the 11th of France who coming incognito to discourse his Turnspit and to question him what he got in his Imployment had this Answer Says he I get as much as the King for the King has but his Life and so have I God feeds the King and the King feeds me 3. Prayer is another means Seek his Grace seek his Counsel If your Contentment be of the right kind it is won by Prayer Interrupt your disquieted Thoughts and compose your Heart to Prayer So David in his Dejections and he sped accordingly Recount to him your Difficulties and Discouragments and be sure then God will either make you fit for your Calling or provide a Calling fit for you And so much for the fifth Requisite SECT 6. Of Religiousness in a Trade THE Sixth Requisite for a Tradesman in his Calling is Religiousness or true Piety and Godliness This compleats him this crowns him Here I. I shall shew the Nature of it II. The Inducements unto it III. The Exercise of it IV. The Vse and Application I. For the Nature of it I do not consider it in this place in its utmost Latitude for so it comprehends all the before-mentioned Duties It teaches a Man to be wise diligent just true and contented but here it denotes only a Man's Behaviour towards God and we may describe it to be A due respect to God in Heart and Life The Scripture in the Old Testament describes it by walking with God Gen. 6. 9. And Noah was a just Man and perfect in his Generation and Noah walked with God He was not only just and exact towards Men but also he walked with God that is he lived in that Reverence and Respect to God as if God had walked with him upon Earth or as if he had lived and walked with God in Heaven In the New Testament it is called a walking in the Spirit Gal. 5. 25. If we live in the Spirit let us also walk in the Spirit that is if we or since we live a Spiritual Life if we have a distinct Principle of Life besides that of Nature let us walk by the Quickning and Conduct of that good Spirit as on the contrary to walk after the Flesh is to be acted and guided by the Motions of our carnal Concupiscence And we find that the Grace of God which bringeth Salvation teaches us to live not only soberly and righteously but also godly in this present World Tit. 2. 12. So that it is not enough for a Tradesman that he be discreet and just c. as before but if he design to be a happy Man here or hereafter he must be a religious Man an holy Man and that both in Heart and Life II. And for Inducements hereunto 1. Nature teacheth it Religion is as natural to Man as Reason It is a Principle so firmly six'd in the Soul of Man that he can scarce possibly raze it thence And tho some barbarous Nations have mist of the true God yet there are none so savage but that a Sense of Religion cleaves to them Cicero an Heathen could say Nulla est gens tam fera nemo omnium tam immanis cujus mentem non imbuerit Deorum timor So that he must devest himself of Humanity that denies the Obligation of Religion It is this that doth most clearly distinguish Men from Beasts who have some shadow some approaches to Reason but they are utter Strangers to any thing of Religion It 's true Education doth cherish and ripen these natural Notions but if we could conceive a Man to be brought up from his Infancy without any Society or Instruction from others he would no sooner reflect upon himself and imploy his Faculties but he would be sensible of a Power above him and of a deep Respect thereunto So that this is no precarious Business we need not to inlarge at all when we propound Religion to a rational Creature He must be a Brute that denies it Now if all Mankind agree to it the Tradesman must not think that he is exempt from it whom we must suppose to be somewhat refin'd from the Dregs of Mankind 2. The Scripture teacheth it It is the great design of the Scripture to make Men Religious And to this end the Holy Ghost doth therein lay down the clearest Rules propound the most excellent Examples produce the strongest Arguments and provide the most effectual Means and Helpes that the Wisdom of God could devise or the Heart of Man desire And as Piety and Religion is there urged upon all Men in general so also it is prest upon Men as they are distinguished by their particular Callings So 1 Cor. 7. 24. Brethren let every Man wherein he is called therein abide with God Mark let him ahide with God that is cleaving to God still to whom by his religious Allegiance he is obliged Or not imagining but that he may be godly in it Or with God as if God look'd at him and at his Carriage in his Place Also with God that is in a godly manner looking at him and walking with him So that this Text which must needs include the Tradesman doth lay an unquestionable Obligation upon you to add to your Vertue Godliness Hereupon it is that the Scripture checks those severely that say To day or to morrow we will go into such a City and continue there a Year and buy and sell and get Gain Jam. 4. 13. without taking due notice of God These are some of those Words by which you may be saved and by which you must be judged at the last day 3. Reason teacheth it For 1. Religion is the truest Wisdom When that wisest of Men Solomon had search'd in vain to find out an Happiness for Man in all thâ— Honour Riches and Pleasures which the World could afford and what can the Man do that cometh after the King he concludes the whole matter in these words Eccles 12. 13. Fear God and keep his Commandments for this is the whole of Man This is his real Wisdom this is his grand Duty this is his only Happiness For indeed there is nothing doth so conduce to our Happiness in this World as true Religion It is the most certain way to Health to Safety to Plenty to true Pleasure and to true Honour Nothing doth so much perfect and regulate the Faculties of the Soul nor crown it with that Peace and Tranquillity as the Fear of God and true Piety and then it 's plain that it and it only leads us to the Fruition of Eternal Happiness both in Soul and Body Therefore unto Man be said Behold the Fear of the Lord that is Wisdom and to depart from Evil is Vnderstanding Job 28. 28. And therefore let every Tradesman be truly Religious 2. There is the highest Equity in it And that upon the account of all the Favours and Blessings which you have receiv'd from God and which you now possess Did not that God whose Fear and Service we are now persuading place
more languidly in a true Religion Men swim faster down than up the Stream yet when a Man considers that the success of his Affairs depends upon God and that he cannot keep Friendship with him if he hold not Correspondence and that most certainly he can and will make the Tradesman amends by the Years end for every minute that he sincerely devotes to his Service This should bear down all Difficulty and oblige him to the constant Worship of God 4. The Tradesman's Religion is exercised in Observing a right Rule and End in all his worldly Affairs And here he guides not his Behaviour by the Example of others nor of his Master that went before him nor by the current of his particular Humour Appetite or Interest but by the holy Word of God and such Dictates of sound Reason that are agreeable thereunto You must not conclude thus and thus I 'l do for so do others or so did my Master before me or it is my Humour or it is for my Interest but what saith Moses and the Prophets what saith Christ and his Apostles and what would they do if they were in my place and this must be your Rule And in case of doubt and difficulty you must consult the wise and honest and so be determin'd They asked Counsel at Abel and ended the matter 2 Sam. 20. 18. And this Care and Pains before is much better than to wound your Conscience and give ill Example to others He that doth Truth cometh to the Light that his Deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought in God Joh. 3. 21. Your Deeds must be wrought in God And Religion must teach you the like care in the End which you should aim at in all your Business which should be to please and glorify God For none of us Christians liveth to himself and no Man dieth to himself and indeed he that liveth to himself will be likely to die to himself But whether we live we live unto the Lord Rom. 14. 7. This is Man's greatest Duty this is his highest Priviledg We reckon it a great Honour to that Nobleman that shall put the Crown upon the Head of a King O how much greater is it to put the Crown of Glory upon God's But of this before Only you may ask May not a Man aim at Riches by his Calling that he may have Ease in his old Age c. Answ An End is subordinate or ultimate a next end or a last end You may design to get an Estate but not meerly for your own sake but chiefly for God's sake not so much that ye may live at ease but that ye may do good thereby A Man may desire a good Horse or a good Boat to carry him to his Friend Every step of a Religious Tradesman being trac'd to the utmost ends at God He would not care for himself but that he may be of use to glorify God 5. The Tradesman's Piety is shewed In spiritualizing his Calling There is in every Calling a Temporal and a Spiritual respect The outside of them is the Object of Sense a brutish Man may comprehend that and get his Living by it but there is an inside which only the gracious Eye can read There is scarce any thing which you trade in but a Religious Heart may learn something of God out of it And this surely is one end of Similes and Comparisons so frequent in the Bible not only that God may come down by them to us but that we may by them ascend unto him he hath translated the World into the Scripture that we may think of the Scripture in the World This is the safest and richest Chymistry whereby you may extract the purest Spirits out of the grossest Bodies As the Bee can gather Honey out of every Flower yea out of the very Weeds so may and should the Religious Tradesman gather some Spiritual Lessons out of his temporal Wares and Imployments Thus the Merchant may learn something from Mat. 13. 45. And all that buy and sell from Mat. 25. 16. and Luk. 29. 15. The Writer from Psal 45. 1. They that work in Wooll from Isa 1. 18. and Psal 147. 16. The Apothecary from Eccles 10. 1. The Carpenter from Isa 10. 15. and Zech. 1. 20. The Founder from Jer. 8. 29. The Refiner from Mal. 3. 2 3. The Baker from Hos 7. 4 6. The Fisher from Jer. 16. 16. and Mat. 4. 19. The Weaver from Job 7. 6. The Potter from Isa 6. 8. and Jer. 18. And I think these are all the Trades expresly mention'd in Scripture by which the Holy Ghost directeth us to spiritual things There are also mention'd the Goldsmiths Neh. 3. 8. The Silversmiths Acts 19. 24. The Spice-Merchants 1 King 10. 15. The Masons 1 Kings 12. 12. The Mariners Ezek. 27. 9. The Calkers Ezek. 27. 9. The workers in fine Linnen 1 Chron. 4. 21. The workers in Needle-work Exod. 26. 36. The Smiths Isa 54. 16. The Ingravers and the Imbroiderers Exod. 35. 35. The Tent-makers Acts 18. 3. The Tanner Acts 9. 43. The Copper-smith 2 Tim. 4. 14. The Cook 1 Sam. 8. 13. The Barber Ezek. 5. 1. The Fuller Mark 9. 3. In general the Chapmen 2 Chron. 9. 14. and the Cunning Artificers Isa 3. 3. And those are as far I can find all the Trades mention'd in the Scripture But as it is said Isa 28. 26. concerning the plain Husband-man His God doth instruct him to Discretion and doth teach him so will the Spirit of God teach the ingenious Tradesman to learn spiritual Lessons from his Temporal Calling An ingenious Head indeed is a great help herein but an heavenly Heart is all in all This inspir'd our blessed Saviour to make a Sermon out of a Vine Joh. 15. 1. and to raise Instruction from a barren Fig-tree As we see on the contrary how wickedly witty a naughty Man will be to collect base and sinful matter out of the Objects that come before him and turn all to Poison surely it is as possible and much more noble to extract the Gold than the Dross Do but keep open the Eye of Faith to see Invisibles pray for Skill and fall to Practise and it will come The Profit will ballance the Pains He that turns Earth into Heaven hath an Heaven upon Earth 6. This Religion will teach the Tradesman To observe the Christian Sabbath in a holy manner Indeed this is one of the first things that God's Grace reforms in a serious Christian No sooner doth he begin to look towards Heaven in sober Sadness but he begins to value and use the Lord's-day in another manner than before Hence Ezek. 20. 12. I gave them my Sabbaths to be a sign between me and them that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them Remember the Sabbath before it comes And if possibly you can dismiss your Affairs a little the sooner the day before that you may have time over night to reflect on your Works the Week
Duty 87 2. Of Safety ib. 3. Of Benefit 88 4. Of Comfort 89 4 Vse 1. Repr Of Idleness 90 2. Exhort 1. To this Diligence in your 91 Particular Callings Cautions herein 92 2. Much more in your Heavenly 93 Sect. 3. The Third Requisite in a Trade is Justice 1. The Nature of it 96 2. The Necessity of it 1. It is your Duty 1. By the Law of Nature 97 2. By the express Law of God ib. 3. By the Law of Christ 98 2. It is your Interest ib. 3. The Extent of it 1. Performing lawful Promises 99 Of paying your Work-Folks 101 2. Paying due Debts 102 Of breaking upon design 103 3. Vsing exact Weights Measures and Lights 104 4. Right working of Manufactures 105 5. Making Conscionable Bargains 106 viz. 1. Content with reasonable Gain 107 What is the best measure of a Tradesman's Gain ib. 2. No Advantage of anothers Necessity 109 3. Nor of their Unskilfulness 110 4. Deal not for stollen Goods 111 5. Vse an honest Plainness 112 6. Defraying lawful Impositions ib. Against stealing of Custom 113 and starving of Ministers 114 7. Paying due Respects to the Orders of your Society 115 8. Having an equitable Regard to Fellow-Traders 116 Particularly to Partners Against Engrossing 117 9. Having a paternal Care about Apprentices Warning against too much 118 1. Rigor 119 2. Indulgence 120 10. Making due Provision for Wife and Children 122 11. Shewing Mercy to the Poor 123 Objects of Charity specified 124 4. Use 1. Of Reflection 125 2. Of Comfort 126 3. Of Conviction 127 4. Of Exhortation 1. To proceed by this Rule 2. To Restitution 129 This your 1. Duty 2. Interest 130 Object 1. Of Inability Answ 131 2. Fear of Shame Answ 133 3. Absence or Death of Parties Answ 134 3. Take the safer Path in doubtful Cases 135 4. Prevent others from doing Wrong 136 Sect. 4. The Fourth Requisite in a Trade is Truth or Veracity Where 137 1. It s Nature is described ib. 2. Your Obligations to it demonstrated 1. From the Light of Nature 138 2. From the Light of Scripture 139 3. From the Light of sound Reason ib. There 's 1. Equity in it 141 There 's 2. Commodity in it 142 There 's 3. Ingenuity in it 142 There 's 4. Policy in it ibid Object 1. From Examples of the contrary Answ 143 2. From the smallness of the Sin of Lying Ans 144 3. From the pretended Necessity of it Answ 145 3. Instances wherein it is to be exercised 1. Not concealing what you should discover 146 2. Shunning all unjust Commendations of Commodities 147 3. Avoiding all unjust Disparagements thereof 148 4. Abhorring any Untruths in or about your Bargains 149 5. Forbearing all Equivocations 150 6. Restraining multiplicity of Words 151 4. Use 1. Of Reflection 153 2. Of Reproof 154 3. Of Exhortation to Veracity 155 Means 1. True Faith and Fear of God 156 2. A truly tender Conscience 156 3. A real Love of your Neighbour 157 Sect. 5. The Fifth Requisite in a Trade is Contentedness 158 Where 1. The Description of it 2. Reasons for it 159 1. In respect of God 1. His Command 161 2. His Providence 162 3. His Glory ibid 2. In respect of our Selves 1. Our Deserts 163 2. Our Mortality 164 3. Our Comfort ibid 3. The Practice of it 1. In chearful undergoing the Inconveniences of it 165 A list of some Inconveniences in a Trade 166 2. In a thankfull acknowledgment of the Excellencies of it 169 A Discourse of the Excellencies of a Trade 170 3. In a patient bearing the Losses c. in it 172 4. In watching against the contrary Temptations As 1. Ambition 175 As 2. Envy ibid As 3. Covetousness 177 As 4. Despondency 179 As 5. Invading other Callings 180 In what case one Man may have several Callings ibid 5. In a steady Continuance in it 181 4. The Use 1. Of Repr The Evil of Discontent 2. Of Exhort to Contentedness 183 Means 1. Faith 184 2. Humility 3. Prayer 185 Sect. 6. The Sixth Requisite in a Trade is Religiousness Where 1. The Nature of it 186 2. Inducements to it 1. Nature teaches it 187 2. Scripture teacheth it 188 3. Reason teacheth it It being 1. The truest Wisdom 189 2. The highest Equity 190 3. The soundest Comfort ibid 4. The greatest Necessity 191 Object 1. From the Difficulty Answered 192 Object 2. From the Prejudicialness Answ 193 Object 3. From the Singularity Answ 194 Object 4. From the Danger Answ 195 Object 5. From the Needlesness Answ 196 3. The Exercise of it 1. In maintaining a religious frame of Heart 197 2. In the due Exercise of Faith 199 3. In the right performance of Religious Worship 200 4. In observing a right Rule and End 203 Whether a Man may aim at Riches in his Calling 204 5. In spiritualizing your Calling ibid A Catalogue of all the Trades mentioned in Scripture 205 6. In the holy Observation of the Sabbath 206 7. In the Practice of Watchfulness 209 8. In the use of holy Ejaculations 211 9. In the exercise of all Grace 213 10. In promoting Goodness and discourag Sin 215 Some Directions for the. 1. Chusing some good Books 217 2. Vsing them 220 4. Use 1. Of Lamentation and Reproof 221 Particularly the Omission 1. Of Family-worship 223 Particularly the Omission 2. Of the Lord's Supper 225 2. Of Exhortation 226 CHAP. VI. OF the Finishing of a Calling 229 Conclus A Man cannot lawfully leave his Calling till God doth discharge him 230 He doth this 1. Immediately ibid 2. Mediately 1. By the Hand of Man 231 2. By his own special Providence 1. Disabling the Mind 232 2. Disabling the Body 233 Whether a Man may withdraw from his Calling and live upon his Estate 234 3. Disabling a Man in his Estate 235 4. Summoning him by Death 236 Here Advice to Tradesmen 1. To set their Souls in Order 237 2. To set their House in order 238 ERRATA SOme literal Mistakes have past the Press For others that are more material read as followeth Page 91. line 1. for I was read I went P. 93. l. 15. f. then r. thee P. 119. l. 31. f. own r. owe. P. 120. l. 28. f. incur'd r. inur'd P. 128. l. 8. f. Wrath r. Wealth P. 207. l. 25. f. all night r. as night THE Tradesman's Calling CHAP. I. Of the Nature and Kinds of Callings A Calling is some kind of Life to which we are called of God Now all Christians are called of God to know and believe in him to love and serve him and at length fully to enjoy him And besides this Calling and subordinate to it God doth call every Man and Woman as if he call'd them by Name to serve him in some peculiar Imployment in this World both for their own and the Common-Good And hence ariseth that Distinction of a General and of a Particular or Personal Calling they might with more clearness be stil'd our Spiritual and our Temporal Callings but
III. Declare the Instances wherein it is to be exercised in the Tradesman's Calling IV. Make some Application of it I. Concerning the Nature of Truth I willingly let pass many Notions and Distinctions of the School-men And shall only take notice 1. That there is a Truth of Things whereby they are agreeable to that Idea according to which they were fram'd 2. A Truth of Apprechensions whereby we think know or believe of things according to their true Nature 3. A Truth of Expressions whereby we speak of things according to what we think know or believe Now when our Apprehensions of things are not right that 's Error or Mistake which is a Fault and Sin in us if it be about things which we ought to know or pretend to know As for Example when you conceive that such a Commodity which by your Calling you should have Knowledg in is good when indeed it is not But then when our Expressions agree not with our Apprehensions That 's a Lie and is a far greater fault because it 's voluntary So that every Mistake is not a Lie every concealing the Truth is not a Lie every doubtful Speech is not a Lie every Parable or Fable such as That Judg. 9. is not a Lie every rehearsing of a Lie is not a Lie though a Man may so rehearse it as to make it his own But a Lie is the voluntary falsifying of the Truth and it is aggravated when it is joyned with an intent to deceive Truth is like the Sun a Lie is the eclipse of it it puts out the Eye of Truth But of this afterward At the present this is sufficient That every Man in his Calling should judge of things as they are and should when he is called to it speak of them according to such his Judgment and this is called Veracity whereby a Man speaketh the Truth in his Heart as it is Psal 15. 2. neither adds nor diminishes neither depreciates a Commodity or puts Colours upon it will neither affirm a thing or deny it when he knows the contrary and this he doth out of Conscience to God and out of Love to Truth And this is sufficient for the Description of it II. Every Mans Obligations to this result 1. From the Light of Nature by which it is evident that the Tongue and Faculty of Speech is given to Man whereby to express and signify his Mind to others so that he that is dumb in Speech is better than he that deceives with it As the design of a Clock or Watch is to be a true measure of Time and to keep its just pace with the Sun but being false in this were better to be laid aside that to deceive you better to lie in your Desk than tell you a Lie in your Pocket The design and honour of the Tongue is to speak truly so that it is reported of the very Indians that in case they be convinced of a Lie they will in revenge draw Blood of their own Tongues Hence it is that even natural Conscience doth so strongly support a Man when he speaks Truth no Frowns can daunt him and on the contrary he that falsifies the Truth if Conscience be not utterly sear'd is pinch'd within even natural Conscience stings him tho no body can accuse him and then if he be detected intolerable is that Shame that covers him 2. By the Light of Scripture Which doth constantly command Sincerity and Truth and forbid the contrary Zech. 8. 16. These are the things that ye shall do Speak ye every Man Truth to his Neighbour It describes a good Man by his Veracity Prov. 13. 5. A righteous Man hateth Lying Urgeth it with most pregnant Reasons Ephes 4. 25. Wherefore putting away lying speak every Man no Man no not the Tradesman excepted Truth with his Neighbour for we are Members one of another Where the Apostle ushers in his Exhortation with one strong Reason couch'd in the Illative Wherefore which shews that this is an Inference from the foregoing Verses q. d. You have put off the old Man with his Deeds All of you professedly all true Christians really It is ridiculous and shameful for him that is invested with new Robes to retain any one foul Rag upon him And ye have put on the new Man after the Image of Christ who is Truth and so it is fit that all his Members be in the same Livery And then he backs his Exhortation with another Reason We are Members one of another Now every Man will be true to himself will never go about willingly to deceive himself It were a monstrous thing for one Member of the Body to go about to impose upon another Now we are all of us Members of one another 1. As Men. Adam was the Root we all are the Branches 2. As Christians and so we are all one in Christ Jesus our Religion doth knit us closer together than all other Ligaments in the World 1 Cor. 12. 25 27. The Members should have the same care one for another Now ye are the Body of Christ and Members in particular So that in deceiving any of the Members you affront the Head In short unless ye be true Men ye can be no true Christians a salse Man and a true Saint is a Contradiction Thus you see that the Scripture is direct for speaking Truth it doth indeed relate divers Untruths spoken by others both good men and bad but it never justifies them The Narration of such Faults of pious Men is a strong Argument of the Sincerity of the Scripture and that it no way excuses them of its Sanctity In which case Augustine charitably concludes that God accepted in Rahab and the Midwives c. Fidem mentis and pardon'd to them fallaciam mentientis In a word we own and worship a true God we profess a true Religion we pursue a true Happiness by all which we are obliged to all manner of Truth in Heart in Lip in Life 3. This Veracity is demonstrable by the Light of sound Reason that even those that care not for the Scripture may be convinced of the necessity of it unles they will not only renounce Divinity but Humanity also For 1. There is Equity in it Every Man would be truly dealt with No Man would be content that his Wife Children or Servants should deny the Truth or feed him with Lies Which of you chuses to have any thing to do with those whom you cannot believe Now is it not very equal that you should alway speak the Truth that do desire always to hear others speak it Is it reasonable that other Folks should live by one Rule and you by another That Truth should be eligible by all others and not by you This Veracity and Justice are so conjunct that he cannot be just in his Dealings that is false in his Words For the same Law that commands us to do by others as we would be done unto equally obliges us to speak in our Commerce to
them as we would be spoken to 2. There is Commodity in it This Veracity is so commodious yea so necessary among Men that all Civil Society is dissolv'd without it For all Transactions and Commerce between Man and Man do lean upon this Fundamental Point That one Man may believe another now if Men do not constantly speak the Truth how can they be believ'd thus all human Conversation is shaken Now Reason it self must needs enter an Action against any Course that overthrows the good of Mankind and it were endless to transcribe the pithy Expressions of divers of the Heathens in the praise of Truth and Veracity and in defiance of the contrary 3. There in Ingenuity in it There is a certain bravery of Spirit and true Courage in speaking the Truth and a real cowardize in blanching and denying it It is only some worldly Hopes or sordid Fear that doth biass the Tongue from its true Office which is to be an Interpreter of the Mind Let no Man that trades in Lies pretend to Generosity Hence all noble Spirits are so sensible of the Imputation that they will presently answer the Lie given them with their Sword which tho neither true Fortitude nor Piety can ever justify yet such their Sensibleness proves how ingenuous a thing it is to speak the Truth and how base a thing to pervert it 4. There is Policy in speaking the Truth honost Policy for every Man should by all good means maintain and promote his Credit This is the only way to make a Man credible Who will believe one who he knows is accustomed to derogate from the Truth Such a Person shall not be believed when he speaks never so truly He that is punctual in his Words shall bebelieved in doubtful things when the other will be suspected in certain things Among the very Turks the word of a Mahometan spoken on the Faith of a Mussulman weighs against all Contradiction And therefore setting aside the Scripture there 's great reason for this Veracity unless ye are content to be esteem'd profligate Wretches who neither value the esteem of God or Man Such Persons will find in the issue when they have affrighted all that know them from dealing with them that Honesty is the best Policy and that the Reputation of fair dealing within is better than the fairest Sign they can hang out Three Objections are usually made against all this Object That the Examples of others doth incourage us sometimes to spare the Truth We read of many in the Scripture that have trip'd in this kind Abraham himself and Isaac Rahab David and such like And we daily see it done by thousands and surely then we may venture upon it as well as they Answ That some holy Persons have been guilty this way cannot be denied but it is observable that it was generally for Fear never for Gain So Abraham David Rahab c. Again It is God's Word and not good Men's Examples which we are to be guided and judged by You can produce the instances of their Sins but you know not the bitterness of their Repentance Again when you are mustering up Scripture-Examples omit not that Lie of Ananias and Saphira Acts 5. 8. which cost them both their Lives Tell me saith Peter whether ye sold the Land for so much and she said Yea for so much and never spake another word And then for the commonness of this Sin by others it is an Objection to be answered with Tears it is too frequent which is an Aggravation of the Fault and so far enough from excusing it We are taught other Doctrine out of the Scripture of Truth Exod. 23. 2. Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil But if you will needs do as the most do you must resolve to go where most do go and where all Liars are tormented for ever Object 2. The smallness of the Sin excuses us Lying is not Swearing nor Killing or Stealing there can be no great hurt in it for we do no great hurt by it Answ 1. Let the Sin be never so little the Image and Superscription of the Devil is upon it For he is a Liar and the Father of it Joh. 8. 44. 2. If it were so small a Sin as you pretend pray how many little Rents can you be content to be made in your Garments how many little Motes will any of you rest with in your Eye how many little Wounds will you brook in your Flesh and should we be more tender of every thing than of the precious Soul Besides let me tell you 3. That a little Sin allow'd justified and pleaded for is more intolerable than a greater Sin that 's disallow'd and disown'd But lastly this Sin is not so small as you make it For as it renders a Man most unlike to God whose grand Attribute is Truth So it is rank'd among those Sins which he is said particularly to hate Prov. 6. 16. A proud Look alying Tongue and there is so much Atheisin and Hypocrisy included in a Lie that all Liars are rank'd with Murderers Sorcerers and Idolaters and lodged with them in the Lake that burneth with Fire and Brimstone for ever Rev. 21. 8. Object 3. Necessity compells us to it We can neither buy nor sell without somewhat of it neither will People believe us when we speak never so truly and so we are forc'd to lie there is no trading or at least no gaining a sufficient Livelihood without it Answ 1. There is no lawful Calling but may be followed with Truth and with a good Conscience they that plead the contrary do tacitly make the holy God to be the Author of Sin an Inference to be abhor'd as much as he abhors the thing it self Nothing can make Sin needful Peter's Lie to save his Life did not justify it he wept bitterly for it And if it were a Crime to lie to save his Life can the pretence of a Livelihood excuse you in it Cursed is that Trade that cannot be followed without Sin But your case is otherwise How many consciencious Persons are there in your very Trades that had rather die than lie If People will not believe you when you tell the Truth much less will they when you tell Lies Besure whatsoever is gotten by your lying is cursed Gain Prov. 21. 6. The getting of Treasures by a lying Tongue is a Vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek Death They that seek Death and Destruction in this course are sure to find it III. I come now in the Third Place to declare how this Veracity should be exercised by the Tradesman And that we may not strain this Duty too far you may know that he is not obliged hereby imprudently to declare always all the Truth he knows and consequently to discover either the just Price that his Commodity cost him nor any other Circumstance which would make to his Disadvantage For though you are bound never to speak a Falshood yet you are not bound