A SERMON AGAINST OPpression and fraudulent Dealing: PREACHED AT PAUL'S CROSS, the eleventh of December, BY CHARLES RICHARDSON, Preacher at Saint KATHERINE'S near the Tower of LONDON.  ECCLESIASTES, CHAP. 5. VER. 8. 
If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgement and justice in a Province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest, regardeth, and there be higher than they.  
LONDON, Imprinted by George Furslowe for joseph Browne, and Thomas Harper. 1615.   

TO THE RIGHT Honourable, Sir JULIUS CAESAR Master of the Rolls, and one of his majesties most Honourable Privy Counsel: Increase of grace in this life, and eternal happiness in the life to come:  
Right Honourable,  
AS it pleased God to give better approbation to this poor Sermon in the delivering of it, than I expected: I have been earnestly entreated since, by some of my good friends, to give way that it might be printed. And though I am not ignorant of mine own inability: yet because I know that God can, and doth work, as well by weak, as by greater means; I have yielded to their request. I confess it is written in a rude & homely style, and I doubt not, but the curious censurers of this age, who like nothing but that which is for their own humours, will carp & cavil at the plainness of it: but my desire was to make it appear, that as Barnard sayeth, in the like case, I rather sought Edification then Ostentation. Now because the means of that maintenance which I have, is chief by your honourable favour, I have therefore presumed to publish it under your Honour's name. And howsoever there be nothing in it worthy your Honour's contemplation: yet I beseech you to accept of it as a poor testimony of that dutiful affection which most deservedly I owe unto you. The Lord bless your Honour with increase of all saving graces, that you may long be a profitable instrument of his glory, both in the Church, and in the common wealth.  
Your Honours in all humble duty and service, C. R.   
1. THESSALY. 4.6. 
That no man oppress and defraud his brother in any matter: for the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we have told you before and testified.  
THe Apostle Paul having planted a Church at Thessalonica, 
Act. 17.1.2.3.4.5.15. etc.  and being driven from thence by some malicious enemies of the truth, he made his abode for a while at Athens: where understanding what troubles and persecutions were raised up against these new Converts, out of his love and care for their good, 
1. Thess. 3.1.2.5  he sendeth Timotheus unto them, to visit and comfort them. And being certified by him, with what great patience and invincible constancy they endured tribulation for the Gospel's sake, 
Ver. 6.7. etc.  because he could not come unto them as he desired, he writeth this Epistle, to confirm and establish them in the present truth. Wherein, in the three former Chapters, he congratulateth with them for their faith, love, patience, reverence to the word, and other excellent graces, which God by his spirit had wrought in them, which gratulation he concludeth in the end of the third Chapter with a gracious prayer in their behalf, 
Ver. 12.13.  that God, which had begun so good a work in them, would 'stablish them in the same unto the end. In the two next Chapters, he exhorteth them to holiness, and to a Christian conversation: And that first generally, that they should not content themselves with their good beginning, 
Ver. 1.2.  but increase more and more, and labour to surpass, and to go beyond themselves. Then more particularly, he descendeth to the parts of sanctification, and layeth down certain special rules, the better to direct them how to run in this Christian course. The first respecteth every man's own person in the private carriage of himself. Namely, This is the will of God, 
Ver. 3.4.5.  even your sanctification, etc. The second respecteth a man's dealing with his neighbour, in this verse that I have read, That no man oppress, etc. For it is not enough for a man, 
Tit. 2.11.22.  to live soberly in regard of himself, unless he also live righteously in respect of others. The words are imperfect in themselves, and must be supplied out of the third verse, in this manner. It is the will of God that no man oppress & defraud his brother, etc. And this is the coherence that these words have with the former.  
Now for our more orderly proceeding in the handling of them, we have to consider two things in general. First, the exhortation itself; and secondly, the reasons whereby it is enforced. In the exhortation we may observe first the branches of it; secondly, the extent of it. The branches are two. First, that no man oppress: secondly, that no man defraud his his brother. The first signifieth violence and manifest force: the second, deceitful and fraudulent dealing; and that by a general consent of the most interpreters. The extent is either in respect of the persons oppressing and oppressed; no man his brother, of whatsoever place or condition he be; or in respect of the object, in any matter whatsoever, great or small. And howsoever these universal terms be not expressed: yet the proposition being indefinitely set down, it is as much as if they were expressed. The reasons are likewise two. The first is included in the word his brother, which (as we shall see afterward) containeth in it a very forcible argument. The second is expressed, and it is taken from the vengeance of God. For the Lord is the avenger of all such. And this is further amplified and confirmed by the Apostles former testimony, in the last words, as we have told you before, and testified. And this is briefly the sum and resolution of this portion of Scripture: Let us now see the instructions that arise from thence for our further learning.  
(That no man oppress.) This is the first branch of the exhortation. The word here used in the Original, 
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉.  doth properly signify, to go upon, or to climb upon a man, and to tread him under foot; representing unto us those persons, who having oppressed a man by violence, do trample upon him. As we read of joshuah, who having vanquished those five Kings of the Amorites, called the Captains that were with him, and bade them, put their feet upon their necks. 
Josh. 10.24.  And to this purpose is that threatening denounced by Moses against the disobedient Israelites, 
Deut. 28.43.  The stranger that is with thee shall climb up above thee on high: and thou shalt come down beneath very low. A plain description of that which is signified here. And the Church of God complaining of the injuries of her enemies, saith; 
Psal. 66.12.  Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads. This is referred, as hath been said, to violent oppressions, when they that are mighty & powerful, take boldness to hurt and wrong those that are under them. As the Apostle james saith, 
jam. 2.6.  Do not the rich oppress you by tyranny? etc.  
From hence then we observe in the first place, 
Doctrine.  that oppression is a grievous sin against the will of God. The truth of this will appear unto us, if we consider how oft, & how earnestly the Lord forbiddeth it in the whole course of the scriptures. He chargeth the people of Israel by Moses, 
Leu 19.13. & 25.17. Prou. 3.29.  Thou shalt not oppress thy neighbour by violence, neither rob him. And again, Ye shall not oppress one another, etc. And Solomon goeth yet further; Intent no hurt (saith he) against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee; thereby teaching us, that we should be so far from doing and practising hurt to our neighbour, that we must not so much as intend and devise it in our thoughts. 
& 22.22.  And in another place; Rob not the poor, because he is poor, neither oppress the afflicted in judgement. And David maketh it a mark and property of a true member of the Church in this life, and of the kingdom of heaven in the life to come, 
Psal. 15, 3.  that he doth no evil to his neighbour. And our Saviour Christ delivering the sum of the Law, 
Mat. 10.19.  setteth down this for one branch of it; Do no hurt. 
Luc. 3.14.  In a word, john Baptist chargeth Soldiers, who of all other men commonly take most liberty this way, that they should do violence to no man. Besides, there are many reasons to show the heinousness of this sin. First of all, it is against nature, for every man's neighbour is his own flesh, as it were, Isa. 58.7. Now as the Apostle saith, No man (unless he be a mad man) will offer violence to his own flesh; Ephes. 5.29. yea, the poorest & meanest wretch in the world, beareth the same stamp and impression of God's Image that the greatest doth, Gen. 6.6. And therefore one man should be so far from hurting of another, as that rather he should be a God unto him, as it were, to protect him, and defend him from wrong to the uttermost of his power. Hence is it, that there are such titles given to God's children, as should put them in mind of that harmlessness that ought to be in them. They are called Lambs, and Sheep, and Doves. The Dove, saith Barnard, 
(a) Columba simplex est animal, fell caret, rostro non laedit. Bern. in die purificat.  is a simple creature, it hath no gall, it striketh not with the bill, as other ravenous fowls do: such should one man be to another: But alas, we see the common practice of most men is clean contrary: The greatest danger that befalleth man, cometh from whence it ought least of all to come, even from man himself. And now the old Proverb is verified, 
(a) Homo homini lupus.  One man is a Wolf to another. Nay, there is no brute beast so hurtful to man, as one man is to another: for they lightly never set upon a man, unless necessity force them to it: either by hunger, or by fear they are constrained to fight. But one man taketh pleasure to wrong and to hurt another, which caused Seneca to propound the question, and give the answer; 
(b) Quid homini inimicissimum? Homo.  What is the greatest enemy that man hath? Man himself. 
(c) Caetera animantia in suo genere probè degunt, etc. At homini plutima ex homine mala, Plin. in Prologue. lib. 7.  All other creatures, as Pliny noteth, do live peaceably with those of their own kind; they all hold together, and stand in opposition against all others. The Lions though never so fierce; do not fight among themselves: one serpent doth not sting another; yea, the great fishes and monsters of the sea devour none but those that are of other kinds: But the greatest evils that man sustaineth, come from man. 
(d) O humanae malitiae detestanda crudelitas! Ferae parcunt, aves pascunt▪ homines insidiantur & saeviunt. Serm. 6.  This made Cyprian cry out with wonderment and admiration; O the detestable cruelty of man's malice! the fierce Lions do spare Daniel in the den: the ravenous birds do feed Elias in the wilderness: but one man exerciseth cruelty upon another.  
Secondly, it is against that justice, that aught to be in civil societies, for the preservation whereof, it is necessary, that men do converse safely together, & without fear one of another. And therefore it was well said by a wiseman, that the first foundation of justice is to hurt no body; and the second, to procure the common benefit as much as lieth in a man's power.  
Thirdly, it is against Christianity, 
(e) Vita Christiana est bene faciendi & malè patiendi disciplina. 1. Cor. 6.7.  which is a life that teacheth a man, to be ready to do well, and to suffer ill, according to that speech of the Apostle▪ Why rather suffer ye not wrong? Why rather sustain ye not harm? Implying that a Christian man should rather part with his own right, then use the lawful remedy of the la, to the scandal of the Church. Not that it is not lawful for a man to prosecute and maintain his own right; but to teach us, that if he will not do this, much less will he spoil and unjustly deprive another man of his right. And this was prophesied of long before, that in the time of the Gospel, the Wolf shall dwell with the Lamb, and the Leopard shall lie with the Kid, 
Isa. 11.6.7.8.  and the Calf, and the Lion, and the fat beast together, and a little child shall lead them. And the Kow and the Bear shall feed: their young ones shall lie together: and the Lion shall eat straw like the Bullock. And the sucking child shall play upon the hole of the Asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand upon the Cockatrice hole. Thereby teaching us, that though men by nature be brutish and savage, like those Indians that Pliny speaketh of, 
Lib. 7. cap. 2.  who having copulation with wild beasts, do beget a mixed and half wild brood: yet when it pleaseth God to convert them, and place them in his Kingdom, they lay aside their fierce disposition, and live peaceably one with another. For as it followeth in the next verse, None shall hurt nor destroy in all the mountain of the Lords holiness. And in another place it is said, that under the Kingdom of Christ, men shall break their swords into mattocks or plowshares, 
Isa. 2.4.  and their spears into scythes, etc. That is to say, those weapons which before were instruments of cruelty, shall now be turned into instruments of peace.  

Rom. 13.10.  Fourthly, it is against the rule of Charity; for as the Apostle saith, Love doth not evil to his neighbour. And in another place, 
1 Cor. 13.6.  Love rejoiceth not in iniquity, and wrongful dealing. And therefore, they that care not what injury they offer to their poor brethren, are far from that charity, that aught to be amongst Christians.  
Fifthly, it is odious to all good men, and maketh them many times weary of the world: As Solomon saith, 
Eccles. 4.1.2.3.  I considered all the oppressions that are wrought under the Sun, and behold the tears of the oppressed, and none comforteth them: and on the side of their oppressors there was power, but they had no comforter. Wherefore, I praised the dead which are already dead, above the living which are yet alive. And I account him better than them both, which hath not yet been, who hath not seen the evil works which are wrought under the Sun.  
Sixthly, it is theft, and worse than theft, 
2. 2●. q. 66. art. 8.  as Thomas Aquinas doth well determine; Oppression and theft are both of them (saith he) to be accounted sins, because they both spoil a man of his goods against his will: yet so, as in theft, a man is wronged ignorantly, that he knoweth not of it: but in oppression, he is wronged by violence; he knoweth it, and looketh on, and cannot tell how to help it. Now that is more directly against a man's will, that is done by violence, then that which is done ignorantly. And therefore, oppression is a more grievous sin then theft. Again (saith he) in oppression, beside the damage done to the party, there is always some indignity and reproach done to his person, which is far worse than fraud or deceit which is used in theft: 
(a) Remota justitia, quid sunt reg na, nisi magna larrocinia? De Civit. Dei. l. 4. c. 4.  whereunto agreeth that saying of Saint Augustine; Take away justice, saith he, and what are even kingdoms themselves, but great robberies? And he relateth a story of a famous Pirate, who being apprehended, and brought before Alexander the great, when the King asked him, what he meant to trouble the sea in that manner, he replied very stoutly and boldly; What dost thou mean to trouble the whole world? But, sayeth he, because I do it in a little Bark, I am called a Robber; and because thou dost it with a great Army, thou art called an Emperor. Nay indeed, oppression is far more dangerous than either piracy by sea, or robbing by land. For Pirates and robbers, being accounted as they are, common enemies of all men, 
Vrbani praedatores viwnt, & viwnt, non ad deponendam, sed ad confirmandam audaciam.  whensoever they are apprehended, they are hanged up, or put to some other death. But these City robbers, as one calleth them, they domineer in gold and purple, and live not to lay aside, but to increase their boldness. And this made Diogenes laugh hearty, when he saw the Sheriffs and other officers lead a poor thief to execution, that had rob the treasury; 
(a) Laert. in eius vita.  Great thieves, saith he, lead little thieves to the Gallows. The poor Snakes, that peradventure for mere necessity break a man's house, or otherwise pilfer his goods, they lie in prison, 
Psal. 107.10.5.  fast bound in misery and iron, both hungry and thirsty, their souls fainting in them, as David sayeth. But these mighty oppressors, who are the greatest thieves of all, they stretch themselves upon their beds of ivory, 
Amos, 6.4. Luc. 16.19.  and with the rich glutton, are clothed in purple and fine linen, & far delicately every day. 
Psal. 109.11.  And hence it is, that David by the spirit of prophesy, cursing his enemies, amongst other things, he saith, Let the extortioner catch all that he hath. As though a man could not be worse plagued, then to fall into the hands of one of these merciless Oppressors.  
Last of all, it is a degree of murder: according to that saying of Sirach; The bread of the needful is the life of the poor: 
Eccl. 34.22.  he that defraudeth him thereof, is a murderer. For a man to deprive the poor of that wherein his life consisteth, is all one with God, as to take away his life itself. Nay Antisthenes the Philosopher was wont to say, that oppressors were more hurtful them common hangmen; for the hangman putteth to death none but malefactors: but oppressors spoil & undo them that are most innocent.  

Use.  This doctrine then, to apply it to our times, doth serve for the just reproof of all oppressors whatsoever they be. Oppression is a most filthy bottomless sink of grievous enormities. 
Lerna malorum.  To rip up all the kinds thereof were infinite: and therefore I will deal with some of the principal. There is oppression in the Church, and in the commonwealth. I know as Luther said wittily, It is not safe for a poor hare to preach such doctrine to these Lions, he shall have much ado to escape their paws: But whatsoever the Lord commandeth me, that must I speak, 
jer. 1.17.  I must not be afraid of any of their forces, lest he destroy me before them.  
First then, to begin with the Church. There is oppression there in those sacrilegious impropriations, whereby the livings of the Church are alienated to other uses. And this is a very great oppression: for tithes and other revenues were given to the Church by our devout forefathers, for the maintenance of God's worship, & of the Ministry of his Word; and therefore it is the more grievous sin for any man to encroach upon them. 
In iure fori, non in iure coeli. Aug. de vita & morib. Cler.  I know they that hold them, plead law for their defence. And howsoever their plea will hold in the court of men, yet it will not hold in the court of heaven. And yet such is the iniquity of the times, that many covetous patrons, even where there is no impropriation, can find means either by unconscionable Leases, or by sequestration, to withhold the profits from the Church.  
But it is in vain to spend any longer time in speaking to the belly that hath no ears. There is little hope ever to prevail with such persons, unless it please the Lord to put into the hearts of godly Princes, 
Nehem. 13.11.12.  with good Nehemiah, to compel them to bring their tithes again into the house of God. What a glorious work would this be for his Majesty, and what a renowned Parliament would that be, wherein this thing might be effected! And thus much for the first kind of oppression that is in the Church.  
Secondly, there is oppression also in the Commonwealth: and that either in private affairs, or in public judgement. For the first, It is an ordinary thing for mighty men, & men of power, in their dealing to oppress those that are under them. It is true, great men should be to the poor people, 
Isa. 32 2. & 14.6. Ezech. 22.29.  as a shelter from the wind, and a covert from the tempest. But for the most part, they smite the people in anger with a continual plague, and rule them in wrath, as the Prophet speaketh of the King of Babylon; yea they violently oppress the poor, and vex the needy against right? There is no spectacle more pleasant to their eyes, than the ruins of the poor. They are greater plagues and calamities to the places where they dwell, than an inundation or a fire: for, as the rivers, rising at the first of small beginnings, and afterwards being intolerably increased, do at the last with violence bear down all before them, and carry it away: so these covetous great men, the more they increase, the more they oppress, and make the ruins of the oppressed, as it were steps to the oppression of others. And as the fire, having seized first upon one house, flieth presently to another, and from that to a third, till, if it be not prevented, it lay all the street even with the ground: so these persons by cruel oppression join house to house, and land to land, till there be nothing left for the poor, but lamentable desolation: 
(a) Nemo potentes aggreditutus potest. Sen. in Medea.  So that no man can safely converse with, nor live by those that are mighty. 
(b) Novi ego istos Polypos, quicquid tetigerint tenent. Plaut. in Ausul. Gen. 10 9  They are right Polypi, whatsoever they catch by hook or by crook, it is their own. These are the great Nimrods', the mighty hunters of the earth, that hunt the poor people as the wild beasts do their prey. These are they, that count it their glory and felicity, to play the Termagaunts over the poor, & to terrify them with their power. 
(c) perversa magnitudinis & potestatis aestimatio est, iniurijs vires metiri. Sen. de Benef lib. 1. job. 24.10. & 20.19.  But the very heathen man could teach them, that it is a bad estimation of a man's greatness and power, to measure his strength by the injuries that he is able to do.  
But this sin is chief committed by cruel Landlords; partly, by enclosing the Commons, and decaying tillage, whereby they take the gleaning from the hungry; yea, they undo many, and spoil houses which they builded not: so that a man may say of them, that wheresoever they come, desolation and destruction are in their paths; partly, 
Isa. 59.7.  by racking their rents, & taking excessive fines; & partly, by making their Leases void at their pleasure: for with these men 
(d) Pactum non pactum est, non pactum pactum est, quod illis lubet, Plaut. in Aulul. Isa. 3.15. Cic. in Verrem. lib. 4.  that which is covenant to day, shall be none to morrow, & that which is now no covenant, shall be a covenant when they list. By which kind of dealing, they beat the poor to pieces, and miserably grind their faces. And to this purpose they have their prowling Bailiffs, and other Ministers, who like bloodhounds hunt about to find out booties for them to seize upon. The whole land groaneth under this burden. The Lord gave a commandment in the Law, 
Deut. 22.6.  that men should not take nor kill the dam with her young: but these merciless persons, as much as in them lieth, by these intolerable vexations, do even kill the poor mother with her children. Now the causes of all these hard courses, if any man desire to know, are divers. The first is ambition, when men having gotten a deal of wealth together, give many hundredth pounds, to buy one degree of honour after another, to make themselves great in the world, & I know not how many thousand pounds, to advance their daughters in marriage, to make them Ladies or great personages. Then secondly, they must lash it out, and flaunt it in all bravery of apparel, that they may, at the least, match them of their own rank. And when by these means they have emptied their coffers, they must coin new money on their poor tenants skins. A third cause is sumptuous building: It is one of the vanities of this age, that every man, of any degree, must build like Princes: As the Prophet saith, 
jer. 22.14.  They will build them great houses, and large chambers, with great windows, & will siele them with Cedar, and paint them with vermilion. And then not only their own Tenants, but all the Country about them shall be tired out with carriages. Poor men are glad to toil themselves and their cattle, sometimes in the deep of winter, yea sometimes in the midst of harvest, to bring timber or stones, or other provision, and all for fear of a further displeasure: for if any man refuse to come at their call, they will be sure to sit on his skirts, and to pay him home, either by raising him in the Subsidy, or by doubling his charge for the wars, or one way or other. But let them remember, what the Prophet denounceth against them, 
Ver. 13.  in the place before alleged: Woe be to him, saith he, that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers without equity: he useth his neighbour without wages, and giveth him not for his work. The last cause is excessive feasting; wherein men are grown to such exceeding riot, that neither the land, nor the sea, nor the air is sufficient to furnish their tables, (though the poor get but little relief in many places for all this. 
Mat. 20.12. Psal. 127.2. ) The toiling Labourer, who endureth the burden and heat of the day, the poor husbandman and oppressed Tenant, that riseth early, and goeth late to bed, doth eat the bread of carefulness, and sitteth with many an hungry meal, his poor children peradventure crying for food, and all to bring a full diet to his Landlord's Table; As if these men were slaves and servants, and not sons. job had a better conceit of those that were his servants indeed, 
job. 31.15.  than these persons have of their Tenants. He that hath made me in the womb, hath he not made him? These poor wretches, whom thou by thy cruel oppression causest to toil and moil like drudges, or else they cannot live; are the workmanship of God as well as thou, and as dear to him as thou art, notwithstanding all thy greatness, and it may be, dearer.  
Last of all, there is oppression in judgement. But dare this ugly monster set her foul feet on the seat of justice? Surely, in the times of the Prophets & Apostles she durst; Else why, 
jam. 2.6.  sayeth Saint james, Do not the rich oppress you by tyranny, and draw you before the judgement seats? making that a means of oppression, which was ordained to be a protection of the poor. And why doth Solomon say, 
Eccl. 7.17.  that in his observation he hath seen a just man perish in his justice? that though he had a just cause, yet he hath been cast in it. 
Isa. 1.23.  And this the Prophet Isaiah complained of in his time, that the Princes were rebellious, and companions of thieves; and that every one loveth gifts, 
& 5.7.  and followeth after rewards, etc. And that whereas the Lord looked for judgement, there was nothing but oppression, and for righteousness, & there was nothing but a crying. And the Prophet Amos saith, 
Amos. 5.7. & 6.12.  that they had turned judgement into wormwood & gall, and the fruit of righteousness into hemlock. And the Prophet Zephaniah is not afraid to affirm, 
Zeph. 3.3.  that their Princes were as roaring Lions, and her judges as ravening Wolves. But it may be, the times are better now: what then mean those Proverbs, that are so rise amongst us? As a man is friended, so is his matter ended. And, 
(a) Cui vis est, ius non metuit, ius obruitur vi.  might overgoeth right. As Aesop's wolf said to the sheep, when they were in contention; Thou hast a better cause than I, but I have stronger teeth than thou. And as the Orator said of Verres, 
(b) Pecuniosus damnari non potest.  A money man can hardly be condemned, be his cause what it will be. There were certain sacred pictures in the court as Thebes, representing the persons of the judges, which were all made without hands, & the chiefest of them wanted eyes also: whereby was signified that judges should be free from bribes, & void of partiality, that they should be led neither by favour nor affection, that they should respect neither love nor hatred in determining of causes, whether criminal or judicial. And let us conceive the best: Let us take it for granted, that our judges are most incorrupt, and that, as justinian said, they can lift up their hands clean, to God, to the King, and to the law; yet wrangling Lawyers, if they may have their wills, will cause judgement to be perverted. They will continue suits, as once saith, 
(c) Lites no● tantum lustrales, said & seculares facient.  not for divers years only, but for divers ages; that if a man should live as long as Nestor did, and begin a suit in his youth, he should hardly make an end of it in his old age, nay, it is like, he should be constrained to leave it to his heir to finish; and this they do, that they may enrich themselves by spoiling their poor Clients. Is it not a grievous oppression, to cause a poor man to come trotting or trudging up hither, from the furthest part of the land, Term after Term, and still his cause as far from being ended, as it was at the first? he in the mean while, doth nothing but empty his purse, by paying fees, first to one, 
Mar. 5.26.  & then to another. As it is said of the woman in the Gospel, that had been sick of an issue of blood, twelve years, and had spent all that she had upon Physicians, & yet it availed her nothing, but she beeame much worse: So it fareth with most men that go to law in these days: 
A. Gell. lib. 5. cap. 1. Idem lib. 11. cap. 9  for the Lawyer either with Protagoras, with glozing speeches will make the worse cause seem the better, or with Demosthenes, by mercenary silence, will betray the good cause, which he hath taken upon him to defend; or with Penelope, as much as he hath brought the cause forward one Term, he will bring as far back again the next Term: or will draw out the web of a suit so long, till the poor Client want waif to prosecute it; and so after all his labour and travel, he must be enforced to let it fall; or if he do at the last recover, and have the matter go on his side, yet he shall be no great gainer by the match; for as one sayeth, 
(a) Maior est expensarum sumptus, quam sententiae fructus. Aelian. l. 9 c. 18  the charges of the suit are greater, than the costs that shall be awarded him. This made Themistocles say, that if a man should show him two ways, one to hell, the other to the bar, he would rather choose that that went to hell. I do not speak, nor I have not a thought to speak against the use of the Law. I acknowledge it as necessary for the common wealth, as the sun is for the world: 
(b) Est fundamenrum libertatis, fons aequitatis. Cic. pro A. Cluent.  It is the foundation of liberty, the fountain of equity; and as the body is without the soul, so would the commonwealth be without the Law. 
(c) Est propugnaculum mutique tranquilitatis, Cic. in L. Pisonem.  It is the very bulwark and fortress of our safety; the eye whereof is Prudence, the hand Fortitude, the beauty justice, and the foundation of it is laid in justice: And I doubt not, but there are many conscionable Lawyers, who deal faithfully in the causes committed to their trust. But I speak against those base & degenerate professors of the law, which are a blemish and stain to the rest, and which, like Vultures, do nothing but gape after the prey. By all these means the poor people are grievously oppressed. To which, I might add our 
(d) Non missura autem nisi plena cruoris hirudo. Horat. Psal. 14.4.  cutthroat usurers, our bloodsucking brokers, our griping extortioners, which eat up the people as they would eat bread: but the time would fail me. And they have been so often cried out upon, both here and in other places, as there is now no hope of their reformation. They have got them an whore's forehead, 
Ier 3.3.  as the Prophet saith; they cannot be ashamed. And thus much for the first branch of the exhortation.  
And defraud.) This is the second branch. As the former is referred to manifest and open violence; so this is referred to fraud and deceit. 
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Caluin ad locum. 2. Cor. 2.11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. Cor. 7.2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. 2 Cor. 12.17.18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, etc.  The word that is here used, doth signify in the Original, by a covetous desire to cirumvent or defraud a man. And so it is used in other places. The Apostle applieth it to the wiles which the Devil useth to beguile the godly withal; Lest, sayeth he, we should be circumvented of Satan: for we are not ignorant of his enterprises. And in another place, he sayeth of himself; We have defrauded no man, And again, Did I make a gain of you by any of them whom I sent unto you? I desired Titus, & with him I sent a brother; Did Titus make a gain of you? The meaning then of it is this; for a man by covetousness or other evil means, to raise his own benefit out of another man's loss. 
Doctrine.   
From hence we observe in the next place, that fraudulent and deceitful dealing is a sin against the will of God, and cannot stand with sanctification. This is confirmed by the testimony of the Apostle to the Romans, where reckoning up the sins of them that are given over to a reprobate sense, among other things he saith, 
Rom. 1.29. 1. Pet. 2.1.  they are full of deceit. And therefore the Apostle Peter exhorteth all Christians, to lay aside all guile and dissimulation. 
Psal. 101.7.  And the Prophet David protesteth, that he would not suffer a deceitful person to dwell within his house. This is also confirmed by divers reasons. First, as was said of the former sin: so this also is against nature. And this the heathen man affirmeth; 
(a) Cum duobus modis aut vi aut fraud fiat iniuria, fraus quasi vulpeculae, vis Leonis videtur, etc. Cic. office lib. 3.   injury, saith he, is done two ways, either by force or by fraud, fraud doth as it were, belong to a Fox, and force to a Lion: but both of them are most repugnant to the nature of man; yet of the two, fraud is worthy of greater hatred.  
Secondly, it is against civil society. Man is a sociable creature. And this is the Law even of natural society, that whatsoever we would that men should do to us, we be ready to do the same to them: and on the other side, 
Mat. 7.12.  whatsoever we would not that men should do to us, we do not so much as offer it to them. Otherwise, there can be no commerce, nor traffic used amongst men. For, as Thomas Aquinas saith well, Because man is a sociable creature, 
2.2ae. q. art. 3.  one man naturally oweth that to another, without which, human society cannot be preserved: but men cannot live and converse together, unless they may believe, and trust one another, as manifesting the truth one to another.  
Thirdly, it is a kind of theft, as it is agreed upon by the most Divines, old and new. Hierome writing upon that place to the Ephesians, 
In Eph. 4.28.  Let him that stole, steal no more, etc. hath these words, Because it is an hard matter for them that are conversant in the affairs of this life, though they be free from other passions, 
Furtum nominans omne quod alterius damno quaeritur.  as fornication, etc. not to be guilty of theft: therefore now he warneth the Ephesians, that by occasion of gain, they incur not the danger of theft: calling that theft, whatsoever is gotten by another man's loss. And Erasmus said, Show me a liar, and a deceitful person, 
Ethic. Christ. lib. 2.  and I will show thee a thief. And Danaeus, If any man, saith he by craft or deceit procure loss and damage to another, certainly, he is a thief.  
Last of all, it is against Christianity, which requireth plain and open dealing amongst men. The heathen Orator could say, 
a Inter bonos benè agier oportet & sine fraudatione. Cic. Offic. lib. 3. Use. jer. 5.27.  Amongst good and honest men, there should be good and honest dealing, and without deceit. Much more should they that profess themselves Christians, be thus affected.  
Here then are justly reproved all kinds of fraudulent and deceitful dealing. A thing so common at this day, as we may say with the Prophet, As a cage is full of birds, so are men's houses full of deceit: thereby they are become great and waxed rich. Now there are many kinds of this sin. I will only insist in that which is used in contracts, in buying and selling: Merchants and Tradesmen have been of old condemned generally for covetousness and bad dealing: As a nail in the wall, saith the Wiseman, 
Eccl. 27, 2.  sticketh fast between the joints of the stones: so doth sin stick between the selling and the buying: whereupon among the Hebrues, a Merchant is derived of a verb that signifieth to deceive. I do not deny, but that negotiation and trading is good in itself, and very necessary for men. For God hath so ordered the matter, that as no Country, so no man, is sufficient of himself, but must supply his wants by buying of another. Hence innumerable benefits do redound to mankind, yea, the whole world almost by this means is brought into a communion & fellowship. But now the malice of men hath filled it so full of deceitful tricks, that many Chapmen are little better than thieves and robbers. That which was spoken of the followers of Antichrist, may be fitly applied unto them, that few do buy and sell in these days, that have not the mark of the beast, that is, 
Apoc. 13.17  that use not lying and dissembling. They have so many false shifts to deceive those that deal with them, that if a man had Argus his eyes, he should hardly secure himself from being overreached. It is not for nothing, that their trades are called Mysteries: for there is a mystery of iniquity in them. And Crafts: for, as they use the matter, there is little but craft and deceit in their dealing: 
(a) Qui cavet ne decipiatur, vix cavet, etiam cum cavet, etiam cum cavisse ratus, saepe is cautor captus est. Plaut. in Captiu.  Let a man be never so circumspect, and look never so well to himself, yet it will go hard, but he shall be fetched over by one trick or other. 
(b) Stobaeus ex Theopompo.  It was a custom in Athens, that when men bought or sold any thing, they came before the Magistrate appointed for that purpose, and there took a solemn oath, that they had not dealt fraudulently, nor used any cunning or deceit. But it is far otherwise with us; for both in buying & selling, every man almost, 
Mic. 7.2.  as the Prophet saith, hunteth his brother with a net. As it is reported of the fish Polypus, that when she lieth in wait for other fishes, 
Aelian var hist. lib. 1. cap. 1.  she changeth her colour into the colour of the rock, and so the fishes are caught before they be aware, in a net which by nature she hath behind her head, and can spread it at her pleasure. So do the Trade's men of these days, when a man cometh to them, they insinuate themselves into him, with the fairest and smoothest words that can be devised: but if he take not the better heed, there is a net spread to ensnare him, and it will be hard if he be not caught. But it will be objected, I compel no man to buy my commodities, I only show them and make the price: let the buyer look to it. 
Caveat emptor  But the Heathen man will tell thee, 
(b) In sidiae sunt tendere plagas, etsi excitaturus non sis nec agitaturus, etc. Cic. lib. 3. Leu 25.14.  that it is bad dealing in thee, to spread a net for thy brother, though thou dost not hunt him and drive him into it; for the wild beasts many times fall into the net that is laid for them, though no man pursue them. The Lord gave a straight commandment unto the jews, that when they sold aught to their neighbour, or bought any thing of their neighbours hand, they should not oppress one another. But now there is nothing more common both in buying & selling. First for buying. It is an ordinary practice especially with great persons, that if any of their neighbours have any commodity that lieth fit for their use, as Naboths' Vineyard did for Ahab, they must have it from him by one means or other. If he be unwilling to part with it, they will so weary him with continual vexations, that he shall be constrained to sell it whether he will or no. 
(a) Ereptio est, non emptio, cum venditori suo arbitratu vendere non licet. lib. 4. in Ver.  But as Tully said well, It is rather a taking by violence, than a buying, when the seller may not sell at his own choice. Again, let a poor man come and offer any commodity to sell, the buyer will presently take advantage of his poverty and necessity, and make him sell it far under the worth. To this purpose Saint Augustine maketh mention of a certain jester, who undertook to tell the people, what they all most desired. And when a great multitude were come together, at the time appointed, he stood up, & said with a loud voice, 
(b) Vili vultis emere, & charè vendere, de Trinit. lib. 13. cap 3. Prou. 20.14.  You desire to buy cheap, and sell dear: whereunto agreeth that saying of Solomon: It is nought, it is nought, saith the buyer, but when he is gone, he boasteth of his pennyworth.  
Again, in selling, they have innumerable deceitful tricks, and crafty devices, whereby they set their own souls to sale, and that with such subtlety, as a simple man shall never discern them, as though they had Gyges his ring, to make them go invisible. So that as the King of Babel sacrificed to his net: 
Heb. 1.16.  so may these sacrifice to their craft.  
But to touch some particulars of their bad dealing. First of all, they offend by lying, 
(c)— Plenius aequo laudat vaenales qui vult extrudere merces. Horat. lib. 2. Ep.  whiles they set a far greater commendation on their wares, than they deserve: for so they may gain, though it be by lying, they care not. They sing that song of Curio, 
(d) Vincat utilitas. Cic. Offic. lib. 3.  Let profit prevail. And yet the heathen man that never knew God, hath taught to the shame of us Christians, that all lying must be taken from contracts.  
Secondly, if lying will not serve the turn, they add swearing and forswearing, and so, as much as in them lieth, they make God a false witness. 
(a) Quis metus aut pudor est unquam properantis avari? Iwen. Sat. 14.  For what sin so heinous, which a covetous wretch, that maketh haste to be rich, will be either afraid or ashamed to commit? They will swear it cost them so much, and yet, rather than all fail, they will sell it better cheap: they will swear they give you the buying, and they would not sell it so good cheap to another, though they never saw you before.  
Thirdly, they sin in enhancing and raising the price of their commodities above measure. As the Prophet saith; 
Amos 8.5.6.  They make the shekel great, that they may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for shoes. This is the practice of them that engross a commodity into their hands when it is cheap, and keep it up till it be dear, that so they may sell it at their own price. The very light of nature hath condemned this sin: as the Heathen Orator putteth this case to such persons; 
Offic. lib. 3.  namely, If a man, in the time of a great dearth, bring a Ship from beyond Sea laden with corn, and know that there are a great many more Ships coming within a few days, if he dissemble this, and take advantage of the present want, and sell his corn at too high a rate, he is condemned for hard and unjust dealing. This point is very well determined by Thomas Aquinas: 
2. 2 ae. q. 77. art. 1.  Buying and Selling (saith he) was devised for the common good of both parties, and in that respect, it ought not to be a greater grievance to one then to another: and therefore a contract ought to be made according to the equality of the thing; and that must be measured according to the price that is given. And therefore, if either the price exceed the worth of the thing, or the thing exceed the price, the equality of justice is taken away: And therefore, to sell dearer, or to buy cheaper than the thing is worth, is in itself unjust and unlawful.  
Fourthly, they offend in showing one thing, and selling another. And herein they are their Craftsmasters: for they have such cunning conveyance, and sleight of hand, as a simple man cannot suspect, much less discern them.  
Fifthly, they sin in using false weights and unjust measures; making, as the Prophet saith, 
Amos. 8.5.  the Ephah as small, as they make the shekel great. This is most abominable in the sight of God, as Solomon saith; 
Prou. 11.1.  False balances are an abomination unto the Lord. To this purpose, there was a very strait charge in the Law: 
Deut. 25 13.14.  Thou shalt not have in thy bag two manner of weights, a great and a small; neither shalt thou have in thy house divers measures, a great and a small: but thou shalt have a right and just weight: 
15.  a perfit and a just measure shalt thou have; that thy days may be lengthened in the land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee: 
16.  for all that do such things, and all that do unrighteously, are abomination unto the Lord thy God. And the Lord speaketh with indignation to the people of Israel: 
Mic. 6.10.11.  Are yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, & the scant measure that is abominable? Shall I justify the wicked balances, and the bag of deceitful weights? As if he should say, I will not justify, but condemn them. Besides, weights and measures are instruments as it were of justice and equity; for thereby things that are unjust, should be reduced unto equity. And therefore if there be any iniquity in them, it is so much the more displeasing unto God. And look how much men take from the just measure, so much of the wrath and displeasure of God do they purchase to themselves. In a word therefore, let all men remember, what the Lord requireth in this case: Ye shall not do unjustly, 
Leu. 19.25.36.  saith he, in judgement, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure, ye shall have just balances, true weights, a true Ephah, and a true Hin. I am the Lord, etc. But if the weights & measures be in themselves never so right and just, yet if they have cunning tricks to falsify them by deceit, 
Amos. 8.5.  that a man cannot have that he payeth for, it is all alike odious in the sight of God.  
Sixthly, they sin in selling bad and unprofitable wares in stead of good. As the Prophet complaineth of the jews, 
Amos. 8.6.  that they would sell the refuse of the wheat. It is a lamentable thing to see, what baggage stuff Apothecaries and Chandler's sell to poor people, and make them pay as dear as if it were the best. And this is the general complaint concerning sale wares, that men care not how slightly it cometh out of their hands: and that there is nothing almost made so good, and so durable as in former times.  
Last of all, they sin in concealing from the buyer, the faults of that they sell, and so suffering him to be deluded. 
2. ●ae. q. 77. art. 3  Thomas Aquinas speaketh very well to this point. It is always unlawful, saith he, to give to any man occasion of loss or danger. But the seller that offereth any thing to sell, doth herein give the buyer occasion of danger or loss, in that he offereth him a thing that is faulty, if by the fault thereof he incur danger or loss. Loss, if for such a fault, the thing that is to be sold, be less worth, and yet he for that fault will abate nothing of the price. And danger, if for such a fault the use of the thing be made either unprofitable or hurtful. As for example, if a man sell one a lame horse, for a swift running horse, or a ruinous house, for a strong house, or corrupted and poisoned meat, for that which is good. Whereupon, saith he, if these faults be secret & he do not discover them, it is unlawful and fraudulent selling, and the seller is bound to recompense the loss. Yea, this sin is exceedingly condemned by the heathen man. 
Cic. office lib. 3.  Who seethe not, saith he, what a thing this kind of concealing is, and what a manner of man he is that useth it? Surely, he is no plain dealing man, no honest man, no ingenious man, no just, no good man; but rather a subtle, a base, a fraudulent, a deceitful, a malicious, a cunning, a sly, and a crafty knave. But the Chapmen of these days are so far from making known the faults of the commodities they sell, as that rather they do of purpose darken their shops, that the buyer cannot see what he buyeth, 
Isa. 59 10.  but must grope at noon day, as if it were twilight. By this practice, as one saith well, they show themselves to be the children of darkness, and their deeds to be the deeds of darkness: yea they bewray, that they have a desire to do evil, and to deal badly. For, as our Saviour saith, 
joh. 3.20.  Every man that doth evil, hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. And therefore, because they love darkness more than light, 
19  let them take heed they hear not that woeful sentence denounced against them, Bind them hand and foot, 
Mat. 22.13.  and cast them into utter darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. These are some of the unconscionable practices that are used by Tradesmen in buying and selling, and these are so common at this day, as it is accounted a folly for any man to do otherwise. Every body will confess, that plain dealing is a jewel, but they say, he that useth it, shall die a beggar. Yea, they train up their servants & Apprentices to these courses. 
a Eò laudabilior, quò fraudulentior. Aug. confess. l. 1  And if any of them prove more cunning and crafty to overreach men that come into their shops, than the rest, he is more commendable and better accounted of. So that by that time they have served out their years, partly by their own inbred corruption, and partly by their Master's ill example, 
Mat. 23.15.  as our Saviour Christ said of the jewish Proselytes, they become twofold more the children of hell, than their Masters are. And thus much for the exhortation, and the several branches thereof. The reasons follow.  
His Brother.) The first reason, as hath been said, is included in this word, Brother, and it carrieth great force and weight with it. It was the argument that Abraham used to Lot: 
Gen. 13.8.  I pray thee let there be no strife between thee and me, for we are brethren. And it was the argument that Moses used to the Hebrews that strove together: 
Act. 7.26.  Sirs, ye are brethren, why do ye wrong one to another? 
3. q. 28. art. 3.  Now men are called Brethren, as Thomas Aquinas observeth, four ways in the Scriptures: First, by nature, and that either by birth, as jacob and Esau, borne both of the same Parents; or by blood, and so all mankind are brethren: 
Act. 17.26.  For, as the Apostle saith; God made of one blood all mankind, to dwell on all the face of the earth. Secondly, by Country; and so the Apostle calleth the jews that were his Countrymen, 
Rom. 9.3.  his Brethren. Thirdly, by Kindred, as they that come all of one stock or lineage: and so our Saviour Christ is said to have brethren and sisters; Is not this the brother of james, and joses, and of judas, 
Mar. 6.3.  and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And yet we know that his blessed Mother remained a Virgin both before and after his birth. Fourthly, by Affection. I might speak of all these, and show the force of the argument in every one of them: but I will insist only in the last, which is chiefly meant in this place; and indeed it is the strongest of all the rest, and doth most of all bind us to procure the good one of another, 
Eph. 2.16. Rom. 12.5. Doct.  it being our conjunction with Christ our head, & then in him one with another, whereby we are all made one body, and every one one another's members. This then doth teach us, that it is a grievous sin for one Christian to oppress or defraud another. True, it is not lawful to offer violence to any man. If there were no other reason, yet even in this very respect, that he is a man, we must not do him any wrong, no though he were our utter enemy. 
Mat. 5.44.  As our Saviour Christ saith; Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you, etc. And the Apostle exhorteth; If thine enemy hunger, feed him, 
Rom. 12.20, 21  if he thirst, give him drink, etc. And be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with goodness. Much less must we hurt or harm those that are Christians, of the same profession with ourselves. To this purpose there are seven bounds set down by the Apostle, which, if any thing will prevail, might serve to contain us in our duty.  
There is one body, and one spirit, 
Eph. 4.4.5.6.  even as ye are called in one hope of your vocation. There is one Lord, one faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of all. There is one body. As in the natural body, there is no member more for itself, then for the whole; so it should be in this mystical body: Those that are, as it were, eyes and hands, must not oppress the feet. There is one spirit, which is, as it were, a soul in this body, which knitteth all the members thereof a great deal nearer, than the members of the natural body are coupled with joints and sinews. There is one hope of our calling, 
Eph. 4.16.  whereby we are called to an inheritance in the Kingdom of heaven. There is one Lord, whose servants we all profess ourselves to be. And therefore, as they that serve one Master, and live in one house, ought not to wrong one another: no more should we that would be accounted of God's household, offer injury to our fellow servants. 
Mat. 24.49.  There is one faith, whereby we believe the same gracious promises of God for our comfort. There is one Baptism, wherein we all promised before the God of heaven, before Angels and men, to renounce all the cursed deeds of darkness. Last of all, there is one God the Father of us all, not only by creation, as he is also of the wicked and unreasonable creatures (in which respect job calleth the crawling worms his sisters;) but chief, 
job. 17.14.  by grace and regeneration, 
Quae si non prosunt singula, multa iuuant.  and we all would be reputed his children. There is never a one of these bonds, but even single by itself, it might be of force to tie us to the good behaviour towards our brethren: but all of them laid together, cannot chufe, if there be any spark of grace, but mightily prevail with us.  
And therefore, to apply this in a word, it serveth to reprove those that break all these bonds. Solomon saith, a threefold cord is not easily broken. 
Eccl. 4.12.2.  But here is a greater cord; here are first, as we have heard, four arguments of brotherhood, 
Hos. 11.4.  then, here are seven bonds of love, to tie and unite us in affection one towards another. And yet all these are not strong enough. There are a number of false brethren in all the former respects. 
Gal. 2.4.  And it is hard to find any in this age, 
1. Cor. 6.8.  that will not do wrong, and do harm even to their brethren. So that as the Prophet saith, Every man must take heed of his neighbour, 
jer. 9.4.5.  and not trust in any brother: for every brother will use deceit, and every friend will deal deceitfully: and every one will deceive his friend, and will not speak the truth: for they have taught their tongues to speak lies, etc. Yea, many are grown to that pass, that they will deceive their own fathers. The sacred profession of religion, which ought to be the nearest of all bonds, that heaven and earth can afford, is violated and trodden under foot. Yea, it is too evident, that there are many, that use their profession for a cloak of maliciousness. 
1. Pet. 2.16. Gal. 5.13.  They think that men will the sooner believe and credit them for their profession sake, and so by that means they do the more dangerously deceive. And hereby it cometh to pass, that the mouths of profane persons are opened against them, and the holy name & Gospel of God is disgraced: for indeed there can no greater reproach redound to the Gospel, then when they that are the professors of it, make no conscience of their dealing. According to that speech of the Apostle; 
Rom. 2.24.  The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you. 
2. Sam. 12.14.  And so Nathan told David, that by that wicked deed of his, he had caused the enemies of God to blaspheme. For this is the property of the ungodly, that whatsoever they can find amiss in a man that professeth religion, presently they impute it to the profession, and to the religion itself. And hence it is, that Papists on the one side, and Atheists on the other side, do exclaim against us. These are your professors, these are your Bible-bearers, these are they that will not miss a Sermon, and yet they will dissemble as deeply, & use as much bad dealing as other men. And doubtless, this is that which disgraceth this famous City; that having the Gospel so plentifully as they have, and making such a profession of religion as generally they do, yet there is so little conscience and equity in their dealing. And therefore, let them be exhorted in the fear of God, to walk answerably to their profession, that so, as the Apostle saith, They may take away occasion, 
2. Cor. 11.12.  from them that desire occasion against them. There is nothing in the world that ought to be so dear unto a Christian man, no not his own life, as the credit of the Gospel. And therefore, as we tender it, and would be loath to expose it to contempt, by the slanderous reproaches of wicked men; let us make conscience of our ways; that they that speak evil of us, as of evil doers, 
1. Pet. 3.16.  may be ashamed, when they shall see our good conversation in Christ. And thus much shall suffice briefly to have spoken of the first reason, in this word Brother.  
For the Lord is the avenger of all such.) This is the second reason, which is plainly expressed. And it is taken from the vengeance of God, that they that will not be drawn by love, may be forced by fear. And it is added by due order to that which is supplied out of the third verse; namely, It is the will of God, that no man oppress or defraud his brother: for the vengeance of God doth always follow the violating of his will. Now it is to be observed, that the Apostle doth use here the present time: because the Lord not only will be, but also hath been in all the ages of the world, and still is at this day, the avenger of all such things.  

Doctrine.  From hence we learn, that the Lord will most surely punish all oppression and fraudulent dealing, and all injury that a man doth to his neighbour. 
Prou. 22.22.23  The Scripture is plentiful in the proof of this point. Solomon saith, Rob not the poor, because he is poor, etc. For the Lord will defend their cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoil them. And the Lord gave a strict charge to the people of Israel, and enforced it with a severe threatening: 
Exod. 22.22.23.24.  Ye shall not trouble any widow nor fatherless child. If thou vex or trouble any such, and so he call and cry unto me, I will surely hear his cry. Then shall my wrath be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless. Where we see, that the Lord will pay them home in their own kind. And to this purpose saith the Prophet David; 
Psal. 12.5.  Now for the oppression of the needy, and for the sighs of the poor, I will up, saith the Lord, and will set at liberty him whom the wicked hath snared. 
& 10.14  And in another place; Thou beholdest mischief and wrong, that thou mayest take the matter into thy hands: the poor committeth himself unto thee: for thou art the helper of the fatherless. And the Apostle testifieth, that it is a righteous thing with God, to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you. With men many times they are not punished, 
Dat veniam coruis, vexat censura columbas, juu. sat. 2. Cic. in Ver. l. 3. Col 4.1.  the law taketh little hold of them. They break through the laws, as great flies do through the cobwebs: yea, such is their power & might, that no man dare call them into question; yea, men had rather endure any thing, then complain of their wrong and injuries. But GOD who is most just, will revenge all injustice: as the Apostle saith to earthly Masters; Ye Masters, do unto your servants that which is just and equal, knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven. 
a Quicquid à vobis minor extimescit, Maior hoc vobis dominus minatur. Sen in Thyeste  So it may be said to all great persons; See ye offer no violence to those that are under you, for there is a greater than you in heaven. According to that speech of Solomon; 
Pro. 23.10, 11.  Romoove not the ancient bounds, and enter not into the fields of the fatherless: For he that redeemeth them, is mighty, he will defend their cause against thee. 
a Non di●simulat iniuriam filii Pater. De advent. Dom. Serm. 1. Ecclus. 35.15.  A Father (saith Bernard) will not dissemble the injury that is done to his child: Much less will our heavenly Father put up the wrongs that are done to his children. Do not the tears run down the widows cheeks? (saith the wise man) and her cry is against him that caused them: from her cheeks do they go up unto heaven, and the Lord which heareth them, doth accept them. There is never a tear, which cruel Tyrants wring from the eyes of the poor, 
Psal. 56.8. & 58.11.  but the Lord putteth it into his bottle, and in the end he will make it appear, that there is a God that judgeth the earth. But not to dwell thus in the general, let us see how and by what means the Lord doth revenge them: surely the Lord hath many ways even in this life to take vengeance of oppressors and wrongful dealers. And first of all, by the curses of the people that are oppressed by them: For if the people will curse him that withdraweth his own corn in the time of dearth; 
Pro. 11.26.  much more they that by oppression take corn from the poor, shall bring many a bitter and heavy curse upon themselves: but it may be they pass not much for this; The Fox fareth best when he is cursed. Therefore the Lord doth punish them with infamy and disgrace, that their very names do rot and stink. 
Pro. 10.7.  Their cruel and unconscionable dealing openeth all men's mouths against them, and maketh every body cry out on them: it may be, not to their faces, for it is like, they have trencher slaves enough that flatter them, 
Turpe est monstrari digito & dicter hic est.  and extol them to the sky: but they cannot walk in the streets, no nor ride in their Coaches, but they are pointed at, and railed upon. But it may be they care not much for this neither, but rather do boast themselves and glory in it; 
b Quid enim saluis infamia nummis? In. sat. 1.  For what is disgrace, so long as a man hath his bags full of money? He can sing with that old Churl in the Poet: 
(a) Populus me sibilat, at mihi plaudo Ipse domi, simulac nummos contemplor in arca, Horat. lib. 1. sat. 1. Gen. 41.20, 21. job. 20.15.19.  The people hisseth at me abroad, but when I come home, and see my coffers full of coin, I can applaud and make much of myself. And therefore the Lord doth punish them sometimes with poverty: that as those seven lean kine, which Pharaoh dreamt of, did eat up the seven fat kine, and yet were neither fuller nor fatter: So, though those great oppressors, by undoing many, devour much substance: yet, by the just hand of God upon them, many times they are never the richer. And this the Lord threateneth by the Prophet, saying; 
Isa. 33.1.  Woe be to thee that spoilest, and wast not spoiled, etc. When thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled: when thou shalt make an end of doing wickedly, they shall do wickedly against thee. 
Hab. 2.7, 8.  And in another place: As in the Sea one fish devoureth another, and a greater cometh after and devoureth them both: So many times it cometh to pass, that they which take delight in spoiling others, become a prey to some that are mightier than themselves. And this commonly befalleth them who have been instruments of oppression unto other men, who in the end deal with them, 
Sueton. in eius vita.  as Vespasian did with his Officers; he used them as sponges to suck up the substance of the poor, and when they were full, he crushed them out into his own vessels. So true is that saying; 
b Non habet eventus sordida praeda bonos, ovid. Amor.  Basely gotten gain never cometh to good.  
Sometimes the Lord punisheth them with barrenness, that they go childless to their graves, and though they gather a deal of wealth together by unconscionable courses, yet they have no heir to leave it to when they have done. 
Eccles. 4, 8.  Solomon hath a saying to this purpose: There is one alone which hath neither son nor brother, yet is there no end of all his travel, neither can his eye be satisfied with riches, neither doth he think, For whom do I travel, 
Psal. 39, 6.  etc. And David saith; He disquieteth himself in vain, he heapeth up riches, and cannot tell who shall gather them.  
Sometimes the Lord taketh them away by untimely death. As David saith; 
Psal. 55.23.  The bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days. And hereof we have experience (as also of the former;) for we see many of these unconscionable persons, that care not how they oppress and defraud others to enrich themselves, Die in their full strength, as job saith, 
job. 21.23, 24.  when their breasts are full of milk, and their bones run full of marrow.  
Sometimes they are punished with a reproachful and ignominious death, the poor people insulting over them, as once they did over the King of Babel when he was dead: They took up this Proverb against him, 
Isa. 14, 4, 5.  and said; How hath the oppressor ceased! and the gold-thirsty Babel rested! The Lord hath broken the rod of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers, etc. And again, 
7.10, etc.  The world is at rest, and is quiet, they sing for joy. And a little after; They cried, and said unto him, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? etc. It is like they shall be buried with great state, and some clawback or other, in a funeral sermon, 
Isa. 32, 5.  will not stick to commend them above measure, & to call the niggard liberal, & the churl bountiful: but in the mean while, the people will deride them. And which is worst of all, though as the Prophet saith, 
Ezech. 32, 27.  They go down to the grave with their weapons of war, etc. yet their iniquity and their oppression is in their bones.  
Sometimes they are punished in their posterity, which for the most part come to beggary. There is a fearful saying in the prophesy of Nahum. The Lion, 
Nahum. 2, 12, 13.  saith the Prophet, did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and worried for his Lioness, and filled his holes with prey, & his dens with spoil. But mark what followeth: Behold, I come unto thee, saith the Lord, and I will burn her charets in the smoke, and the sword shall devour the young Lions, & I will cut off thy spoil from the earth, etc. whereby we see, that though great men, like Lions, spoil and devour on every side, yet their children shall be little better for it. 
job. 27. 1●.14.  According to that which job saith; This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage of tyrants which they shall receive of the Almighty: If his children be in great number, the sword shall destroy them, and his posterity shall not be satisfied with bread. But it is worthy our observation, to consider what means the Lord in his providence useth to bring this to pass. Many times he taketh away the covetous father, before his son and heir come to age, at least before he come to discretion to manage his estate; and then my young Master lasheth it out, and can stand on no ground, 
(a) Quodcunque profunda Traxit avaritia luxu peiore refundit. Claudian.  till with a fork he have cast abroad all that his father gathered together with a rake. We need not go far for instances in this case. There hath been sufficient experience of it in this City. Have not your eyes seen mountains of wealth, heaped up by unjust courses, suddenly thawed away like ice before the sun, and melted like wax, when it hath felt the heat of the fire? And this is that which is spoken in our common Proverb; 
Malê parta, malê dilabuntur.  Evil gotten goods are evil spent. Nay a small thing that is evil gotten, will by the just judgement of God prove a canker, to waste and consume a great deal that is well gotten. 
Rarò gaudebit tertius haeres.  And though peradventure, this prove not true in the first heir, yet such goods do seldom continue to the third generation.  
Another punishment that God inflicteth upon such persons, is this, that their prayers are not heard. As the Lord himself threateneth them: 
Isa. 1.15.  Though ye make many prayers, I will not hear, because your hands are full of blood. And Sirach saith well to this purpose; 
Eccl. 34.25.  When one prayeth, and another curseth, whose voice will the Lord hear? How then can they look to have their prayers heard, when a great number of those whom they have oppressed, do cry for vengeance against them? If a man should come before an earthly judge to crave favour for himself, & a multitude of poor men, with their wives and children should fall on their knees before the judge, & complain what wrong and injuries he hath done unto them, the judge would never respect him; much less can such persons look for any favour at God's hand, so long as the cry of the oppressed is in his ears.  
Sometimes they are punished with a guilty conscience, as one saith well, They have gain in their coffers; 
Lucrum in arca, damnum in conscientia, etc. Rom. 2.5.  but loss in their conscience; yea gain that is unjustly come by, is a woeful treasury. Such persons do treasure up to themselves wrath against the day of wrath, etc. Every penny that is hoardward up by sinful courses, will bring with it in the end a pound of horror of conscience. These are the punishments wherewith God taketh vengeance on oppressors and fraudulent persons in this life. And though it should fall out, that they should escape all these, 
1. Cor. 6.9.10.  yet there is a far worse after this life; and that is, they shall for ever be excluded out of the Kingdom of heaven. And therefore let me use that exhortation of the Prophet David unto them; O consider this, you that forget God, 
Psal. 50.22.  lest he tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver you: For as the Apostle saith; 
Heb. 10.31.  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.  
But it may be they will object: They hope to do well enough for all this; They will do some deeds of Charity when they die: they will build an Hospital or an Alms house, or some way or other relieve the poor, and that shall make amends for all. But let all such persons know, that the Prophet maketh this a special property of a godly man, to give his own bread to the hungry. 
Ezech. 13.7.  Upon which place Hierom well observeth, that the Prophet doth sufficiently say, his own bread, lest men should turn bread gotten by oppression and usury, into a work of mercy; As we see many do, saith he, who oppress by their power, or commit theft, that of much they may give a little to the poor; and the Minister may make mention of their names among the benefactors. They please themselves in the applause of the people, when their conscience stingeth and vexeth them within. I do not deny, but the poor may be much relieved & comforted by this means: but whether it will be acceptable to God or no, that is the question Barnard hath a sweet saying to this purpose: 
(a) Non recepit Eleemosynas de manu raptoris aut foeneratoris. Credo non redolebant lilia manus illae; & propterea respuebat munus exillis, qui pasci inter lilia consuevit, & non inter ●spinas in Cant. Serm. 71.  God receiveth not, saith he, any alms at the hands of an oppressor, or an usurer; I think his hands do not smell of lilies, but of thorns, and therefore he refused to take a gift from them, who feedeth among the lilies, and not among the thorns. Yea Plinius Secundus, though an heathen man, speaketh very gravely concerning this point. 
(b) Pauperes non ut ferarum catuli sanguine & caedibus muriendi: quodque gratissimum est accipientibus, scient dari sibi quod nemini est ereptum. Paneggyr. ad Traianum. Prou. 3.9. Ephes. 4.28.  The poor, saith he, are not to be fed like the whelps of wild beasts, with blood and murder. But than is a gift most acceptable to them that receive it, when they know that that which is given to them, is not taken from some body else. When a man shall think, this meat that I eat, was taken out of the mouths of many fatherless children: this gown or this apparel that I wear, was taken from the backs of the poor: and he that provided this harbour and lodging for me, turned many poor people out of doors, it cannot be so comfortable unto him as otherwise it would. And therefore Solomon exhorteth men to honour the Lord, but, with their own riches. And the Apostle would have men to leave stealing, and to work with their hands the thing that is good, that they may have to give to him that needeth. That that is given to the poor, must not be gotten by unlawful means, but by honest labour: for as Saint Augustine saith well, 
(c) Quale est illud munus quod alter cum gaudio accipit, alter cum lachrymis amittit?  What a manner of gift is that, which one receiveth with joy, and another loseth with grief? When David made provision for building the Temple, and saw how cheerfully the Princes offered thereunto, he maketh a solemn thanksgiving to God, & acknowledgeth that they had first received all from God. 
1. Chr. 29.14.  Of thine own hand, saith he, have we given thee. That which men give to God, they must first receive of God's hand, and not of the devils hand. For if it be unjustly gotten, it is so far from pacifying, as it will rather provoke the wrath of GOD against them, 
Luc. 19.8.  unless with good Zacheus they first make restitution. And therefore to conclude this point; let me say unto them, as Daniel said to the King of Babylon; 
Dan. 4.24.  Let my counsel be acceptable unto them, let them break off their sins by righteousness.  
As we have told you before & testified.) This latter reason is confirmed by the Apostles former testimony; he had before seriously reproved them for these sins, & had denounced the judgements of God against them. Fron this constancy of the Apostle, we that are the Ministers of the Word, are taught, that we must not coldly and remissly reprove men's sins, but oppose the threatenings of the Word, & the vengeance of God against them. 
Isa. 58.1.  This the Lord commanded the Prophet Isaiah; Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, & show my people their transgression, & the house of jacob their sins. Ministers must be (as Christ called james & john) Boanerges, that is, 
Mar. 3.17.  the sons of thunder: they must thunder and lighten against ungodlnesse and sin. And therefore the Apostle giveth Timotheus a straight charge, 
2. Tim. 4.2.  that in preaching of the Word, he improve, rebuke, etc. 
Tit. 2.15.  And he commandeth Titus to rebuke with all authority. And again, he saith to Timotheus, Them that sin, rebuke openly, 
1. Tim. 5.20.  that the rest may fear. The reason is evident. For such is the dullness of men's nature, that of themselves they are not affected with any sense of God's judgements: yea they are so blinded with self love, & so hardened with the deceitfulness of sin, that willingly they will not acknowledge themselves to be sinners. And therefore, the Minister must pull the vizard from their faces, and hold the glass of Gods la before them whether they will or no, that so they may see their sins, and the vengeance due unto them. Thus did the Prophet Nathan with David, when he lay in his sin for a time without repentance; he telleth him plainly, 
2. Sam. 12.7, 8, 9  Thou art the man, thus and thus hath God blessed thee, and thus and thus hast thou rewarded him; & therefore thus and thus will the Lord be revenged of thee. And thus did the Apostle Peter with those secure & careless jews, who for the space of fifty days were not so much as once touched for their sin; he laboureth to convince their consciences, that they had imbrued their hands in the blood of the son of God.  
Use 1 This doctrine hath a twofold use. First, it serveth to reprove those flattering Ministers, who only preach pleasing and smooth things unto the people, 
Isa. 30.10.  and sing them a song of mercy only, without any mention of judgement; who sow pillows under men's arme-boles, 
Ezech. 13.18.  as the Prophet speaketh, to make them sleep more securely in their sins. 
1. Thess. 2.5.  The Apostle Paul took another course with this people; for he taketh themselves to witness, that he never used flattering words. And speaking of the abuses & corruptions, which the Corinthians had brought into the Lord's Supper: 
1. Cor. 11.22.  What shall I say to you saith he, shall I praise you in this? 
Stapleton Domini. in 3. quadrages.  I praise you not: whereupon, one, though otherwise none of the best, said very well; They are Ministers of Satan, that dare promise peace to a wicked man without repentance. And it is the greatest deceiving that can be, to secure a man that liveth in the state of sin.  
Use 2 Secondly, it serveth to reprove all such hearers of the word, as cannot endure that the Minister should denounce threatenings of God's judgements against their sins. 
Ezech. 13.10. jer. 6.14.15.  So long as the Minister doth daub with untempered mortar, so long as he will heal their hurt with sweet words, and struck their head in their sins, so long as he will not open his mouth against their sins, but rather will give them a placard to continue in them; yea it may be, will run with them to the same exercise of riot; 
1. Pet. 4, 4.  he is a Preacher for their tooth, than they love him & commend him: but if in conscience of his duty, he will rebuke them sharply, and not suffer them to sin, 
Leu 19.17.  than they cry out of him, as they did of the Prophet jeremy, 
jer. 15, 10.  to be a contention's man, and a man that striveth with the whole earth. Thus did Abab with Michaiah; 
1. Reg. 22, 8.  There is (saith he) another Prophet, but I hate him, for he doth not prophesy good unto me, but evil. I can never hear him, but he vexeth me; he is always telling me of my sins. And the Apostle saith, that the Galatians accounted him their enemy, because he told them the truth. Yea, 
Gal. 4, 16.  if it be possible, they will find some cavil or other against their doctrine, that so they may accuse them as enemies to the State. As Amasiah that false Prophet complained of Amos, that he had conspired against the King, 
Amos. 7, 10.  & that the land was not able to bear his words. And if their words will serve, he shall hardly escape without violence. As jeroboam, when the Prophet threatened God's judgements against him for his idolatry, he cried, 
1. Reg. 13, 4.  Lay hold on him. And Amasiah said to another Prophet in the like case, Have they made thee the King's Counsellor? cease, why should they smite thee? But this is a more grievous sin, than men are aware of. Solomon saith, 
Prou. 29, 1.  A man that hardeneth his neck when he is rebuked, shall suddenly be destroyed, and cannot be cured. And doubtless, the time will come, that they shall curse the time, that ever they gave credit to flattering Preachers. As the Church complaineth in the Lamentations, Thy Prophets have looked out vain and foolish things for thee, 
Lament. 2, 14.  they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity, etc. Confessing, that if their Prophets had dealt sincerely with them, and brought them to the sight of their sins, they had repent of them, and so had not gone into captivity. Nay, it is the greatest token of God's anger that can be, when he sendeth such clawback Ministers unto a people. 
Hos. 9.7.  As the Prophet plainly showeth; The days of Visitation, saith he, are come, the days of recompense are come; Israel shall know it. And because the people might object; Our Prophets tell us otherwise, they persuade us, that God is a merciful God, and that having set his love upon us, to make us his peculiar people, he will not thus reject and cast us off: Therefore the Prophet meeteth with them in the next words, Doth your Prophet, 
Zanch. in locum.  saith he, tell you so? then the Prophet is a fool, and the man of the spirit, (that is, the false Prophet, that boasteth he hath the spirit of God, and that he speaketh by it) is mad. And whereas they might object further, Why then doth the Lord send us such Prophets? He answereth, that for the multitude of their iniquities, therefore the hatred of God is great against them. And therefore, 
Heb. 13.22.  to shut up all in a word, let us be persuaded to suffer the words of exhortation. And howsoever it may be harsh and unpleasing at the first, yet if ever it please God to bring us to repentance, then as Solomon saith, 
Pro. 28.23.  He that rebuketh a man, shall find more favour at the last, than he that flattereth with his tongue.  
FINIS.