ligion to blind Mr. Cheat's knavery.

life religiously, and yet shall be guilty of these most horrible sins. And yet religion in itself is never the worse, nor yet the true professors of it. But, as Luther says, in the name of God begins all mischief. For hypocrites have no other way to bring their evils 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. Mat. xxiii. Thus also they become graves that apA cloak of re. pear not, and they that go over them, that have to do with them, are not aware of them, but suffer themselves to be deluded by them. Yea, if there shall, as there will sometimes, rise a doubt in the heart of the buyer about the weight and measure he should have, why, he suffereth his very senses to be also deluded, by recalling of his chapman's religion to mind, and thinks verily that not his good chapman but himself is out; for he dreams not that his chapman can deceive. But if the buyer shall find it out, and shall make it apparent, that he is beguiled, then shall he be healed by having amends made, and perhaps fault shall be laid upon servants, &c. And so Mr. Cheat shall stand for a right honest man in the eye of his customer, though the next time he shall pick his pocket again.

Some plead custom for their cheat, as if that Some plead cuscould acquit them before the tribunal tom to cheat. of God. And others say it came to them for so much, and, therefore, another must take it for so much, though there is wanting both as to weight and measure; but in all these things there are juggles; or if not, such must know that 'that which is altogether just,' they must do. De. xvi. 20. Suppose that I be cheated myself with a brass half-crown, must I therefore cheat another therewith? if this be bad in the whole, it is also bad in the parts. Therefore, however thou art dealt withal in thy buying, yet thou must deal justly in selling, or thou sinnest against thy soul, and art become as Mr. Badman. And know, that a pretence to custom is nothing worth. It is not custom, but good conscience that will help at God's tribunal.

ATTEN. But I am persuaded that that which is gotten by men this way doth them but little good. WISE. I am of your mind for that, but this is not considered by those thus minded. For if they can get it, though they get, as we say, the devil and all, by their getting, yet they are content, and count that their getting is much.2

Many ecclesiastical instruments of terror, spoliation, and death, began with, ‘In the name of God. Amen." That sacred name has been, and now is, awfully profaned and prostituted to the vilest purposes.—(ED.)

2 This is a sad mistake; such getting is a curse: 'Cursed is the deceiver: 'I will curse your blessings,' saith Jehovah by his prophet Malachi.-(ED.)

Little good! why do you think they consider that? No; no more than they consider what they shall 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. This

sen and cheat.

But to give you a more direct answer. kind of getting is so far off from doing them little good, that it doth them no good at They get noall; because thereby they lose their thing that co own souls; What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?' Mar. viii. 36. He loseth then, he loseth greatly that getteth after this fashion. This is the man that is penny-wise and pound-foolish ; this is he that loseth his good sheep for a halfpenny-worth of tar;3 that loseth a soul for a little of the world. And then what doth he get thereby but loss and damage? Thus he getteth or rather loseth about the world to come. But what doth he get in this world, more than travail and sorrow, vexation of spirit, and disappointment? Men aim at blessedness in getting, I mean, at temporal blessedness; but the man that thus getteth, shall not have that. For though an inheritance after this manner may be hastily gotten at the beginning, yet the end thereof shall not be blessed. They gather it indeed, and think to keep it too, but what says Solomon? God casteth it away. The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish; but he casteth away the substance of the wicked.'

Pr. x. 3. Je. xv. 13; xvii. 3.

The time, as I said, that they do enjoy it, it shall do them no good at all; but long, to be sure, they must not have it. For God will either take it away in their lifetime, or else 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 shall divide the silver.' Job xxvii. 17.

Consider that also that it is written in the Proverbs; A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children, and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.' Pr. xiii. 22. What then doth he get thereby, that getteth by dishonest means? Why he getteth sin and wrath, hell and damnation, and now tell me how much he doth get.

This, I say, is his getting; so that as David says, we may be bold to say too; I beheld the wicked in great prosperity, and presently I cursed his habitation; for it cannot prosper with him. Ps. Ixxiii. Fluster and huff, and make ado for a while he may, but God hath determined that both he and it shall melt like grease, and any observing man may see it so. Behold the unrighteous man, in a way of injustice, getteth much, and loadeth him

Modern editors, not so well aware as Bunyan of the value of tar as a medicine for sheep, altered the word to ship. A halfpenny worth of tar will serve a sheep, but not a ship.

ED.)

surely make his purse-strings crack; he would exact upon him without any pity or conscience.

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

Of extortion.

More of Mr.

tr.cks.

ers were in his books, as it should go hard but he would have them there; at least, if he thought he could make any advantage of them, then, then would he be sure to impose upon them his worst, even very bad commodity, yet set down for it the price that the best was sold at; like those that sold the refuse wheat; or the worst of the wheat; making the shekel great, yet hoisting up the price. Am. viii. This was Mr. Badman's way. Another art to He would sell goods that cost him not cheat withal. the best price by far, for as much as he sold his best of all for. He had also a trick to mingle his commodity, that that which was bad might go off with the least mistrust. Besides, if his customers at any time paid him money, let them look to themselves, and to their acquaintances, for he would usually attempt to call for that payment again, especially if he thought that there were hopes of making a prize thereby, and then to be sure if they could not produce good and sufficient ground of the payment, a hundred to one but they paid it again. Sometimes the honest chapman would appeal to his servants for proof of the payment of money, but they were trained up by him to say after his mind, wright or wrong; so that, relief that way, he could get none.

ATTEN. It is a bad, yea, an abominable thing for a man to have such servants. For by such means a poor customer may be undone, and not know how to help himself. Alas! if the master be so unconscionable, as I perceive Mr. Badman was, to call for his money twice, and if his servant will swear that it is a due debt, where is any help for such a man? He must sink, there is no remedy. WISE. This is very bad, but this has been a practice, and that hundreds of years these ago. But what saith the Word of God? I will punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters' houses with violence and deceit.' Zep. i. 9.

Servants scrve

words.

ob

he did not exact, and force away, as bailiffs and clerks have used to do, yet he had his opportunities, and such cruelty to make use of them, that he would often, in his way, be extorting and foreing of money out of his neighbour's pocket. For every man that makes a prey of his advantage upon his neighbour's necessities, to force from him more than in reason and conscience, according to the present prices of things such commodity is worth, may very well be called an extortioner, and judged for one that hath no inheritance in the kingdom of God. 1 Co. vi. 9, 10.

ATTEN. Well, this Badman was a sad wretch.

CHAPTER X.

[THE SIMPLE CHRISTIAN'S VIEWS OF EXTORTION.] WISE. Thus you have often said before. But now we are in discourse of this, give me leave a little to go on. We have a great many people in the country too that live all their days in the practice, and so under the guilt of extortion; people, alas! that think scorn to be so accounted.

tioners.

As for example: There is a poor body that dwells, we will suppose, so many miles from Who are extorthe market; and this man wants a bushel of grist, a pound of butter, or a cheese for himself, his wife, and poor children; but dwelling so far from the market, if he goes thither, he shall lose his day's work, which will be eightpence or tenpence damage to him, and that is something to a poor man.2 So he goeth to one of his masters or dames for what he wanteth, and asks them to help him with such a thing; yes, say they, you may have it; but withal they will give him a gripe,

1 This was attempted when Bunyan was released from his cruel imprisonment by the King's pardon, which one instrument included the names of nearly five hundred sufferers; and because the fees upon a pardon were twenty pounds, the covetous clerks did strive to exact upon us,' says Whitehead, by demandput an end to this exaction.—(ED.) ing that sum upon every name.' Further application to the King

was as low now as it was at that period.-(ED.)

ATTEN. God knows there is abundance of deceit in the world!

Ilucksters, 1

But above all, your hucksters, that buy up the poor man's victuals by wholesale, and sell it to him again for unreasonable gains, by retail, and as we call it by piecemeal; they are got into a way, after a stinging rate, to play their game upon such by extortion: I mean such who buy up butter, cheese, eggs, bacon, &c. by wholesale, and sell it again, as they call it, by pennyworths, two pennyworths, a halfpennyworth, or the like, to the poor, all the week after the market is past.

These, though I will not condemn them all, do, many of them, bite and pinch the poor by this kind of evil dealing. These destroy the poor because he is poor, and that is a grievous sin. 'He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.' Therefore he saith again, Rob not the poor because he is poor, neither oppress the afflicted in the gate for the Lord will plead their cause, and spoil the soul of them that spoiled them.' Fr. xxii. 16,

22, 23.

O that he that gripeth and grindeth the face of the poor, would take notice of these two scriptures! Here is threatened the destruction of the estate, yea and of the soul too, of them that oppress the poor. Their soul we shall better see where, and in what condition that is in, when the day of doom is come; but for the estates of such, they usually quickly moulder; and that sometimes all men, and sometimes no man knows how.

Besides, these are usurers, yea, they take usury for victuals, which thing the Lord has forbidden. De. xxiii. 19. And because they cannot so well do it on the market-day, therefore they do it, as I said, when the market is over; for then the poor fall into their mouths, and are necessitated to have, as they can, for their need, and they are resolved they shall pay soundly for it. Perhaps some will find fault for my meddling thus with other folks' matters, and for my thus prying into the secrets of their iniquity. But to such I would say, since such actions are evil, it is time they were hissed out of the world. For all that do such things offend against God,

WISE. Deceit! Ay, but I have not told you the thousandth part of it; nor is it my business now to rake to the bottom of that dunghill. What would you say, if I should anatomize some of those vile wretches called pawnbrokers, that lend money and goods to poor people, who are by necessity forced to such an inconvenience; and will make, by one trick or other, the interest of what they so lend amount to thirty, forty, yea sometimes fifty pound by the year; notwithstanding the principal is secured by a sufficient pawn; which they will keep too at last, if they can find any shift to cheat the wretched borrower.

ATTEN. Say! Why such miscreants are the pest and vermin of the commonwealth, not fit for the society of men; but methinks by some of those things you discoursed before, you seem to import that it is not lawful for a man to make the best of his own.

lawful for a man to make the

negative by

WISE. If by making the best, you mean to sell for as much as by hook or crook he whether it be can get for his commodity; then I say it is not lawful. And if I should say best of his own; the contrary, I should justify Mr. Bad-ved in the man and all the rest of that gang; but eight reasons. that I never shall do, for the Word of God condemns them. But that it is not lawful for a man at all times to sell his commodity for as much as he can, I prove by these reasons:

First, If it be lawful for me alway to sell my commodity as dear, or for as much as I can, then it is lawful for me to lay aside in my dealing with others good conscience to them and to God; but it is not lawful for me, in my dealing with others, to lay aside good conscience, &c. Therefore it is not lawful for me always to sell my commodity as dear, or for as much as I can. That it is not lawful to lay aside good conscience in our dealings has already been proved in the former part of our discourse; but that a man must lay it aside that will sell his commodity always as dear, or for as much as he can, is plainly manifest thus.

Good conscience must be used in selling.

We must not ourneighbour's ignorance. that is to

make a prey of

1. He that will, as is mentioned afore, sell his commodity as dear as he can, must sometimes make a prey of the ignorance of his chapman. But that he cannot do with a good conscience, for overreach, and to go beyond my chapman, and is forbidden. 1 Th. iv. 6. Therefore he that will sell his commodity as afore, as dear, or for as much as he can, must of necessity lay aside good conscience.

2. He that will sell his commodity always as dear as he can, must needs sometimes make a prey

neces

Nor of his neighbour's sity.

of his neighbour's necessity; but that he cannot do with a good conscience, for that is to go beyond and defraud his neighbour, contrary to 1 Th. iv. 6. Therefore he that will sell his commodity, as afore, as dear, or for as much as he can, must needs cast off and lay aside a good conscience.

3. He that will, as afore, sell his commodity as Nor of his fond. dear, or for as much as he can, must, ness of our com- if need be, make a prey of his neighmodity. bour's fondness; but that a man cannot do with a good conscience, for that is still a going beyond him, contrary to 1 Th. iv. 6. Therefore, he that will sell his commodity as dear, or for as much as he can, must needs cast off, and lay aside good conscience.

The same also may be said for buying; no man We must use may always buy as cheap as he can, good conscience but must also use good conscience in in buying. buying; the which he can by no means use and keep, if he buys always as cheap as he can, and that for the reasons urged before. For such will make a prey of the ignorance, necessity, and fondness of their chapman, the which they cannot do with a good conscience. When Abraham would buy a burying-place of the sons of Heth, thus he said unto them: Intreat for me to Ephron the son of Zohar, that he may give me the cave of Macphelah, which he hath - in the end of his field; for as much as it is worth' shall he give it me. Ge. xxiii. 8, 9. He would not have it under foot, he scorned it, he abhorred it; it stood not with his religion, credit, nor conscience. So also, when David would buy a field of Ornan the Jebusite, thus he said unto him, Grant me the place of this thrashing-floor, that I may build an altar therein unto the Lord; thou shalt grant it me for the full price.' 1 Ch. xxi. 22. He also, as Abraham, made conscience of this kind of dealing. IIe would not lie at catch to go beyond, no, not the Jebusite, but will give him his full price for his field. For he knew that there was wickedness, as in selling too dear, so in buying too cheap, therefore he would not do it.2

There ought therefore to be good conscience used, as in selling so in buying; for it is also unlawful for a man to go beyond or to defraud his neighbour in buying; yea, it is unlawful to do it in any matter, and God will plentifully avenge that wrong, as I also before have forewarned and testified. See also the text, Le. xxv. 14. But, Secondly. If it be lawful for me always to sell

To lie at catch, to watch for an opportunity to take an unfair advantage. See the conversation between Faithful and Talkative in the Pilgrim's Progress, p. 124.-(ED.)

2 Augustine had so strong a sense of fair dealing, that when a bookseller asked for a book far less than it was worth, he, of his own accord, gave him the full value thereof !! See Clark's Looking-glass, p. 121, edit. 1657.—(Ed.)

dealings.

my commodity as dear, or for as much as I can, then it is lawful for me to deal with my Charity must be neighbour without the use of charity. used in our But it is not lawful for me to lay aside, or to deal with my neighbour without the use of charity, therefore it is not lawful for me always to sell my commodity to my neighbour for as much as I can. A man in dealing should as really design his neighbour's good, profit, and advantage, as his own, for this is to exercise charity in his dealing.

That I should thus use, or exercise charity towards my neigbour in my buying and selling, &c., with him, is evident from the general commandLet all your things be done with charity.' 1 Co. xvi. 14. But that a man cannot live in the exercise of charity that sclleth as afore, as dear, or that buyeth as cheap as he can, is evident by these reasons:

1. He that sells his commodity as dear, or for as much money always as he can, seeks himself, and himself only. But charity seeketh not her own, not her own only. 1 Co. xiii. So then he that seeks himself, and himself only, as he that sells, as afore, as dear as he can, does, maketh not use of, nor doth he exercise charity in his so dealing.

2. He that selleth his commodity always for as much as he can get, hardeneth his heart against all reasonable entreaties of the buyer. But he that doth so cannot exercise charity in his dealing; therefore it is not lawful for a man to sell his commodity, as afore, as dear as he can.

3. If it be lawful for me to sell my commodity, as afore, as dear as I can, then there can be no sin in my trading, how unreasonably soever I manage my calling, whether by lying, swearing, cursing, cheating, for all this is but to There may be, sell my commodity as dear as I can. Ep. iv. 25. But that there is sin in these is evident, therefore I may not sell my commodity always as dear as I can.

and is sin in trading.

offer violence to the law of nature.

4. He that sells, as afore, as dear as he can, offereth violence to the law of nature, for that saith, Do unto all men even as ye A man, in tradwould that they should do unto you. ing, must not Mat. vii. 12. Now, was the seller a buyer, he would not that he of whom he buys should sell him always as dear as he can, therefore he should not sell so himself when it is his lot to sell and others to buy of him.

5. He that selleth, as afore, as dear as he can, makes use of that instruction that God hath not given to others, but sealed up in his hand, to abuse his law, and to wrong his neighbour withal, which indeed is contrary to God. Job xxxvii. 7. God hath given thee more skill, more knowledge and understanding in thy commodity, than he hath given to him

We must not

abuse the gift we have in the

knowledge of earthly things.