie speaketh of,Lib. 7. cap. 2. who hauing copulation with wilde beasts, doe beget a mixt and halfe wilde broode: yet when it pleaseth God to conuert them, and place them in his Kingdome, they lay aside their fierce disposition, and liue peaceably one with another. For as it follow­eth in the next verse, None shall hurt nor destroy in all the mountaine of the Lords holinesse. And in another place it is said, that vnder the Kingdome of Christ, men shall breake their swords into mattockes or plow-shares, Isa. 2.4. and their speares into sithes, &c. That is to say, those weapons which before were instruments of cruelty, shall now be turned into instruments of peace.

Rom. 13.10.Fourthly, it is against the rule of Charity; for as the A­postle saith, Loue doth not euill to his neighbour. And in an­other place,1 Cor. 13.6. Loue reioyceth not in iniquity, and wrongfull dealing. And therefore, they that care not what iniu­ry they offer to their poore brethren, are farre from that charity, that ought to be amongst Christians.

Fifthly, it is odious to all good men, and maketh [Page 7] them many times weary of the world: As Solomon saith,Eccles. 4.1.2.3. I considered all the oppressions that are wrought vnder the Sunne, and behold the teares of the oppressed, and none com­forteth them: and on the side of their oppressors there was power, but they had no comforter. Wherefore, I praysed the dead which are already dead, aboue the liuing which are yet a­liue. And I account him better then them both, which hath not yet beene, who hath not seene the euill workes which are wrought vnder the Sunne.

Sixthly, it is theft, and worse then theft, 2.2 [...]. q. 66. art. 8. as Thomas A­quinas doth well determine; Oppression and theft are both of them (saith he) to bee accounted sinnes, because they both spoyle a man of his goods against his will: yet so, as in theft, a man is wronged ignorantly, that hee know­eth not of it: but in oppression, he is wronged by violence; he knoweth it, and looketh on, and cannot tell how to helpe it. Now that is more directly against a mans will, that is done by violence, then that which is done ignorantly. And therfore, oppression is a more grieuous sinne then theft. Againe (saith he) in oppression, beside the dammage done to the party, there is alwayes some indignity and reproch done to his person, which is farre worse thē fraud or deceit which is vsed in theft: Remota iustitia, quid sunt reg na, ni­si magna larro­cinia? De Ciuit. Dei. l. 4. c. 4. wher­unto agreeth that saying of Saint Augustine; Take away iustice, saith hee, and what are euen kingdomes themselues, but great robberies? And hee relateth a story of a fa­mous Pirate, who being apprehended, and brought be­fore Alexander the great, when the King asked him, what hee meant to trouble the sea in that manner, he replyed very stoutly and boldly; What doest thou meane to trouble the whole world? But, sayeth hee, because I doe it in a little Barke, I am called a Robber; and because thou doest it with a great Army, thou art called an Emperor. Nay indeed, oppression is farre more dangerous then ey­ther piracy by sea, or robbing by land. For Pirates and robbers, being accounted as they are, common enemies [Page 8] of all men,Vrbani praedatores viuunt, & viuunt, non ad deponendam, sed ad confir­mandam audaciam. whensoeuer they are apprehended, they are hanged vp, or put to some other death. But these City robbers, as one calleth them, they domineir in gold and purple, and liue not to lay aside, but to encrease their boldnes. And this made Diogenes laugh heartily, when he saw the Sherifes and other officers leade a poore thiefe to execu­tion, that had robbed the treasurie;Laert. in eius vita. Great theeues, saith he, leade little theeues to the Gallowes. The poore Snakes, that peraduenture for meere necessity breake a mans house, or otherwise pilfer his goods, they lie in prison,Psal. 107.10.5. fast bound in misery and yron, both hungry and thirsty, their soules fainting in them, as Dauid sayeth. But these mighty oppressors, who are the greatest theeues of all, they stretch themselues vpon their beds of yuorie, Amos, 6.4. Luc. 16.19. and with the rich glutton, are clothed in purple and fine linnen, & fare delicately euery day. Psal. 109.11. And hence it is, that Dauid by the spirite of prophesie, cursing his enemies, amongst other things, he sayth, Let the extortioner catch all that he hath. As though a man could not be worse plagued, then to fall into the handes of one of these mercilesse Op­pressors.

Last of all, it is a degree of murder: according to that saying of Sirach; The bread of the needfull is the life of the poore: Eccl. 34.22. he that defraudeth him thereof, is a murderer. For a man to depriue the poore of that wherein his life con­sisteth, is all one with God, as to take away his life it self. Nay Antisthenes the Philosopher was wont to say, that oppressors were more hurtful them common hang-men; for the hang-man putteth to death none but malefactors: but oppressors spoyle & vndoe them that are most in­nocent.

Ʋse.This doctrine then, to apply it to our times, doth serue for the iust reproofe of all oppressors whatsoeuer they be. Oppression is a most filthy bottomlesse sinke of grie­uous enormities. Lerna malorū. To rip vp all the kinds thereof were infinite: and therefore I will deale with some of the [Page 9] principall. There is oppression in the Church, and in the common-wealth. I know as Luther said wittily, It is not safe for a poore hare to preach such doctrine to these Lions, hee shall haue much adoe to escape their pawes: But whatsoeuer the Lord commandeth me, that must I speak, Ier. 1.17. I must not be afraide of any of their forces, lest hee destroy mee before them.

First then, to beginne with the Church. There is oppressiō there in those sacrilegious impropriations, wher­by the liuings of the Church are alienated to other v­ses. And this is a very great oppression: for tythes and other reuenues were giuē to the Church by our deuoute forefathers, for the maintenance of Gods worshippe, & of the Ministery of his Word; and therefore it is the more grieuous sinne for any man to incroach vpon thē.In iure fori, non in iure coeli. Aug. de vita & morib. Cler. I know they that holde them, pleade law for their de­fence. And howsoeuer their plea will hold in the court of men, yet it will not hold in the court of heauen. And yet such is the iniquity of the times, that many couetous Patrones, euen where there is no impropriation, can finde meanes eyther by vnconscionable Leases, or by sequestrati­on, to withhold the profites from the Church.

But it is in vain to spend any longer time in speaking to the belly that hath no eares. There is little hope euer to preuayle with such persons, vnlesse it please the Lord to put into the hearts of godly Princes,Nehem. 13.11.12. with good Nehe­miah, to compell them to bring their tythes againe into the house of God. VVhat a glorious worke would this bee for his Maiesty, and what a renowmed Parliament would that bee, wherein this thing might bee effected! And thus much for the first kind of oppression that is in the Church.

Secondly, there is oppression also in the Common-wealth: and that eyther in priuate affaires, or in publike iudgement. For the first, It is an ordinary thing for mighty men, & men of power, in their dealing to oppresse those that are [Page 10] vnder them. It is true, great men should be to the poore people,Isa. 32 2. & 14.6. Ezech. 22.29. as a shelter from the wind, and a couert from the tem­pest. But for the most part, they smite the people in anger with a continuall plague, and rule them in wrath, as the Pro­phet speaketh of the King of Babylon; yea they violently oppresse the poore, and vexe the needy against right? There is no spectacle more pleasant to their eyes, then the ruines of the poore. They are greater plagues and calamities to the places where they dwell, then an inundation or a fire: for, as the riuers, rising at the first of small begin­nings, and afterwards being intolerably increased, do at the last with violence beare downe all before them, and carry it away: so these couetous great men, the more they increase, the more they oppresse, and make the ru­ines of the oppressed, as it were steppes to the oppression of others. And as the fire, hauing seized first vpon one house, flyeth presently to another, and from that to a third, till, if it bee not preuented, it lay all the street euen with the ground: so these persons by cruell oppression ioyn house to house, and land to land, till there bee nothing left for the poore, but lamentable desolation: Nemo po­tentes aggreditutus potest. Sen. in Medea. So that no man can safely conuerse with, nor liue by those that are mighty.Noui ego istos Polypos, quicquid teti­gerint tenent. Plaut. in Ausul. Gen. 10 9. They are right Polypi, whatsoeuer they catch by hooke or by crooke, it is their owne. These are the great Nimrods, the mighty hunters of the earth, that hunt the poore people as the wild beasts doe their prey. These are they, that count it their glory and felicity, to play the Termagaunts ouer the poore, & to terrifie them with their power.Peruersa magnitudinis & potestatis aestimatio est, iniurijs vires metiri. Sen. de Benef lib. 1. Iob. 24.10. & 20.19. But the very heathen man could teach them, that it is a bad estimatiō of a mans greatnes and power, to measure his strength by the iniuries that hee is able to doe.

But this sinne is chiefly committed by cruell Land­lords; partly, by inclosing the Commons, and decaying tillage, whereby they take the gleaning from the hungry; yea, they vndoe many, and spoyle houses which they builded not: [Page 11] so that a man may say of them, that wheresoeuer they come, desolation and destruction are in their pathes; partly,Isa. 59.7. by racking their rents, & taking excessiue fines; & part­ly, by making their Leases voide at their pleasure: for with these menPactum nō pactū est, non pactum pactū est, quod illis lubet, Plaut. in Aulul. Isa. 3.15. Cic. in Verrem. lib. 4. that which is couenant to day, shall be none to morrow, & that which is now no couenant, shall bee a couenant when they list. By which kinde of dealing, they beat the poore to peeces, and miserably grinde their faces. And to this purpose they haue their prow­ling Bayliffes, and other Ministers, who like bloud-hounds hunt about to finde out booties for them to seize vpon. The whole land groaneth vnder this burden. The Lord gaue a commandement in the Law, Deut. 22.6. that men should not take nor kill the damme with her young: but these mercilesse persons, as much as in them lyeth, by these intolerable vexations, doe euen kill the poore mother with her chil­dren. Now the causes of all these hard courses, if any mā desire to know, are diuers. The first is ambition, when men hauing gotten a deale of wealth together, giue many hundreth pounds, to buy one degree of honour after another, to make themselues great in the world, & I know not how many thousand poundes, to aduance their daughters in marriage, to make them Ladies or great personages. Then secondly, they must lash it out, and flaunt it in all brauery of apparrell, that they may, at the least, match them of their owne ranke. And when by these meanes they haue emptyed their cofers, they must coyne new money on their poore tenants skinnes. A third cause is sumptuous building: It is one of the vani­ties of this age, that euery man, of any degree, must build like Princes: As the Prophet sayth,Ier. 22.14. They will build them great houses, and large chambers, with great windowes, & will siele them with Cedar, and paint them with vermilion. And then not onely their owne Tenants, but all the Country about them shall bee tyred out with carriages. Poore men are glad to toyle themselues and their cattell, som­times [Page 12] in the deepe of winter, yea sometimes in the midst of haruest, to bring timber or stones, or other prouision, and all for feare of a further displeasure: for if any man refuse to come at their call, they will bee sure to sit on his skirts, and to pay him home, eyther by raysing him in the Subsidy, or by doubling his charge for the warres, or one way or other. But let them remember, what the Prophet denounceth against them,Ver. 13. in the place before al­leadged: Woe be to him, saith he, that buildeth his house by vnrighteousnesse, and his chambers without equity: hee v­seth his neighbour without wages, and giueth him not for his worke. The last cause is excessiue feasting; wherein men are grown to such exceeding riot, that neyther the land, nor the sea, nor the aire is sufficiēt to furnish their tables, (though the poore get but little reliefe in many places for all this.Mat. 20.12. Psal. 127.2.) The toiling Labourer, who endureth the bur­den and heate of the day, the poore husbandman and oppres­sed Tenant, that riseth earely, and goeth late to bed, doth eate the bread of carefulnesse, and sitteth with many an hungry meale, his poore children peraduenture crying for food, and all to bring a full diet to his Landlords Table; As if these men were slaues and seruants, and not sonnes. Iob had a better conceit of those that were his seruants in­deed,Iob. 31.15. then these persons haue of their Tenants. Hee that hath made mee in the wombe, hath he not made him? These poore wretches, whom thou by thy cruell oppression causest to toyle and moyle like drudges, or else they cannot liue; are the workemanshippe of God as well as thou, and as deare to him as thou art, notwithstanding all thy greatnesse, and it may be, dearer.

Last of all, there is oppression in iudgement. But dare this vgly monster set her foule feete on the seat of Iustice? Surely, in the times of the Prophets & Apostles she durst; Else why,Iam. 2.6. sayeth Saint Iames, Doe not the rich oppresse you by tyranny, and draw you before the iudgement seates? ma­king that a meanes of oppression, which was ordained to [Page 13] be a protection of the poore. And why doth Solomon say,Eccl. 7.17. that in his obseruation hee hath seen a iust man perish in his iustice? that though he had a iust cause, yet hee hath beene cast in it.Isa. 1.23. And this the Prophet Isaiah complay­ned of in his time, that the Princes were rebellious, and companions of theeues; and that euery one loueth gifts, & 5.7. and followeth after rewards, &c. And that whereas the Lord looked for iudgement, there was nothing but oppression, and for righteousnes, & there was nothing but a crying. And the Pro­phet Amos saith,Amos. 5.7. & 6.12. that they had turned iudgement into worme-wood & gall, and the fruit of righteousnes into hemlocke. And the Prophet Zephaniah is not afraid to affirme,Zeph. 3.3. that their Princes were as roaring Lions, and her Iudges as rauening Wolues. But it may bee, the times are better now: what then mean those Prouerbs, that are so rise amongst vs? As a man is friended, so is his matter ended. And,Cui vis est, ius non metuit, ius obruitur vi. might ouer­goeth right. As Aesops wolfe said to the sheepe, when they were in contention; Thou hast a better cause then I, but I haue stronger teeth then thou. And as the Orator said of Ver­res, Pecuniosus damnari non potest. A money man can hardly be condemned, be his cause what it wil be. There were certain sacred pictures in the court as Thebes, representing the persons of the Iudges, which were al made without hands, & the chiefest of thē wāted eyes also: wherby was signified that Iudges should be free frō bribes, & void of partiality, that they should be led neither by fauor nor affectiō, that they should re­spect neither loue nor hatred in determining of causes, whether criminall or iudiciall. And let vs conceiue the best: Let vs take it for granted, that our Iudges are most incorrupt, and that, as Iustinian said, they can lift vp their hands cleane, to God, to the King, and to the law; yet wrangling Lawyers, if they may haue their wils, will cause iudgement to bee peruerted. They will conti­nue sutes, as once saith,Lites no [...] tantum lustra­les, sed & secu­lares facient. not for diuers yeares onely, but for diuers ages; that if a man should liue as long as Nestor did, and beginne a fute in his youth, hee [Page 14] should hardly make an ende of it in his olde age, nay, it is like, hee should be constrained to leaue it to his heyre to finish; and this they doe, that they may enrich themselues by spoyling their poore Clients. Is it not a grieuous oppression, to cause a poore man to come trot­ting or trudging vp hither, from the furthest part of the land, Terme after Terme, and still his cause as far from being ended, as it was at the first? he in the mean while, doth nothing but empty his purse, by paying fees, first to one,Mar. 5.26. & then to another. As it is said of the woman in the Gospell, that had beene sicke of an issue of bloud, twelue yeares, and had spent all that shee had vpon Physitians, & yet it auayled her nothing, but shee beeame much worse: So it fareth with most men that goe to law in these dayes:A. Gell. lib. 5. cap. 1. Idem lib. 11. cap. 9. for the Lawyer eyther with Protagoras, with glosing speeches will make the worse cause seeme the better, or with Demosthenes, by mercenary silence, will betray the good cause, which he hath taken vpon him to defend; or with Penelope, as much as he hath brought the cause for­ward one Terme, hee will bring as farre backe againe the next Terme: or will draw out the webbe of a suite so long, till the poore Client want weft to prosecute it; and so after all his labour and trauel, he must bee infor­ced to let it fall; or if hee doe at the last recouer, and haue the matter goe on his side, yet he shall bee no great gay­ner by the match; for as one sayeth,Maior est expensarum sumptus, quam sententiae fructus. Aelian. l. 9. c. 18 the charges of the suite are greater, then the costs that shall be awarded him. This made Themistocles say, that if a man should shew him two wayes, one to hell, the other to the barre, hee would rather chuse that that went to hell. I do not speake, nor I haue not a thought to speake against the vse of the Law. I acknowledge it as necessary for the common wealth, as the sunne is for the world:Est funda­menrum liber­tatis, fons aequi­tatis. Cic. pro A. Cluent. It is the foundation of liberty, the fountaine of equity; and as the body is without the soule, so would the commonwealth be without the Law.Est propug­naculum mu­tique tranquili­tatis, Cic. in L. Pisonem. It is the very bulwarke and for­tresse [Page 15] of our safety; the eye whereof is Prudence, the hand Fortitude, the beauty Iustice, and the foundation of it is laide in Iustice: And I doubt not, but there are many conscionable Lawyers, who deale faithfully in the cau­ses committed to their trust. But I speake against those base & degenerate professors of the law, which are a ble­mish and staine to the rest, and which, like Ʋultures, doe nothing but gape after the prey. By all these meanes the poore people are grieuously oppressed. To which, I might adde ourNon mis­sura autem nisi plena cruoris hirudo. Horat. Psal. 14.4. cutthroate vsurers, our bloud-sucking brokers, our griping extortioners, which eate vp the people as they would eate bread: but the time would faile mee. And they haue beene so often cryed out vpon, both here and in other places, as there is now no hope of their reforma­tion. They haue got them an whores forehead, Ier 3.3. as the Pro­phet sayth; they cannot be ashamed. And thus much for the first branch of the exhortation.

And defraud.) This is the second branch. As the for­mer is referred to manifest and open violence; so this is referred to fraud and deceit. [...]. Caluin ad locū. 2. Cor. 2.11. [...] 2. Cor. 7.2. [...]. 2 Cor. 12.17.18. [...], &c. The word that is here v­sed, doth signifie in the Originall, by a couetous desire to circūuent or defraud a man. And so it is vsed in other pla­ces. The Apostle applyeth it to the wiles which the Deuill vseth to beguile the godly withall; Lest, sayeth he, we should bee circumuented of Sathan: for we are not ig­norant of his enterprises. And in another place, he sayeth of himselfe; Wee haue defrauded no man, And againe, Did I make a gaine of you by any of them whom I sent vnto you? I desired Titus, & with him I sent a brother; Did Titus make a gaine of you? The meaning then of it is this; for a man by couetousnesse or other euill meanes, to rayse his owne benefite out of another mans losse.Doctrine.

From hence we obserue in the next place, that frau­dulent and deceitfull dealing is a sinne against the will of God, and cannot stand with sanctification. This is confirmed by the testimony of the Apostle to the Ro­manes, [Page 16] where reckoning vp the sinnes of them that are giuen ouer to a reprobate sense, among other things hee sayth,Rom. 1.29. 1. Pet. 2.1. they are full of deceit. And therefore the Apostle Peter exhorteth all Christians, to lay aside all guile and dis­simulation. Psal. 101.7. And the Prophet Dauid protesteth, that hee would not suffer a deceitfull person to dwell within his house. This is also confirmed by diuers reasons. First, as was said of the former sinne: so this also is against nature. And this the heathen man affirmeth;Cum duo­bus modis aut vi aut fraude fiat iniuria, fraus quasi vul­peculae, vis Le­onis videtur, &c. Cic. offic. lib. 3. Seing iniury, sayth he, is done two wayes, eyther by force or by fraud, fraud doth as it were, belong to a Foxe, and force to a Li­on: but both of them are most repugnant to the nature of man; yet of the two, fraud is worthy of greater ha­tred.

Secondly, it is against ciuill society. Man is a sociable creature. And this is the Law euen of naturall society, that whatsoeuer wee would that men should do to vs, wee bee ready to doe the same to them: and on the other side,Mat. 7.12. whatsoeuer wee would not that men should doe to vs, we do not so much as offer it to them. Otherwise, there can be no commerce, nor trafficke v­sed amongst men. For, as Thomas Aquinas sayth well, Because man is a sociable creature,2.2 ae. q. art. 3. one man naturally oweth that to another, without which, humane society cannot be preserued: but men cannot liue and conuerse together, vnlesse they may belieue, and trust one an­other, as manifesting the truth one to another.

Thirdly, it is a kinde of theft, as it is agreede vpon by the most Diuines, olde and new. Hierome writing vpon that place to the Ephesians, In Eph. 4.28. Let him that stole, steale no more, &c. hath these words, Because it is an hard mat­ter for them that are conuersant in the affairs of this life, though they bee free from other passions, Furtum nomi­nans omne quod alterius damno quaeri­tur. as fornication, &c. not to be guilty of theft: therefore now he warneth the Ephesians, that by occasion of gaine, they incurre not the danger of theft: calling that theft, whatsoeuer is got­ten [Page 17] by another mans losse. And Erasmus said, Shew mee a lyar, and a deceitfull person,Ethic. Christ. lib. 2. and I will shew thee a thiefe. And Danaeus, If any man, sayth he by craft or de­ceit procure losse and dammage to another, certainely, he is a thiefe.

Last of all, it is against Christianity, which requireth plaine and open dealing amongst men. The heathen O­rator could say,Inter bo­nos benè agier oportet & sine frauda­tione. Cic. Offic. lib. 3. Ʋse. Ier. 5.27. Amongst good and honest men, there should be good and honest dealing, and without deceit. Much more should they that professe themselues Chri­stians, be thus affected.

Here then are iustly reproued all kinds of fraudulent and deceitfull dealing. A thing so common at this day, as wee may say with the Prophet, As a cage is full of birds, so are mens houses full of deceit: thereby they are becom great and waxen rich. Now there are many kinds of this sin. I will onely insist in that which is vsed in contracts, in buying and selling: Marchants and Tradesmen haue been of olde condemned generally for couetousnesse and bad dealing: As a nayle in the wall, sayth the Wise-man,Eccl. 27, 2. stic­keth fast betweene the ioynts of the stones: so doth sinne sticke betweene the selling and the buying: whereupon among the Hebrues, a Marchant is deriued of a verbe that signifieth to deceiue. I do not deny, but that negotiation and tra­ding is good in it selfe, and very necessary for men. For God hath so ordered the matter, that as no Country, so no man, is sufficient of himselfe, but must supply his wants by buying of another. Hence innumerable be­nefites doe redound to mankind, yea, the whole world almost by this meanes is brought into a communion & fellowshippe. But now the malice of men hath filled it so full of deceitfull trickes, that many Chapmen are little better then theeues and robbers. That which was spoken of the followers of Antichrist, may bee fitly applyed vn­to them, that few doe buy and sell in these dayes, that haue not the marke of the beast, that is,Apoc. 13.17 that vse not lying [Page 18] and dissembling. They haue so many false shifts to de­ceiue those that deale with them, that if a man had Ar­gus his eyes, he should hardly secure himselfe from being ouerreached. It is not for nothing, that their trades are called Mysteries: for there is a mystery of iniquity in thē. And Crafts: for, as they vse the matter, there is little but craft and deceit in their dealing:Qui cauet ne decipiatur, vix cauet, etiam cum cauet, etiā cum cauisse ratus, saepe is cautor captus est. Plaut. in Captiu. Let a man be ne­uer so circumspect, and looke neuer so well to himselfe, yet it will goe hard, but hee shall bee fetched ouer by one tricke or other.Stobaeus ex Theopompo. It was a custome in Athens, that when men bought or solde any thing, they came before the Magistrate appointed for that purpose, and there tooke a solemne oath, that they had not dealt fraudu­lently, nor vsed any cunning or deceit. But it is farre o­therwise with vs; for both in buying & selling, euery man almost,Mic. 7.2. as the Prophet sayth, hunteth his brother with a net. As it is reported of the fish Polypus, that when shee lyeth in waite for other fishes,Aelian var hist. lib. 1. cap. 1. shee changeth her colour into the colour of the rocke, and so the fishes are caught before they be aware, in a net which by nature she hath behind her head, and can spread it at her pleasure. So doe the Trades men of these dayes, when a man commeth to them, they insinuate themselues into him, with the fay­rest and smoothest words that can be deuised: but if he take not the better heede, there is a net spred to ensnare him, and it will bee hard if he be not caught. But it will be obiected, I compell no man to buy my commodities, I onely shew them and make the price: let the buyer looke to it.Caueat emptor But the Heathen man will tell thee,In sidiae sunt tendere plagas, etsi excitaturus non sis nec a­gitaturus, &c. Cic. lib. 3. Leu 25.14. that it is bad dealing in thee, to spread a net for thy brother, though thou doest not hunt him and driue him into it; for the wilde beasts many times fall into the net that is laid for them, though no man pursue them. The Lord gaue a strait commandement vnto the Iewes, that when they solde ought to their neighbor, or bought any thing of their neighbors hand, they should not oppresse one another. But now [Page 19] there is nothing more common both in buying & selling. First for buying. It is an ordinary practise especially with great persons, that if any of their neighbours haue any commodity that lyeth fit for their vse, as Naboths Ʋine­yard did for Ahab, they must haue it from him by one meanes or other. If he be vnwilling to part with it, they will so weary him with continuall vexations, that hee shall bee constrained to sell it whether hee will or no.Ereptio est, non emptio, cum venditori suo arbitratu vendere non licet. lib. 4. in Ver. But as Tullie said well, It is rather a taking by vio­lence, then a buying, when the seller may not sell at his owne choyce. Againe, let a poore man come and of­fer any commodity to sell, the buyer will presently take aduantage of his pouerty and necessity, and make him sell it far vnder the worth. To this purpose Saint Augu­stine maketh mention of a certaine iester, who vnder­took to tel the people, what they all most desired. And when a great multitude were come together, at the time appointed, he stood vp, & said with a loud voice,Vili vultis emere, & charè vendere, de Trinit. lib. 13. cap 3. Prou. 20.14. You desire to buy cheape, and sell deare: wherunto agreeth that saying of Solomon: It is naught, it is naught, sayth the buyer, but when hee is gone, hee boasteth of his penny­worth.

Againe, in selling, they haue innumerable deceitfull trickes, and crafty deuises, whereby they set their owne soules to sale, and that with such subtilty, as a sim­ple man shall neuer discerne them, as though they had Gyges his ring, to make them goe inuisible. So that as the King of Babel sacrificed to his net: Heb. 1.16. so may these sa­crifice to their craft.

But to touch some particulars of their bad dealing. First of all, they offend by lying,—Plenius aequo laudat vaenales qui vult extrudere merces. Horat. lib. 2. Ep. whiles they set a far greater commendation on their wares, then they de­serue: for so they may gaine, though it bee by lying, they care not. They sing that song of Curio, Vincat vtilitas. Cic. Offic. lib. 3. Let pro­fite preuaile. And yet the heathen man that neuer knew God, hath taught to the shame of vs Christians, that all [Page 20] lying must bee taken from contracts.

Secondly, if lying will not serue the turne, they adde swearing and forswearing, and so, as much as in them lyeth, they make God a false witnesse.Quis metus aut pudor est vnquam pro­perantis auari? Iuuen. Sat. 14. For what sinne so haynous, which a couetous wretch, that ma­keth haste to be rich, will be eyther afrayd or ashamed to commit? They will sweare it cost them so much, and yet, rather then all fayle, they will sell it better cheape: they will sweare they giue you the buying, and they would not sell it so good cheape to another, though they neuer saw you before.

Thirdly, they sinne in inhaunsing and raysing the price of their commodities aboue measure. As the Pro­phet saith;Amos 8.5.6. They make the shekell great, that they may buy the poore for siluer, and the needy for shooes. This is the pra­ctise of them that ingrosse a commoditie into their hands when it is cheape, and keepe it vp till it be deare, that so they may sell it at their owne price. The very light of nature hath condemned this sinne: as the Hea­then Orator putteth this case to such persons;Offic. lib. 3. namely, If a man, in the time of a great dearth, bring a Ship from beyond Sea laden with corne, and know that there are a great many more Ships comming within a few dayes, if he dissemble this, and take aduantage of the present want, and sell his corne at too high a rate, hee is con­demned for hard and vniust dealing. This poynt is ve­ry well determined by Thomas Aquinas: 2. 2 ae. q. 77. art. 1. Buying and Selling (saith hee) was deuised for the common good of both parties, and in that respect, it ought not to bee a greater grieuance to one then to another: and therfore a contract ought to be made according to the equality of the thing; and that must bee measured according to the price that is giuen. And therefore, if eyther the price exceede the worth of the thing, or the thing ex­ceede the price, the equalitie of iustice is taken away: And therefore, to sell dearer, or to buy cheaper then [Page 21] the thing is worth, is in it selfe vniust and vnlaw­full.

Fourthly, they offend in shewing one thing, and selling another. And herein they are their Crafts­masters: for they haue such cunning conueyance, and sleight of hand, as a simple man cannot suspect, much lesse discerne them.

Fifthly, they sinne in vsing false waights and vniust measures; making, as the Prophet sayth,Amos. 8.5. the Ephah as small, as they make the shekel great. This is most a­bominable in the sight of God, as Solomon sayth;Prou. 11.1. False ballances are an abomination vnto the Lord. To this purpose, there was a very straite charge in the Law:Deut. 25 13.14. Thou shalt not haue in thy bagge two manner of waights, a great and a small; neyther shalt thou haue in thy house diuers measures, a great and a small: but thou shalt haue a right and iust waight: 15. a perfite and a iust measure shalt thou haue; that thy dayes may bee lengthned in the land, which the Lord thy God giueth thee: 16. for all that do such things, and all that doe vnrighteously, are abominati­on vnto the Lord thy God. And the Lord speaketh with indignation to the people of Israel: Mic. 6.10.11. Are yet the treasures of wickednesse in the house of the wicked, & the scant measure that is abominable? Shall I iustifie the wicked ballances, and the bagge of deceitfull waights? As if he should say, I will not iustifie, but condemne them. Besides, waights and measures are instruments as it were of iustice and equity; for thereby things that are vniust, should bee reduced vnto equity. And therefore if there bee any iniquity in them, it is so much the more displeasing vnto God. And looke how much men take from the iust measure, so much of the wrath and displeasure of God doe they purchase to thē ­selues. In a word therfore, let all men remember, what the Lord requireth in this case: Yee shall not do vniustly, Leu. 19.25.36. saith he, in iudgement, in metyard, in waight, or in mea­sure, [Page 22] yee shall haue iust balances, true waights, a true Ephah, and a true Hin. I am the Lord, &c. But if the waights & measures be in themselues neuer so right and iust, yet if they haue cunning trickes to falsifie them by deceit, Amos. 8.5. that a man cannot haue that hee payeth for, it is all alike odi­ous in the sight of God.

Sixthly, they sinne in selling bad and vnprofitable wares in stead of good. As the Prophet complaineth of the Iewes, Amos. 8.6. that they would sell the refuse of the wheate. It is a lamentable thing to see, what baggage stuffe Apo­thecaries and Chandlers sell to poore people, and make them pay as deare as if it were the best. And this is the generall complaint concerning sale wares, that men care not how sleightly it commeth out of their hands: and that there is nothing almost made so good, and so dura­ble as in former times.

Last of all, they sinne in concealing from the buyer, the faults of that they sell, and so suffering him to bee deluded.2. [...]ae. q. 77. art. 3 Thomas Aquinas speaketh very well to this point. It is alwayes vnlawfull, saith he, to giue to any man occasion of losse or danger. But the seller that of­fereth any thing to sell, doth herein giue the buyer oc­casion of danger or losse, in that he offereth him a thing that is faulty, if by the fault thereof hee incurre danger or losse. Losse, if for such a fault, the thing that is to bee solde, bee lesse worth, and yet hee for that fault will a­bate nothing of the price. And danger, if for such a fault the vse of the thing bee made eyther vnprofitable or hurtfull. As for example, if a man sell one a lame horse, for a swift running horse, or a ruinous house, for a strong house, or corrupted and poysoned meat, for that which is good. Whereupon, saith he, if these faults be secret & hee doe not discouer them, it is vnlawfull and fraudu­lent selling, and the seller is bound to recompence the losse. Yea, this sinne is exceedingly condemned by the heathen man.Cic. offic. lib. 3. Who seeth not, sayth hee, what a thing [Page 23] this kind of concealing is, and what a manner of man he is that vseth it? Surely, he is no plaine dealing man, no honest man, no ingenious man, no iust, no good man; but rather a subtil, a base, a fraudulent, a deceitful, a ma­licious, a cunning, a slie, and a crafty knaue. But the Chapmen of these dayes are so far from making known the faults of the commodities they sell, as that rather they doe of purpose darken their shoppes, that the buy­er cannot see what hee buyeth,Isa. 59 10. but must grope at noone day, as if it were twilight. By this practise, as one sayth well, they shew themselues to be the children of darke­nesse, and their deedes to bee the deedes of darkenesse: yea they bewray, that they haue a desire to doe euill, and to deale badly. For, as our Sauiour sayth,Ioh. 3.20. Euery man that doeth euill, hateth the light, neyther commeth to the light, lest his deedes should bee reproued. And therefore, because they loue darkenesse more then light, 19. let them take heed they heare not that wofull sentence denounced against them, Binde them hand and foote, Mat. 22.13. and cast them into vt­ter darkenesse, there shall bee weeping and gnashing of teeth. These are some of the vnconscionable practises that are vsed by Tradesmen in buying and selling, and these are so common at this day, as it is accounted a folly for any man to doe otherwise. Euery body will confesse, that plaine dealing is a Iewell, but they say, hee that vseth it, shall die a begger. Yea, they traine vp their seruants & Apprentises to these courses.Eò lauda­bilior, quò fraudulentior. Aug. confess. l. 1 And if any of them proue more cunning and crafty to ouerreach men that come into their shops, then the rest, hee is more com­mendable and better accounted of. So that by that time they haue serued out their yeares, partly by their owne inbred corruption, and partly by their Masters ill example,Mat. 23.15. as our Sauiour Christ sayde of the Iewish Proselites, they become twofolde more the children of hell, then their Masters are. And thus much for the exhor­tation, and the seuerall branches thereof. The reasons follow.

[Page 24] His Brother.) The first reason, as hath beene sayd, is included in this word, Brother, and it carrieth great force and waight with it. It was the argument that Abraham vsed to Lot: Gen. 13.8. I pray thee let there bee no strife be­tweene thee and me, for we are brethren. And it was the argument that Moses vsed to the Hebrewes that stroue together:Act. 7.26. Sirs, yee are brethren, why doe yee wrong one to another? 3. q. 28. art. 3. Now men are called Brethren, as Thomas A­quinas obserueth, foure wayes in the Scriptures: First, by nature, and that eyther by birth, as Iacob and Esau, borne both of the same Parents; or by bloud, and so all mankinde are brethren:Act. 17.26. For, as the Apostle saith; God made of one bloud all mankinde, to dwell on all the face of the earth. Secondly, by Countrey; and so the Apostle calleth the Iewes that were his Countrymen, Rom. 9.3. his Brethren. Third­ly, by Kindred, as they that come all of one stocke or li­nage: and so our Sauiour Christ is said to haue brethren and sisters; Is not this the brother of Iames, and Ioses, and of Iudas, Mar. 6.3. and Simon? and are not his sisters here with vs? And yet wee know that his blessed Mother remayned a Ʋirgin both before and after his byrth. Fourthly, by Affection. I might speake of all these, and shew the force of the argument in euery one of them: but I will insist onely in the last, which is chiefely meant in this place; and indeede it is the strongest of all the rest, and doth most of all binde vs to procure the good one of another,Eph. 2.16. Rom. 12.5. Doct. it being our coniunction with Christ our head, & then in him one with another, wherby we are al made one body, and euery one one anothers members. This then doth teach vs, that it is a grieuous sinne for one Christi­an to oppresse or defraud another. True, it is not law­full to offer violence to any man. If there were no o­ther reason, yet euen in this very respect, that hee is a man, we must not doe him any wrong, no though hee were our vtter enemy.Mat. 5.44. As our Sauiour Christ saith; Loue your enemies, doe good to them that hate you, &c. And the [Page 25] Apostle exhorteth; If thine enemy hunger, feede him, Rom. 12.20, 21 if he thirst, giue him drinke, &c. And bee not ouercome of e­uill, but ouercome euill with goodnesse. Much lesse must we hurt or harme those that are Christians, of the same pro­fession with our selues. To this purpose there are se­uen bounds set downe by the Apostle, which, if any thing will preuaile, might serue to containe vs in our duety.

There is one body, and one spirite, Eph. 4.4.5.6. euen as yee are called in one hope of your vocation. There is one Lord, one faith, one Baptisme, one God and Father of all. There is one body. As in the naturall body, there is no member more for it selfe, then for the whole; so it should bee in this mysticall body: Those that are, as it were, eyes and hands, must not oppresse the feet. There is one spirite, which is, as it were, a soule in this body, which knitteth all the members thereof a great deale nearer, then the mem­bers of the naturall body are coupled with ioynts and sinewes. There is one hope of our calling, Eph. 4.16. whereby wee are called to an inheritance in the Kingdome of hea­uen. There is one Lord, whose seruants wee all professe our selues to be. And therefore, as they that serue one Master, and liue in one house, ought not to wrong one another: no more should wee that would bee accoun­ted of Gods houshold, offer iniury to our fellow seruants. Mat. 24.49. There is one faith, whereby wee belieue the same graci­ous promises of God for our comfort. There is one Bap­tisme, wherein wee all promised before the God of hea­uen, before Angels and men, to renounce all the cur­sed deedes of darkenes. Last of all, there is one God the Father of vs all, not onely by creation, as hee is also of the wicked and vnreasonable creatures (in which respect Iob calleth the crawling wormes his sisters;) but chiefly,Iob. 17.14. by grace and regeneration, Quae si non prosunt singu­la, multa iuuāt. and wee all would bee reputed his children. There is neuer a one of these bonds, but e­uen single by it selfe, it might bee of force to tye vs to [Page 26] the good behauiour towards our brethren: but all of thē laide together, cannot chufe, if there bee any sparke of grace, but mightily preuaile with vs.

And therefore, to apply this in a word, it serueth to reproue those that breake all these bonds. Solomon saith, a threefold corde is not easily broken. Eccl. 4.12.2. But here is a greater corde; here are first, as we haue heard, foure arguments of brotherhood, Hos. 11.4. then, here are seuen bonds of loue, to tie and vnite vs in affection one towards another. And yet all these are not strong enough. There are a number of false brethren in all the former respects.Gal. 2.4. And it is hard to finde any in this age,1. Cor. 6.8. that will not doe wrong, and do harm euen to their brethren. So that as the Prophet sayth, E­uery man must take heed of his neighbour, Ier. 9.4.5. and not trust in a­ny brother: for euery brother will vse deceit, and euery friend will deale deceitfully: and euery one will deceiue his friend, and will not speake the truth: for they haue taught their tongues to speake lies, &c. Yea, many are growne to that passe, that they will deceiue their owne fathers. The sa­cred profession of religion, which ought to bee the nea­rest of all bonds, that heauen and earth can affoorde, is violated and troden vnder foote. Yea, it is too euident, that there are many, that vse their profession for a cloake of maliciousnesse. 1. Pet. 2.16. Gal. 5.13. They thinke that men will the sooner belieue and credite them fot their profession sake, and so by that meanes they doe the more dangerously de­ceiue. And hereby it commeth to passe, that the mouths of profane persons are opened against them, and the holy name & Gospell of God is disgraced: for indeed there can no greater reproch redound to the Gospell, then when they that are the professors of it, make no con­science of their dealing. According to that speech of the Apostle;Rom. 2.24. The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you. 2. Sam. 12.14. And so Nathan tolde Dauid, that by that wicked deed of his, hee had caused the enemies of God to blaspheme. For this is the property of the vngod­ly, [Page 27] that whatsoeuer they can finde amisse in a man that professeth religion, presently they impute it to the pro­fession, and to the religion it selfe. And hence it is, that Papists on the one side, and Atheists on the other side, doe exclame against vs. These are your professors, these are your Bible-bearers, these are they that will not misse a Sermon, and yet they will dissemble as deepely, & vse as much bad dealing as other men. And doubtlesse, this is that which disgraceth this famous City; that ha­uing the Gospell so plentifully as they haue, and making such a profession of religion as generally they do, yet there is so little conscience and equity in their dealing. And therefore, let them be exhorted in the feare of God, to walke answerably to their profession, that so, as the A­postle sayth, They may take away occasion, 2. Cor. 11.12. from them that de­sire occasion against them. There is nothing in the world that ought to bee so deare vnto a Christian man, no not his owne life, as the credite of the Gospell. And therefore, as wee tender it, and would bee loth to ex­pose it to contempt, by the slanderous reproaches of wicked men; let vs make conscience of our wayes; that they that speake euill of vs, as of euill doers, 1. Pet. 3.16. may be a­shamed, when they shall see our good conuersation in Christ. And thus much shall suffice briefly to haue spoken of the first reason, in this word Brother.

For the Lord is the auenger of all such.) This is the se­cond reason, which is plainely expressed. And it is taken from the vengeance of God, that they that will not bee drawne by loue, may be forced by feare. And it is added by due order to that which is supplyed out of the third verse; namely, It is the will of God, that no man oppresse or defraud his brother: for the ven­geance of God doth alwayes follow the violating of his will. Now it is to bee obserued, that the A­postle doth vse here the present time: because the Lord not onely will bee, but also hath beene in all the a­ges [Page 28] of the world, and still is at this day, the auenger of all such things.

Doctrine.From hence wee learne, that the Lord will most surely punish all oppression and fraudulent dealing, and all iniury that a man doth to his neighbour.Prou. 22.22.23 The Scrip­ture is plentiful in the proofe of this point. Solomon saith, Rob not the poore, because hee is poore, &c. For the Lord will defend their cause, and spoyle the soule of those that spoyle them. And the Lord gaue a strict charge to the people of Israel, and inforced it with a seuere threat­ning:Exod. 22.22.23.24. Yee shall not trouble any widdow nor fatherlesse child. If thou vexe or trouble any such, and so he call and cry vnto me, I will surely heare his cry. Then shall my wrath bee kindled, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wiues shall be widdowes, and your children fatherlesse. Where wee see, that the Lord will pay them home in their owne kinde. And to this purpose saith the Prophet Dauid; Psal. 12.5. Now for the oppression of the needy, and for the sighes of the poore, I will vp, sayth the Lord, and will set at liberty him whom the wic­ked hath snared. & 10.14 And in another place; Thou beholdest mischiefe and wrong, that thou mayest take the matter into thy hands: the poore committeth himselfe vnto thee: for thou art the helper of the fatherlesse. And the Apostle testifyeth, that it is a righteous thing with God, to recom­pence tribulation to them that trouble you. With men many times they are not punished,Dat veniam coruis, vexat censura colum­bas, Iuu. sat. 2. Cic. in Ver. l. 3. Col 4.1. the law taketh little holde of them. They breake through the lawes, as great flies doe through the cobwebbes: yea, such is their power & might, that no man dare call them into que­stion; yea, men had rather indure any thing, then complayne of their wrong and iniuries. But GOD who is most iust, will reuenge all iniustice: as the Apostle sayth to earthly Masters; Yee Masters, doe vnto your seruants that which is iust and equall, knowing that yee also haue a Master in heauen. Quicquid à vobis minor extimescit, Maior hoc vo­bis dominus minatur. Sen in Thyeste So it may be sayd to all great persons; See yee offer no violence to those that [Page 29] are vnder you, for there is a greater then you in heauen. According to that speech of Solomon; Pro. 23.10, 11. Romooue not the ancient bounds, and enter not into the fields of the fatherlesse: For hee that redeemeth them, is mighty, he will defend their cause against thee. Non di [...]si­mulat iniuriam filii Pater. De aduent. Dom. Serm. 1. Ecclus. 35.15. A Father (saith Bernard) will not dissemble the iniury that is done to his childe: Much lesse will our heauenly Father put vp the wrongs that are done to his children. Doe not the teares runne downe the widdowes cheekes? (saith the wise man) and her cry is against him that caused them: from her cheekes doe they goe vp vnto heauen, and the Lord which heareth them, doth accept them. There is neuer a teare, which cruel Tyrants wring from the eyes of the poore,Psal. 56.8. & 58.11. but the Lord putteth it into his bottle, and in the end he will make it appeare, that there is a God that iudgeth the earth. But not to dwell thus in the generall, let vs see how and by what meanes the Lord doth reuenge them: surely the Lord hath ma­ny wayes euen in this life to take vengeance of oppres­sours and wrongfull dealers. And first of all, by the curses of the people that are oppressed by them: For if the people will curse him that withdraweth his owne corne in the time of dearth;Pro. 11.26. much more they that by oppression take corne from the poore, shal bring many a bitter and heauy curse vpon themselues: but it may be they passe not much for this; The Foxe fareth best when he is cursed. Therefore the Lord doth punish them with infamy and disgrace, that their very names doe rot and stinke.Pro. 10.7. Their cruell and vnconscionable dealing openeth all mens mouthes against them, and maketh euery body cry out on them: it may be, not to their faces, for it is like, they haue trencher slaues ynow that flatter them,Turpe est monstrari di­gito & dicter hic est. and extoll them to the sky: but they cannot walke in the streetes, no nor ride in their Coaches, but they are poynted at, and rayled vpon. But it may be they care not much for this neyther, but rather doe boast themselues and glory in it;Quid enim saluis infamia nummis? In. sat. 1. For what is disgrace, so long as a man hath his [Page 30] bags full of money? He can sing with that old Churle in the Poet: Populus me sibilat, at mihi plaudo Ipse domi, simulac nummos con­tēplor in arca, Horat. lib. 1. sat. 1. Gen. 41.20, 21. Iob. 20.15.19. The people hisseth at mee abroad, but when I come home, and see my coffers full of coyne, I can applaude and make much of my selfe. And there­fore the Lord doth punish them sometimes with pouer­tie: that as those seuen leane kine, which Pharaoh drea­med of, did eate vp the seuen fat kine, and yet were neyther fuller nor fatter: So, though those great oppressours, by vndoing many, deuoure much substance: yet, by the iust hand of God vpon them, many times they are neuer the richer. And this the Lord threatneth by the Prophet, saying;Isa. 33.1. Woe be to thee that spoylest, and wast not spoyled, &c. When thou shalt cease to spoyle, thou shalt be spoiled: when thou shalt make an end of doing wickedly, they shall doe wickedly against thee. Hab. 2.7, 8. And in another place: As in the Sea one fish deuoureth another, and a greater commeth after and deuoureth them both: So many times it commeth to passe, that they which take delight in spoiling others, become a prey to some that are mightier then them­selues. And this commonly befalleth them who haue beene instruments of oppression vnto other men, who in the end deale with them,Sueton. in eius vita. as Ʋespasian did with his Officers; he vsed them as spunges to sucke vp the sub­stance of the poore, and when they were full, he crushed them out into his owne vessels. So true is that saying;Non ha­bet euentus sordida praeda bonos, Ouid. Amor. Basely gotten gayne neuer commeth to good.

Sometimes the Lord punisheth them with barren­nesse, that they goe childlesse to their graues, and though they gather a deale of wealth together by vn­conscionable courses, yet they haue no heyre to leaue it to when they haue done.Eccles. 4, 8. Solomon hath a saying to this purpose: There is one alone which hath neyther sonne nor brother, yet is there no end of all his trauell, neyther can his eye be satisfied with riches, neyther doth he thinke, For whom doe I trauell, Psal. 39, 6. &c. And Dauid saith; He disquieteth himselfe in vaine, he heapeth vp riches, and cannot tell who shall gather them.

[Page 31]Sometimes the Lord taketh them away by vntimely death. As Dauid sayth;Psal. 55.23. The bloud-thirsty and deceitfull men shall not liue out halfe their dayes. And hereof wee haue experience (as also of the former;) for wee see many of these vnconscionable persons, that care not how they oppresse and defraud others to inrich themselues, Die in their full strength, as Iob sayth,Iob. 21.23, 24. when their brests are full of milke, and their bones runne full of marrow.

Sometimes they are punished with a reprochful and ignominious death, the poore people insulting ouer them, as once they did ouer the King of Babel when he was dead: They tooke vp this Prouerbe against him, Isa. 14, 4, 5. and said; How hath the oppressor ceased! and the gold-thirsty Babel rested! The Lord hath broken the rodde of the wicked, and the scepter of the rulers, &c. And againe,7.10, &c. The world is at rest, and is quiet, they sing for ioy. And a little after; They cry­ed, and sayde vnto him, Art thou also become weake as we? art thou become like vnto vs? &c. It is like they shall be buried with great state, and some clawbacke or other, in a funerall sermon, Isa. 32, 5. will not sticke to commend them aboue measure, & to call the niggard liberall, & the churle bountifull: but in the meane while, the people will de­ride them. And which is worst of all, though as the Pro­phet sayth,Ezech. 32, 27. They goe downe to the graue with their weapons of warre, &c. yet their iniquity and their oppression is in their bones.

Somtimes they are punished in their posterity, which for the most part come to beggery. There is a fearefull saying in the Prophesie of Nahum. The Lion, Nahum. 2, 12, 13. sayth the Prophet, did teare in peeces enough for his whelpes, and worried for his Lionesse, and filled his holes with prey, & his dennes with spoyle. But marke what followeth: Behold, I come vnto thee, sayth the Lord, and I will burn her charrets in the smoake, and the sword shall deuoure the young Lions, & I will cut off thy spoyle from the earth, &c. wherby we see, that though great men, like Lions, spoyle and deuoure [Page 32] on euery side, yet their children shall be little better for it.Iob. 27.1 [...].14. According to that which Iob saith; This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage of tyrants which they shall receiue of the Almighty: If his children be in great number, the sword shall destroy them, and his posterity shall not be satisfied with bread. But it is worthy our obseruation, to consider what means the Lord in his prouidence vseth to bring this to passe. Many times hee taketh away the couetous father, before his sonne and heyre come to age, at least before hee come to discretion to mannage his estate; and then my young Master lasheth it out, and can stand on no ground,Quodcun­que profunda Traxit auaritia luxu peiore refundit. Claudian. till with a forke he haue cast abroad al that his father gathered together with a rake. We need not goe farre for instances in this case. There hath been sufficient experience of it in this City. Haue not your eyes seene mountaines of wealth, heaped vp by vniust courses, sodenly thawed away like yce before the sunne, and melted like waxe, when it hath felte the heate of the fire? And this is that which is spoken in our common Prouerbe;Malê parta, malê dilabun­tur. Euill gotten goods are euill spent. Nay a small thing that is euill gotten, will by the iust iudge­ment of God proue a canker, to waste and consume a great deale that is well gotten.Rarò gaudebit tertius haeres. And though peraduen­ture, this proue not true in the first heire, yet such goods doe seldome continue to the third generation.

Another punishment that God inflicteth vpon such persons, is this, that their prayers are not heard. As the Lord himselfe threatneth them:Isa. 1.15. Though yee make many prayers, I will not heare, because your hands are full of bloud. And Sirach sayth well to this purpose;Eccl. 34.25. When one prayeth, and another curseth, whose voyce will the Lord heare? How then can they looke to haue their prayers heard, when a great number of those whom they haue oppressed, doe cry for vengeance against them? If a man should come before an earthly Iudge to craue fauour for himselfe, & a multitude of poore men, with their wiues and children [Page 33] should fall on their knees before the Iudge, & complain what wrong and iniuries he hath done vnto them, the iudge would neuer respect him; much lesse can such persons looke for any fauour at Gods hand, so long as the cry of the oppressed is in his eares.

Sometimes they are punished with a guilty consci­ence, as one sayth well, They haue gaine in their cofers;Lucrum in arca, damnum in conscientia, &c. Rom. 2.5. but losse in their conscience; yea gaine that is vniustly come by, is a wofull treasury. Such persons doe treasure vp to themselues wrath against the day of wrath, &c. Euery penny that is hoorded vp by sinnefull courses, will bring with it in the end a pound of horror of consci­ence. These are the punishments wherewith God ta­keth vengeance on oppressors and fraudulent persons in this life. And though it should fall out, that they should escape all these,1. Cor. 6.9.10. yet there is a farre worse af­ter this life; and that is, they shall for euer bee exclu­ded out of the Kingdome of heauen. And therefore let mee vse that exhortation of the Prophet Dauid vnto them; O consider this, you that forget God, Psal. 50.22. lest he teare you in peeces, and there be none to deliuer you: For as the A­postle saith;Heb. 10.31. It is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the liuing God.

But it may bee they will obiect: They hope to doe well inough for all this; They will doe some deedes of Charity when they die: they will build an Hospitall or an Almes house, or some way or other relieue the poore, and that shall make amends for all. But let all such per­sons know, that the Prophet maketh this a speciall pro­perty of a godly man, to giue his own bread to the hungry. Ezech. 13.7. Vpon which place Hierom wel obserueth, that the Pro­phet doth sufficiently say, his own bread, lest mē should turne bread gotten by oppression and vsury, into a work of mercy; As wee see many doe, sayth he, who oppresse by their power, or commit theft, that of much they may giue a little to the poore; and the Minister may make [Page 34] mention of their names among the benefactors. They please themselues in the applause of the people, when their conscience stingeth and vexeth them within. I do not deny, but the poore may be much relieued & com­forted by this means: but whether it will be acceptable to God or no, that is the question Barnard hath a sweet saying to this purpose:Non rece­pit Eleemosy­nas de manu raptoris aut foeneratoris. Credo non redolebant lilia manus illae; & propte­rea respuebat munus exillis, qui pasci inter lilia consueuit, & non inter [...] spinas in Cant. Serm. 71. God receyueth not, saith hee, any almes at the hands of an oppressor, or an vsurer; I thinke his hands do not smell of lilies, but of thorns, and therefore hee refused to take a gift from them, who feedeth among the lilies, and not among the thornes. Yea Plinius Secundus, though an heathen man, speaketh very grauely concerning this point.Pauperes non vt ferarum catuli sanguine & caedibus muriendi: quodque gra­tissimum est accipientibus, scient dari sibi quod nemini est ereptum. Paneggyr. ad Traianum. Prou. 3.9. Ephes. 4.28. The poore, saith he, are not to be fed like the whelpes of wilde beasts, with bloud and murther. But then is a gift most accep­table to them that receiue it, when they know that that which is giuen to them, is not taken from some body els. VVhen a man shall thinke, this meat that I eate, was taken out of the mouthes of ma­ny fatherlesse children: this gowne or this apparrell that I weare, was taken from the backs of the poore: and hee that prouided this harbour and lodging for mee, turned many poore people out of dores, it can­not bee so comfortable vnto him as otherwise it would. And therefore Solomon exhorteth men to ho­nour the Lord, but, with their owne riches. And the A­postle would haue men to leaue stealing, and to worke with their hands the thing that is good, that they may haue to giue to him that needeth. That that is giuen to the poore, must not bee gotten by vnlawfull means, but by honest labour: for as Saint Augustine sayth well,Quale est illud munus quod alter cum gaudio accipit, alter cum la­chrymis a­mittit? What a manner of gift is that, which one receyueth with ioy, and another loseth with griefe? When Da­uid made prouision for building the Temple, and saw how chearefully the Princes offered thereunto, he ma­keth a solemn thanksgiuing to God, & acknowledgeth [Page 35] that they had first receiued all from God.1. Chr. 29.14. Of thine owne hand, sayth he, haue wee giuen thee. That which men giue to God, they must first receiue of Gods hand, and not of the deuils hand. For if it be vniustly gotten, it is so farre from pacifying, as it will rather prouoke the wrath of GOD against them,Luc. 19.8. vnlesse with good Zacheus they first make restitution. And therefore to conclude this point; let mee say vnto them, as Da­niel sayde to the King of Babylon; Dan. 4.24. Let my counsell bee ac­ceptable vnto them, let them breake off their sinnes by righ­teousnesse.

As wee haue tolde you before & testified.) This latter reason is confirmed by the Apostles former testimony; he had before seriously reproued them for these sins, & had denounced the iudgements of God against thē. Frō this constancy of the Apostle, we that are the Ministers of the Word, are taught, that we must not coldly and re­missly reproue mens sins, but oppose the threatnings of the Word, & the vengeance of God against them.Isa. 58.1. This the Lord cōmanded the Prophet Isaiah; Cry aloud, spare not, lift vp thy voyce like a trumpet, & shew my people their transgression, & the house of Iacob their sins. Ministers must be (as Christ called Iames & Iohn) Boanerges, that is,Mar. 3.17. the sons of thunder: they must thunder and lighten against vngodlnesse and sinne. And therefore the Apostle gi­ueth Timotheus a strait charge,2. Tim. 4.2. that in preaching of the Word, he improue, rebuke, &c. Tit. 2.15. And he commandeth Titus to rebuke with all authority. And againe, he sayth to Ti­motheus, Them that sinne, rebuke openly, 1. Tim. 5.20. that the rest may feare. The reason is euident. For such is the dulnes of mēs nature, that of themselues they are not affected with any sense of Gods iudgements: yea they are so blinded with selfe loue, & so hardned with the deceitfulnes of sinne, that willingly they wil not acknowledge themselues to be sinners. And therefore, the Minister must pull the vi­zard from their faces, and hold the glasse of Gods lavv [Page 36] before them whether they will or no, that so they may see their sinnes, and the vengeance due vnto them. Thus did the Prophet Nathan with Dauid, when hee lay in his sin for a time without repentance; he telleth him plaine­ly,2. Sam. 12.7, 8, 9. Thou art the man, thus and thus hath God blessed thee, and thus and thus hast thou rewarded him; & therefore thus and thus will the Lord be reuenged of thee. And thus did the Apostle Peter with those secure & careles Iewes, who for the space of fifty dayes were not so much as once touched for their sin; he laboureth to conuince their consciences, that they had imbrued their hands in the bloud of the sonne of God.

Vse 1 This doctrine hath a twofold vse. First, it serueth to reproue those flattering Ministers, who onely preach pleasing and smooth things vnto the people,Isa. 30.10. and sing them a song of mercy onely, without any mention of iudgemēt; who sow pillowes vnder mens arme-boles, Ezech. 13.18. as the Prophet speaketh, to make them sleepe more securely in their sins.1. Thess. 2.5. The Apostle Paul tooke another course with this people; for he taketh themselues to witnesse, that hee neuer vsed flattering words. And speaking of the abuses & corruptions, which the Corinthians had brought into the Lords Supper: 1. Cor. 11.22. What shall I say to you sayth he, shal I praise you in this? Stapleton Domini. in 3. quadrages. I prayse you not: whereupon, one, though o­therwise none of the best, sayde very well; They are Ministers of Satan, that dare promise peace to a wicked man without repentāce. And it is the greatest deceiuing that can be, to secure a man that liueth in the state of sinne.

Vse 2 Secondly, it serueth to reproue all such hearers of the word, as cannot endure that the Minister should de­nounce threatnings of Gods iudgements against their sinnes.Ezech. 13.10. Ier. 6.14.15. So long as the Minister doth daube with vntem­pered morter, so long as he will heale their hurt with sweet words, and stroke their head in their sinnes, so long as hee will not open his mouth against their sinnes, but ra­ther [Page 37] will giue them a placarde to continue in them; yea it may be, wil runne with them to the same exercise of ryot; 1. Pet. 4, 4. hee is a Preacher for their tooth, then they loue him & commend him: but if in conscience of his duety, hee will rebuke them sharpely, and not suffer them to sinne, Leu 19.17. then they cry out of him, as they did of the Prophet Ieremy, Ier. 15, 10. to be a contentions man, and a man that striueth with the whole earth. Thus did Abab with Michaiah; 1. Reg. 22, 8. There is (sayth he) another Prophet, but I hate him, for hee doth not pro­phesie good vnto me, but euill. I can neuer heare him, but he vexeth me; he is alwayes telling me of my sinnes. And the Apostle sayth, that the Galatians accounted him their enemie, because hee tolde them the truth. Yea,Gal. 4, 16. if it be possible, they will finde some cauill or other against their doctrine, that so they may accuse them as enemies to the State. As Amasiah that false Prophet complay­ned of Amos, that hee had conspired against the King, Amos. 7, 10. & that the land was not able to beare his words. And if their words will serue, hee shall hardly escape without vio­lence. As Ieroboam, when the Prophet threatned Gods iudgements against him for his idolatry, hee cryed,1. Reg. 13, 4. Lay holde on him. And Amasiah sayde to another Prophet in the like case, Haue they made thee the Kings Counseller? cease, why should they smite thee? But this is a more grieuous sinne, then men are aware of. Solomon sayth,Prou. 29, 1. A man that hardneth his necke when hee is rebuked, shall suddenly bee de­stroyed, and cannot be cured. And doubtlesse, the time wil come, that they shall curse the time, that euer they gaue credite to flattering Preachers. As the Church complai­neth in the Lamentations, Thy Prophets haue looked out vaine and foolish things for thee, Lament. 2, 14. they haue not discouered thine iniquity, to turne away thy captiuity, &c. Confessing, that if their Prophets had dealt sincerely with them, and brought them to the sight of their sinnes, they had repented of them, and so had not gone into cap­tiuity. Nay, it is the greatest token of Gods anger that [Page 38] can be, when he sendeth such clawbacke Ministers vnto a people.Hos. 9.7. As the Prophet plainely sheweth; The dayes of Ʋisitation, saith he, are come, the dayes of recompence are come; Israel shall know it. And because the people might obiect; Our Prophets tell vs otherwise, they perswade vs, that God is a mercifull God, and that hauing set his loue vpon vs, to make vs his peculiar people, hee will not thus reiect and cast vs off: Therefore the Prophet meeteth with them in the next words, Doth your Pro­phet, Zanch. in locū. sayth he, tell you so? then the Prophet is a foole, and the man of the spirit, (that is, the false Prophet, that boa­steth he hath the spirit of God, and that hee speaketh by it) is mad. And whereas they might obiect further, Why then doth the Lord send vs such Prophets? He answereth, that for the multitude of their iniquities, there­fore the hatred of God is great against them. And there­fore,Heb. 13.22. to shut vp all in a word, let vs be perswaded to suf­fer the words of exhortation. And howsoeuer it may bee harsh and vnpleasing at the first, yet if euer it please God to bring vs to repentance, then as Solomon sayth,Pro. 28.23. Hee that rebuketh a man, shall finde more fauour at the last, then hee that flattereth with his tongue.