is a moral meekness, the product of education and counsel; this is an amiable virtue. There is a spiritual meekness, which orders the passions according to the rule of the divine law, in conformity to our Saviour's example; this is a divine grace, which attracts the esteem and love of God himself. This prepares us for communion with the God of peace, both here and in heaven.

To obtain this excellent frame of spirit, let us be humble in our minds, and temperate in our affections, with respect to those things that are the incentives of passion. The false valuations of ourselves and the things of this world, are the inward causes of sinful anger. Contempt and disdain, either real or apprehended, and the crossing our desires of worldly enjoyments, inflame our breasts. Our Saviour tells us, that he is 'meek and lowly;' and meekness is joined with temperance, as the productive and conservative cause of it. He that doth not over-value himself, nor inordinately affect temporal things, is hardly provoked, and easily appeased.

3. I will consider the two other vicious affections, joined by St. John with the lusts of the flesh,-the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life; from which we must be purged, or we are incapable of the blessed relation of God's children, and of his favour. The infamous character of the Cretans, is proper to the ambitious, covetous, and voluptuous; that they are evil beasts and slow bellies.' Covetousness is a diffusive evil, that corrupts the whole soul. It is radically in the understanding, principally in the will and affections, virtually in the actions.

1. It is radically in the understanding. Men

are first enchanted in their opinion of riches, and then chained by their affections. The worldlyminded overvalue riches, as the only real and substantial happiness. The treasures of heaven, which are spiritual and future, are slighted as dreams, that have no existence but in the imagination. They see no convincing charms in grace and glory. The lustre of gold dazzles and deceives them; they will not believe it is dirt. Gold is their sun and shield, which supplies them with the most desirable good things in their esteem, and preserves them from the most fearful evils. Gain is their main design and utmost aim. Their contrivances and projects are, how to maintain and improve their estates; and the most pleasant exercise of their thoughts is to look over their inventory.

2. Covetousness is principally in the will, the place of its residence. It is called 'the love of money.' There is an inseparable relation between the heart and its treasure. We are directed, 'if riches increase, set not your hearts upon them.' It is observable, that the eager desire to procure riches is often subordinate to other vicious affections, either prodigality or pride. Prodigality excites to rapine and extortion; from the violent motive of indigence, which is its usual attendant; and from the conspiring lusts of sensuality, which languish, unless furnished with new supplies and nourishment. Or pride urges to an excessive procuring of wealth, to maintain the state and pomp of the vainglorious. Now, if these vicious affections are corrected, the inordinate desire of riches will be suddenly cured.

But covetousness, in its proper sense, implies the seeking riches for the love of them, and not re

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spectively to their use.

From hence it is the most unreasonable of affections, and more inexcusable than any that are derived from the carnal appetites. Now, love is the leading affection in man, and, in this way of its action, it produces a train of evils.

(1.) Immoderate desire of riches: for what is loved for itself, is desired with an unlimited appetite. Covetousness, 'like the grave, never says it is enough.'

(2.) Immoderate joy in possessing them. A covetous man is raised and ravished above himself, in the sight of his treasures. He thinks himself happy without reconciliation and communion with God, wherein heaven consists. It was a convincing evidence of Job's sacred and heavenly temper, that he did not rejoice because his wealth was great, and his hand had gotten much.''

(3.) Anxious fears of losing them. The covetous suspect every shadow, and are fearful of every fancy wherein their interest is concerned. They are vexed with apprehensions, lest they should be oppressed by the rich, robbed by the poor, or circumvented by the crafty; or lest they should suffer loss by innumerable, unforeseen, and inevitable accidents. Content is the poor man's riches, while possession is often the rich man's torment.

(4.) Heart-breaking sorrow in being deprived of them. If you touch their treasure, you wound their hearts. According to the rule in nature, what is possessed with joy is lost with grief; and according to the degree of the desires, such will be the despair when they are frustrated. Poverty, in the

1 Job. xxxi. 25.

account of the covetous, is the worst of evils, that makes men absolutely desolate. Blind unhappy wretches! Is not eternal damnation the extremest evil? Is it not infinitely better to be deprived of all their treasures and go naked into paradise, than to fall laden with gold into the pit of perdition?

3. Covetousness is virtually in the actions; which are to be considered either in getting, saving, or using an estate.

1. The covetous are inordinate and eager in their endeavours to get an estate. They rise early, lie down late, and eat the bread of carefulness.' They rack their brains, waste their strength, consume their time, and toil and tire themselves to gain the present world. For when lust counsels and commands, eager violence executes. Their eyes and hearts, their aims and endeavours, are concentred in the earth. Who will show us any

good?' is their unsatisfied inquiry.

(1.) They are greedy and earnest to obtain great riches; for they measure their estates by their desires.

(2.) They will use all means, fair or fraudulent, to amass wealth. The lucre of gain is so ravishing, that they will not make a stand, but venture into a house infected with the plague to get treasure.

2. They are sordid in saving, and contradict all divine and human rights by robbing God, their neighbours, and themselves, of what is due to them. A covetous man robs God, the proprietor, in neglecting to pay what he has reserved for works of piety and charity, as an acknowledgment that all is from his bounty. He robs the poor, God's deputed receivers. He defrauds himself; for God bestows riches for the support and comfort of our

own lives, that we may with temperance and thanksgiving enjoy his benefits. The miser wants what he has as well as what he has not.'

3. They are defective in using riches.

(1.) If they do works externally good, the spring and motive is vicious; and the ends more surely discover men than their actions. They do not acts of piety and charity in constant obedience and thankfulness, to imitate and honour God, but sometimes only, and that for reputation and fame; as the Pharisees (whose inseparable properties were pride and covetousness) dispensed their alms with the sound of a trumpet, to call the poor together. Other sins require shades and retirements, but pride seeks to be conspicuously distinguished from others.

(2.) Sometimes they do good, to compound with God and appease conscience for their unrighteous procuring riches. Their gifts are sin-offerings to expiate the guilt contracted by ill-gotten goods; not thank-offerings for God's free favours and benefits. To countenance their opinion and practice, they allege our Saviour's counsel, 'Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, that when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations :' as if bestowing part of :'3 their unrighteous gains would purchase a discharge from the arrears due to Divine justice. Can there be a more monstrous perverting of the rectitude of truth, thus to conform it to the crooked lusts of men? St. Augustine speaking of this vain and impious presumption of some in his time, advises them, "Do not form such an unworthy conception

"Avaro tam deest quod habet, quam quod non habet." 3 Luke xvi. 9.

2 Mat. vi. 2.