what they have gotten: keeping, I say, for co vetous persons have had little heart to spend, though in necessary uses, what they have scraped together: they have had wealth, but the use of it they have not had; it hath been to them like al treasure in a chest, of which they had lost the key; or like another man's money in their keeping, which they must not meddle withal. What ever abundance they have had in the bag, and in the coffer, their families have been in want; the table hath been penurious, the back and belly have been pinched; they have lived at a meaner rate than those that have been of a meaner degree. The poor might starve at their doors; no pity towards others in want and misery, and the least pity towards themselves; whilst they have saved, for fear least afterwards they should want, they have all along wanted, whilst they have been saving; and it may be at last they have lost what they have been keeping, to the inexpressible grief, and it may be, breaking of their hearts, which have been so set upon these things.

This sin of covetousness in some hath had deeper rooting, in most hath had too much footing; and in all hath been very henious and abominable before God. This sin is termed idolatry in Scripture, and the covetous are stigmatized with the name of idolaters, Colos. iii. 5; Ephes. v. 5. It is heart-idolatry forbidden in the first commandment. That thing we make a God to ourselves, which we chiefly affect; if it be the world, then we make the world our God; which is inconsistent with the true love of God the Father, the only true God. 1 John ii. 15, "Love

not the world, neither the things that are in the world; if any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him." This sin of covetousness is hateful to God and provokes his wrath, Isa. Ivii. 17, "for the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him." Hath not God smitten London with the plague and fire, among other iniquities, for this iniquity of covetousness? When London was eagerly pursuing after the world, and all minding and seeking their own interest, without any regard to the interest of God's glory and kingdom, or care of their soulinterest and salvation, which their worldly business would not allow time for; did not the Lord send a plague, to put a stop to their trade; and give them time to seek him, and to make their peace with him in their retirements, which they could not, or rather would not find before? And when they returned with more eagerness to their trades, after the plague was a little over, that they might fetch up, if they could, what they had missed by that intermission, did not the Lord send a fire to consume much of that which they had set their hearts upon, and in large legible letters write vanity upon this idol, which so many had worshipped? Let London consider, and lay to heart this sin of covetousness.

18. The eighteenth sin of London is extortion. Thus covetousness hath expressed itself more grossly in some. I shall not here discourse concerning usury; but the extorting use, which some have taken of those who have been in want; the taking use upon use, and grinding the faces of the poor in their distress, no doubt is a great sin,

66

and very offensive to God. How many extor tioners have there been in London, who have enriched themselves by impoverishing of others; "who, panting after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor," have lent money to them, not for their help, but to catch them at an advantage, that so, without mercy, they might catch away all that they had, not leaving them so much as a bed to lie on? Thus some have been like lions for cruelty, and like evening wolves unto the poor, tearing their flesh from their bones, and reserving their very bones to gnaw in the morning," as the Prophet speaks, Zeph. iii. 3. This sin of extortion was one of the abominations reckoned up by the prophet Ezekiel, for which God was so highly offended with Jerusalem, chap. xxii. 22; "Thou hast taken usury and increase, and hast greedily gained of thy neighbour by extortion; and hast forgotten me:" for this and other sins there mentioned, it is said, ver. 3, "Therefore have I poured out my indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath." Unto this sin of extortion I may add several other ways, that many in the city have had of getting estates, which some may dispute for the lawfulness of, and because so common and gainful, the sin is little heeded; but when the Lord hath been contending with the whole city, and hath inflicted a general stroke upon tradesmen, yea, one stroke upon another, and hath trodden their trade under his feet, as seem, ing to be offended with something therein; methinks they should be awakened, and open their eyes, and impartially search, and labour to find

out whatever it is that doth offend him, whatever seeming disadvantage may come to them thereby. And if they will not hearken, God can take away the remainder, as he hath done a great part, and so force them to a sense of their sin.

One sinful way of getting estates, and, I am persuaded, displeasing to God, is engrossing and monopolizing of commodities, which many in London have done, that, having all the commodities of that kind in their hands, they might make their own market, and set their own price upon them; which, if they sold as cheap as otherwise they would do, or as others do when they are shared into many hands, (as possibly some might,) I could not condemn the thing: but when, by getting the whole into their hands, they hoist and raise the price beyond the just value, which they necessitate people to give, and that only that they might enrich themselves; this I dare confidently affirm to be unlawful and my reason is, because hereby they prefer a lesser good, before a greater; namely, the enriching of themselves, and their families, before the more public good of making the commodity more cheap to the commonwealth. If they say, the injury which they who buy of it, will sustain, (they being so many) will be very small and inconsiderable; but the good they shall get hereby will be great, and they may be in a better capacity of doing good; I answer, that none ought to do the least injury for the reaping of the greatest advantage: it being absolutely unlawful" to do evil, that good may come thereby, and the damnation of such will be just," Rom. iii. 8, and

:

consequently a greater injury will come to themselves, than to those whom they injure; yea, the injury will be greater than the good which they obtain. And as for their being in a capacity of doing more good; I believe that such persons, if they do spend such gains, are more forward to spend them on their lusts, than to lay them out in charitable uses: I have not heard that the greatest monopolizers in London have been the most charitable persons.

If I were more acquainted with the mysteries of trades in the city, I fear I might find out more than one mystery of iniquity among them. If the Lord would put into the hearts of magistrates and citizens to look into trades, and to consider the equity that they bear, and take some course for rectifying abuses in them; it might be one way to obtain a more favourable aspect from heaven; and the Lord might revive again the trade of London, which now is dying and sinking to the ground.

19. A nineteenth sin of London is lying. It is said of Nineveh, Nah. iii. 1, that it was a city full of lies." O the lies that have been in London! who can reckon them? Lies in the streets, loud lies, which have been cried, false news which we daily hear. Lies in the chambers, secret lies, privy false tales, which are whispered in the ears. Lies in the shop, trading lies, lies told in buying and selling. Officious lies, which some tell to do their friends a kindness. Mischievous lies, which some tell to do another an injury. We read of some, "that bend their tongue like their bow for lies, that will not speak the truth, but teach their