fion behind it. Perhaps even these dull and ftupid kind of men are affected a little for the prefent with the liveliness of the romance, and the poetical vein of the preacher; but these things pafs away like a tale that is told, but have no lafting effect upon them : fo effectually doth covetoufnefs, and the love of this prefent world, obftruct all thofe paffages through which the confideration of religion and heavenly things fhould enter into our minds. Secondly, As covetoufnefs hinders men from religion, and takes them off from a due care of their fouls; fo it many times tempts and engageth men to do many things contrary to religion, and inconfistent with it. It is the natural fource and fountain of a great many evils, and the parent of most of the worst of vices. He that will engage deep in the world, must use much more guard and caution than most men do, to do it without fin. How many temptations is the covetous man expofed to in the getting, and in the fecuring, and in the fpending and enjoying of a great eftate? It is no eafy tafk to reckon them up, and much more difficult to escape or refift them; and yet each of these temptations brings him into the danger of a great many fins. For, 1. In the getting of an eftate, he is expofed to all thofe vices which may seem to be ferviceable to this defign. Nothing hath been the cause of more and greater fins in the world than covetoufnefs, and making hafte to be rich. It is Solomon's obfervation, Prov. xxviii. 20. He that maketh hafte to be rich, Shall not be innocent. He does not fay, he cannot be innocent, but he speaks as if there were all the probability in the world that he will not prove to be so: but being in fo much hafte, will almost unavoidably fall into a great many overfights and faults. And the Heathen poet makes the fame observation in more words: Inde ferè fcelerum caufa: nec plura venena Et Et citò vult fieri. Sed quæ reverentia legum, "This, fays he, is the caufe of most fins: nor is "there any vice of which the mind of man is ca"pable, that hath been guilty of more murders and poifonings, than a furious defire of immoderate wealth; for he that will be rich, will make hafte to be fo? And what reverence of laws, what fear or "fhame was ever feen in any man that was in haste 56 to be rich." And this is the fenfe of what the Apoftle fays concerning this vice of covetoufness, this peremptory refolution of being rich, 1 Tim. vi. 9. 10. They that will be rich, fall into temptation, and a fnare, and into many foolish and hurtful lufts, which drown men in deftruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil. If this vice of covetoufnefs once reign in us, if we have once fixed our end, and fet up this refolution with ourselves, that we will be rich, we fhall then make every thing stoop and fubmit to this defign. A covetous man will make his principles and his confcience to bend to his refolution of being rich, and to bow to that intereft. The eager defire of riches makes men to purfue them in indirect and uncharitable ways, by falfehood and perjury, by undermining and over-reaching, by diffembling and flattery, by corrupting and imbafing of commodities, by falfe weights and measures, by taking fees with both hands, by making ufe of their power and wit to opprefs and defraud their brother, by impofing upon his ignorance and fimplicity, or by making a prey of his poverty and neceffity. Covetoufnefs many times makes men cruel and unjuft; nay, it makes them guilty of the worst fort of cruelty and oppreffion. For (as one fays well) the covetous man oppreffeth his neighbour, not for any good to himself; for he does not enjoy what he tears and rends from others; fo that he is of that most hateful kind of beafts of prey, that kill other creatures, not to eat them, but that they may fee them lie dead by them. Lions and wolves kill out of hunger; but the covetous man, like a ferpent or scorpion, ftings and bites others to death, not for his need, but for his pleasure and recreation. Covetoufnefs is the parent of the most monftrous fins; because it fixeth a man in a refolution of getting an estate by any means. If falfeness and deceit, violence and oppreffion, will further this end; the earneft defire of the end tempts men to use any fort of means whereby the end may be compaffed; and though a man may have fome averfenefs from them at first, yet that wears off by degrees, and the ftrong defire of the end reconciles a man at last to the love and liking of the means, how wicked and unwarrantable foever. Covetoufnefs tempted Achan to fteal the accurfed thing, and Gehazi to lie to the prophet, and Achab to opprefs and murder Naboth. Nay, a fmall fum tempted the covetous mind of Judas to betray his master and his Saviour. And how do many men every day ftrain their confciences to get an estate, and hazard their fouls for money; nay, exchange their fouls, which are of more value than the whole world, for a very small portion of it! 2. There are likewise many other temptations which a covetous man is expofed to in the keeping and fecuring of an estate when he hath got it. A covetous and worldly minded man, when it comes to the trial, is in great danger of quitting his religion, and making fhipwreck of faith and a good confcience. When his eltate comes to be in hazard, he is very apt to fall off from the truth; it is an hundred to one, but in thefe circumftances he will chufe rather to violate his confcience, than to forfeit his estate. What the devil falfely faid of Job, is true of the covetous man, he does not ferve God for nought. Upon these terms it was that Chrift and the young man parted; he had great poffeffions, and it troubled him to part with them. When Demas was brought to the trial, and put to it, whether he would stick to the profeffion of the gofpel, or his worldly poffeffions, he quitted St Paul, and declared for the world, 2 Tim. iv. 10. Demas bath forfaken me, having loved this prefent world. So far had his covetous humour befotted him, as to make him prefer his present interest in these tem . temporal things, before thefe eternal rewards which the gospel offered. 3. There are likewife many temptations which men are exposed to in the enjoying and fpending of a great estate. It is hard to have a great eftate, and not to be mastered by the love of it; nor to have our cares and thoughts, our hearts and affections, fwallowed up by it. It is no eafy thing for a man that hath riches, not to overvalue them, and love them more than he ought; not to be puffed up by them, and fo place his truft and confidence in them; Prov, xviii. 11. The rich man's wealth is his ftrong city, and as an high wall in his own conceit. The covetous man fetteth up his riches in the place of God, and is apt to fall down before this golden calf, and worship it: To fay to the gold, thou art my hope, and to the fine gold, thou art my confidence: To rejoice, becaufe his wealth is great, and because his hand hath gotten much. Riches are a great temptation to irreligion and atheifm. Upon this account Agur wifely prays to God for a moderate eftate, because of the danger of both the extremes of riches and poverty; because of the great and violent temptations which men are expofed to in both these conditions, Prov. xxxviii. 9. Give me neither poverty nor riches, but feed me with food convenient for me. Why not riches? Left I be full and deny thee, and fay, who is the Lord? And much more do riches tempt men to pride and infolence towards others, Prov. xviii. 23. The poor ufeth intreaties, but the rich anfwereth roughly. Mens fpirits are commonly blown up and bloated with their fortunes, and their pride, and ftomach, and paffion, do ufually increase in proportion to their wealth. And many times riches tempt men to luxury and intemperance, and all manner of excefs. Rich men have a mighty temptation to allow themselves all manner of unlawful pleafure; because he who hath a great eftate is furnished with that to which hardly any thing can be denied. And this is not inconfiftent with a covetous humour; for there are, many times, men who are covetous in getting, for no other end VOL. V. G and and reason, but that they may spend it upon their lufts. As covetoufnefs fometimes ftarves other vices, fo fometimes it ferves them, and is made fubordinate to a man's ambition, or luft, or fome other reigning vice. There is no fuch abfolute inconfiftency between riches and virtue, but that it is poffible that a man that is rich may very be if we But yet very good. confult experience, I doubt it will be found a true ob. fervation, that there are but very few rich men, who are not infupportable, either for their vanity or their vices; fo that our Saviour had reafon for that severe queftion, How hard is it for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God? And well might he upon this account pronounce the poor (the poor in eftate, as well as the poor in fpirit) bleed, as we find he does, Luke vi. 20. Bleed be ye poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. They oftener enter there than the rich. Thirdly, Covetoufnefs is likewife evil and unrea. fonable, because it is an endless and infatiable defire. A covetous mind may propofe to itfelf fome certain bounds and limits, and a man may think, that when he is arrived to fuch an eftate, and hath raised his fortune to fuch a pitch, that he will then fit down contented and fatisfied, and will feek after no more. But he deceives himself in this matter; for when he hath attained to that which he propofed to himfelf; he will be never the nearer being fatisfied. So Solomon tell us, Ecclef. v. 10. He that loveth filver, fhall not be fatisfied with filver; nor he that loveth abundance, with increafe; for no degree of wealth can fatisfy a covetous mind. He may think fo before hand, that if he had fo much, it would be enough; but when he hath attained it, he will be ftill reaching after more; for covetoufnefs is a difeafe of the mind, and an unnatural thirft, which is inflamed by that which fhould quench it. Every defire that is natural, is fatisfied and at reft, when it hath once obtained the thing it defired. If a man be hungry, he is fatisfied when he hath eaten; or if he be thirfty, his thirft is allayed and quenched when he hath drank to fuch a proportion as nature doth require; and if he eat and drink beyond this measure, nature is oppreffed, and it |