our Saviour in the fame chapter, ver. 26. Behold the fowls of the air for they fow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Fa ther feedeth them; and ver. 28. Why take ye thought for raiment? Confider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they fpin. In which words our Saviour feems to intimate, that we ought to depend upon the providence of God for food and raiment, and to ufe no more induftry for the obtaining of them, than the fowls of the air do, or the lilies of the field: And the fame may feem to be collected out of this chapter of St. Luke: for after our Saviour had, in my text, cautioned them against covetoufnefs, and fpoken to them a parable to that purpose, of a rich man who enlarged his barns, and laid up goods for many years, he infers from thence, ver. 22. that men fhould take no thought for the things of this life, nor ufe any industry about them; and he faid unto his difciples, therefore I fay unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall sat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.

Now, to avoid all inconvenience from our Saviour's words, I think that it is commonly faid by interpreters, that he does here only condemn a distrustful and anxious care about the things of this life, and an over-folicitous induftry and diligence for the obtaining of them; but that he allows a prudent care, and regular industry about these things: And this were very well faid, if it would agree with the scope and defign of our Saviour's difcourfe; but the inftances which he gives of the fowls of the air, and the lilies of the field, which are fufficiently provided for without any care and induftry of theirs, and which he feems to fet before us for a pattern, behold (fays he) the fowls of the air: I fay, thefe inftances which he gives, feem to exclude even all regular and ordi nary care and diligence about these things.

What fhall we lay then, that our Saviour intended by his religion to take men off from all labour, and induftry in their callings? This feems to be unreafonable; and indeed fo it certainly were, if our Saviour had given this for a ftanding and ordinary rule

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to all Christians; and not only fo, but contrary to the Apoftles doctrine, who conftantly charged Chriftians to labour with great diligence in their callings, that they might be able to provide for themselves, and their families.

But this difcourfe of our Saviour's was not intended for a general and standing rule to all Chriftians; but only defigned for his difciples, to take them off from all care about the things of this life, that they might attend upon his perfon, and wholly give up themselves to that work to which he had called them, And therefore St. Luke takes notice, that after he had cautioned his hearers in general against covetousnefs, he applies himself particularly to his difciples, and tells them, that he would have them so far from this vice of covetousness, that they fhould not fo much as ufe that ordinary care and induftry about the things of this life, which is not only lawful, but neceffary for men in all ordinary cafes, ver. 22. And he faid unto his difciples, therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what you shall eat. And this agrees very well with the direction which our Saviour gave to his difciples, when he firft fent them forth to preach, Matth. x. 9. Provide neither gold nor filver, nor brafs in your purses, neither coat nor fcrip; which no man ever understood as a general law to all Christians, but as a particular precept to the Apoftles at that time.

And if this be our Saviour's meaning, there is then no reason to think, that this caution against covetousnefs does forbid men to use a provident care and regular industry about the things of this life.

3. Nor is every degree of love and affection to the things of this world condemned in fcripture, as any branch, or part of this vice of covetousness; but fuch a love of the things of this world as is truly confiftent with the love of God, and a due and a serious care of our fouls, is allowed both by fcripture and reafon. St. John indeed feems to condemn all love of the world, and of the things of it, as utterly inconsistent with the love of God, 1 John ii. 15. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world; if an

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ny man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him: But this is, according to the Hebrew phrase and manner of speaking, to forbid things abfolutely, which are to be understood only comparatively. So Matth. vi. 19. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven; i. e. be not fo folicitous for the good things of this world, as for the glory and happiness of the next. And Luke xii. 4. Be not afraid of them that kill the body; that is, fear them not fo much as him that can destroy both body and foul in hell: And Luke xiv. 26. If any man come unto me, and hate not his father and mother, and all that he hath; that is, if he do not love me more than all these things, he cannot be my difciple: And John vi. 27. Labour not for the meat which perifheth, but for that which endureth to everlafting life; that is, labour not fo much for the one as for the other, be not fo folicitous about the things of this life, as about the great concernments of eternity. So likewife Colof. iii. 2. Set your affeEtions on things above, not on things on the earth; i. e. fet them more on things above, than on earthly things. So here, Love not the world, neither the things of the world; that is, do not over-value them, do not love them fo much as not to be able to part with them for Chrift; for if any man thus love the world, he does not love God as he ought. So that when the fcripture commands us not to love the world, this is to be understood comparatively, that we fhould not love these things in comparison of God, and the great concernments of another world: But it does not forbid us to love these things in a due degree, and with a due fubordination to thofe things which are more excellent, and of infinitely greater concernment to us. For nothing can be more inconfiftent than to recommend to men diligence in their worldly callings and employments (as the fcripture frequently does) and that in order to the attaining of the good things of this life; and yet to forbid us to love thefe things at all. For if men have no degree of love to them, the best argument to diligence for the obtaining of them would be taken away. Befides, that we

are

are commanded in fcripture to be thankful to God for beftowing on us the bleffings of this life, and we are to love him upon this account. Now can any man love the giver, for beftowing fuch gifts upon him, which, if he do as he ought, he must not love? You fee then what those things are, which the fcripture does not condemn as any branch or degree of this vice of covetousness; a provident care, and a regular induftry, and fuch a degree of love to the things of this world, as is confiftent with the love of God, and the care of our fouls.

Secondly, I come now to fhew what is condemn. ed in fcripture under the name of covetousness; and by this we shall beft understand wherein the nature of this fin doth confift. Now covetousness is a word of a large fignification, and comprehends in it most of the irregularities of mens minds, either in defiring, or getting, or in poffeffing, and using an estate. I fhall fpeak to each of these feverally.

I. Covetousness in the defire of riches, confifts in an eager and unfatiable defire after the things of this world. This the fcripture condemns, though it be free from injuftice, as it feldom happens to be. This infatiable defire of wealth, God plainly condemns by his Prophet, Ifa. v. 8. Wo unto them that join house to house, and lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth. And this is that which our Saviour here in the text feems to have a more particular refpect to, when he cautions men against the fin of covetousness, as appears both from the reason which he gives of this caution, and from the parable whereby he illuftrates it. From the reason which he gives of this caution, Take heed and beware of covetousness; for the life of man doth not confift in the abundance of the things which he poffeffeth. As if he had faid, take great care to fet fome bounds to your defires after the things of this world. For whatever men may imagine, it is certain in experience, that it is not the abundance of outward things which makes the life of man happy. Wealth and content do not always dwell together;

nay

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meet.

fo far from that, that perhaps they very feldom

And the parable likewife which follows upon this caution, doth fufficiently fhew this to be our Saviour's meaning; for he illuftrates what he was fpeaking of, by a rich man whofe defire of wealth was never fatisfied, but he was continually increafing his eftate, and enlarging his barns, to make more room ftill for his fruits, that he might lay up goods in store for many years. The parable does not fo much as intimate any indirect or unjust ways of gain, which this man ufed to increase his eftate; but condemns his infatiable defire and thirst after more; fo that even this alone is covetousness, and a great fault, though it were attended with no other; because it is unreafo nable, and without end.

II. There is covetousness likewife in getting an eftate; and the vice or evil of this kind of covetousnefs confifts chiefly in these three things.

1. In the ufe of unlawful and unjuft ways to get or increafe an eftate. He is a covetous man, who by the greedinefs of gain, is tempted to do any unjust action, whether it be in the way of fraud and deceit, or of violence and oppreffion. And this perhaps is that which is most frequently in fcripture called covetoufness. And this I take to be the meaning of the tenth commandment, Thou shalt not covet; wherein is forbidden all unjust defire of that which is another man's, and all unjust endeavours and attempts to deprive him of it. For fo our Saviour renders it, Mark x. 19. where he fays to the young man that came to be directed by him, what good thing he should do, that he might inherit eternal life; thou knoweft the commandments, do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness; and then inftead of the tenth commandment, thou shalt not covet, or rather by way of explication of it, he adds μn άosephs, defraud not; as if he had faid in a word, be not injurious to thy neighbour in any kind, in defiring or endeavouring to deprive him of any thing that is his. As the Romans in their laws were wont to comprehend thofe crimes which had no pro

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