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TEDINBURGH, the Twenty feventh day of July, One Thousand (even Hundreth and three years neat the tition given in and prefented to His Grace Her dajeftie gh Commiffioner and the Lords of Privy Coun if by Robert Sanders Printer in Glasgow; Shewing, that ghere the Petitioner having caused Print a great Number f the Books Intituled, Merchandizing Spiritualized, or The Chridian Merchant Trading to Heaven, fet out by Mr. James Clerk Minifter at Glasgow, never before Prin ed, which will be of excellent ufe to good people of all Ranks nd Degrees, being of a little Volume and small Price,

aft they should be Imported or others offer to Reprint them to his great Lofs do Prejudice: Therefore humbly Craving to the effect aftermentioned as the faid Petition bears, His Grace Her Majefties High Commiffioner and the Lords of Her Majefties Privy Council having Confidered the above Petition given in to them by the faid Robert Sanders Printer in Glasgow, and the famen with a Letter from Mr. James Clerk Minifter at Glasgow, Author of the faid Book, called, The Chriftian Merchant, or Merchandizing Spiritualized, with a Teftificat from Mr. James Wodrow Profeßer of Divinity at Glasgow anent the Soundness of the faid Book, being all Read in their Prefence. His Grace and the faids Lerds, do hereby Grant Licence to the Petitioner, his Heirs, Executors or Affigneys, to Print the Book called, Merchandizing Spiritualized, or The Chriftian Merchant Trading to Heaven; And Discharges any o ther Perfon to Print, Vend, Import or Sell the faid Book during the Space of Nineteen years from the Date hereof,without Warrant or Commiffion from the Petitioner or his foreCaids, Under the Pain of Seizeing to Forfaulting the fame to their Ufes; And farder, under the Penalty of Three hundreth Marks foot's money to be payed by the Contraveeners to the Petitioner or his forefaids, befides the Seizeing an Forefaulture forefaid. Extralled by me

GILB. ELIOT Cls. Sti. C

()

To the Right Honourable,

Hugh Mongomerie of Busbie,
Lord Provoft,

Robert Roger,

James Mongomerie,

George Buchar an,

Bailies,

Robert Zuil Dean of Guild, Thomas Hamilton Deacon-conveener,

Stephen Crauford Thelaurer.

And the other Members of the Town' Council of the City of Glasgow.

And all the Inhabitants thereof.

T

He Salvation and Sanctification of Souls is the grand Project and Business, that the Minifters of CHIST have to advance in

the discharge of their Fun, and as it is their proper Province to ply fedulously all the means that their Great Master hath appomed for the promoval thereof, fo it is their Prudence to choose tuch particular Methods as may be mott taking and con tributive for this Purpose, and that in Imitation

CHR

CHRIST: for it is manifeft from the Evangelick Hijory that The great Doar in Ifrael (who taught as never man taught) was frequent in plain Simiz litudes & familiar Examples in His publick Sermons, for as these are Instru&.ve, fo they ufe to be Im. preffive, and as flicking upon the Memory, so ftirring upon the Affins, there being in fach fort of Difcourfes an infinuating kind of Pleasantnes, that few, but have a liking thereto; Horat, de arte Poet, v 343 344.

Omne tulis pu Яum, qui mifcuitatile dulci,

Le & rem dele&tands pariterque monendo.

Hence it is faid of Our LORD, Matth. 133. He Spake many things unto them in Parablesos and v. 14.00 without a Parable spake He not unto 1hem; and par ticularly as to the Theme we handle, He ufed the like Parabolick Style, Matth. 13 44. The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto Treafure hid in a Field, the which when a Man bath found he hideth, and felleth all that he hath and buyeth that Field. And verfe 45 56. again the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a Merchantman, fecking goodly Pearls &c.

Severals have managed both Sermons and pra&ical Treatifes after this manner, and that to good effect, asthe excellent Mr. Flavel and others; and I, (as is hinted in the Preface to the Reader) hav ing fometime bad Occafion to be acquainted both with the Theorie and Prace of Merchandizing, thought it not amifs to cast in my Mite to the Trea furie of fach fort of Performances, if it may be through GODs Bledling) I may be fervicable to

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further the Spiritual welfare of any Souls: and therefore the Sc pe and unj & of the tollowing Treatife, is to transfer the feveral Parts and Appurtenances of the Merchants Employment into apponte Religious Applications and Improves ments, and thus to Spiritualize the Art of Merchandizing; I will not affirm that I have hit upon all the Knacks and Circumftantials thereof, nor that I have improven the fame to to good Purpose as fome other Hand might have done, but

in magnis volu later.

I hope you will not take it in ill part that I Dediz cate this Treatile to you, and neither is it incons gruous, feeing the most of you are Merchants by Profellion, and as I do fo ig Teftimor ie and Ac knowledgement of my obliged Rejp as to you, lo I expect this return of Kindness, that you will es fpoufe the Patronage and Defence of it; I will not prolong this Epiftle in painted Complements, knows ing you are able to difcern the Infufficiency of fuch Sophifticat Wares (which fhould be declared Probiş bite Wares) but only Exhorts you that amidst the Weight or Croud of your Worldly Affairs, you will mind the most profitable Trade of Spiritual Mers chandiging, as your main Bufinefs; Seeking for the Kingdom of GOD and the Righteousness thereof, and leaving to GODs Arbitriment and Wifdom, the addition or beftowance of Earthly Enjoyments, as He fees will be moft for His Gry and your God, I add no more, but that you may thrive both in your Se cular and Heavenly Trade, is the hearty Vote of,

Your moft humble Client and Servant
James Clark,

In Tractatum hunc
De Mercatura Spirituali
Præludium.

Vam Judant homines? per quotque pericula currunt ?
Mercibus ut cumulent æribus æra fuis.

Po fodiunt terras, finuo faque Saxa perervant,
Et trabibus fulcant æquora lata cavis.
Quumque opibus turgent, mox Lælaps turgidus inftat,
Irus & est jubito, qui modo Cræfus erat.
Non ita contingit quas Chriftus Mercibus offert,
Nam cito fit Cælus, qui Mijer Iruz erat.
Omnia proaihilo, (mirumclamat Iefus ;
Merx eft magna Poli, parva Lalique fóli.
Pofthabitis igitur triets, Cocletia Aphelans,
(Convenit ut fumme) quæ fuper altra pete.
Elize Thefaurum Chrifti munimine tutum,
Qui nullo perdi Marte, nec Arte poteft.
Conamen legito de Chrifti Mercibus bacce,
Venalefque tibi, quas bonus edit, eme.

ΤΟ

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