A Precious Mithridate for the Soul, Preface – Chapter 1
A PRECIOUS MITHRIDATE FOR The SOULE Made up of thoſe two POYSONS, Covetouſneſs AND Prodigality:
The one drawn from the Fathers Ill Qualities: The other from the Sons: For the Curing of both Extremes, and advancing Frugality, the Mean.
Being foure Chapters taken out of R. Junius his Chrſtian Library, And are to be ſold by J. Crump Stationer in Little Bartholmes Well-yard, and H. Crips in Popeſhead-ally.
LONDON, Printed. 1661.
A Precious Methridate for the Soul, Made up of thoſe two Poyſons, Covetouſneſs and Prodigality:
PREFACE.
Such as have formerly heard theſe Nightingales, or ſeen theſe Jewels in another Cage, or Cabinet; may pleaſe to take notice, that they are not ſtolen, but borrowed. Every Garden is furniſhed from other Gardens, and ſo is mine; but with leave from the Owners; As Vertue is diſtributive, and good Fruit the more common it is, the better it is. Beſides the oftner theſe Nails are hammered, the deeper they pearſe; and pearſe too deep they cannot: for five words remembred is better than a thouſand forgotten. Again, old metal caſt into a new mold, becomes new, and is ſo eſt…emed. Theſe Pearls are filed upon a ſtring, that men may not ſhake them out of their pockets. If thou receiveſt any ſpiritual benefit, by pertaking of this Banquet (or extract) give God the glory; which is all the Confectioner expects for his pains: for praiſe or thanks I ſeek none, as I have deſerved none. Or in caſe my labour hath been worthy of hire, the great pleaſure I took therein, hath been ſweeter than anothers wages. Yea, if I have not grown better by it, yet it hath kept me from worſe, and not afforded me time to entertain the Divel. Nor have I more made my Book, than my Book hath made me.
J. F.
CHAP. I.
HAving felt the Cormorants pulſe, I find it to beat moſt violently after gain; He were a skillful Phyſician that could pick out the greedy worm, which makes him ſo hungry: yea, he ſhould deſerve a greater reward, then Eraſtratus had for curing Antiochus, which was fourteen thouſand three hundred ſeventy and five pounds: But to hope this, were an effect of Frenzie, not of Reaſon; for you ſhal ſooner hear of an hundred Malefactors converſion at the Gallows, then of one Covetous Cormorant in his bed. OnelyOnly I will give you his and his Sons Effigies, and ſet them up as Sea-marks to make others beware; that both may do good ſervice to the Church: For whereas honeſt men profit the Commonwealth, by occaſioning themſelves to be imitated; theſe ſhall happily benefit the ſame, by cauſing themſelves to be evitated. As ſometimes a Harlots face hath ſuggeſted chaſtneſs: and good may be learnt, both by ſimilitude and contrariety. At leaſt the beauties of all Chriſtian graces, are illuſtrated by the blackneſs of their oppoſite vices.
The Covetous Miſer is one that affects no imployment or Occupation for it ſelf, but for gain: all his reaches are at riches: his ſummum bonum is commodity, and gold is the Goddeſs he adores in every thing. He plots, ſtuddies, contrives, breaks his peace, his ſleep, his brains, to compaſs his deſires: and though he venters his ears, his neck, his ſoul; he dares not deny his ſlave, his dog, his Devil Avarice; nor cares he how he gets, but what he gets. There is no evill that he will not do, ſo goods may come of if; you cannot name the Sin that he will not ſwallow in the ſweet broth of commodity: like Dorio the Bawde in Terrence, he is not aſhamed of the baſeſt actions that bring him in benefit; nor does he ſmell any difference, between gold got by oppreſſion, and that which is honeſtly come by.
Avarice is the grave of all good, it cats out the very heart of grace, by eating grace out of the heart. The damps of the earth do not more quench fire, then the love of earth ſtifles grace: neither trees nor graſſe grow above, where the golden Mines are below; If the love of mony be once entred into the heart, no fruits of goodneſs will appear in the life: yea there is an abſolute contrariety, between the love of God, and the love of Mammon; as our Saviour ſhews, Luke 16.13,
This Machivillians heart is a very mint of fraud, that can readily coyn falſehoods upon every occaſion; yea, he is ſuch a deep, that one may better tell the haires of his bead, then either the ſprings, wards, or wickedneſs of his deceitful heart: and yet ſo fooliſh withall, that he not onelyonly impoveriſheth his ſoul, to inrich his body, but to purchaſe a great eſtate, he will ſell both ſoul and body. Like Sylveſter the ſecond, who to get the Popedome, gave his ſoul to the Devill.
The pooreſt Cheats ſoul (if ever it be ſaved) coſts no leſs a price than Chriſts precious blood: yet half a crown, yea ſix pence will make this Churle ſell his. By which means he ſwels in his eſtate from a Toad to an Oxe (as in the Fable) and then burſts. And (which I would have you to obſerve) he thinks himſelf ſo much the wiſer as he is the richer: which makes me the more willing to ſtigmatize his folly.
To ſhew that Covetous men belong to Hell after they die, they are like Hell while they live: Hell is never filled, and they are never ſatisfied. His abundance no more quencheth his luſt, than fuel does the flame; yea, like Oyl, it kindleth the fire which it ſeems to quench. Avarice is like that Diſeaſe we call the Wolf; which is ever eating, yet keeps the body Lean. The Covetous Cormorant is like one of Pharaoh's lean and illfavoured kine: for though he devours much, yet he is never the leſs hungry, never the more fat. A moderate water makes the Mill go merrily, but too much will not ſuffer it to go at all.
The Covetous Miſer is like the Indians, who though they have all the Gold among them, yet are the moſt beggerly people alive. He is like Tantalus, who ſtands up to the chin in water, and hath all kinds of fruits hanging over his head, but is not ſuffered to taſte the one, nor drink of the other. Or like an Aſſe that is laden with gold and dainty cates, but feeds upon thiſtles. He ſcarce wears a good garment, or eats a liberall meal, or takes a quiet ſleep; but is ever tormenting himſelf to get that, for getting whereof he ſhall be tormented. As a proud man is ignorant in the midſt of his knowledge, ſo is he poor and needy in the midſt of his wealth. Yea, whereas the Poor Begger wants many things, the Rich Miſer wants every thing.
His buſineſs will never give him leave to think of his conſcience: All his Religion is the love of money. He goes to Church indeed, but it is not to ſerve God, but the State; which he uſes not as a means to ſave his ſoul but his ſilver. To him all ſpirituall and eternall things ſeem incredible, becauſe they are inviſible. Nothing will ſink into his head that he cannot ſee with his eyes, or feel with hit fingers. And in caſe he cannot gain by being Religious, his care ſhall be not to loſe by it: and that Religion will like him beſt that is beſt cheap, and that will coſt him leaſt. Any doctrine is welcome to him, but that which beats upon good works, only that he cannot indure. No, if another be at the charges to ſerve God, this Churle like Judas, will cry our, why is this waſte? Nor ſhall any means ever convert him. No Phyſick is ſtrong enough to purge out this Humour: Becauſe, if ever he ſhould repent, he muſt reſtore his ill gotten eſtate; which to him is as hard an injunction as that of God to Abraham, Gen. 22.2. Or, as that of our Saviour to the Young man, Luk. 18.22. and therefore what hope of his yielding? Covetouſneſſe is Idolatry, Eph. 5.5. Coll. 3.5. and Money is the covetous mans god: and will he part with his god? No, And ſo long as he keeps the weapon (ill-got goods) in his wound, and will not pluck it out by reſtitution; how is it poſſible he ſhould be cured? He may with that Rich man, Luk. 10. have a good mind to Heaven, in reverſion: yet for all that he will not hear of parting with his Heaven whereof he hath the preſent poſſeſſion.
To other ſins Satan tempts a man often: but Covetouſneſſe is a Fine and Recovery upon the Purchaſe. So that it is as eaſie to raiſe a dead man, as to convert a covetous man. A Covetous man is like a ſick Patient that cannot ſpit, whom nothing will cure: Or, like a crack'd Bell, for which there is no remedy but the fire. Or like one that hath the Plague-tokens, who is paſt all hope, and for whom all that can be done is to ſay, Lord have mercy upon him. And therefore, though I had rather be a Toad then a Drunkard; yet had I rather be a Drunkard then a Covetous Miſer, Matth. 21.31, 32.