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Show Vo~. I. No CROSS, No CROTjTN. 367 bonell and dome~ick Emp.loy~ents" f~r their Children, than becomihg t 668. Sharpers, 3J?-d hvmg by rheu Wttt, Wh1ch IS btu a better Word for their ~ Sins. And 1f the Report of the more Intelligent in Hufbandry !,e credible Chap XVII Lands are generally tmproveable Ten in Twenty: And were there mar~ Hands about more lawful ~nd ferviceable Manufactures, they would be cheaper, and gre:uer Vent m1~ht be rnade- of them, by which a Benefit would redound .ro the World m genenl: Nay, rhe Burden lies the Henier upon the Labonous Country, that fo many Hands and Shoulders (as have the Luft-Catercrs of the Cities) !hould he wan ring to tht Plow and ufe· {u~ Hufl:oandry. If Men never think themfelves rich enough, they may ne\;er mtfs of Troub}e and ~mploymcn~ ; but thofe who can rake rhe Primitive State and Gods Creauon for then Model, may learn with a Little to be contented; as k.nowing that defircs ~frer Wealth, do not only prevent or de~roy true Faah, ~ut when got, Jncreafe Snarer and Troub/(. It is no Evd to repent of Ev~l\ but that can't he, whi!fr Men maintain what they {hould repent of: It IS a. bad Argument to avOid Tmtperonce, or juftify the con~rary, becaufe otherw1fe the Actors and Inventors of Excefs would want a Ltvch~ood,l fince to feed them that Way, is to Nurfe the Caufe, infread of St:uvmg lt, Let fuch of thofe Vaniry-H11dfl_ers a1 have got fuflicient be contented to retrea; and fpend it more honefily than they have got it~ an~ fuch as really are Poor, be ra.rh~r helpt by Charity to better Callings~ Th~ were mCJre prudent, nay, Chr1fhan; than to confume Money upon fuch fool~!h Toys and Fopperies. Publick Worl<·boufts would he effeaual Re· med1e1 to a~l thefe Lny and ~uftfu! Diftempers, with more Profit, and a better Cof!fctence. Theref~re It ts ~hat we cannot, we dare nor fquare our Co~verfau.on by the Worlds: No, .b~t by our Plainnefs and Moderation to teftdie ~g:nn{t fuc~ ~xtravagant Vantues; and by our Grave and Steady Life to tt:Jamfefi our Dtfhke, on God's behalf, to fuch Inumperau and Wanton Cunofity~ Y~a, to ~eny ..o~r felves, what Otherwife perhaps we lawfully could ufc. wuh a Jufi Indtfferency, if not Satisfa8:ion, becaufc of that A· bufe that ts amongft the Generality. §. XI. I know, that fome are ready farther to object; Harb GoJ givtn Ob)e~l.,.; 111tbej~ En;oymeil{l on Purpofe to damn m, if we uft them? .dnfw. But to fuch m1ferable, ~oor, filly Soulo, who would rather chuge the moft high and holy God, ~tth. the Inv.entton or Cr.eatlon of their diny Vanities, than want a Plea to Jufhtie thetLown Prail1ce, not knowing how for Shame or Fear! or Love, to throw them off; I Anfwer, That what GOO made for M~n s ~fe, Was good, and what the Bleiied Lord Jefus Chrift allowed, or CnJoynd, or gave us tn h1~ moft heavenly Example, is to be Obfervd, fk .. heved and Praltifed. But tn the whole Catalogue the Scnpture1 give of both Lukei.J.t. I never found rhe Atttres, Rurea11onr, and Way of Lrvmg fo much i~ ~t~2j:.'Requeft with the Generality of the Chrijlra1u, of thefe Tim'es: No cer ... t;unly, God created ~n an lioly, Wife, Sober, Grave, and Rt~fona!J/t Creature,. fit to g~vern htmfelf and the World; but DJVmlly was then the great ObjeCl: of hiS Rra.fon and Plra[Mrrh all Exurna/ E#;oymrnrs of God's giVIng be1ng for J\Teujfity, Conwmenu, and lawful Delight with this Provifo too, That the.Almtf.hty wa~ro /ufun, andfenjibly en;.;y'dtJndrrot-rlnceJ, tn every one of t~e"!. But how_ very wide the Chnftians ofthefe 11mes, are from this Pnmulve Infiltutton. is nor difficult to determine although they make fuch loud Pretenfions to that moft Holy ]ifm wh~ lt?t only gav~ the World a.cerra'in Etidence of an happy Reflordll:n, by, ~IS own Coming, but promifed his Affiftancc! to an that would foUow hlm John 1.12. In the Self-~n~al and Way of hls holy Crofs; and therefore hJth fo fe- Ch. •1· •·11 verelyenJoynd.nolefsonall, as they would be everlafi1ngly f3ved. But 1• whether the Mmds of Men and Women, are not as profoundly involved m O:L.a7, 20, all Excift and Vamry, as . thofe who '.know him not any farther than by. l!e~r:ftty 1 And whether bemg thus bamfhed the Prefence of lhe Lord, by ~~~ Greedy feeklRg the Tbi,g.s tbnt are bel6w and thereby h'avlng loft the Pt·~ of Dzvme !!eafure, they ha\'e not fe1goeJ to themfelvefi an lmagmary ca ute, to qutet ~ or fmorher Confdence-, and paft their Time wnhout. ' 1 that, |
