other houses allied to that, above eight millions of crowns, with which sum they flourish in Rome to this very day." Again, "The Barbarini were in Rome at the same time, and enjoyed a rent of four hundred thousand crowns; and yet in a war of so much importance to the Catholic religion, they could not find forty thousand. But, oh God! (I speak it with tears in my eyes) against the most Catholic princes of Italy, whole millions were nothing; they could turn the Cross into a sword to revenge their particular injuries; but in the relief of the Emperor, who was vindicating the Christian faith, they could not find so much as a few hundreds." On such circumstances he makes the following remarks: "The infidels laugh, and the heretics rejoice to see the wealth of the Church so irreli giously devoured, while the poor christian weeps at their merriment." "The heat and passion which the Popes show hourly for their Nephews to gain Principalities for them, to bestow pension upon pension upon them, to build palace upon palace for them, and to fill their coffers with treasure to the brim, is that which cools the resolution of the zealousest prince, and exasperates the infidels in their wicked designs. A great shame it is, indeed, that the heretics should have more ground to accuse the Catholics, than the Catholic has to impeach the heretic." I shall only extract farther the following apostrophe of the author, in reference to this subject. "Oh God! to what purpose will they keep so many jewels at Loretta, so much consecrated plate at Rome, so many abbeys for their Nephews, so much wealth for the Popes, if abandoning their commonwealth, and refusing it that humane supply that is necessary for the celestial glory, it be constrained to submit to the Ottoman power which threatens it now with the greatest effect. If the wealth of the Popes be devoured, the benefices of the cardinals given to the priest of Mahomet, the Abbeys of the Nephews usurped by the Turks, the sacred vessels at Rome profaned by these Infidels, and the seraglio adorned with the gems of

Loretta; God grant my eyes may never see that spectacle !"*>

Thus it appears, even from the testimony of Roman Catholic writers, that immense sums were wrested from the "Christian people," by every species of fraud and extortion; that these sums, instead of being applied to the maintenance and defence of the Church, as was pretended, were wasted in luxury and extravagance, in selfish gratifications, in riot and debauchery, in accumulating wealth on the heads of their relatives and favorites, most of whom were infidels and debauchees, in gratifying the pride and avarice of courtezans, and in the most romantic and ambitious projects. The single structure of St. Peter's at Rome, cost the enormous sum of twelve millions of pounds; and, in our age and country, would have cost at least thirty-six millions of pounds sterling. What, then, must have been the immense sums expended on similar objects, intended merely for worldly ostentation, throughout the whole of Christendom, besides the millions wasted in the pursuits of tyranny, sensuality and debauchery! The mind of a reflecting Christian is almost overwhelmed at the thought that such sacrilegious enormities should have been so long permitted to continue under the moral government of God; and that such treasures should have been consecrated, for so many ages, tó the support of the kingdom of darkness, while the true Church of Christ was obliged to pine away in poverty, and hide its head in dens and caves of the earth. such are the deplorable and overwhelming effects of Covetousness, when it gains an ascendancy in the minds of individuals, communities, or nations. To accomplish its objects, every dictate of prudence is discarded, every law, human and divine, trampled under foot, every ordinance of religion violated and profaned, every threatening of future punishment set at nought, the happiness or misery of fellow creatures entirely

But

See a folio volume of 330 pages, entitled "Il Cardinalismo di sancta Chiesa; or the History of the Cardinals of the Romish Church, from the time of their first creation to the election of Pope Clement the ninth. Written in Italian by the author of Nepotismo di Roma. London, 1670.

disregarded, atrocious murders perpetrated without remorse, and, in its boundless projects, the whole earth appears too narrow a field for the scene of its devastations.

Let us now attend to the operations of Covetousness as it appears in individuals and societies connected with PROTESTANT and Evangelical Churches.

The operation of this affection among professing. Christians in general, is apparent, from the eagerness. and restless activity with which the acquisition of wealth is prosecuted. Diligence and activity in business is the duty of every man; and he who, in this way, “provides not for his household, hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." But the keenness and unwearied exertion so frequently displayed in the accumulation of wealth, are very different and ought to be distinguished from that dutiful attention which every man ought to exercise in procuring the means of comfortable subsistence. When we look around us on the world, and even on the conduct of many Christians, one would be almost apt to conclude, that the acquisition of riches and honors is the great object of pursuit, and the ultimate end of human existence. For men will make sacrifices, and expose themselves to inconveniences, privations, and dangers, to acquire money, which they would refuse to do, in order to supply the wants of a poor and afflicted family, or to promote the best interests of an immortal soul, even when there is no necessity for accumulating wealth in order to family comfort. This disposition likew.se appears, in being. unsatisfied with the wealth already acquired, even when every sensitive comfort consistent with reason and religion is already enjoyed.. There is too much aiming at what is called independence-a want of contentment under the present allotments of Providence, and a DISTRUST of the care and the promises of Him who has said, "Thy bread, shall be given thee, and thy water shall be sure," and "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.". How few are there to be found, even among evangelical Christians, whose language and conduct

sums.

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declare," We are perfectly contented with the arrangements of the Almighty, and with that portion of earthly good which he has bestowed upon us, and we confidently trust that in the use of all proper means, he will cause 'goodness and mercy to follow us all the days of our lives; for all his allotments are determined by Infinite wisdom and rectitude!" The same dispo sition appears in refusing to contribute to philanthropic objects, or in contributing the smallest and most trifling While large sums are unnecessarily expended in expensive articles of dress and furniture, the most pitiful and niggardly sums are sometimes reluctantly given for the promotion of objects which have for their ultimate end the alleviation of human misery, the diffusion of divine knowledge, and the renovation of the world. But, leaving such general observations, it may be expedient to descend into particulars, and fix our attention for a little, on some of the more prominent modes by which covetous affections are manifested by professing Christians.

Covetousness assumes an immense variety of different shapes, and manifests itself in such a multiplicity of modes, that it would require volumes of description, were we to trace it in all its turnings and windings, and the diversity of phases in which it appears in different individuals, and throughout the ramifications of Christian society; and therefore I shall confine myself to some of its more general or leading aspects.

1. It appears in its most abject and degrading form in the practice of HOARDING money and acquiring houses and lands, for the mere purpose of accumulation, when there is no intention of enjoying such wealth, or bringing it forward for the good of society. A man who is under the influence of this vile propensity will sometimes exhibit an apparent decency and respectability of conduct to general society. He will seldom be distinguished for gluttony, drunkenness, or debauchery; for such indulgences run counter to his love of gain and his hoarding propensities. He will even attend with punctuality on the public ordinances of reli

gion, and, for the sake of character, will give his halfpenny or his penny to the collections for the poor, and will likewise keep up a routine of family worship in private, because it costs him nothing. Among his neighbors he may enjoy the reputation of being a sober, industrious and frugal character, and be set in contrast with the profligate and the profane. But all the while his heart is set upon his covetousness. To aequire money by every mean that will not subject him to the criminal laws, and to place it in security, are the great and ultimate objects of his pursuit; his whole affections are absorbed in the accumulation of wealth; mammon is, the great idol which he adores; and whatever semblance of religion he may assume, he worships and serves the creature more than the Creator. He is hard and griping in every bargain he makes; he grinds the faces of the poor, and refuses to relieve the wants of the needy; his weights and measures are frequently found deficient, and he cheats without remorse, if he can pass without detection. He envies the man who is richer or more prosperous than himself, and he casts his eyes around him on the possessions of the poor, if perchance, by cunning and deceit, he may acquire them at half their value. However fast his wealth may increase, "though he heap up. silver as the dust," and "the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks," his wishes are never satisfied, and his accumulated wealth always lags behind his avaricious desires. He thinks he has a right to be rich, and he murmurs against the dispensations of Providence, when they frustrate his schemes and disappoint his expectations. He is unhappy, because he is unsatisfied with what he has already acquired, and because his plans for accumulating gain are so frequently disconcerted. Gratitude to God and reliance on his providential care, tenderness, sympathy, and kindness, domestic affection, and expansive beneficence, are virtues which can never find an entrance to his heart; for all the avenues to true enjoyment are interrupted, and closely shut up by the cold hand of avarice. He denies himself those sensitive comforts which Providence has put within his reach, and almost