like is imployed a necessity of marchantdizing for the distraction of commodities from one nation to another for furnishing the necessities of each country for the vpholding norishing of commerce peace amity amonge the people and inhabitants of the earth Lastly it is plaine by deuine dispensation of gods all ruling prouidence vvisdome in opening the secrets of all things as belongs to Marchants As first god himselfe that made the sea vvas author of shipping nauigation on the sea For the first modell of a shipp vvas the arke of Noah that after the flood cataclysme of vvaters vvas found vpon the mountaines of Armenia Againe god hath opened the vse of the needle card compasse as the abstruse secrets of nauigation that are only for their vse And hath caused nature in generall as the starres of heauen the vvinds the seas the art of man in the skill of nauigation to be as the attendants vpon their Marchantdizing Prov. 31.14 Therefore the Marchants shipp vvhich bringeth her commodities from a farre to vvhich a good vvife is resembled in the prouerbs is indeed the good husvvife of a common vvealth Can vve then thinke the abysse of vvaters for soe the scripture cals the Ocean vvas made for nother vse Psa 104.26 but for sight and vvondermente vvhen as Dauid tells you there goe the shipps describes gods marveilous perseruation of his seruants in those great vvaues There also is fish in great abundance vvhich by shipping is had thence for the vse of man yea the gospel of Christ Iesus had bene vnknovven vnto remote nations vnles by marchantdizing they had hard thereof yea and it pleased god to extēd enlarge the territories of his sonnes dominion by Pauls trauelling Act. 13. voyages made by sea in the shipps of Marchants All this shevves that Marchants their marchandizings are of god It remayneth that the men to vvhom this glorious kingdome of heauen is resembled doe vse their vocation legally that god may blesse them it that they may at the last become Marchants of that kingdome of heauen To performe their vocatiō legally they must doe it first conscionably then constantly and in so doing they shal be sure to end it comfortably To doe their vocation conscionably they must remember that it is not enough for a man to be in a lavvull calling but he must follovve it lavvfully Luc. 18.10 For god loueth aduerbs better then adiectiues That is god loueth that his children should doe all things lavvfully Luc. 5.5 and that to doe it by directiō of his vvord that vvhether they trade day or night by sea or land the vvord of god must be their loadstone compasse and Pilote as the pillar of fire pillar of a cloud vvere the guids of gods people in the vvildernes Auoyding in all their tradings all base couetousnes Genes 6. Galat. 5.13 Psal 107. Act. 21.5 vniust dealing When they build a shipp they must build her in faith as Noah did the arke vvhen shee it built they must serue one another vvith her in loue in all things vsing prayer For Paule before he vvent on ship board prayed vpon the sea shoare For in vaine else doe vve build shipps vnlesse god doe giue the blessing Secondly they must vse it constantly not be as the manner of some is to be constant only in vnconstantcie But rather by remouing all hinderances in your trading as namely Absolons foolish ambition Matchiuills diuelish pollicy all deluing trenching vndermyning one another in their gaines and commodities but constantly vsing the holy meanes of honest recreation helpes of deuotion to further one another in their holy calling Act. 20.24 So vndoubtedly you shall finish your course comfortably and end it vvith ioy that vvhen the auncient of dayes shall sitt dovvne death the sea Reuel 20.13 Matth. 25.21 the graue shall giue vp her dead you shal be sure of a comfortable Euge vvel done good and faithfull seruants enter into your masters ioy vvhich haue continued trading as I bad you vntill I came novve I vvilbe your euerlasting great revvard for euer vvhich revvard of mercy you did allvvaies trade for in all your negotiations busines Practice 1 The life of this learning is first of Caution that you should not be proud if riches encrease by your marchantdizing for the Tyrians and Sidonians vvere the greatest Marchants of the vvorld but being proud by reason of their riches the prophets did prophicie against them Es 23.1 Ezech. 27.2 Hovvle o ye shipps of Tharsis for your distruction shipvvrackes sayth the prophet And albeit they vvere come to perfect beauty in their Marchantdizing That their plankes vvere of the fine trees of Shenir their masts of the ceders of Lebanon their oares of the oakes of Bashan their bankes vvhereon they rovved of yuorie brought from Greece Italie Their sayles vvere of fine linnen vvith broydered vvorke brought from Egipte Blevv silke purple vvas their clothing vvast clothes Their marriners men of Zidon Aruad Their pilottes vvere prudent Their kalkers the skilfull men of Geball The Persians the men of Lud of Phut of Aruad the Gammadimes vvere their men of vvarre theyr saylers their souldiers From Tharsis they traded in siluer tinn iorn lead The men of Iauan Tubal and Mesech vvere their vndertakers From Togarmah they had horses horsemen mules They dealt from Dedan vvith Elephants teeth Peacokes They occupied vvith the Aramites in Emrauds corall pearle They dealt vvith the men of Iudah Israel in vvheat honny oyle balme With them of Damascus in vvine vvoole With them of Dan in Cassia Calemus in vvhat not So large vvas their marchantdizing soe encreased vvas their trade the marchants in all this vnthankfull grovven intollerable proud Therefore lamentation is taken vp for thē heire city distroyed their ships broken at sea they shipvvracked other Marchants hissed at them yea they became a terrour to themselues to others to this day vvere neuer any more in that glory reputatiō as they vvere before Take heede therefore of pride if you be lifted vp vvith riches let not your harts be lifted vp against god For kings the principall among the sonnes of men are borne naked euery thing is an helper to our being The heauēs giues vs light The ayre beath the earth her fruites the bees their hōny the veins their wine the shepe their woole the wormes our silke why then should Marchants be proud Hast thou gold siluer Hag. 2.8 Psal 50.10 Psal 24.1 Eccles 1.7 it is the lords saith Haggai Hast thou cattle they are the lords vpon a thousand hills Hast thou plate houshold stuffe vvhy the earth is the lords all that therein is Hast thou had much and novve hast not Gen. 33.11 Psal 78.70 he is the Ocean to vvhich all riuers runne
seeke the vvorld For the world is but a pharisee promising much performing nothing nor yet seeke after the flesh to fullfill the lucts thereof for it is but a familiar Iudas vvhile he kisseth he killeth nor seeke ye to the povvers of darknes for the deuill is but a crafty Herod a foxe vvho vvhen he canot tyrannize vvill subtilize If you vvil not be aduised S. Paule vvill pose you in all your proiects in one word what fruite had yee then in those things vvhereof ye are novve ashamed for the end of those things is death Practice 4 The fourth is of satisfaction The deuill seekes to gaine you in euery case of your conscience seeke therefore in euery case of conscience to thy god For there is balme in Gilead there are physitioÌ„s in Israel God hath giuen the vvord great is the companie of the preachers The curious conscience may find a Moses vvho vvith his rod vvil satisfie him by MTRIS if not by MIRACULIS The afflicted conscience may find an Aaron who vvith his bells will qualifie all distresses A coÌ„trite broken hart may find a Dauid Israells svveete finger vvho vvith his deuine harpe vvill cure him of the venemons biting of the beast TARANTULA vvhich is his sinne The hard conscience may find a Ieremy vvho vvith the hammer of gods iudgmeÌ„ts vvil vvorke him The sleepie conscience may find an Esay vvho vvith his trumpet vvil avvake him The vvearie conscience a Peter vvho vvith his keyes of heauen may open vnto him coÌ„forts that may refresh him And the tender conscience may find Barnabassas sonns of consolation vvho may helpe to bind vp the vvounds poure in vvine oyle Practice 5 The fift vse is of ansvvere to theÌ„ that say oh good Sir vve knovve not howe to seeke god TheÌ„ I vvill tell you First you must looke forvvards not backvvards in the spirit of pharasâ—isme that is to consider not what we haue done but vvhat vve must doe Phil. 3.14 as Paule resolues I presse tovvard the marke for the price of the high calling of god in Christ Iesus the reason is vpon record For if vve forgett vvhat vve haue done for gods sake as thinking all is to little vvhat euer it be then god vvill record it as he did the curtesie of the vvoman vvhich Christ calleth a good vvorke But if vve record Math. 26. commemorate our good deeds god will sleight them Secondly vve must resolue in euery case Luâ— 7.32 conditioÌ„ to seeke him Out of the veary deepes early in the morning yea though vve grovell in our ovvne dust stucke fast as it vvere in our ovvne durt yet as Ieremy vve must cry vnto him out of the dungeon For vvhen the spirite of man doth grone to god for helpe The blessed spirit of god for the loue of Christ vvill breath vnspeakable comfort vnto man Practice 6 Lastly let me moue you to seeke god vvhile he may be found It is propheticall apostolicall counsell And Dauid yealds the reason For there vvill come a tyme that in the great vvaters vve shall not vve cannot come nigh him Psal 32. There vvere and yet are certayne foolish philosophers pratlers in the vvorld called Sceptiques in deed meere Scoptiques vvho vse to question all things euen the Magnificat but asseuere rosolue on nothing So there are certayne vvho seeke god daily as sayth Esay Esai 58. 2. Tim. 3.7 as Pauls vvoemen did vvere euer learning neuer earning And these are such vvho flatter their ovvne soules that they seeke god aright vvhen as they only prattle prate of god deny indeed the povver price of their redemption But being persvvaded better things of you my bretheren Remember 〈◊〉 beseech you by the mercifulnes of god that vve all liue for a day for an hovver for a minute Seeke Your god therefore this day this hovver this minute harden not your harts For euen novve is the axe layd to to the roote of the tree euery tree therefore that bringeth not forth good fruit is hevven dovvne cast into the fire Matth. â— From vvhich fearfull fatall finall distruction god deliuer vs all in the sauing mercies of his sonne CHRIST JESUS The eight lesson You haue seene this our reall marchants Dilligence Novve behold his constancie For he seeketh god not by fitts flashes but resolueth to seeke this Pearle vntill he find it So doth the fullnes of the greeke vvord in the text signifie by the fittnes of it is taken from the sagacitie of hounds that earnestly seeke neuer giue ouer vntill they find their game Whereof the learning is That if euer vve desire to find fauour in the sight of god vve must continue in our suits vnto him in our seruice for him most constantly vntill vve obtaine the blessing The light of this appeares First from the oracles of Christ himselfe positiuely as Mat. 10.22 Ye shal be hated of all men for my name but he that endureth to the end he shal be saued Mat. 15.32 Miraculously Then IESUS called his disciples vnto him said I haue compassion on this multitude because they haue continued vvith me already three daies haue nothing to eate I vvill not let them depart fasting least they faint in the vvay So by their constant-staying they beheld a miracle Mat. 24.13 Prophettically But he that endureth to the end he shal be saued And pyrobalically Abide in me Io. 13.4 I in you as the branch cannot beare fruite of it selfe excepte it abide in the vine no more caÌ„ ye excepte ye abide in me Secondly from the practice of the patriarches by the example of Enoch vvho vvas translated because he vvalked vvith god Gen. 5.24 Gen. 18.23 Of Abraham vvho earnestly sued for Sodom Of Jacob vvho vvrestled all night vvith the angell nevver lest of vntill he had obtayned the blessing vvayted vnto his end for his saluation Gen. 19. And of Moses vvho continued vvith god forty dayes in the mount receaued the lavve Thirdly by the prophets Jeremy expostulats the Ier. 2.5 cause vvhat iniquitie haue your fathers found in me saith the lord that they are gone farre from me Ier. â— 5 haue vvalked after vanity Hos 6.4 are become vaine Hosea lameÌ„ts it saying O Ephraim vvhat shall I doe vnto thee O Judah vvhat shall I doe vnto thee for your goodnes is as the morning devve as the early cloud it goeth avvay further shevves the reason vvhy they did not continue vvith god Because they vvere like a cake on the harth not turned Hos 7.8.10 like a silly doue vvithout hart vvere fed vvith the vvind Fourthly the light of this doth appeare from the practice of the true Christian church They continued vvith one accord in prayer Act. 1.14 Act. 2 4â— supplication vvith the vvomen Mary the mother of
die for the lord Iesus Act. 10 11 He had learned this lesson of his master vvho had taught him That if any man vvould come after him he must deny himselfe take vp his crosse Matth. 16.24 followe him What other things then denying our ovvne frends our ovvne goods our ovvne selues doth that myrhe mortification that dying burying vvith Christ signifie vvhereof so oft is made mention in scripture For vve are but strangers pilgrims like the children of Israell in vvhose tvvo forty stations is figured resembled the race of a Christian For they came to Rameses the store house of the Egiptians from thence to Succoth so to Etham in the edge of the vvildernes From thence to Pihiroth at the red sea before Migdoll So on to Marah vvhere they vvere three dayes vvithout vvater there they murmur From thence to Elim vvhere they found tvvelue fountaines seauenty palme trees Thence to the red sea in the desert of Syn vvhere they had quailes Manna so on till they had finished forty tvvo stations a cloud by day a pillar of fire by night being their pilotts to guide them Matth. 1. And as Christ had in his generatiō three fourteenes From Abraham to Dauid from Dauid to the captiuity from the Captiuity to Christ vvhich in all make forty tvvo So if vve haue so many fleetings as Dauid calls them in the psalmes in our regeneration yet must vve goe on continue vntill vve haue finished our course We see it vvas so in Christ For being yet an infant he must flie into Egipte back againe into the land of Israell turne a side into the parts of Galilee for feare of Archelaus the the sonne of Herod In all his life from the crach to the Crosse vvhat see vve but stations of vvoe sorrovve He that shall but cast his eie to see Paules peregrination from place to place to Cyprus to Iconium Lystra Der be Antioch to Thesolonica Beraea Athens Ephesus Miletū Ierusalem tovvard Rome suffered shipvvracke at Mileta novve called Malta Lastly vvas beheaded at Rome What sees a man I say in all this his peregrination but a sea of sorrovve sobbs sighes a perfect resemblance of the travaile of regeneration The right of this appeares to gods children For they knovve that here they are but pilgrimes in respect of their stay pay vvay Noe stay Iob. 14. Thou shalt seeke me to morrovv I shall not be In respecte of pay Noe peny noe PATER NOSTER Poore is the entertaynement that a traueler shall find that hath noe mony Lastly in respecte of our vvay for euery day vve goe forvvards Secondly gods children knovve that they must not be here allvvaies 1. Cor. 15. in respect of their sinne vvhich causeth death For the angell of paradise must vvith his svvord cut the tvvine of this life before vve can tast the tree of the other life Thirdly in respect of the place wherein they liue vvhich Iob calls cottages of clay Job 4. God calls the land of the curse Genes 3. Dauid calls the land of the dead The philosophers tearmed the sublunary region vvhere vve enquire still vvhat state the moone is in And Barnard calls it the place vvherein vve liue by deaths for vvhatsoeuer flyes in heauen or goes vpon the earth or glides in the vvaters that is eateable vve bury in our stomackes so vve liue by their deaths Againe right reason shevves this that there must needs be a dissolution vve must goe from our selues First because our bodies are composed of diuerse qualityes vvhich cannot endure For a kingdome deuided against it selfe cannot stand Secondly from the morall cause vvhich is sinne sinne causeth death Thirdly from the counsellor to sinne vvhich vvas the deuill by vvhose enuy sinne entered death by sinne Lastly by the decree sentance vpon that sinne For as there vvent a decree from Augustus Cesar that all the vvorld should be taxed Luc. 2.1 So there is a statute in heauen concluded by the great Cesar of heauen earth that all men must once die Heb. 9. Fourthly gods children knovve that vvhen they goe from themselues they goe to their holy burgeshipe Phil 3.20 Ephe. 2.19 2. Cor. 5. Ioh. 14. to their sacred seruice to their heauenly entertaynment to their abiding place In a vvord this light of the scripture right of reason shevves this conclusion That if vve vvil not by denying our ovvne frends our ovvne goods our ovvne selues in respecte of Christ be buried vvith CHRIST be crucified vvith him suffer vvith him be made conformable vnto him vve shal neuer liue vvith him raigne vvith him or be glorified by him Practice 1 The practice of this is first of direction For in a Christianslife there is no faring delitiously euery day Luc. 16. Matth. 7. Noe going on in a broad vvay CHRIST directs it saith If ye vvere of the vvorld the vvorld vvould loue his ovvne but because ye are not of the vvorld but I haue chosen you out of the vvorld Ioh. 15.19 therefore the vvorld hateth you but a reall Christian must cast avvay all that hindereth his race as the blind man cast avvay his cloke Heb. 12.1 Ma◠10. follovved Christ For euery child of god must knovve that this a rule case that euery citizen of heauen is a stranger on earth so Jacob speakes to Pharoh So Dauid to god Gen. 4◠9 And Peter exhorteth therevnto that vvee should pass the tyme of our dvvelling in feare 1. Chro. 29 15. 1. Pet. 1.17 1. Pet. 2.11.12 againe he saith Dearly beloued I beseech you as strangers pilgrims abstaine from fleshly lusts vvhich fight against the soule haue your conuersation honest among the Gentiles that they vvhich speake euill of you as euill doers may by your good vvorkes vvhich they shall see glorifie your father in the day of your visitation Practice 2 The second practice is a full declaration of our misery gods mercie The Israelites doe not allvvaies march on forvvards to Elim vvhere are fountaines palme trees as before but retyres to Marah to the vvaters of bitternes The navigator doth not allvvaies saile before the vvind for then he vvould neuer learne to bring his tacke a boord It appeareth euidently that god vvho knovves vs knovves vvhat is best for vs therefore preuenteth our peeuishnes vvith his pitty For hovve vnvvilling haue gods deerest children bine to enter into his seruice to goe from themselues Moses excuseth himself that he is not elequent Ieremy saith that he is a child Lot lingereth to gett out of Sodom Confes lib 8.1 2 7. S Augustine hauing a long conflicte at Rome goeth to Millain to heare S. Ambrose yet being not satisfied for resolution He complaines sayth Hovve long lord hovve long shall I still say as the crovv sayth CRAS CRAS