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ful Defire of Riches; the Defire of Riches SER M by unjustifiable Means, and to no valu- XVI. able Purposes. And these are here styled the Luft of the Eyes; because the Love of Riches, as fuch, and as it stands here distinguished from Other vitious affections; the Covetous Defire of Riches for Riches fake, without any regard to the True and Beneficial Ufes of them; is but feeding the Eyes with a mere fruitless View of unprofitable Treafure, with the empty Shows of Vanity and Deceit. What Good is there, fays the Wife Man, Eccles. v. II, What Good is there to the Owners thereof, faving the bebolding of them with their Eyes? There is One alone, fays he, and there is not a Second, ch. iv. 8, yea, he hath neither Child, nor Brother; yet is there no end of all bis Labour, neither is his Eye Satisfied with Riches; neither faith be, for whom do I labour, and bereave my foul of good? This is alfo Vanity. The Phrafe, neither is his Eye fatisfied with Riches, is the fame as what he elsewhere expreffes, Prov. xxvii. 20, Hell and deftruction are never full; fo the Eyes of man are never fatisfied. And from hence have been deA a 3

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SER M.rived thofe particular manners of fpeaking XVI. in Scripture, where Liberality is ftyled a Prov. xxii. Bountiful Eye, and a Single (or Open) Eye; and Covetousness, an Evil (or niggardly) Eye; and the like.

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Riches are defired and employed as Inftruments of Good, they are Then indeed real Blefings of Providence; Bleffings to the Poffeffors of them, whom they enable to have Great Influence in promoting Juftice, Righteousnefs, Charity, and every Other good Work in the World; And Bleffings to Others, who are Partakers of the Effects of thofe good Influences. But when they are only what the Apostle here ftyles the Luft of the Eyes; the Food either of Covetousness merely, without Ufe; or of Vanity and Folly, in an ill Ufe of them: The Defire of them, in That cafe, is not an Appetite of God's creating : "Tis not of the Father, but of the World; "Tis the creature merely of a perverted Imagination. and of a corrupt Will; "Tis a Defire that will perpetually put men upon obtaining Wealth by ill Methods, and upon employing it in nothing Good. The Temptations that This Appetite ex

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poses men to, are the Foundation of great S ER M. Corruption. They that will be rich, (fays XVI. the Apostle,) fall into Temptation and a Snare, 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: Which while Some coveted after, they have erred from the Faith, and pierced themselves through with many Sorrows: That is, they have expofed themselves to be feduced into fuch corrupt Practices, the avoiding whereof is That Part of true Religion, which St James calls a man's keeping himself unspotted from the World.

THE Third Head, under which the Apoftle here reduces all the things that are in the World; in the wicked and corrupt World, confidered as oppofite to God; is Ambition, or the unlawful Defire of Dominion and Power. And This is here styled by the Apostle the Pride of Life, because both the Defire of obtaining Power by unrighteous methods, and the Pleafure of exercifing it in ways of Infolence and Oppreffion, have their whole Foundation in Pride ; in a prefumptuous Imagination, that Right and Reason and Equity are things of No

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XVI.

SERM.reality, and which may at any time give place to Our Wills and Pleafures. Power, confidered in itself, as derived from God the Fountain of Power, and as being the Great Inftrument of fecuring Right and Justice in the World; is indeed juftly valuable, and most reasonably attended with the Highest Marks of Dignity and Esteem. Upon which account, not only Angels in Heaven, but Magiftrates also upon Earth, are in fome paffages of Scripture called Gods; and God himself is, upon the fame ground, ftyled by Antient Writers the * Fountain of Divinity: Not, the Fountain of the Deity, as the words were in after-times ignorantly mis applied (For That, is ftyling God the Fountain of Himself;) But the Fountain of Divinity, meaning all That Dignity, Authority and Power, which is in Scripture at any time afcribed either to Angels or to Men. Power, I fay, in This fenfe, as derived from God, and exercised to His Glory, and to the Benefit of the World; is indeed greatly valuable, and

πηγή θεότη, not πηγὴ το Θείο. See, Reply to Dr. Waterland's Defence, p. 5, 48, 49, 219. And, Obfervations on Dr. Waterland's 2d Defence, p. 53.

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most justly attended with all poffible S ER M. Marks of Honour and Regard. But the De- XVI. fire of Power for the Purposes of Ambition only, and for the Pleasure of bearing Rule is what the Apostle here, with great Propriety and strictnefs calls The Pride of Life; which is not of the Father, but of the World. 'Tis That Pride, or That fetting up of Self-Will in oppofition to Rea fon and Equity, which is the Ground and Foundation of almost every Immorality. The Intemperances and Debaucheries Men are guilty of, for want of Government of Themselves, are most properly indeed included under the First Head, which is the Luft of the Flefb. The Second Head, which is the Luft of the Eyes, or the Covetous Defire of Riches for Riches fake, is alfo frequently the occafion of much corruption, of many and great particular Acts of Injuftice and Hardship towards Others. But the most general and extenfive cause of an habitually injurious and oppreffive Temper, is This Pride of Life; this Love of Power, Domination, and Self-Will. From hence usually arife Wars, Defolations, Tyrannies, and all the Great, Extenfive, and Merciless oppreffions, which totally extinguish

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