A Christian Library, Chapter 7 – Chapter 10
CHAP. VII.
SEcondly, To this is added as another judgement, let the Ingrateful merciless miser have never so much, he is never the more, but the lesse contented▪ As how many have mighty estates, their houses full, their shops and warehouses full, their coffers full, their purses full, and their pastures full, and yet as if their hearts were bottomlesse, that is, still as lank and empty through an excessive desire of more, as if they did indeed want all things. The Cormorants desires are rather sharpened by injoying, and augmented by possession.
For wishing still, his wishes never cease,
But as his wealth, his wishes still increase.
To shew that covetous men belong to hell after they dye, they are like hell while they live: Hell is never filled, and they are never satisfied, covetous men drink brine, which increaseth thirst rather than quenches it. And though the devil should say to them as he said to our Saviour, touching the whole world, and glory thereof, all these will I give thee, (though he needs not offer them all, for they will serve him for less) yet all would not content them, no more than heaven it self contented Lucifer: For as the rich glutton in hell desired a drop of water, and yet a river would not have satisfied him; for if his desire had b…en granted in the first, he would have required more, and then more to that, never ceasing to ask, never having enough, nor being the better when he had it: so it fares with the covetous man, his abundance no more quencheth his lust, than fuell does the flame. For as oyle kindleth the fire, which it seemes to quench, so riches come as though they would make him contented, but they make him more covetous. And is not this thy very case that art covetous? No man more happy, in respect of outward things, then thy self, couldest thou but see it; thou hast all things that heart can wish, and shouldest thou but come to want what thou now injoyest, and thinkest not worth thanks; when it were past thou wouldest say, thou wast most happy, and after a little misse, wish withall thine heart, thou hadest the same again: yea, a world for such a condition and content withall OnelyOnly the devill (by Gods just permission) bewitches thee to think, that thou hast not enough, when thou hast too much, and more than thou needest, or knowest what to do withall.
Nor is it possible for a worldling to be contented: for whereas naturall desires are soon satisfied, those that are unnaturall are infinite. Hunger is soon apeased with meat, and thirst allayed with drink: but in burning Feavers, quo pl… sunt potae plus … aqua, they still love, amere con… scentia, never amore complacentiae. If covetous, or ambitious men ever feel content in these transitory things, it is no otherwise then as itching soars do in clawing and scratching fingers. And indeed how should intemperate desires be satisfied with increase, according as they are replemished, when these appetites are not capable of satiety?
Men in this case, are like poysoned Rats, which when they have tasted of their bane, cannot rest untill they drink, and then can much …e…s rest till they drink again, swell and burst. Covetousness is like the disease called the Woolf, which is alwayes eating, and yet keeps the body lean. A moderate water makes the Mill goe merrily, but too much will not suffer it to go at all.
Secondly, another reason is, Nothing can fill the heart of man, but he that made it: The heart shall be satisfied with gold, when the body shall be contented with winde. The whole world is circular, the heart of man is triangular; and we know a circle cannot fill a triangle. Yea if it be not filled with the three persons in Trinity, it will be filled with the world, the flesh, and the devil. The heart is the seat or receptacle of spiritual things; and the things of the world are corporal and carnal: Now carnal and corporal things, can no more fill our hearts, then spiritual things can fill our Coffers. Visible light will not cleer the invisible understanding; nor will corporal food feed the soul. Blessed are they, sayes our Saviour, who thirst after righteousness, for they shall be satisfied, Mat. 5.6. not they that thirst after riches, or honor, or pleasure; for instead of being satisfied, they thirst more. Yea these Mammonists are so infinite in desiring, that could such a one swallow the whole earth that swallows all, and will swallow him ere long, it might choak him, but not satisfie him, as abundance of examples that I could give you, sufficiently prove: namely Alexander, and Crassus, and Lie…nius, and Marcus Crassus, and Ahab, and Haman, &c. But,
CHAP. VIII.
THirdly, to this is added as a further judgement, that as the more he hath the more he coveteth, so the neerer he is to his journeys end, the more provision he makes for it. Other vices are weakned with age and continuance, onelyonly covetousness (and that odious sin of drunkenness) grows stronger. As the covetous wretch increaseth in yeers, so he increaseth in covetousness. What Pline writes of the Crocodile, is fitly appliable to the miserly muckworm: other creatures grow up to their height, and then decay and dye, onelyonly the Crocodile grows to her last day. The aged worldling, though he have one foot in the grave, yet his appetite to, and persute of gain, are but new born. Yea, though he hath out-lived all the teeth in his gums, that hairs of his head, the sight of his eyes, the tast of his palate; have he never so much, yet he hath not enough, and therefore would live to get more, and covets, as if he had a thousand generation… to provide for. He so lives, as if he were never to dye; and so dyes, as if he were never to live again. He fears all things, like a mortal man, sayes Seneca, but he desires all things, as if he were immortal. Had it not been for sin, death had never entered into the world: and were it not for death, sin (especially the Misers sin) would never go out of the world. Lus… is commonly the disease of youth, ambition of middle age, covetousness of old age: And Plautus maketh it a wonder to see an old man beneficent. But what faith Byas, covetousness in old men is most monstrous: for what can be more foolish and ridiculous, then to provide more mony and victuals for our journey, when we are almost at our journyes end?
Wherefore remember thou, O old man, yea O remember! that your Spring is past, your Summer over-past, and you are arrived at the fall of the leaf; yea winter colours have already stained your head with gray and hoary hairs. Remember also, that if God in justice did not leave you, and the Prince of darkness did not blinde you, and your own heart did not grosly deceive you; you could not possible be so senceless as you are in these three last mentioned miseries.
Thus three of the covetous mans woes are past, but behold more are coming; for God inflicts more plagues upon him, then ever he did upon Pharaoh. I'le acquaint you only with seven more.
CHAP. IX.
FOurthly, his thoughts are so taken up with what he wants (or rather desires, for he wants nothing but wit, and a good heart) that he not once mindes or cares for what he hath, as you may see in Abab, 1 Kings 21.4. and Haman, Hester 5.13. and Micha, Judges 18.…4.
What the covetons man hath, he sees not; his eyes are so taken up with what he wants; yea the very desire of what he cannot get torments him, and it is an heart-breaking to him, not to add every day somewhat to his estate: besides, not to improve it so many hundreds every yeer, will disparage his wisdom more to the world, then any thing else he can do, as I have heard such an one allege, when I have told him my thoughts, about perplexing himself.
But see the difference between him, and one that hath either wit or grace: whose manner it is, even in case of the greatest losses, to look both to what he hath lost, and to what he hath left; and instead of repining, to be thankfull that he hath lost no more, having so much left that he might have been deprived of. But fortish sensualists have a duller feeling or many good turns, then of one ill: they have not so sensible a feeling of their whole bodyes health, as they have of their fingers aking; nor are they so thankful for twenty yeers jollity, as displeased for one dayes misery. Whereas an humble and good man, will see matter of thankfulness there. Where the proud and ingrateful finde matter of murmuring. And so much of the fourth particular, onelyonly let me add as a sure rule, He that in prosperity is unthankful, will in adversity be unfaithful.
CHAP. X.
FIftly, the Devil, by Gods just permission, prevails by his temptations ▪ to make them think that the forbidden fruit is the sweetest of all fruits, as he did our first parents. Nor will any other content him; each thing pleaseth him better that is not his own. And as Publius observes, other mens goods are far more esteemed by him.
Plines Woolf is a true emblem of this avaritious beast: whose nature it is when he is eating his prey, though never so hungry, if he sees another beast feeding, to forsake that which he is about, to take the prey from the other. Ahab was such a Wolf, who could not content himself with his own, though he injoyed a whole kingdom, but he must wrest Naboths inheritance from him. The commandment is express, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbors wife, servant, Ox, Asse, nor any thing that is thy neighbors, Exod. 20, 17. and all that fear God observe it; but nothing more cross to the grain of a wicked mans heart, to whom stoln waters are most sweet, and hi… bread the most pleasant, Prov. 9.17. For one so insatiably covets after another mans estate or office, that he is never the better for his own. Another so loves his neighbors wife, that he even loaths and contemnes his own. Thy neighbors wife to thee, to him thines fairest, sayes the Poet. Hence hath that cursed speech issued from one too great to name, That he could love his wife above any other, if she were not his wife, a word sufficient to rot out the tongue that spake it.
Solomon was a wise man, and had tryed all things. Oh that men would be so wise as to take his counsel, and injoy their own with joy and gladness of heart; drink waters out of their own Cistern, and rejoyce with the wife of their youth, so as her brests may satisfie them at all times, and they be ravisht alwayes with her love, rather then deprive themselves of that happiness, by inbracing the bosom of a stranger, and coveting that which is anothers, Prov. 5.15. to 21. Oh that thou wouldst be convinc'd, that thy present condition what ever it is, is the best for thee, hadst thou but the wit to see it; and that onelyonly good use gives praise to earthly possessions: that there are no riches comparable to content (for this is the gift of God) then surely thou wilt not much remember the dayes of thy life, because God answereth the joy of thine heart, Eccles. 5.17, 18, 19.
But no matter, they love misery (lose the comfort of their own brest, and all outward blessings, together with the tuition of God) and they shall have it; for he that makes his fire with hay, hath much smoak, and bu… a little heat, which leads me to the sixt particular.