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the lefs contented with his condition. is impoffible that the man's defire fhould ever be fatisfied; for defire being always first, if the man's defire of riches advanceth and goes forward as fast as riches follow, then it is not poffible for riches ever to overtake the defire of them, no more than the hinder wheels of a coach can overtake thofe which are before; becaufe as they were at a distance at first fetting out, fo let them go never fo far, or so fast, they keep the fame distance ftill.

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So that it is the vaineft thing in the world, for a man to defign his own fatisfaction by the perpetual increafe of his fortune, because contentment doth not arife from the abundance of what a man hath, but it muft fpring from the inward frame and temper. of our minds; and the true way to it, is not to enlarge our eftate, but to contract our defires; and then it is poffible that a man's money and his mind may meet; otherwife the purfuit is endless, and the farther a man follows contentment, it will but flee fo much the farther from him; and when he hath attained the eftate of a Prince, and a revenue as great as that of France, or the Turkish empire, he fhall be farther from being fatisfied, than when he began the world, and had no more before hand than would just pay for his next meal,

I fhould now have proceeded to the fourth thing, whereby the unreasonablenefs of covetoufnefs doth ap pear; because the happiness of human life doth not confift in riches. And this is the argument which I fhall more efpecially infift upon, because it is that which our Saviour ufeth here in the text, to take men off from this vice. The life of a man confifteth not in the abundance of the things which he poffeffeth. And this certainly is one of the best and most reafonable confiderations in the world, to moderate mens affections towards thefe things. Every reasonable defire propounds fome end to itself. Now to what purpofe fhould any man defire to increase his wealth fo vaftly beyond the proportion of his neceffities and real occafions? What benefit and advantage would it be to any man, to have an hundred

times more than he knows what to do withal? But I fhall not enlarge upon this argument at present, but refer it to another opportunity.

SERMON XCII.

The evil and unreasonableness of covetouf nefs.

LUKE xii. 15.

And he faid unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness; for a man's life confifteth not in the abundance of the things which he poffeffeth.

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The third fermon on this text:

FTER I had in my firft difcourfe upon this fubject, given you an account of the nature of the vice of covetoufnefs, I proceeded in the next place to represent the great evil and unreafon. ableness of it.

Firft, Because it takes men off from religion, and the care of their fouls.

Secondly, Becaufe it tempts men to many things which are inconfiftent with religion, and directly contrary to it.

Thirdly, Because it is an endless and insatiable defire. Thus far I have gone; I proceed to the

Fourth thing, whereby the unreasonableness of covetoufnefs will yet farther appear; namely, because the happiness of human life doth not confift in riches and abundance. And this I fhall infift upon fomewhat the more largely, because it is the argument which our Saviour makes ufe of here in the text, to take men off from this fin. The life of man confifteth not in the abundance of the things which he poffeffeth, Therefore take heed and beware of covetoufnefs. And this certainly is one of the beft and most reasonable confiderations in the world, to mo

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derate our affections towards these things. For every reasonable defire propounds fome end to itself. Now to what purpofe fhould any man defire to increafe his wealth fo vaftly, and beyond the proportion of his neceffities and real occafions? What benefit and advantage can it be to any man, to have an hundred, or perhaps a thousand times more than he knows what to do withal ?

And as for the other world, no man ever pretended that the heaping up riches here, would be ufeful to him there; riches will not deliver him in the day of wrath. No man was ever fo fenfelefs, as to imagine that he could take his eftate along with him into the other world; or if he could, that heaven was to be bought with money; or that a great estate, or a great many lordships would recommend him to the favour of God. 'Tis true indeed, a man may fo ufe riches in this world, as thereby to promote and further his happiness in the next. But then it is likewife as true, that a man may fo demean himself in a poor and low condition, as thereby to render himfelf as acceptable to God, and capable of as great a reward as the richest man can do. The poor woman's two mites chearfully given to pious and charitable ufes, will go as far in the other world, and find as great a reward there, as the rich man's thoufands of gold and filver. And a man may be as truly generous and charitable out of a little, as out of the greatest fortune. Besides, that the poor man's contentedness in a mean condition, is more admirable in itself, and more valuable with God, than for a rich man to be fo.

So that the great ufe of riches refpects this world, and the beft ufe of them is in ways of charity; and the poor man's charity, though it cannot be of flo great an extent in the effects of it, yet in the degree of its virtue and merit, it may be equal to it.

Now the two great defigns of men, in regard to this world, are thefe:

1. To maintain and fupport our lives as long as

we can.

2, To

2. To make our lives as truly happy and comfor table as we can.

To the first of thefe ends, namely, the fupport of our lives, a very little will fuffice; and 'tis not much that is neceffary to the other, to render our lives as truly comfortable as this world can make them; fo that a vast estate is not neceffary to either of thefe ends; for a man may live by having what is neceffary, and may live comfortably, by having that which is convenient.

No man lives the longer by having abundance; it is many times an occafion of fhortning a man's life, by miniftring to excefs and intemperance; but feldom of prolonging it. And fetting afide the vain fancy and conceit of men, no man lives the more happily, for having more than he hath real use and occafion for.

These two heads, I fhall at prefent fpeak to, to make out the full force of this reafon, which our Saviour here ufeth, namely, that a man's life confifteth not in the abundance of the things which he poffeffeth.

I. That riches do not contribute to the support of our lives; nor

II. To the happiness and comfort of them. That is, they are not neceffary to either of these ends. For by riches I mean, whatever is beyond a fufficient competency of thofe things which are requifite to the real ufes and occafions of human life.

First, Riches and abundance do not contribute to the fupport of our lives. And this our Saviour very well reprefents to us in the parable immediately after the text, of the rich man, who was continually increafing his estate, fo that he had goods laid up for many years; but he lived not one jot the longer for being provided of the conveniencies of life for fo long a time before-hand; for whilft he was bleffing himself, as if he had fecured his happiness fufficiently for this world, he was uncertain of his continuance in it; God having decreed to take him out of this world, at that very time when he had determined to enter upon the enjoyment of thofe things which he

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had been fo long laying up. God fays to him, Thou fool, this night hall thy foul be required of thee and then whofe fhall thofe things be which thou hast provided? that is, what good then will all these things do thee, when thou haft no further use of, and occafion for them? So that if he had been the poorest man in the world, and had not been provided for the next meal, he might have have lived as long as he did with all his ftores. You fee then that in this fenfe, a man's life confifteth not in the abundance of the things which he poffeffeth. For notwithstanding all his great barns, and the abundance of fruits he had ftowed in them, he did not live one jot the longer than the poorest man might have done.

Secondly, Nor do riches contribute to the happinefs and comfort of our lives. Happiness is not to be bought and purchafed together with great lordfhips; it depends upon a great may caufes, among which a competency of the things of this world is one; but riches and abundance is none of them. The happinefs of this world confifts in these two things:

1. In the enjoyment of good. And,

2. In a state of freedom from evil.

Now riches do not neceffarily make a man happy in either of these respects.

First, For the enjoyment of good, a competent eftate fuitable to the condition and ftation in which God hath fet us in this world, will give a man whatever nature and reason can defire; and abundance cannot make a man happier. If a man had an hundred times more than he needed, he could but enjoy it according to the capacity of a man; for if he confulted his own happiness, and would truly enjoy what he hath, he muft eat and drink within the bounds of temperance and health; and muft wear no more cloaths than are for his convenience. 'Tis true, he hath wherewithal to put on a new fuit every day; which is to be uneafy all the days of his life; may drink, if he pleafes, every time out of a new up; which would be a vain expence, and a great

and

trouble

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