The Debt Book, Chapter 10
CHAP. 10. Directions for auoiding of Debt that it breake not vponupon our estate.
AS it is eaſier to keep out then to caſt out an enemy, ſo it is eaſier to keep debt out of our ſtate, then to remoue it hauing entred. The firſt and faireſt way to auoide debt that it breake not in vponupon vsus, page missing and pouertie is not ſought vntounto; it is the Lord that maketh poore and that maketh rich, 1. Sam. 2. 7. There is a curſe vponupon idleneſſe though men be rich, as in Sodom; vponupon negligence and ſecuritie, as in the men of Laiſh, Iudges 18, 27. A curſe vponupon vnlawfull practiſes though men be induſtrious, as in Iehoiachim, whom God would not bleſſe though he vſed all indeuour of heart and hand to get riches, Ierem. 22. Yea, there may be a curſe vponupon the laborious, euen in lawfull things, if God be not firſt and chiefly ſought and ſerued by ſuch as profeſs religion, as Haggay 1. vponupon the children of the Captiuity, for building their owne houſes at their returne to Ieruſalem, and neglecting the Lords houſe; for this cauſe they ſowed much, but reaped little; they did eate, and were not ſatisfied; they did drinke, and were not filled; they were clothed, but not warmed; they earned wages, but were not enriched. Yet at laſt, when they fell ſeriouſly to the worke of God, then hee returned graciouſly with his bleſſing vponupon them. Hag. 2. 19. The way then to auoid both debt, and other conſuming miſeries, is faithfull induſtry in a lawfull calling, which God vouchſafeth to crowne with his bleſſing, where the ſeruice is chiefly entended and done vntounto him.
Men of great eſtate and means are often indebted, Vſque ad ſtuporem, euen vntounto aſtoniſhment; for, where ſhould there be water, if not in the riuers? will you ſeeke it in ditches, which hauehave no ſpring to feed them? Where ſhould there bee plenty, if not among men of great poſſeſſions and reuennues? will you ſeeke it among thoſe who hauehave no ſuch ſtanding helpes to yeeld them ſupply? Yet, ſometimes theſe men of great poſſeſſions, are full of nothing elſe but debt; and why ſo? Gods iudgment is vponupon them, either for an idle, or an vnprofitable life; or, for actiuity and forwardneſſe in vanities and voluptuouſneſſe; or, for a heauy and diſmall hand in ſacriledge and oppreſſions; or, for neglecting the worke and ſeruice of God, when they will not miſſe a minute in aduancing their owne. But this they will not ſee, leſt they ſhould turne to him that ſtriketh: *Eſay 42. 25God powred vponupon Iſrael the fury of his anger, and the ſtrength of battell, and it hath ſet him on fire round about, yet he knew not; and it burned him vp, yet he conſidered not: That is, he tooke no notice that this was Gods iudgment, and that his ſinne had deſerued it: ſo is it with theſe men, they ſee themſelues conſumed, but will not be brought to lay thoſe ſinnes diſtinctly to heart, for which they ſuffer and are conſumed.
A ſecond way for the auoiding of debt is, diſcreet and honeſt thriftineſſe: Vectigal magnum parſimonia; Frugality is a great reuennue: the great ſaueurs are the rich men: hee that hauing gotten great abundance of wealth, by induſtry or patrimonie, will ſpend exceſſiuely & ryotuſly aboue his meanes, though hee bee rich, will quickly come to pouerty; and thereupon Prodigalls are commonly termed, Decoctores, Heluones, Gurgites, Speadthrifts, vnſatiable waſters, and deuourers; ſuch men wil neuer keep out of debt. It is noted of the Roman Common-wealth, that it periſhed and flouriſhed by thriftineſſe and vnthriftineſſe: vnderunder the Bruti, the Fabritij, the Cincinnati, the Scipioes, frugall and moderate men, contemners of voluptuouſneſſe, it was moſt flouriſhing; but, Abundantes voluptates diſſiderium Liuius lib. 1per luxum & libidinem, pereundi perdendique omnia invexêre; Superfluities of pleaſures brought in a deſire of ſpilling and ſpoiling all by luxurie and wantonneſſe, and then the State declined from the former eminencie of brightneſs; *Prou. 21. 27Hee that loueth paſtime ſhall bee a poore man, and he that loueth wine and oyle ſhall not be rich: Voluptuouſneſſe & vnthriftineſſe will make a rich man poore, and a poore man penurious.
This makes the Prodigall hang in the Mercers booke for his clothes, in the Taylors note for making, in the Butchers ſcore for his meate, and in his ſeruants debt for wages; and when thus many hands come to rifle one, they will quickly make an empty purſe. Yet let all theſe Prou. 27. 22.hands bray the vnthrift as wheat is braied in a morter with a peſtill, and his folly will not depart from him till it bee too late to ſpare when all is ſpent. As Adams Gen. 23. 24▪intemperance in not abſtaining from the forbidden fruit did caſt him out of Paradiſe into a vale of teares, ſo riotous waſtfulnes in any kind, be it in meate, drinke, apparell, building, gaming or any other courſe of voluptuouſnes, is able to caſt a man out of plenty into penury, and out of a free and comfortable eſtate into debt and danger.
A third way to auoid debt, is a ſeuere watch ouer our word and promiſe. Promiſe is debt, and muſt bee performed though to our hindrance. Faithfulneſſe in promiſes is the bond of humane contracts; Fides inde dicta, quia fit quod dicitur; So called Fidelity, becauſe that which is ſaid is fulfilled. Circumſpect promiſes are of vſe I know to aſſure true mens words, to ſecure good mens hopes, to encourage induſtry, and make it liuely in well-doing; but then wee muſt beware wee bee not like Antigonus, foreign That will giuegive; ignominiouſly ſo called, becauſe forward in promiſing, but ſlacke in performing. Promiſes are as vowes, much better neuer made, then not made good: Facile ex amico inimicum facies cui promiſſa Hier. ad Celantiam.non reddas; One may eaſily make of a friend a foe, to whom he keepes not promiſes: yet what man almoſt is there of any competent ſtate, ſo cautelous and wary that is not ſometimes ſnared in his words, & ouertaken with vnaduiſed ſuretiſhippe. Yet Salomon tells vsus; that, He Prou. 11 15is vtterly quaſht in peeces that is ſurety for a Stranger: It is the rocke on which many make ſhipwracke of credite and: Sponſioni non deeſt iactura; Stipulation is not without loſſe accompanying: it was the Symbolum, or memorable word of Chilo the Lacedemonian; Sponde, noxa praſto eſt: Paſſe thy promiſe, and forthwith enſues ſome hurt, ſaid a greater then hee. I know we ſhould *Gal. 6. 2.beare one anothers burthen, and ſo fulfill the law of Chriſt, euen of charity; but to beare anothers burden till I ſinke vnderunder mine own, is no charity but folly; and to pull another out till my ſelfe ſticke faſt, is no diſcretion but deſtruction both to mee and mine: now, hee that promiſeth for himſelfe more then hee can performe, or becomes ſuerty for another in more then he makes account to pay (if the principall debtor fayle) he is ſnared in his words, he Prou. 6. 1, 2is taken in the words of his owne mouth, nor dare I in all caſes excuſe his conſcience.
Fourthly, hee that will auoid the troubles of debt, muſt reſerue ſomething in ſtore againſt caſuall euents; I ſpeake not of publike iudgments, as war or famine, wherewith God viſits a Nation in his anger, which are much more preuented or mitigated by repentance and prayer, then by any ciuill policy, but of priuate caſualties, daily incident vponupon the perſons or ſtates of men; in regard whereof, a man deſirous to liue out of debt, muſt reſolue to ſpend within his compaſſe, that he may hauehave ſomewhat more in readineſſe then from hand to mouth. What if ſickneſſe come, and make one the Lords priſoner, and binde his hands from diſpenſing his owne affaires? What is more ordinary? Da mihi corpus quod nunquam languerit, Hieron aduer. Pelagianos lib 3.aut quod poſt languorem perpetua ſanitate ſecurum ſit; Shew me the body that neuer languiſhed, or that is ſecure after ſickneſſe recouered. So long as corporall diſeaſes are ſpirituall remedies, God will hereby draw vsus to the Phyſitian of our ſoules. Suppoſe loſſes come in the houſe or in the field, Spem mentita ſeges, bos eſt Horat. epist. lib. 1. epiſt. 7enectus arando; The crop anſwers not the coſt, or the expectation, the cattell are killed with working, or the like, no man hath a perpetuall gale of proſperity. Deus faelicitatibus Auguſt. in Mat. Serm. 29.terrenis amaritudines miſcet, vt alia quaeratur faelicitas, cuius dulcedo non eſt fallax; God mingleth bitterneſſe with earthly proſperity, that another happineſſe may be ſought, whoſe ſweetneſſe is not fallacious.
Suppoſe Suites at Law come, which to ſome are ineuitable, for neceſſary defence of innocency and patrimony, and yet are alwaies coſtly, whether one winne or loſe the thing in queſtion; and dangerous for breeding anger, *Aug. ep. 87.which corrupts the heart as vinegar doth the veſſell wherein it doth continue. Suppoſe a mans charge be multiplied and encreaſed by number of children, poore, friends, ſtrangers, by frequent penſions and ſeruices to the Church or Common-wealth; ſuppoſe any of theſe, or many of theſe doe fall vponupon a man that is not prouided before hand for them, hee cannot chuſe but runne in debt, he muſt borrow where he can; and lending vponupon any tollerable termes is in a manner out of date. Let eueryevery man therfore ſo husband the opportunity of thriuing and plenty, as wiſe-men doe of Vintage and Harueſt againſt harder times enſuing, leſt the ſtorme ariſing from the mutability and viciſſitude of earthly tranſitory things, ouerwhelm him with debt, as the whirle-winde doth the vnwary Traueller vponupon the Alpes with ſnow.
Laſtly, there are baites to catch the moſt thriuing & circumſpect men in the ſnares of debt; Ouer-purchaſing, and ouertrading: and, which is a conſequence of theſe, vſurious contracts. Ouer-purchaſing, and Ouer-trading are delightfull burdens, if a man can bear them without ſtraining conſcience or credite, or, without hazarding the principall, to compaſſe the ouerpluſſe; yet, becauſe the ayming at ſuperfluities and exceſſes, is but the fruit of an inordinate appetite, it were better to reſtraine both our actions and affections, to that which wee are able to wield, then to runne ſo greedily vponupon the world: Qui periculoſior est blandus, quam Auſt. Epiſt. 144.moleſtus; Which is more dangerous, when it flatters vsus, then when it afflicts vsus? When it allures vsus to louelove it, then when it compells vsus to deſpiſe it: He that 1 Ioh. 2. 15.loueth the world, and the things of the world, the louelove of the father is not in him. Why then ſhould wee ſo wilfully and ſo eagerly embrace the world? the moderate louelove whereof, as it is an alienation from God, and from the comfortable refreſhings by the light of his countenance: ſo, inſteed thereof, it caſts vsus vponupon the mercies of the cruell, the Vſurer I meane; Qui alienas negotiatur miſerias, & lucrum ſuum alterius aduerſitatem facit; The Vſurer, I ſay, whoſe trafficke and trade it is to make men miſerable, and to raiſe his gaine out of other mens aduerſitie, he is ſaith Chriſoſtome, Quaſi manum ſuſcipiens Hom. 6. in Matth.& in naufragium impellens; As a man taking one by the hand to pull out of the water, but kicking him backe againe to the ſhipwracke of his ſubſtance, and of himſelfe, which is a rude and a barbarous part in any, to hurt infallibly, whom he pretends to helpe. This is one of the bitter potions which the world reacheth forth to Ouer-purchaſers, and Ouer-traders, which they are forced to drinke to the very dregges, when they cannot bee content to walke within their compaſſe. As a man cannot touch pitch but bee defiled therewith: ſo hee cannot deale with Vſury without detriment, ipſo facto, the firſt moment.