to drink thereof. And divers will magnify his miracles, that are offended at the ignominy of his cross. But, O man! as he for thy falvation, fo thou for the love of him muft humble thyself, and be contented to be of no reputation, that thou mayeft follow him ; not in a carnal, formal way, of vain man's tradition and prefcription, but as the Holy Ghoft by the apoftle doth exprefs it, In the new and living way,' which Jefus hath confecrated, that brings all that walk in it to the eternal rest of God: whereinto he himself is entered, who is the holy and only bleffed Redeemer.

CHAP. XIII.

§. 1. Avarice (the second capital luft) its definition and diftinction. §. 2. It confifts in a defire of unlawful things. §. 3. As in David's cafe about Uriah's wife. §. 4. Alfo Ahab's about Naboth's vineyard. §. 5. Next, in unlawful defires of lawful things. §. 6. Covetoufness is a mark of falfe prophets. §. 7. A reproach to religion. §. 8. An enemy to government. §. 9. Treacherous. §. 10. Oppreffive. §. 11. Judas an example. §. 12. So Simon Magus. §. 13. Laftly, in unprofitable hoarding of money. §. 14. The covetous man a common evil. S. 15. His hypocrify. §. 16. Gold his god. §. 17. He is fparing to death. §. 18. Is reproved by Chrift and his followers. §. 19. Ananias and Sapphira's fin and judgment. §. 20. William Tindal's difcourfe on that subject referred unto. §. 21. Peter Charron's testimony against it. §. 22. Abraham Cowley's witty and sharp fatire upon it.

§. I.

I

AM come to the second part of this difcourfe, which is avarice, or covetousness, an epidemical and a raging diftemper in the world, attended with all the mischiefs that can make men miferable in themselves,

Phil. ii. 7.

i Heb. x. 19, 29.

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and in fociety: fo near a-kin to the foregoing evil, pride, that they are feldom apart: liberality being almost as hateful to the proud as to the covetous. I fhall define it thus: Covetoufness is the love of money or riches: ‹ which (as the apostle hath it) is the root of all evil'.' it brancheth itself into these three parts: Firft, Defiring of unlawful things. Secondly, Unlawfully defiring of lawful things. And laftly, Hoarding up, or unprofitably with-holding the benefit of them from the relief of private perfons, or the public. I fhall firft deliver the fenfe of fcripture, and what examples are therein afforded against this impiety; and next, my own reasons, with fome authorities from authors of credit: by which it will appear, that the working of the love of riches out of the hearts of people, is as much the business of the Crofs of Chrift, as the rooting out of any one fin that man is fallen into.

§. II. And first, of defiring or coveting of unlawful things: It is exprefsly forbidden by God himself, in the law he delivered to Mofes upon Mount Sinai, for a rule to his people, the Jews, to walk by: Thou fhalt not covet (faith God) thy neighbour's house, thou fhalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his • man-fervant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his afs, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's". This God confirmed by thunderings and lightnings, and other fenfible folemnities, to ftrike the people with more awe in receiving and keeping of it, and to make the breach of these moral precepts more terrible to them. Micah complains full-mouth'd in his time, They covet fields, and take them by violence;' but their end was mifery. Therefore was it faid of old, Wo to them that covet an evil covetoufnefs:' this is to our point. We have many remarkable inftances of this in fcripture; two of which I will briefly report.

§. III. David, though otherwife a good man, by unwatchfulness is taken; the beauty of Uriah's wife was too hard for him, being difarmed, and off from his

• Ephef. v. 3, 5. 1 Tim, vi. 9, 10. b Exod. xx. c Mic. i. z.

fpiritual

fpiritual watch. There was no diffuafive would do: Uriah must be put upon a desperate fervice, where it was great odds if he furvived it. This was to haften. the unlawful fatisfaction of his defires by a way that looked not like direct murder. The contrivance took: Uriah is killed, and his wife is quickly David's. This interpreted David's covetoufnefs. But went it off fo? No, David had sharp fauce with his meat. His plea• fure foon turned to anguish and bitterness of fpirit: his foul was overwhelmed with forrow: the waves went over his head: he was confumed within him: ‹ he was stuck in the mire and clay; he cried, he wept; yea, his eyes were as a fountain of tears. Guiltinefs was upon him, and he must be purged; < his fins washed white as fnow, that were as red as crimson, or he is undone for ever. His repentance prevailed: behold, what work this part of covetoufness makes! what evil, what forrow! O that the people of this covetoufnefs would let the fenfe of David's forrows fink deep into their fouls, that they might come to David's falvation! Reftore me,' faith that good man: it feems he once knew a better ftate: yes, and this may teach the better fort to fear, and stand in awe too, left they fin and fall. For David was taken at a disadvantage: he was off his watch, and gone from the cross: the law was not his lamp and light, at that instant: he was a wanderer from his fafety, his ftrong tower, and fo furprized: then and there it was the enemy met him, and vanquished him.

§. IV. The fecond inftance is that of Naboth's vineyard: it was coveted by Ahab and Jezebel: that which led them to fuch an unlawful defire, found means to accomplish it. Naboth muft die, for he would not fell it. To do it, they accuse the innocent man of blafphemy, and find two knights of the poft, fons of Belial, to evidence against him. Thus, in the name of God, and in fhew of pure zeal to his glory, Naboth

d Pfal. li. Pfal. lxxvii. Pfal. xlii. 7. Pfal. lxix. 2, 14. Pfal. vi. 6, 7. 1 Kings xxi. K 2

muft

muft die; and accordingly was ftoned to death. The news of which coming to Jezebel, fhe bid Ahab arise and take poffeffion, for Naboth was dead: but God followed both of them with his fierce vengeance. In the place where the dogs licked the blood of Naboth' (faith Elijah in the name of the Lord) fhall dogs lick thy blood; even thine; and I will bring evil upon thee, and take away thy pofterity:' and of Jezebel (his wife and partner in this covetousness and murder) he adds the dogs fhall eat her flesh by the

walls of Jezreel.' Here is the infamy and punishment due to this part of covetoufnefs. Let this deter those that defire unlawful things; the rights of others: for God, that is juft, will certainly repay fuch with interest in the end. But perhaps these are few: either that they do not or dare not fhew it, because the law will bite if they do. But the next part hath company enough, that will yet exclaim against the iniquity of this part of covetousness; and by their feeming abhorrence of it, would excuse themselves of all guilt in the rest: let us confider that.

§. V. The next and most common part of covetousnefs is, the unlawful defire of lawful things; efpecially of riches. Money is lawful, but the love of it is the root of all evil,' if the man of God fay true. So riches are lawful; but they that pursue them, fall ⚫ into divers temptations, fnares and lufts;' if the fame good man fay right. He calls them uncertain' to fhew their folly and danger that fet their hearts upon them. Covetoufnefs is hateful to God: he hath denounced great judgments upon thofe that are guilty of it. God charged it on Ifrael of old, as one of the reafons of his judgments: For the iniquity of his ⚫ covetoufnefs (faith God) was I wroth, and smote him.' In another place, Every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet to the priest, every one dealeth falfly; therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall ' inherit them.' In another place, God complained thus: But thine eyes and thy heart are not but for • thy

⚫thy covetoufnefs. By Ezekiel God renews and repeats his complaint against their covetoufnefs: and they come to thee as the people, and fit before thee as my people they hear thy words, but will not do them; with their mouths they fhew much love, but their hearts go after covetoufnefs. Therefore God, in the choice of magiftrates, made it part of their qualification, to hate covetoufnefs; foreseeing the mischief that would follow to that fociety or government where covetous men were in power; that felf would bias them, and they would feek their own ends at the cost of the publick. David defired, that his

heart might not incline to covetoufnefs, but to the • teftimonies of his God". And the wife man exprefsly tells us, that, He that hateth covetousness,

fhall prolong his days'; making a curfe to follow it. And it is by Luke charged upon the Pharifees, as a mark of their wickednefs. And Chrift, in that evangelift, bids his followers take heed and beware of covetousness*:' and he giveth a reason for it, that carrieth a most excellent inftruction in it; for (faith he)

a man's life confifteth not in the abundance of the things which he poffeffeth':' but he goeth farther; he joins covetousness with adultery, murder, and blafphemy". No wonder then if the apostle Paul is fo liberal in his cenfure of this evil: he placeth it with all unrighteousness, to the Romans": to the Ephefians he writeth the like; and addeth, Let not covetousness be fo much as named among you:' and bids the Coloffians, mortify their members; and names feveral fins, as fornication, uncleanness, and such like, but ends with covetoufnefs; with this at the tail of it, which (faith he) is idolatry.' And we know there is not a greater offence against God: nay, this very apostle calls the love of money the root of all evil; which (faith he) whilft fome have coveted after, they have

f Ifa. lvii. 17. Jer. vi. 13. ch. viii. 10. and xxii. xxxiii. 31. 1 Prov. xxvi. 16.

14.

h Pfal. cxix. 36.

1 Luke xii. 15. m Mark vii. 22.

Eph. v. 3.

P Col. iii. 5, 6.

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