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Obedience. If Men loved the Cross of Chrift, his Precepts and Doctrine, they would cross their own Wills which lead them to break Christ's holy Will, and lofe their own Souls, in doing the Devil's. Had Adam minded that holy Light in Paradise more than the Serpent's Bait, and stayed his Mind upon his Creator, the Rewarder of Fidelity, he had seen the Snare of the Enemy, and refifted him. O do not delight in that which is forbidden! Look not upon it, if thou wouldst not be captivated by it. Bring not the Guilt of Sins of Knowledge upon thy own Soul. Did Christ submit Heb.12.2. his Will to his Father's, and, for the Joy that

was fet before him, endure the Cross, and defpife the Shame of a new and untrodden Way to Glory? Thou also muft fubmit thy Will to Chrift's holy Law and Light in thy Heart, and for the Reward he fets before thee, to wit, eternal Life, endure his Crofs, and defpife the Shame of it. All defire to rejoice with him, but few will fuffer with him, or for him. Many are the Companions of his Table; not many of his Abftinence. The Loaves they follow, but the Cup of his Agony they leave: 'Tis too bitter: They like not to drink thereof. And divers will magnify his Miracles, that are offended at the Ignominy of his Crofs. But O Man! as he for thy Salvation, fo thou for the Phil. 2. 7. Love of him, must humble thyfelf, and be contented to be of no Reputation, that thou mayst follow him, not in a carnal formal Way, of vain Man's Tradition and Prescription, but as

the

the Holy Ghoft, by the Apoftle doth exprefs it, In the new and living Way, which Jefus had confecrated, that brings all that walk in it, to the eternal Reft of God: Whereinto he Heb. 10. himself is entered, who is the holy and only 19, 20. bleffed Redeemer.

CHAP. XIII.

1. Avarice, the fecond 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. Also Ahab's about Naboth's Vineyard. §. 5. Next, in unlawful Defires of lawful Things. §. 6. Covetousness is a Mark of falfe Prophets. §. 7. A Reproach to Religion. §. 8. An Enemy to Government. §. 9. Treacherous. §. 10. Oppreffive. §. 11. Judas an Example. S. 12. So Simon Magus. §. 13. Laftly, in unprofitable boarding of Money. §. 14. The covetous Man a common Evil. §. 15. His Hypocrify. §. 16. Gold his God. §. 17. He is fparing to Death. §. 18. Is reprov'd by Chrift and his Followers. §. 19. Annanias. and Sapphira's Sin and Judgment. §. 20. William Tindal's Difcourfe on that Subject referred unto. §. 21 Peter Charron's Teftimony against it. §. 22. Abraham Cowley's witty and harp Satyr upon it.

3, 5.

9, 10.

§. 1. 1

1.1

Am come to the fecond Part of this Difcourfe, which is Avarice, or Covetoufnefs, an epidemical and a raging Diftemper in the World, attended with all the Mischiefs that can make Men miferable in themselves, and in Society: So near a-kin to the foregoing Evil, Pride, that they are feldom apart: Liberality being almoft as hateful to the Proud, as to Ephef. 5. the Covetous, I fhall define it thus: CovetoufTim. 6. nefs is the Love of Money or Riches; which, as the Apoftle hath it, is the Root of all Evil. It branches itfelf into thefe three Parts: First, 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 Publick. I fhall firft deliver the Senfe of Scripture, and what Examples are therein afforded against this Impiety: And next, my own Reafons, 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 Sin that Man is fallen into.

§. II. And firft, of defiring or coveting of unlawful Things: It is exprefly forbidden by God himself, in the Law he delivered to Mofes upon Mount Sinai, for a Rule to his People the Jews Exod. 20. to walk by: Thou shalt not covet, faid God, thy Neighbour's Houfe: Thou shalt not covet thy Neighbour's Wife, nor his Man-fervant, nor his Maid fervant, nor his Ox, nor his Afs, nor any

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Thing that is thy Neighbour's. This God confirmed by Thundering and Lightnings, and other fenfible Solemnities, to ftrike the People with more Awe in receiving and keeping of it, and to make the Breach of thefe moral Precepts more terrible to them. Micah complains fullmouth'd in his Time, They covet Fields, and Mic. 2. 2. take them by Violence; but their End was Mifery. Therefore was it faid of old, Woe to them that covet an evil Covetousness: This is to our Point. We have many remarkable Inftances of this in Scripture; two of which I will briefly report.

§. III. David, though otherwife a good Man,' by Unwatchfulnefs is taken; the Beauty of Uriah's Wife was too hard for him, being difarm'd, and off from his fpiritual Watch. There was no Difwafive would do: Uriah must be put upon a defperate Service, where it was great odds if he furvived it. This was to haften the unlawful Satisfaction of his Defires, by a Way that look'd not like direct Murder. The Contrivance took; Uriah is kill'd, and his Wife is quickly David's. This interpreted David's Covetoufnefs. But went it off fo? No, David had sharp Sauce with his Meat. His Pleafure Pfal. 5r. Joon turn'd to Anguish and Bitterness of Spirit: al. 77.

His Soul was overwhelm'd with Sorrow: Theyf. 69. 2

2,

Waves went over his Head: He was confumed 14. within him: He was fiuck in the Mire and Clay ;11.6. 6,7. be cried, he wept: Yea, his Eyes were as a Fountain of Tears. Guiltinefs was upon him, and he must be purged; his Sins wash'd white as

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Snore,

1 Kings

21.

Snow, that were as red as Crimson, or he is un-
done for ever. His Repentance prevail'd: Be-
hold, what Work this Part of Covetoufness
makes! What Evil, what Sorrow! O that the
People of this Covetousness would let the Sense
of David's Sorrows fink deep into their Souls,
that they might come to David's Salvation!
Reftore me, faith that good Man: It seems he
once knew a better State: Yes, and this may
teach the better Sort to fear, and ftand in Awe
too, left they fin and fall. For David was
taken at a Disadvantage: He was off his Watch,
and gone
from the Crofs: The Law was not
his Lamp and Light, at that Inftant: He was
a Wanderer from his Safety, his ftrong Tower,
and fo furprized: Then and there it was the
Enemy met him, and vanquish'd 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, Sons of Belial, to evidence against him. Thus, in the Name of God, and in Shew of pure Zeal to his Glory, Naboth must die; and accordingly was stoned to Death. The News of which coming to Jezebel, the bid Ahab arife, 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,

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