White Salt, Chapter 6
CHAP. VI.
NEed we to ſay any more of righteouſneſs or for it to Chriſtians? A word to the wiſe is ſufficient, and are Chriſtians fools? Truly ſome are ſo far from wiſdom, that they account them fools who will not however take their opportunities of mending their ſecular conditions. Alas! if the wiſdom be only this to feather our neſts, and to thrive in temporals, how many fools are there in heaven, and how many wiſe men in hell!
But in love to goodneſs that is in righteouſneſs, let me add one word of formal motive. And yet why ſhould I, ſince it is ſo reaſonable? And yet this may be a motive, becauſe it is ſo reaſonable. Even reaſon is a reaſon towards it. It is due, and juſt, and equal, of all conſcience, even of Heathens. Therefore as the Apoſtle maketh uſe of that of the Prophet to provoke the Jews, By a fooliſh Nation will I make you emulous, Rom. 10.19, 20. ſo may we move Chriſtians to this reaſonable ſervice, even by thoſe who account Chriſt fooliſhneſs. You ſufferfools gladly, ſeeing you your ſelves are wiſe, ſaid the Apoſtle in another caſe: but will you ſuffer theſe fools to put you down, and to go beyond you, in this virtue, if you your ſelves be wiſe? Shall thoſe fools of the Gentiles be put in the upper fourm for having this leſſon ſo perfectly by heart, & ſhal the wiſe men of Chriſtendom be turned down to hell for their unproficiency herein? O bleſſed Saviour, if thou beeſt our Maſter, let us either do better, or leave thy School.
2. Conſider what that is thou art unjuſt to thy Maſter, or to thy friend, or to thy neighbor for. What is it thou doſt tranſgreſs for? how much? how laſting? earth, and little, and periſhing. What thou getteſt, will it amount to ſo much as a point of that which is but as a point to heaven in quantity? How little then is it worth? Couldſt thou by every evill act get all the world to thy ſelf, thou wouldſt be an infinite loſer: for in ſuch a bargain God is loſt. It may be what thou goeſt a bout unlawfully, thou wilt not compaſs. If thou doſt, it may be it will not ſtay, being not at home. If it doth, thou wilt not have joy of it. If thou haſt, there is the more ſorrow coming even alſo for that joy. And when thou art dying, what wilt thou think of all thy filthy lucre? Hadſt thou any diſpenſation under Gods own hand for diſhoneſt gain, thou mightſt ſeem more adventurous with ſome excuſe, but ſince there is none to be had, advance ſome thoughts of what horrour and amazement, in apprchenſion of divine vengeance, will ſeiſe upon thy ſoul, when all the comfort of the creature is fled, and thou art for ever to go upon thy trial with that Judg, who will make no ſuch difference in abominableneſs betwixt the Babyloniſh garment and the wedge of god; Know ye not, ſaith the Apoſtle, that the unrighteous ſhall not inherit the Kingdome of heaven? 1 Cor. 6.9.
Therefore bethink you what your loſs will be, and which will be greater; your advantage or diſadvantage. Meditate upon the hope of happineſs, and the promiſe of maintenance, as far as is convenient, and let Gods providence ſave thy prudence, the danger of loſing thy ſoul for that which cannot make thee good, were it well obtained; doth make thee wicked, by the evil attainment, and miſerable for ever by the deprivation of the infinite good for the deprivation of temporal good.
Then, Let your converſation be without covetouſneſs, and be contented with ſuch things as you have: for he hath ſaid, I will never leave thee nor forſake thee, Heb. 13.5.
And here we have an hint of a third diſſwaſive from any unrighteouſnes; becauſe it is ſo obvious to every one to conſtrue it with covetouſneſs in the cauſe.
And how ill doth it beſeem one who in the contents of Chriſtianity includes everlaſting glory with God, to diſcredit his hope with inordinate affections to thoſe things after which the Gentiles ſeek. Thou a Chriſtian, and covetous? Thou an heir in another countrey, and not contented with the expectance? Hath the Pontifician ſplit the tenth Commandement into two, and doſt thou make nothing of it? He that can be patient under the ſuſpicion of covetouſneſs, let him have what he will, for his puniſhment. We cannot in ſuch patience poſſeſs our ſouls.
Did God ſend his Son from heaven to be in fleſh for man, to be poor for man, to lay down his life for man, that by his purchaſe he might injoy the viſion of God? and ſhall he that believeth as much, and pretends an intereſt in this his Redemption, ſay with St. Peter, in a worſe ſenſe, without ſo good company, It is good for us to be here? And ſhall he build himſelf Tabernacles with other mens materials?
What ſaid Thaddaus, if the ſtory be true as Euſebius relates it, to Agbar after he had preached the Goſpel for which he was preſented with maſſie gold, foreign; If we heave left that which was our own, how ſhall we take that which is anothers? And ſhall we who talk of as much godlineſs now or more then there was ever in the world, be ſo far from ſelf-denial, that we will not bear our own, but take that which is anothers? Therefore if we have any deſire not to be ſuſpected of covetouſneſs, let us take heed of unrighteouſneſs. And if we have a deſire to abhor that vice which hath undone a Nation and a Church, then have we great cauſe to abhor covetouſneſs.
And if we ſeem herein to be wanting in charity; we ſhall now come to it.