erites have no other way to bring their fins to maturity, but by using and mixing the name of God and religion therewith. Thus they become whited walls; for by this white, the white of religion, the dirt of their actions is hid. Thus alfo they become. graves that appear not, and they that go over them (that have to do with them) are not aware of them, but fuffer themselves to be de'uded by them: yea, if there fhall, as there will fometimes, rife a doubt in the heart of the buyer about the weight and measure he should have, why, he fuffereth his very fenfes to be alfo deluded, by recalling of his chapman's religion to mind, and thinks verily that not his good chapman but himfelf is out; for he dreams not that his chapman can deceive. But if the buyer fhall find it out, and fhall make it apparent, that he is beguiled, then shall he be healed by having amends made, and perhaps fan't fhall be laid upon fervants, &c and fo Mafter Cheat-fhall ftand for a right honeft man in the eye of his cuftomer, tho' the next time he fhall pick his pocket again.

Some plead custom for their cheat, as if that could acquit them before the tribunal of God; and others fay, it came to them for fo much, and therefore another muft take it for fo much, though there is wanting both as to weight and measure but in all these things there are juggles; or if not, fuch muft know, that that which is altogether juft, they must-do" Suppofe that I be cheated myself with a brafs half-crown, must

"

.

therefore cheat another therewith? if this be bad in the whole, it is alfo bad in the parts. Therefore, however thou art dealt withal in thy buying, yet thou moft deal juftly in felling, or thou finneft against thy foul, and art become as Mr Badman. And know, that a pretence to cuftom is nothing worth.

It is not

custom,

custom, but good confcience, that will help at God's tribunal.

Atten But I am perfuaded, that that which is gotten by men this way, doth them but little good.

Wife. I am of your mind for that; but this is not confidered by thofe thus minded; for if they can get it, though they get, as we fay, the devil and all, by their getting, yet they are content, and count that their getting is much.

Little good! why, do you think they confider that? No; no more than they confider what they fhall do in the judgment, at the day of God Almighty, for their wrong getting of what they get, and that is just nothing at all.

But to give you a more direct answer. This kind of getting is fo far off from doing them little good, that it doth them no good at all; because thereby they lofe their own souls; "What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lofe his own fouls ?" He lofeth then, he lofeth greatly that getteth after this fashion. This is the man that is penny-wife and pound foolish; this is he that lofeth his good fhip for a halfpenny worth of tar; that lofeth a foul for a little of the world. And then what doth he get thereby, but lofs and damage? Thus he getteth, or rather loseth about the world to come: but what doth he get in the world, more than travail and for-. row, vexation of fpirit, and difappointment? Men aim at bleffednefs in getting, I mean at temporal bleffedness; but the man that thus getteth, shall not have that. For though an inheritance after this man. ner may be haftily gotten at the beginning, yet the end thereof fhall not be bleffed. They gather it indeed, and think to keep it too; but what fays Solomon ? God casteth it away. "The Lord will not fuffer the foul

of

of the righteous to famih; but he cafteth away the fubftance of the wicked."

The time, as I faid, that they do enjoy it, it shall do them no good at all; but long, to be fure, they muft not have it. For God will either take it away in their lifetime, or elfe in the generation following, according to that of Job; " He (the wicked) may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent hall divide the filver."

Confider that also that is written in Proverbs: "A good man leaveth an inheritance to his childrens children, and the wealth of the finner is laid up for the just." What then doth he get thereby that getteth by dishonest means? Why, he getteth fin and wrath, and now tell me how much he

hell and damnation:

doth get

This, I fay, is his getting; so that as David fays, we may be bold to say so too: "I beheld the wicked in great profperity, and prefently I curfed his habitation:" for it cannot profper with him. Flufter and haff, and make ado for a while he may, but God hath determined that both he and it shall melt like grease; and any obferving man fhall fee it fo. Behold, the unrighteous man, in a way of injuftice, getteth much, and loadeth himfelf with thick clay, but anon it withereth, it decayeth, and even he, or the generation following, decline, and return to beggary.

And this Mr Badman, not withitanding his cunning and crafty tricks to get money, did die, nobody can tell whether worth, a farthing or no.

Atten. He had all the bad tricks, I think, that was 1 poffible for a man to have, to get money, one would think that he should have been rich.

Wise You reckon too fat, if you count these all his bad tricks to get money; for he had more befides.

More of Mr Badman's bad tricks.

If his cuftomers were in his books, (as it fhould go hard but he would have them there; at least if he thought he could make any advantage of them) then would he be fure to impofe upon them his worst, even very bad commodity, yet fet down for it the price that the best was fold at: like those that fold the refufe wheat, or the worst of the wheat; making the fhekel great, yet hoifting up the price: This was Mr Badman's way. He could fell goods that coft him not the best price by far, for as much as he fold his best of all for. He had also a trick to mingle his commodity, that that which was bad might go off with the leaft mistrust.

Another art to cheat with al.

Befides, if his customers at any time paid him money, let them look to them f.ves, and to their acquittances, for he would usually attempt to call for that payment again, efpecially if he thought that there were hopes of making a prize thereby, and then to be fure if they could not produce good and fufficient ground of the payment, a hundred to one but they paid it again. Sometimes the honeft chapmen would appeal to his fervants for proof of the payment of money, but they were train d up by him to fay after his mind, right or wrong; fo that, relief that way, he could get none.

cuf.

Atten. It is bad, yea an abominable thing for a man to have fuch fervants. For by fuch means a poor -tomer may be undone, and not know how to help himfelf. Alas! if the master be so unconscionable, as I perceive Mr Badman was, to call for his money twice, and if his fervant will fwear that it is a due debt, where is any help for fuch a man? he must sink, there is no remedy.

Wife. This is very bad; but this has been a practice,

and

But what faith the

and that hundreds of years ago. word of God? "I will punish all thofe that leap upon the threshold, which fill their mafters houfes with violence and deceit."

Mr Badman alfo had this art :

Servants, ob ferve these words.

Could he get a man at advantage, that is, if his chape man durft not go from him, or if the commodity he wanted could not for the prefent be conveniently had elsewhere; then let him look to himfelf; he would furely make his purfe ftrings crack; he would exac upon him without any pity or confcience.

Atten. That was extortion, was it not? I-pray let me hear your judgment of extortion, what it is, and when committed.

Wife. Extortion is a fcrewing of men more than by the law of God or men is right; and~

it is committed fometimes by them in Of extortion. office, about fees, rewards, and the

like:
but it is most commonly committed by men of
trade, who, without confcience, when they have the
advantage, will make a prey of their neighbour. And ́
thus was Mr Badman an extortioner; for although he
did not exact, and force away, as bajliffs and clerks
have used to do; yet he had his opportunities, and fuch-
cruelty to make ufe of them, that he would often, in
his way, be extorting and 'forcing of money out of his
neighbour's pocket. For every man that makes a prey
of his advantage upon his neighbour's neceffities, to
force from him more than in reason and conscience ac-
cording to the present prices of things, fuch commodi-
ty is worth, may very well be called an extortioner,
and judged for one that hath no inheritance in the king-
dom of God."

Atten. Well, this Badman was a fad wretch.
Wife. Thus y

you have often faid before. But now