The Prevention of Poverty, Chapter 20
CHAP. XX.
AND yet it is no wonder, if we consider the reasons. For, First, the coverous man is an Atheist, one that (like Davids fool) sayes in his heart there is no God; the Mamonist is like Leo the tenth, Hildebrand the Magician, Alexander the sixth, and Julius the second, who were all meer Atheists, who thought whatsoever was said of Christ, Heaven, Hell, the day of judgement, the immortallity of the soul, &c. to be but fables, and meer impostures, dreams, toys, and old wives fables; and being Atheists that beleeve not a Heaven, Hell, or day of judgement, when every man shall be rewarded according to his deeds, be they good or evil; what hope is there of their conversion or salvation? or how should they not preferre temporal things, before coelestial and eternal?
As, what is the reason that there are few rich men that will not rather offend the Divine Majesty, then the Temporal Authority? and few poor men that resemble not the poor Swedes in their serving of God, who always break the Sabbath, saying, it is only for rich men and Gentlemen, that have means, to keep that day; yea, that almost all men, rich and poor, are for matter of Religion, like Sir John Kennede, who in chusing of his wife, would have her well born and educated, fair, rich, wise, kind, with the like accomodations, but quite forgot to wish her good and vertous, and was accordingly blest in his choise; as King James (who made many such Matches) used the matter: the main reason of all is, men beleeve not a God, or a day of judgemert. Whence it is, that amongst all the desired priviledges of this life, men commonly leave out holinesse, which sufficiently argues their infidelity, which in these times is much propagated and strengthened; for the plurality of faiths among many, hath brought a nullity of faith in the most.
Worldly minds, mind nothing but worldly things, their busines is thought upon, not God, nor their salvation, for they make that no part of their business; their business gives them no leave, or leisure, to think of their consciences, nor do they go to Church to serve God, but the State, which they use not as a means to save their souls, but charges. There is no Religion in them but the love of money; most men have their souls as it were wrapt up in the port-mantua of their sences, and to them all spiritual, coelestial, and eternal things seem incredible, because they are invisible. Machiavil thought all piety and religion, to be nothing but policy, Pharoah imputed mens worshiping of God, to idleness; They be idle, saith he, therefore they cry, let us go offer sacrifice unto our God, Exod. 5. 8. It is a foolish thing, saith Cato, to hope for life by anothers death; Seneca jeered the Jews for casting away a seventh part of their time upon a weekly Sabbath; and of their minds are the most among us, if they would speak out their thoughts. Let the word or Minister tell them, (that prefer profit before honesty) that godliness is great gain, as having the promises of this life, and of that which is to come; yet their conclusion is, they cannot live unless they deceive, they cannot please unless they flatter, they cannot be beleeved unless they swear, as Demetrius thought he should beg, unless he might sell Images, Act. 19. 27.
Nothing will sink into their heads, that cannot be seen with their eys, or felt with their fingers: We hate the Turks for selling Christians for slaves, what do we think of those Christians that sell themselves, and how odious are they? the poorest cheat's soul (if ever he be saved) cost Christs precious blood, yet half a crown, yea six pence sometimes, will make him sell it, by forswearing himself.