The Drunkards Character, Section 160
§ 160.
FOurthly,4. He cares more for a little muck to leave behind him, then for soule or bedy. vertue is in farre lesse esteeme with the cunning Politician, then riches. As it fares with a naturall foole, he is so farre from selling all that he hath, to buy the rich Pearle of faith, with the wise Merchant, Matth. 13. 46. that he will sell this rich Pearle, and all other grace to boote, to purchase the triviall commodities of white and red earth; and good reason, as temporising States-men, politicke Machevilians, and hypocriticall Ambidexters thinke, who make a shew of Religion, but in their hearts laugh at it; he knowes no other coyne, he desires no other stampe; yea, to be rich, thinkes this worldling, is to be three parts of the way on-ward to perfection. Indeed, gold is the onelyonly coverlet of imperfections, t'is the fooles curtaine, that can hide all his defects from the world, yea, from himselfe: for though he have a want of all good, and which is worse, a sense of want of that want, yet he thinkes himselfe in a very good estate and so much neerer to Heaven, for having abundance of earth.
And yet if God did not give to some of them their riches in wrath he would not deny them the use of their owne; as how often are men baser by being wealthier, like Pierce Gavistone, who (as the Chronicle reports) the more he was enriched, the worse was his estate; or whether it be, that they have not so much wit, as to know their money will buy them all necessaries of meate, drinke, apparell, and the like; or whether, by a just judgment of God, the Devill makes them his drudges, to get and bring him in gold (as the King of Spaine doth the poore Indians) that he may keepe it in banke, for the next prodigall to spend, as ill as the other got it, (as how oft is that spent upon one Christmas revelling, by the Son, which was fourty yeares a getting, by the Father?) I know not; but sure I am, that though with that Priest, 2 King. 12. 9. they can put a world of gold and silver into their chests, yet they cannot take it out againe, to doe themselves good; for the Devill keepes the key, as Iehoash the King of Israel did of that chest, vers. 10.
So that a covetous griper is like Tantalus, who standeth up to the chin in water, and hath all kinds of fruits hanging over his head, but is not suffered to tast them. Or like an Asse, who is laden with gold, but feeds upon thistles. Or like the Indians, who though they have all the gold amongst them, yet are the most beggerly and naked people alive. For what is he other then a rich begger, or a begger in the midst of his riches, when upon all his estate there is set a spell, and his wealth sayes to him in effect, touch not, tast not, handle not?
But O fooles incomparable! Aristippus cared onelyonly for the body, as if he had had no soule: Zeno but for the soule, as if he had had no body: Achitophel for his family alone, as if he had had neither body, nor soule of his owne to care for: but these care neither for soule, nor body, nor family, (for he both tyres and starves them) but for a little mucke to leave behind them.
Fiftly, as a foole can finde in his heart to be surety for a stranger,5. Hee ca… finde in his heart to goe to He… so his son … be left rich. yea, yeild himselfe to Prison for anothers enlargment, Pro. 17. 18. so the politick worldling, and cruell oppressor, can finde in his heart to goe to Hell for another; he will damne his owne soule, to leave his Sonne rich: yea, what a deale of paines and care doth the covetous man take, for his owne damnation, he scarce weares a good garment, or eates a liberall meale, or takes a quiet sleepe, but torments himselfe to get that, for getting whereof he shall be tormented: so himselfe is voluntarily miserable here, and elsewhere, that others may be happy.
And yet let him, with Pope Iohn the 22. leave behind him 250. Tunnes of gold, even all this will not make his Sonne happy, 'its well, if it make him not more unhappy.
No, neither it, nor the whole world, without grace, shall ever make him contented: as it fared with Alexander, who having conquered this world, was troubled that there was no more worlds, for him to conquer.
Besides, in a short time, this Sonne of his must part with his wealth also: for either his r…ches shall be taken from him, as they were from Iob, or else he from his riches, as the rich man was from his substance and wealth.
Wherefore it were more policy a great deale, for him to make his Sonne good, then great; for godlinesse is great gaine, as the Apostle well phraseth it, 1 Tim. 6. 6. because it gaines God himselfe, and so his blessing upon all outward meanes, Hagg. 1. 6. &c. O that thou hadst the wit, to know how, when all is done, to be saved; and to have thy children saved, is the best plot, to know that the Proverbe, which saith, Happy that child, whose father is gone to the Devill, is farre from being Canonicall.
Sixtly and lastly,6 H… … trifles before things of greatest worth. he estemes not of things according to their true value, but preferreth bables and trifles, before things of greatest worth; which is the most remarkable property of a naturall foole, that is.
As Iudas preferred thirty peeces of silver before Him that was the price of the world, and ransome of mankinde: so the Politician preferres earth, yea, Hell, to Heaven; time, even a moment of time, to eternity; his body, before his soule. (which if a man have once lost, he hath nothing else to loose) yea, his outward estate, before either soule or body.
Whereas the godly care for the soule, as for the cheife jewell and only treasure; and for the body, for the soules sake; and for this world, for the bodies sake, and settle their inheritance in no land, but the land of promise, their end being to possesse a kingdome without end. They are not like Shebna, who built his Sepulcher in one countrey, and was buried in another: but like our English Merchants, that traffique in Turkie, and get wealth in Turkie, yet plant not in Turkie, but transport for England. Gods people are not like the first Indians, that hang'd Bugles at their eares, while they left their gold on the dunghills. It cannot be said of them, as it may of the most, that they worship the golden Calfe; because they consider, that pecunia the world's Queene (I meane that world, whereof the Devill is King) extends her regiments but to the brim of the grave, and is not currant one step farther. Yea, they are so farre from being of these mens minds, who are of Alexander's mind (who (as the Philosopher said) yesterday the whole world did not content him, now ten cubits containe him) that they thinke him none of the wisest, who being askt, whether he would rather be Socrates, or Croesus, the one, an industrious and painfull Philosopher, the other▪ 2 man flowing in all abundance; was so discreete as to answer, that for this life he would be Croesus, but for the life to come Socrates.
But to returne to the worlds wiseman, let him be offered his choice (as oftimes he is) whether he will forgoe himselfe, I meane his faith, which is the summe of all, or such a booty: he will forgoe his faith, and consequently his soule, himselfe, and all that is truely his; like the foolish Ma…iner, that seeing a fish in the Sea, leaps into the water to catch that, which, together with his life, he looseth: or like Narcissus, who to embrace his shadow, drowned himselfe: yea, set life and death before him, as Moses did before the Israelites, Deut. 30. 15. 19. 20. and withall shew him, from Matth. 25. 46. that this life offered is eternall felicity, that death threatned everlasting woe, and misery, which words are of such extent, that as a worthy Writer hath it, though all the men that ever have, or shall be created, were, Briareus-like, hundred handed, and should at once take pens in their hundred hands, and should do nothing else, for ten hundred thousand millions of yeares, but summe up in figures, as many hundred thousand millions as they could, yet never could they reduce to a totall, or confine within number this trisillable word (e-ter-nall;) or that word of foure sillables (e-ver-last-ing) and then bid him choose which of the two hee likes best, his heart, which is harder than an Adamant, will make answer, take Heaven, Paradise, that eternal felicity, and future happines, who will, it is good for me to be rich and happy while I live: much like Cardinall Burbonius who said, hee would not leave his part in Paris, for his part is Paradise: or, Themistocles, who was not ashamed of this damnable speech in his mouth, If a man should shew me two severall wayes, the one leading to Heaven, the other to Hell; of the twaine I would choose the latter: wherin he is more sottish, then the Indians; and more heathenish, then the infidels of Florida, Virginia, New-England, and Kanida, who for a Copper Kettle, and a few toyes, as Beades and Hatchets, will depart from the purest Gold, and sell you a whole country, even the houses and ground which they dwell upon; for the whole world is not worth one soule.
But worldly hearts are penny wise, and pound foolish; Worldly men are penny wise and pound …oolish.they know how to set high prises upon the worthlesse trash of this world, but for heavenly things, or the God that owes them, this they shamfully under-value: like Iudas, who valued Mary's oyntment, which she bestowed upon the feet of Christ, at three hundred peeces of silver, and sold his Master on whom that odor was spent, at thirty: And this is one reason. As the affection which an adulterer beareth to a strumpet, doth exceedingly diminish the love, which he should beare to his lawfull wife, so the love that wicked men beare to these vain, and transitory things, wondrously diminish that zeale and affection, which they should bear towards Christ and heavenly things.
But it is farre otherwise with the godly;But it is otherwise with the godly. for as they that are after the flesh, savour the things of the flesh: so they that are after the Spirit, savour the things of the Spirit: and our opinion onelyonly endeareth and increaseth the price of things. When one boasted how faire a shee-slave hee had bought for a pound; another made reply, that she was to deare, of a groat. Commodities are but as they are commonly valued. Now because transitory things, in the next life, beare no value at all; and because there is nothing firme under the firmament, they hold it very good coveting what they may have, and cannot leave behind them. And though others most love, what they must leave; and think that money will buy any thing, like foolish Magus, who thought the Holy Ghost himselfe might be had for money; or the Divell, who presumed that this bait would even catch the Son of God; yet the wise and religious can conceive no reason, why it should bee so doted upon, as it is; especially, since riches can no more put off the Gout, or asswage griefe, or thrust out cares, or purchase grace, or suspend death, or prevent hell, or bribe the divell, then a Satten sleeve can heale a broken Arme.
They think it the best purchase, that ever was in the world, to buy him who bought them; in comparison of whom, all things are drosse and dung, as S. Paul speaks Philip. 3. 8. for if we once have him, wee have all things: If, saith Paul, God hath given us his own Sonne, how shall he not with him give us all things also? Rom. 8. 32. and againe, 1 Corinth. 3. All things are yours, whether it be Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death; whether they be things present, or things to come; even all are yours, and you are Christs, and Christ Gods, v. 21. 22. 23. And indeed, if God give the substantive, Christ, we may be sure he wil likewise afford the adjective, things, necessary for this life, Matth. 6. 33. so that the godly man, is only rich, the servant of Christ, is Lord of all.