but only by a gift from God; and by his gift all the children of men, without exception, are instated in it; so that no pretence of religion or election can be sufficient for any one to disseize another man, of what condition or quality soever he be, that is once legally possessed of them. 31. Therefore, whosoever he be, that, whether by fraud, or violence, or any other title, shall invade, or usurp upon the rights of another, he does, as much as in him lies, without any warrant, nullify the gift of God, and takes upon him to oppose and thwart his most wise providence; setting up himself as it were in God's seat, and dethroning him, establishing a new order of providence of his own. And thinkest thou, that doest these things, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Canst thou imagine, that he will patiently endure to see his judgments reversed, or his mercies evacuated by thee? That whereas he hath said, I will bless this man, and enlarge his bounds upon the earth; thou shouldst take upon thee to say, on the other side, Let God deal as mercifully as he please to this man, but I know what I am resolved of; I am determined to crush and grind him to powder; I am resolved, that his children shall beg at my gates, and not be satisfied; they shall bow unto me, and not be regarded? What a wretched, unworthy opinion must such an one of necessity entertain of God! 32. And I beseech you, do not think that this is only a rhetorical, forced straining of a point. The Holy Ghost will tell you as much in express terms, Prov. xiv. 31. and again, Prov. xvii. 5. "He that oppresseth the poor, reproacheth his Maker." He sets his mark and brand of infamy al most upon all God's glorious attributes; as if God had not power enough to maintain the poor man against his adversary; as if he had not wisely enough dispensed his blessings; as if he would not suffer God to extend his mercies, but upon whom himself shall please; and so of the rest. 33. But I will now, for your sakes, transgress something the limits of my text; and whereas I should only meddle with the unlawfulness of detaining goods gotten by oppression, and sycophancy, I will make the subject more general, in this proposition, which I beseech you heedfully to attend to, and hereafter seriously to consider of: this therefore I say and testify, that whosoever he be, whose conscience shall convince him, that he hath gained any thing by an unlawful course, if he resolve not to restore it, and die in that resolution, it is impossible he should be saved. For the confirming which proposition, instead of many, almost infinite, unanswerable reasons, I will only make use of two, each of them drawn from the impossibility in such a man of performing two duties, most necessarily required at every man's hands that professeth Christianity: the one whereof is prayer; the second, repentance. 34. Concerning prayer, I will demonstrate, that he can neither seriously give God thanks for bestowing upon him those riches, which he calls blessings; nor, secondly, desire God's blessing upon those riches. For the first, without question, if such an one shall dare to open his mouth to give God thanks for his riches, it will prove to him a greater sin than the unjust, unlawful gathering of them; as the Psalmist saith-his very prayers shall be turned into sin; for thereby he will entitle the just, righteous God unto his abominable sin. Dares such a man, with any confidence, give thanks to Almighty God for suffering him to be his enemy, in oppressing and persecuting, it may be, God's faithful, beloved servants; for suffering him to be an instrument of the devil's? Therefore, if there be any such, that hear me this day, (yet I hope, nay, I am almost confident, there is not) but, and if there be, let me beseech him that, of all things in the world, he will take heed of giving thanks; let him rather proceed on blindly in his sin, and put out of his mind all thought and consideration of God: for never any heathen could offer him such an indignity as this, no, not Epicurus nor Diagoras himself. 35. In the second place, how can such an one desire God to bless unto him, and increase those riches so unjustly gotten? Will he say, Lord, make it appear unto the world, by blessing me in these my ungodly courses, that thou likest well of them, and that thou hast been of conspiracy with me in all mine ungracious projects; so shall the godly quickly be rooted out of the earth, for every one will take advantage to wrong another: if thou wilt bless me, every one will be ready to tread in my steps? We see a man in such a state cannot seriously pray any kind of prayer, unless he purpose to mock God to his face; so that he has defrauded himself of one necessary means of salvation. But that which follows is of greater importance yet. 36. There is nothing wherein a man (that is resolved not to part with goods unlawfully gathered) can deal with more despiteful petulancy and incivility with God, than by offering to pretend to an unfeigned repentance. It is much like the behaviour of Charles V. unto God, who caused public prayers and processions to be made unto God for the delivery of the pope in Spain, whom himself at the same time detained prisoner in his own castle St. Angelo, with a resolution, that howsoever those prayers wrought with God to pity his vicar, yet till he had concluded conditions for his own advantage with him, he should never be released. Just such another interlude and fantastical pageant must this man's repentance be. 37. He will say, perhaps, Lord, I confess I cannot justify those ways and courses, whereby I procured my wealth: it may be, to make way for my excess and superfluity, many a poor soul (yet richer in thy grace and favour than myself) has been forced almost to starve for penury and want: it may be, there are store of orphans and widows, that are importunate upon thee for vengeance against my unchristian profession; and I acknowledge, that for my demerits I am liable to be forced to drink the very dregs of thy fierce wrath and indignation for ever. I will therefore rely and cast myself upon thy mercy and pity, which yet if I cannot purchase without the loss and restitution of my ill-gotten wealth, I will rather adventure upon thy fury; and though I know it to be a fearful thing, and insupportable misery, to fall into thy hands, as into the hands of an enemy and pursuer; yet upon no manner of conditions will I part with my riches: no, not though I were now upon my death-bed, being out of all hopes of ever enjoying any comfort and pleasure myself from them, and within few hours expecting to be conveyed into my everlasting prison; yet rather than my son, or my kinsman (who even after restitution made of what is unlawfully got, might perhaps have remaining to him sufficient to maintain him plentifully in this world); yet rather than he shall abate any thing of that vanity and superfluity, which my excess of wealth will be able to bear, I will endanger the forfeiture of my inheritance in the land of the living. 38. Obj. 1. But it may be, you will say, that it is an impossible thing for any man, that pretends to Christianity, to have such thoughts in him as these. Sol. I confess, it is a hard thing for a man to make such a formal, distinct discourse with himself as this was; but, consider whether such a man's thoughts, (which at an exigence like this are confused and tumultuous) yet if they were reduced into order and method, consider, I say, whether they would not be digested into a sense and meaning equivalent unto that which before I expressed; so that God, who knows the bent and inclination of his heart (much better than himself) he will display and discover them distinctly and legibly before his eyes, and will proceed against him, as if he had behaved himself towards him after such an unworthy, more than atheistical, fashion. 39. Obj. 2. But again, it is possible I may be replied upon, and have the case put, that a man, who hath unrighteously oppressed or defrauded his neighbour, has not means enough left to make satisfaction by restoring. And that is no extraordinary example, that goods ill got should have, by the justice of God, wings given them to fly away, and escape out of the hands of the purchasers: shall such men, because they are not |