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B21346
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A sermon against false weights & balances preach'd at Sheffield, January the 10th, 1696/7. By Nath. Drake, M.A. and vicar there.
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Drake, Nathan, 1659 or 60-1729.
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1697
(1697)
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Wing D2127
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15,223
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38
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Christianity nor Humanity in all this Therefore let me seriously Exhort all that hear me this day and I wish that my Exhortation might reach not only the Ears but the Hearts of all the People of this Land That they would make it as it really is Matter of Conscience to be exact strict and scrupulous in all Points of Justice and that To all Persons In all Things and At all Times First To all Persons To the Simple as well as the Skilful to the Poor as to the Rich without any Partiality or Respect to Persons only respect the Weakness and Necessities of your poor Brethren and make some Charitable Allowances accordingly Justice is required in all Cases but a kind Partiality may be indulged in this However beware of being Vnjust where you should be Charitable impose not on the Weak Man's Ignorance nor take Advantage of the Poor Man's Necessity make not the One Buy his Folly nor the Other Pay dear for his Poverty and Want This adds Inhumanity to Injustice Oppression to Misery If God has given you more Skill and Understanding than your Neighbour Justice requires that you help him with it and use him not only Justly but Ingeniously as one that reposeth a Trust in you and casteth himself upon your Honesty Again If a poor Man be driven by Necessity to Sell his Wares Justice requires that you give him the same Price that you would do supposing that he stood in no more need of your Mony than you do of his Commodity Beware of the hainous Crime conmdemned by the Prophet of Buying the Poor for Silver Amos. 8.6 and the Needy for a pair of Shooes And on the other hand let not the Poor think themselves priviledged by their Necessities to Over-reach and Defraud their Rich Neighbours but rather by their Diligence and Patience by their Modesty and Integrity recommend their Condition to the Mercy of God and the Charity of all good Men. The Richest Man hath a Right to conscionable Dealing as well as the Poorest Beggar only with this Difference That to the Poor extremity of Justice is unmerciful which to the the Rich Person may perhaps be innocent because it is within the Latitude of Justice and he stands not in need of Mercy In a word In the compass of Lawful Gain which is allowed to Tradesmen use Favour towards the Necessitous Ingenuity towards the Ignorant and Moderation at least just Dealing towards all Men. Secondly Be strictly Just as becomes honest Men and conscientious Christians in all Things as well as to all Persons substract not the least from just Measure detain not the least Grain of Weight for the least as well as the greatest are the Lord 's For this Reason Weights are made of Stones and other hard Mettals that by Vse they may not easily be diminish'd Many have sinned for a small matter says the Son of Sirach For a piece of Bread A poor Reward some Men will Transgress 'T is a lamentable thing to observe how some Persons will dissemble conceal equivocate deny nay lie and swear too and all to skrew a little unjust Gain from their Neighbour and that sometimes so very little ' That as the Excellent Author of the Whole Duty of Man observes 't is a Miracle that any Man who thinks he hath a Soul can set it at so miserable and contemptible a Price But I have observed to you before both what Temptation and Danger there is in these Little Sins and shall now only add this short Advice as a Preservative from Danger In all Intercourse with others do not do all which you may lawfully do reserve some little in your own Power keep not only within the Limits of lawful Gain but at some Distance from Temptation If you go to the utmost Verge of what is Lawful you will be in danger to tread upon the Skirts of Injustice Consider not therefore how far the Laws of Equity allow you to go but how far you may go with safety Consider that there is no Medium betwixt the utmost Extent of Justice and the Confines of Sin and that there is a dangerous Precipice joyns upon the Borders of Christian Liberty Watch therefore and Pray likewise that ye enter not into Temptation Abhor that which is evil cleave to that which is good Thirdly and Lastly Maintain your Integrity and just Dealing in all Times in a difficult and unsetled as well as a steady course of all Things Do not make your Fortune in Calamitous Times nor Delight to fish in troubled Waters When the Nation labours under any unhappy Grievance and the Body Politic through Wars or other evil Accidents is sick and sore wounded be not like Ill Humours in Natural Bodies which run all to the part affected and cause greater Inflammations do not make private Advantage of public Miseries but let every Man in his Station apply his healing Hand by mixing Mercy with Justice in all his Dealings That I may the better be understood in this point Let it be considered that as the Iniquities of Clippers has brought this Kingdom into a difficult and confused State as to the Coin so I need not tell you those Difficulties lye heaviest upon poor Tradesmen and Labourers and I scruple not to say That they who allow the Poor less than their Coin is worth which is brought to the Balance are themselves guilty of Clipping in foro Conscientiae In the Court of Equity and of Conscience and before the Righteous God because in Effect they diminish the just Value of it only here is the Difference That Clipping is properly a Robbery of the Public This of private People That is done without any design of Injury to any private Person and so pretended though without Reason to be no Sin but the Sin of false Weights and unjust Balances was never disputed How can we dispute the Sinfulness of That of which God has expresly declared his Detestation again and again It is often condemned in this Book by a terrible Word and called an ABOMINATION i. e. such an Evil as God Detests with a singular Indignation for Idols are called by the same cursed Name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Abominable Things On the contrary a just Weight is said to be his delight and he has promised an acceptable Blessing even Length of days to the observers of it Deut. 25.15 A perfect and just Weight shalt thou have that thy Days may be lengthned in the Land which the Lord thy God giveth thee I will conclude with a few Scriptures which shew how this Duty is hedged about with Rewards and Punishments And First Hear this O ye that Swallow up the Needy falsifying the Balances by Deceit Amos 8.4 Shall not the Land tremble for this and every One mourn that dwelleth therein And it shall come to pass in that day saith the Lord observe this Terrible Threatning That I will cause the Sun to go down at Noon and I will darken the Earth in the clear Day I will turn your Feasts into Mourning and your Songs into Lamentation I will bring up Sackcloth upon your Loyns and Baldness upon every Head and I will make it as the Mourning of an Only Son and the End thereof as a bitter Day And which is most Dismal of all I will send says the Lord a Famine into that Land not a Famine of Bread nor a Thirst for Water but of Hearing the Word of the Lord. And to shew that an Estate got by these Injurious Means shall not last long nor afford much Enjoyment hear again what the Prophet Micah declares Meca 6. Chap. 6. Are there yet Treasures of Wickedness in the House of the Wicked and the scant Measure that is abominable Shall I count them pure with the wicked Balances c. Thy Rich Men are full of Violence Therefore will I make thee sick in smiting thee Thou shalt eat but not be satisfied Thou shalt sow but not reap c. But on the contrary The wealth of the Sinner is laid up for the just says Solomon and he that hath clean hands Prov. 13.22 c. shall ascend into the Hill of the Lord where the Righteous live for evermore Their Reward also is with the Lord Psal 24. and the care of them with the Most High To which Divine Care and Protection I commend your Souls and Bodies that they may be preserved blameless till the coming of our LORD JESUS CHRIST And now Lord we beseech thee to grant thy People Grace to withstand the Temptations of the World the Flesh and the Devil and with pure Hearts Hands and Minds to follow thee the only GOD through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen FINIS