.. r t; -'■■■ ^rmqzjt 
 
 WARN ING 
 
 To all the 
 
 MERCHANTS 
 
 LONDON. 
 
 .and 
 
 Such a* Buy and Sell.' 
 
 An Advifemenc to them Co lay a* 
 
 • fide their fuperfluity, and with it to nwirifti 
 
 % POOR, 
 
 By g. F. 
 
 L O N D 0 AT, 
 
 Printed for Jhmm Simmons 9 at the Bull ffld \ ' 
 
 AUirfgttt) 1658 . " •: 
 
' 'A "I 
 
 WARNING 
 
 v To all the 
 
 ‘MERCHANTS 
 
 - f lO^CDO Zt .&c. . 
 
 F OR them to keep to yea and nay to all people in 
 their ^common occafions, for whatfoevcr is more, 
 then tbefe, cometh of evil; and to take heed of de¬ 
 ceitful merchandize, and cozening, and cheating, and de¬ 
 frauding one another, and diflembling one with another; 
 
 . and to take heed of deceitful Merchandize in all their 
 buying and felling, and in all their Exchange; away with 
 ^ all deceitful Merchandize,for as a fwiffcWitnefs is theLordi 
 come to plead with you, andagainft you that ufe deceit- 
 fulnefs in your Merchandize, and u(e it in your buying 
 and felling, and Sir, and bow the Hat, and ferape the foot, 
 
 * and make the courfie,and. tyafter, and Miftris, in your fer- 
 vice, and forfooth, this is your vain cuftom, and ask ma-. 
 uy times the worth double of the thing to fome people; 
 and under this complementing way, and in it, lies the de¬ 
 ceit and over-reach, and lurks to cozen and cheat, telling' 
 a fallhood, a flattery; fo by fair fpeaking and flattering: 
 words, oft times the iimple is deceived: Therefore this 
 is aCharge from the Jiving pod toyoualI,Betrue, be ' 
 
 faithful to God, be ;uft, be ; inn6cent, and asit .iio ^ipTp^br ^ 
 
 the thing then you would have; beat a ^oidj iCp^yiand 
 fo do, when you ask more, then you will have, qv almoft;. . . . 
 double, and fay you will nor take it except youthf^fp : r -rir- 
 much, and then:ftndyoiuirboyes after. them,andfpt*Jte ; ^ 
 
 " 'it 
 
V J) 
 
 '• it, youjare notjhere at fo fay, and fo doj and here are you 
 Judged with the Law of Liberty to be out of it, for off the 
 life of Chiiiftians, like Heathen injifeandpra&ifo there- 
 fcre beat a.w"or4/and theipy^m will bpa\good;f&your, for 
 the Lord is come near to judgement among you; for while 
 
 you are not atfofay, and fo do, you are not in the law of 
 ' liberty, you are notin the Prophets, yoiiaie nctirithe' 
 Gofpel, youarefoundouc of theme'll. , ,1. 
 
 And again ye Merchants, .great men , and rich men, 
 what a difhonor is it to you to go in your gold' and filver, 
 and gold Chains about your necks, and your coftly attire^ 
 and your poor blind women and children, and creeples, 
 'crying and making a.noifeup and down your ftreets, a 
 difhonor toyuur City , fhewingthat -you are not under' 
 the Law, nor under the Gofpel; for undertheLaw they 
 had tythes and tenths to reed all the fiitherlefs and iftran- 
 
 - gers, for tythes was for that work and end; for how can 
 you goaip and down in your fuperfluity, and abound in 
 .yotirj^ches, and fee the poor,blind, ana creeples go about 
 yow ftreets> which of all other, the blind fhould be taken 
 cafe of; therefore let thefe things be minded and coiifi- ■ 
 ,<dered, and fear God,aiid do that which may be ah honor 
 " to you, and Chriftianity, and your City; and in all your 
 Shops,arid Ware-Houfes, and Exchanges, keep to your 
 words, and fo fay, and fo do, and that you may not co¬ 
 zen and cheat one another, norno people; for this City' 
 hatha name and a'bad report of deceitful Merchandize,/ 
 
 . which deceives the Countrey people that deals with you: 
 
 O therefore blot it out, and do fo no more, but judge one 
 another in thefe things., and he a good favour, and com¬ 
 mendyour felves to the innocent and fimple, that a child 
 may come amongyou and not be wronged, and that will 
 fee pleafing to God that you do righteoufly, and to the 
 •juft God, that youido juftly; and then to the righteous juft ( 
 God you willbe a good favour, and to the countrey peo- 
 pie, when you are turned from the bad to the good , fo 
 that you may be-trufted for faithfulnefs and honefty, 
 
 J - which 
 
Which on th’e e&ritrary. r doing,. it is iliftonefiy?:; andypu 
 tHac/crape; and cap, and courfie,aridSir, andMafter,afid 
 Miftris,-and!flatter one another with.the deceitful pities, \ 
 and askmore fefe ym. cpninjpdity; thenjt, is worth, *hi 
 are riot at a' word, fp;fay,and f»4pi bqt tejj peoplejrpuwil 
 not takeitj’aiid then have yoin'.poys.and.Lafles tofetcff 
 theni back again; this is the way tO riiake the fimple fear ^ 
 you, arid the.innocerit to ftandathr off, and'tp keep yp: a 
 bad favour, anda batl name; therefore tlijs is ; the word of' 
 :the Lord God, and atharge. to you in the prefenceQf .th? 
 Lord .God j aud.tP.you al l', :Thac you charge your, fervants 
 not to cozen and cheat any, nor jiq ask mpre fpi;your 
 things then you’l take,and to keep coyea and nay inyour 
 .common occafions,and to keep to a word, arid that wjlTbc 
 pleafingto God, andj<i good favour toallfoberpeople. 
 
 : Aid all you Merchants whatfoever, and Shop-keepers^ 
 take heed of cozening and cheating of people with your 
 dark back-windows; for truth is rifen that will keep out 
 all deceit; therefore be fober, and take it patiently, and 
 live in it, for truth .will malte ypu ; free; therefore if^Bf - 
 will be.made free.by.truth, give over your deceitiFuFjftfrv ' 
 chandize, andgiye oyeryour many words j andkeepeto 
 yea and nay;' Mark, you muftbe judged, by the Law , and 
 *.alj your prqfelfiqn.knd crying up Ordinances, and yoiip; 
 notions and experiences, while you live in deceitful, mer¬ 
 chandize, and above yea and nay in your cpmmpn pccar 
 •fipns, you ai^: in the evil, and are not atfofay,.andfa<d 0 » 
 yQu are : all.jndgedby thelavr of liberty, that are decelt- 1 
 ful inyour merchandize, in your buying and felling , and 
 cozening and.cheating poor countiypeoplein. your nierf 
 chandlze, ypua,r? not tp name theNameqf Ghrift but ai 
 you depart from Iniquity; and, the truth hath not made 
 you free who are found in die evil. Judged by the Law. of 
 liberty, and all your deceitful merchandize; therefore 
 come to a word, come to yea and nay, all youyomigand 
 pld whatLpeyer, fo.bythe Lord, you will be-.received iinjo 
 bisKingqpm;lcaftypu be tinned outwich thttichGLutr 
 
\*T J 
 
 toil, and the poor lawns. taken into A^ahms bofom: . >■ 
 Therefore take in the blind, halt ancHame, and obey the ’ 
 
 things that Chrift commands you, ye that call him Lord,/ ' 
 take in the blind and the creeples that cries up and'down/ 
 your ftreets,and feaft them when you make your feaftsjfor . ; . 
 the rich feaft the rich, and not the poor that cannot 
 feaft them again;and fee now if you will take up the Croft 
 of Chrift, and obey his command; then you will become: 
 like unto them, when yon obey Chrifts command, and 
 ftew that you have his (pirit and mindein you, and are. 
 Ghriftians; for while you are not made free by truth, all 
 'your Religion and Profellion of Chrift and the ^poftles 
 words, is vain, and your converfation is below in the 
 earth, and not with Chrift in Heaven, utnd again,all the 
 while your poor, and blind, and lame creeples, and wo- 
 menjand children are crying up & down your ftreets,and 
 Steeplehoufe-doors,and alleys,and corners, after you that 
 call your felves Chriftians,and yet they Chriftiansas well 
 as you, andfo members of the fame body; fo you may 
 fay, Ee clothed, be filled, be warmedjand be fuch a people < 
 the wipoftie fpeaks of, yet let them be crying up &. down 
 the Streets not provided for; fo this is to hang gold on one 
 arm, andlettheothergobare;or hang gold on the back, 
 and lec the leg go bare; for all are members of one body, 
 the poor as well as the rich; and this declares that you are 
 out of the Iaw:For theLord took the tythesand gave them 
 to theft rangers, and fatherlefs, and widows, and gave all 
 enough, that there was not' abeggarin Jfraet among them. 
 
 Now judge your felves, and fee how fhorc you come of 
 them in lifeand pra£tice,which fay you are Chriftian?,and 
 profefs the Gofpel; thefe things area grief to many fober 
 .tfeople in the f)iiy, to fee that Magiftrates hath no more 
 fedtng of thefe things, and yet fonnich profeflion of Re¬ 
 ligion, and preaching among them, and fo much riches r 
 that men never knew want of; and thereby many comes 
 to be hardened, Which they niight j think if it were hilt to 
 ■keepthe houor oftheirGity,'theyWouldiiot let aboveall 
 
 things,- 
 
things* blind men, and creeples, and lame people,, and: 
 
 .poor 1 fatherlcfs children make a noifeup and down the 
 ftreets* and Steeplehoufe-doors ; but out of their abun¬ 
 dance they would lay a little slide, and have a place pro¬ 
 vided that all the poor, blind, lamecreepics Ihould be put ‘ 
 into* and Nurfes fet over them, and looked po, cherilhed,. 
 
 ' fend feen unto that they dp not want, and thus them that 
 tould work, to works and this would be a good favour of 
 the City,and of the MagiftratesjAldermen^and Merchants 
 of the Ciry,and to the fob er people,and to the Lord God, 
 that there Ihould not be feen a beggar wajk up and down 
 the Greets , but that there might be a place where they 
 might be maintained with a little out of their fnperfluj- 
 tys yea, before there Ihould be fuch a noife with 'the poor,, 
 itheblihd, the lahic,;and thefatherlefs, evciybne lay by 
 a little out of their abundance,ahd fpare fomeoffoftheir 
 backs in gold and filver lace, or their chains and rings; for 
 who conndereth not the cry of the poor, but turneth his 
 -ear from them, them their Maker will not regard} and all 
 who do not vifit thefatherlefs, a ndt he poor,an dthe jick, 
 •and feed.the luingry, and clothe the naked, and are of 
 aprofeflion of Religion,and makcsasalk of Chrifts words, 
 •and the Prophets, and d/e/osfuchare in the wifdom be¬ 
 low, which is earthly, fenfual,!anddevillilh,n6t prefervers 
 of the Creation, not in the wifdom that is from above, 
 which is gentle, eafie to be intreated, by which the crea¬ 
 tion is to be preferved, .by which it mull be ordered again 
 to the glory of God; you going in your gold and 111ver,yea 
 in your very Ihooes laced, and the poor want bread,, want 
 (lockings 8c Ihooes; 8c you your many dirties,change of di- 
 Ihes, and that you call novelties, and the poor cannot get 
 bread; fpare one of your dirties, and let it be cariyedto 
 the place for the poof, and do not let them come begging 
 for it neither, but let them have a place where they may 
 be kept, and that will be for your honour and renown; for 
 confiaer what abundance of riches is in this City, 8c what 
 good you might do with it,or howfoon jcumay betaken 
 
from it, op it from you, by fire or fea, and yee fojjall thfa ‘ 
 ye will not confider your poor brethren whidvare made 
 of; the fame blood and mould, todwell upon thp face of 
 the iarthsTherefore mind ca$h that makes frecfrom.de? 
 eeiti ail'd from all coining and diflembling, and tfil.brijig- 
 von to a word in all y our c °n lD10Jl occafions, ajid tq fp ' 
 lay, and fo do, and to worfhip God in the truth, and tp 
 Wovlhip Godin thefpirit, that theDevil is out of, com? 
 to the pure Religion,which is , tovifit the fotherlefs, tp 
 yjflt the fick, and relive the hungry, and cloche the uaf 
 ked, that brings you topraftice and to do.the will pf God* 
 and give over your living in words, and your hearts afar 
 off, forfeiting m richcs,iniquity,and deceit; ..b\ic come.to 
 -hqnefty and plain dealing, & meicifnlnefs,& take heed of 
 pride, and loftinefs^and wantonuefs,and hkughtinef^arid 
 
 ^alkhumblybefqretthe,Lord, thatyou mayeome to the 
 life the Saints was iuj thfe Prophet, Chj-ift, and the Apq- 
 |ijes were in. .. -., .. ■ •' 
 
 for the mighty day of theLord is coming, wherein e- 
 very one of you muft give account of his deed? dons in 
 the.body's and every mans work muft be tryed by fire, and 
 every wans works [hall be brought to th? light, ai\d ma- 
 ’ njfeft .by it, So your day is not paft,while you have time, 
 fjifefr, . * 
 
 • , v • j- i' a 'ii 
 
 7ke 'Bid/ ]j ‘