all the world but in Israel Now therefore I pray thee take a blessing of thy seruant And the Prophet hauing refused his reward Naaman said shall there not bee giuen to thy seruant as much of this earth as two Mules may beare for thy seruant will henceforth offer neither burnt sacrifice nor offering vnto any other God saue vnto the Lord. Herein the Lord be mercifull vnto thy seruant that when my maister goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there leaneth on mine hand and I bow my selfe in the house of Rimmon when I do bow downe I say in the house of Rimmon the Lord be merciful vnto thy seruant in this point Thus wee see how that this great and mightie man called himselfe at euery word the seruant of Gods seruant yea moreouer he bare him such honour that when as hee saw Gehezi the seruant of Elisha running after him he lighted downe from his Chariot to meete him and said Is all well Thus wee see how good and godly men and women as well the rich as the poore and as well the noble as the ignoble haue honored the seruants of God and the Gouernors of his Church and called them Lords And yet this is not all the honor the Spirit of God giueth them in the holy Scripture 2 Chron. 17.7 Psal 45.9.13 16. For the Prophet Dauid as he speaking of the future glory of the Catholicke Church vnder Christ the head thereof saith thus The Kings daughter is all glorious within her clothing is of broydred gold Shee shall bee brought vnto the King in raiment of needle-work so prophecying of the future splendour dignitie of the fathers and gouernours of the Church hee vseth these words In stead of thy fathers shall thy children be thou shalt make them Princes through all the earth meaning that of the children of the Church should be chosen such as should bee Fathers and Rulers of the Church as Patriarkes Archbishops and Bishops which should bee honored throughout the whole Christian world as Lords and Princes for the holy Prophet as hee describeth typically Christ as the King of the Catholike Church and none but he to bee King and the Church as the Queene and Spouse of this King so doth hee signifie vnto vs that the Princes of this King and kingdome are the Rulers and Gouernours of the Church aboue named which of children of the Church should be made Fathers of the Church and should be honored as Princes through all the earth for wee must not imagine that the kingdome of Christ is to bee included within the walles and circuite of one Citie whether Rome Ierusalem Geneua or Amsterdam nor yet within the compasse of some three or foure kingdomes but wee must beleeue that the Church of Christ is of farre more ample and spacious bounds then so Psal 45 27. All the ends of the world shall remember themselues saith the Prophet Dauid and turne to the Lord. And all the kindreds of the Nations shall worship before thee 2.8 Aske of mee saith the eternall father to the sonne and I shall giue thee the Heathen for thine inheritance and the ends of the earth for thy possession his dominion shall bee from sea to sea 72.8.11 and from the riuer vnto the ends of the land yea all kings shall worship him all nations serue him But to passe ouer this matter of the large extent of the Catholick Church and to returne to the honour the people owe vnto her gouernours we reade what was the demeanour of the Iayler toward Saint Paul and Silas being prisoners Acts 16.24.25 to 34. whose hands and feet the Lord loosed as also opened the doores of the prison by the meanes of a mighty earth-quake so that the Iayler came trembling and fell downe before Paul and Silas and brought them out and said Sirs or as the word in the originall also importeth my Lords what must I doe to be saued And they said beleeue in the Lord Iesus Christ and thou shalt bee saued and thine houshold And they preached vnto him the word of the Lord and to all that were in his house and when he had brought them into his house and had washed the stripes and wounds of their bodies and likewise they the spirituall stripes and wounds of the soules of him and his houshold by baptisme hee set meate before them and reioyced that hee with all his houshold beleeued in God Lastly Reuel 1.11.19.20 11.8.12.18 3.1.7.14 Saint Iohn writing to the Bishops of the seuen Churches of Asia calleth them by the name of seuen Angels or rather our Sauiour and Soueraigne himselfe calleth them so who also expoundeth the seuen starres to bee the Angels of the seuen Churches and biddeth him write vnto the Angell of the Church of Ephesus thus and vnto the Angell of the Church of the Smyrnians thus and so vnto the other Angels of the other Churches Where note that although that in euery one of these Churches were more Ministers then one yea there was many in euery one of them and namely in Ephesus as is more then cleare by the tenour of Saint Pauls Epistle to Timothie 1 Tim. 13.4 3.1.2 the first Bishop of Ephesus yet the name of Angell is by the spirit of God the mouth of Christ and the penne of the Apostle appropriated vnto onely one of the Ministers of the foresaid Churches euen vnto him who was Bishop amongst them And as the foure and twentie Elders glorifie Christ for making them Kings and Priests vnto God so the holy Apostle and Prophet Saint Iohn Reuel 5.10 Reuel 1.4.5.6 writing vnto the said seuen Angels or Bishops of the said seuen Churches in his salutation ascribeth all glory and dominion to Iesus Christ the Prince of the Kings of the earth who saith he hath made vs Kings and Priestes vnto God the Father And thus haue I verified mine assertion that the holy Scripture honoreth the Gouernors Rulers of the Church with the honourable Titles and names of Fathers Lords Princes Kings and Angels And therefore let no man thinke that I haue said too much for yet I could say more and yet no more then the word of God doth warrant me to say And therefore I wish all vs Lay-men to think that it is not the peaceable spirit of Gods Church but the popular perturbing spirit of Amsterdam or some such other respectlesse priuate spirit that moueth men to dislike of the giuing of honourable titles to the Gouernors and Prelates of the Church But as the example of Cornelius his demeanour in the presence of the great Apostle doth teach vs Lay-men humility and reuerence in the behalfe of Gods Ministers so doth the example of the modest demeanour of the first of the Apostles in the behalfe of godly Cornelius teach all Pastours and Prelates all Patriarks Archbishops and Bishops to shew and Practise all Christian modestie in the peoples behalfe by letting them
ministers as disdaine to bee called by the name of priests but delight in new names and new opinions and would rather want tythes then be called priests to the end they may be vnlike vnto other Churches of Christendome and the Church-men thereof I wil say no more but that it is a great pittie that the Church of God should be troubled with such newfanglednesse and that any of Gods ministers should bee misse-led with such fond and friuolous yea vnministerly opinions As learned godly holy men as they are said to bee or thought to bee they are much deceiued if they doe thinke otherwise but that more learned more wise and holy Church-men haue bin called by the name of priests then they If the whole people of God be called a royall priesthood by the holy Apostle S. Peter 1. Pet. 2.9 Reuel 1.4 5 6 5.9 10. and if the blessed Apostle S. Iohn writing vnto the angels or bishops of the 7. Churches of Asia calleth them priests and if the 24. Elders in heauen call themselues priests finally Heb. 7.15 17 21 24 26 28 8.1 2.3 if Christ Iesus himselfe be called a priest yea an high priest which presupposeth that he hath priests vnder him for as much as euery high priest must haue his inferiours shall any of the ministers of the Gospel then bee ashamed to be called priests or shall any of them bee so fond as to disclaime tythes which are due to priests rather then to bee called by this honourable name of priest XIII And lastly the holy Apostle Paul not onely exhorteth Christians to remember them which haue the ouersight of them Heb. 13.7 and haue declared vnto them the word of God but also in expresse words hee enioyneth him that is taught in the word Galat. 6.6 to make him that hath taught him partaker of all his goods The people must giue a part of their goods vnto their pastours and this part must either be equall vnto the Leuitical part or greater then it or else smaller To giue them a smaller were a most vnreasonable indiscretion a more then beastly ingratitude and if they will not bestow a greater then they must either giue an equall portion to that of the legall priests or else no portion at all Yea the iniunction of the Apostle beareth that the maintenance of the Euangelicall priests ought rather to be more then lesse then was that of the legall priests for they had a right vnto a tenth part of some certaine goods namely of fruits and of flocks but not of all their goods whatsoeuer or of the value thereof in money whereas the Euangelicall priestes ought to bee made partakers of all indifferently And truely 2. Cor. 3.6 7 8 6 10 11. looke how farre the ministery of the Gospel is more excellent then that of the Law so much the more ample liberall ought to bee the maintenance of the ministers of the Gospel then was that of the ministers of the tabernacle O how vgly then is the sinne of sacriledge that beareth neuerthelesse such a sway in this Isle O how horrible an iniquitie is it for men of might to pull out of Gods mouth the diet of the church to put it into their owne and to fill the bellies of their hounds and their horses with the meat of Gods ministers It is a sinne of that high nature that because of it God hath said vnto vs Malach. 3.9 10 11. as once he said vnto the people of Israel vpon the like occasion ye are cursed with a curse for ye haue spoiled me euen this whole nation and that he hath sometimes sent scarcenes of bread Amos 4 6 7 8 9 10. and cleannesse of teeth in our cities and townes sometimes hath with-holden the raine from vs when there were yet three months to the haruest and shut the windows of heauen vpon vs Isa 16 9 10. staied the raine til the fruits of the earth were destroyed with drought somtimes hath smitten our fruits with blasting mildew sent the palmer-worm to deuoure the fruits of our trees Hagg. 1.10 2.18 yea made our singing showting for ioy in haruest to cease made vs drunke with our tears for that the heauen aboue vs was stayed from dew and the earth vnder vs from yeelding her increase For this abhominable sinne God hath sometimes sent the pestilence amongst vs to rage in most violent manner to consume our bodies and the fire to burne and the water to ouerflow our townes lands houses and habitations In one word it is this horrible sin of sacriledge that hath ouerthrowne the strength and glory of diuers mighty and wealthy houses God in his most iust iudgement shutting such from their inheritance as were so audacious and bold as to robbe him of his Iob. 15.25.26 27. The sacrilegious God-spoyler is the man which as Iob speaketh hath stretched out his hand against God and made himselfe strong against the Almightie Therefore God shall run vpon him euen vpon his necke and against the most thicke part of his Shield because hee hath couered his face with his fatnesse and hath collopes in his flankes As if the holy man should say because this God-spoyling anti-god hath presumed to shut God from his inheritance and hath taken from him his tythes and hath made himselfe fat with Gods meate which hee hath pulled out of the hands and mouthes of his Ministers Ver. 29.30.31.32 34. therefore God shal bee auenged on him he shall not be rich alwaies neither shall his substance continue neither shall hee prolong the perfection thereof in the earth Hee shall neuer depart out of darknesse the flame shall dry vp his branches and hee shall goe away with the breath of his mouth His branch shall not be greene but shall be cut off before his day and the congregation of the hypocrite shall bee desolate And who is so great an hypocrite as the sacrilegious Church-robber who being an impure God-spoyler indeed will needs in the meane time be esteemed a pure Gospeller and one of the most precise professors of the reformed Church Hee may well make himselfe merry with the meate of Gods Ministers as prophane Balthasar did with the golden and siluer vessels of Gods house Dan. 5.1 2 3 4 5. Iob. 20.5 6 7 8.9 10. but he shall know in the end that the reioycing of the wicked shall take an end and as Zophar speaketh that the ioy of hypocrites is but a moment Though his excellency mount vp to the heauen and his head reach vnto the cloudes yet shall he perish for euer like his dung and they which haue seene him shall say Where is he He shall flye away as a dreame and they shall not find him he shal passe away as a vision of the night so that the eie which had seene shall doe so no more and his place shall see him him no more As if he should say
THE GOLDEN ART OR The right way of Enriching Comprised in ten Rules proued and confirmed by many places of holy Scripture and illustrated by diuers notable examples of the same Very profitable for all such persons in Citie or Countrie as doe desire to get increase conserue and vse goods with a good conscience By. I.M. Maister in Arts. 1. Sam. 2.7 The Lord maketh poore and maketh rich bringeth low and exalteth ECCLESIASTIC 11.14 Prosperitie and aduersitie life and death pouertie and riches come of the Lord 2. Cor. 9.8 Yee know the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ that hee beeing rich for your sakes became poore that yee through his pouertie might be made rich LONDON Printed for William Leake and are to be sold at his shop in Paules Church-yard at the signe of the Holy Ghost 1611. To the two most Famous Ancient and Opulent Sister-Cities of the Ocean-walled-world of Britaines Ile the Augustious Chambers of our most gracious King IAMES the Concorder and the first Christian Vniter thereof LONDON the Lady of Cities and Load stone of Strangers EDINBVRG the bright Eye of the North. And to the Honourable GOVERNOVRS ALDERMEN and SHERIFFES BAILLIES and DEANE of the Guild With the whole Worshipfull CORPORATIONS COMPANIES therof A Britaine for a perpetual testimonie of his obseruancy doth in right humble and hearty maner dedicate the Golden Art of Enriching being the first Art that euer was written vpon this subiect and likewise the first that euer was written originally in the Britannish Tongue IAMES MAXVVELL To the Right Honourable SIR WILLIAM CRAVEN Knight Lord Mayor of the Augustious Citty of LONDON and the flower of all Noble minded Merchants SIR IOHN ARNOT Knight Lord Prouost of the Royall City of EDINBVRGE and Collector of the Crowne-rents of Scotland All desirable Felicity Right Honourable I BEING of late in reuoluing and reuiewing the confused Masse of mine vnpolished papers among mine other exercises and essayes I found the proiect and platforme of this present Art and hauing taken some paines about the polishing and finishing thereof I was loath it should perish or yet lye any longer shut vp in the obscure corner of a coffer And therefore partly presuming and partly hoping that it might do some good vnto such as labour either to get goods with a good conscience or to vse their goods already gotten in a good and godly manner I was somuch the more willing to set it out to publicke veiw And because it was mine hap to prosecute my studies and to run my Philosophicall course in the Noble Citty of EDINBVRGE whereby my small capacity hath herein been furthered and my fortune to write and finish this present Arte in this famous Citty of LONDON where now I liue therefore I thought it my duty to dedicate the same vnto the foresaid two most Honourable Citties of this I le and that for a testimony of mine obseruancy and gratefull affection towards them both Being somuch the more moued to implore and imploy their honourable patronage therein as for because that the subiect thereof doth especially concerne Citties and Citizens and genenerally all such in Citty or country as labour to be rich in the right way In it truely is contained whatsoeuer thing the Sacred Scripture dispersedly doth afford concerning pouerty and riches and the vertues and vices which are incident or conuersant about the same Out of the which holy Booke I haue collected the whole rules reasons probations and exemplifications of this Arte and therfore I haue not amplyfied nor enlarged my discourse as I might haue done with the forraine stuffe of humane testimonies and that for these three reasons First because that the holy Scripture beeing diligently searched is no lesse-sufficient to shew a man the right way of Enriching then it is of Beleeuing that the reasons and testimonies thereof are of vncontroullable authority Secondly because I did foresee how that this Arte by such enlarging would arise to such a volume that it should bee both hardly reade ouer of rich men who haue too little time to peruse large bookes and hardly compassed or got of poore men who haue too little money to buy big bookes And lastly because it is my purpose God willing to discourse both Theologically and Philosophically in the Arte of Flying how that no lesle then these ten Schoolemaisters 1. Almighty God 2. The glorious Angels 3. The holy Pen-men of sacred Scripture Prophets and Apostles 4. The reuerend Doctors of the Church 5. The wise Philosophers of the Heathen 6. The Worlds frame in the Heauens Starres and Elements 7. The Fowles of the Aire 8. The Fishes of the Sea 9. The Beasts of the Field 10. And the creeping things of the earth do all of them coniunctly concurre to teach Man how to become a Bird of Paradise that is to say how to flie from all vices to all opposite vertues Accept therefore Right Honourable in good worth in the name of your foresaid two flourishing Citties the Golden Arte of Enriching such as it is being the first Arte that euer was written vpon this subiect yea and the first Arte that euer was originally written in the common language of this most noble I le and as I suppose the first booke that euer did beare this Vnionall kind of Dedication Grace it therefore with your fauourable visage and guarde it with your worthy patronage So shall it bee secured vnder your shadow and I encouraged to offer God-willing one day vnto the honour of these your two most Honourable Sister-citties our IAMES ANNA that is the patterne of a perfite Citty That which resteth is my thrise hearty wish vnto God who hath planted peace in your Borders Psal 147.13.14 strengthned your gates and satisfied you with the floure of wheate that it would be his gratious pleasure to crowne you more and more with all kind of Spirituall and Temporall blessings that your Sonnes may be as the plants Psal 144.12.13.14 growing vp in their youth and your Daughters as the corner-stones grauen after the similitude of a Palace Psal 65.9.10.11.12.13 that your corners may be ful and abounding with diuers sortes and the furrowes of your fieldes may be made soft with showers and filled with fatnesse That your pastures may be replenished with dewy grasse and clad with sheepe bringing forth thousands in your Territories together with kine sending forth the soft streames of sweet milke and likewise with oxen strong to labour your land That your vallies may be couered with corne Psal 132.15 Zach. 9.17 and your trees and orchards loaden with fruite so that your Poore may be satisfied with bread and your Yong-men and Maids for ioy may shoute and sing Psal 144 14. That there be no inuasion from without nor sedition from within nor no crying in your streetes Isay 23.58 and circumiacent townes That your Merchants may be as Princes and your Chapmen and Shopmen as the Nobles of the earth that
other godly women as ministred vnto our blessed Sauiour and his disciples were such as practised the Rules of this art had they much or had they little they purchased it by lawfull meanes and vsed the same religiously and charitably for they imparted thereof vnto the poore Ministers and members of Christ according to their power and therefore no doubt but they prospered This Mary the wife of Cleophas and sister as is said of the Queene of Maries yea the Queene of women the blessed Virgin Mary is she whom the Apostle of the gentiles Rom. 1.1 to 7. 16.6 Saint Paul writing to the Church of Rome saluteth in the end of his Epistle as she that had bestowed much labour vpon the Ministers of Christ And it was Mary Magdalene the sister of Lazarus and Martha that tooke a box of oyntment of Spikenard very costly and annointed Iesus euen from the head to the feet and wiped his feet with the haire of her head Mark 14 3. 16.1 Ioh. 12.3 so that the house was filled with the sauor of the oyntment The same holy Marie together with another godly Marie the mother of Iames and deuout Salome had prepared costly oyntments to embaulme the balmie and sweet body of our sweet Sauiour Iesus Act. 9.36 to 41. Tabitha was a regular student in this Art shee feared God shee was full of good workes and almes which shee did a vertuous woman and diligent in her calling who by the Lords blessing and her vertuous industrie attained to a competent wealth and beeing dead the Lord raised her againe from death to life by the hand of blessed S. Peter Cornelius a captaine of the Italian band Act. 10.1 to 7.11 22 to 26. practised the Rules of this Art for hee was a deuout man and one that feared God with all his houshold He prayed vnto God continually he gaue much almes vnto the people so that his prayers and his almes came vp into remembrance before God wherefore God blessed his temporall store with increase but chiefly his soule with spirituall grace for the Lord whom he serued incessantly sent his angel vnto him to bid him send for his seruant Saint Peter into his house for hee shall shew thee quoth the holy angel what thou oughtest to doe Towards whome Matth 10 2. Ioh. 21.15 16 17 Luk. 22 31 32. Act. 2 14 41 9.42 10 44. to 48 11.1 2 15 to 18. the godly Captaine behaued himselfe so humbly and reuerently notwithstanding his abiect and contemptible estate in regard that hee was appointed of Christ to be the great feeder of his flocke the shepheard and pastor both of his sheepe and lambes that is the conuerter and spirituall ruler both of Iewes and Gentiles as also the confirmer and establisher of his brethren that is of the rest of the Apostles towards whom I say hee behaued himselfe so humbly and respectiuely that he called together his kinsmen and special friends to goe and meet him and to doe him honour So that as soone as hee sawe the blessed seruant of Christ he fell downe at his feete and worshipped him Who on the other part to shew his Christian modestie as the other had done his Christian humilitie and to signifie vnto Cornelius and the rest that he craued no such courtesie at his or their hands tooke him vp presently saying to him stand vp for euen I my selfe am a man The which example teacheth both Cleargie and Laytie true humilitie First it teacheth the people to reuerence and honour their pastors both with humble gesture of bodie and with compellation of honor â— Sam. 1.14 to 18 for the priests and prophets of God that did beare rule in his Church haue not onely bin called fathers and Lords by the people but also they are honoured in the holy Scripture with the titles of Lords Princes and Kings This holy woman Anna the mother of Samuel called the high priest Eli her Lord who when as he had thought shee had beene dumbe because that praying in the temple her lippes did but mooue onely so that her voyce was not heard shee answered and said Not so my Lord I am a woman of a sorrowfull heart I haue drunke neither wine nor strong drinke but haue powred out my soule before the Lord. Yea shee calleth her selfe by the name of his handmaid Count not thine handmaid quoth shee for a wicked woman and againe let thine handmaid find grace fauour in thy sight Thus the widow of Zarephath behaued her selfe humbly 1. King 17.28 24. in the behalfe of the prophet Eliah Thus godly Obadiah king Achabs steward 1 King 18.3 4 7 9 12 13. and gouernour of his house who feared God greatly hid an hundred prophets in a caue nourished them there in the time of Iezebels persecution behaued himselfe in the presence of the same prophet when as he met him by the way he fell on his face and said Art not thou my Lord Elisha Was it not told my Lord what I did when Iezebel slue the Prophets of the Lord not only called he the prophet his Lord but also he called himselfe the Prophets seruant What haue I sinned said hee that thou wouldest deliuer thy seruant into the hands of Ahab to be slaine but I thy seruant feare the Lord from my youth vpward Thus also did the Captaine ouer the fifty 2 King 1.13 14 sent by Ahaziah the King behaue himselfe humbly in the presence of the man of God hee fell on his knees before Eliah and said vnto him O man of God I pray thee let my life and the life of the fifty thy seruants be precious in thy sight Thus the Bethelite widow called herselfe the Prophet Elishas seruant and hand-maid 4 1.2.16.27.28 And the Shunamite Gentlewoman whom wee spake of before said vnto the same Prophet when as he had promised her from God a childe O nay my Lord thou man of God doe not lie vnto thine hand-maid And when as her childe afterwards died shee went to the man of God to mount Carmell and caught him by the feet and said Did I desire a sonne of my Lord and when as he had reuiued her sonne she fell at his feet and bowed herselfe to the ground Thus Naaman 2 King 5.1.9.10.15.17.18.19.20 21 Captaine of the Hoast of the King of Syria a great and mighty man expert in warre and honourable in the sight of the King his maister as Generall of his Armie came with his Horses and Chariots and stoode at the doore of the house of Elisha till the Prophet sent his messenger vnto him saying Go and wash thy selfe in Iordane seuen times and thy flesh shall come againe to thee and thou shalt be cleansed And when he was cleansed according to the saying of the man of God hee turned againe to him hee and all his company and stood before him and said Behold I know now that there is no God in