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quitting my own Defires at prefent, to obtain that glorious Good which exceeds all that Heart can defire, when he shall come again to perfect the Satisfaction of all thofe that love and wait for his bleffed Appearing. Amen. blessed

SERMON XV.

HỆ B. XIII. 5.

---Be content with fuch Things as ye have :--

S I begun, fo I fhall end thefe Difcourfes, by defiring you to read again thofe Words, in Heb. 13. 5. Be content with fuch Things as you have. Which Exhortation, if you will faithfully receive, you will eafily fee, which is the fourth Thing I would advise you of, from what hath been said.

IV.

The Reasonablenefs of that Command, Thou fhalt not covet, and of thofe Words of our Saviour, Luke 13. 15. Take heed and beware of Covetousness; and of the Admonition juft before my Text, Let your Converfation be without Co

vetousness.

vetousness. For thefe Words, be content with Things prefent, do not only condemn all Injuftice, all violent, unconscionable and fraudulent Dealing, in acquiring to ourselves that which is another Man's; but also all inordinate Defire either of his House, or his Farm, or his Bargain, or his Office, or his Honour, or any fuch like thing which is in his Poffeffion. We need not caft fuch a greedy Eye upon that which is our Neighbour's, if he would but study and embrace the Religion of Jefus Chrift. We may reft fatisfied, I have proved, with what we have, nay, rejoice in it, without fuch an hungry Appetite after which is none of ours.

But you will fay, What Defires and Designs are inordinate? When do we ftretch them fo far, as to make them inconfiftent with Contentinent? All Defires are not unlawful; we may wish to have more, for elfe how fhould we feek for more, which Religion doth not forbid? Let us understand therefore what is irregular and undue.

To this I fhall give some Satisfaction, it being too much out of the Way to infift long upon it. And first I fuppofe,

1. It will be granted by all, that when a Man fets his Heart upon getting of Riches, and charges himself with that Care more than with being eternally happy, he is gone beyond all reafonable Bounds. This is fo dangerous an Evil, that it is the Love of the World which, St. James faith, is inconfiftent with the Love and Friendship of God. IV. 4. This is properly that Hardness of

Heart

Heart spoken of in Scripture, which will let a Man have no Senfe or Feeling of any thing, tho' never fo excellent, but what makes for his worldly Intereft. And it was the Mother of that vile Hypocrify which reigned in the Pharifees, who had no regard to that part of Religion, which confifted in doing Good to others, as they defired God fhould do to them.

2. I fuppofe it will be as readily granted, that it is an inordinate Defire which makes a Man reftlefs and impatient for its Accomplishment, even to the Disturbance of his Neighbour: If one have no Mind, for Inftance, to part with that which we long for (his Land, fuppofe, or House, or any thing elfe, which he loves and prizes as much as we can do) it is an irregular Appetite not to be quiet without it; tho' we be willing to give him the true Value for it. To have a Defire of it, is no Fault, if the Owner be willing to part with it; but when we know he is not willing, ftill to continue the vehement Defire, is blameable and dangerous, for it tends to that which is moft mifchievous: Such was the Defire of Abab, the Picture of filthy Covetousness, who still gaped after Naboth's Vineyard; when one would think, he had ftopt his Mouth by telling him, it was the Inheritance of his Father, which he had a Refolution to keep, as long as he could, in his Family.

3. And is not that, think you, an inordinate Defire, which breaks a Man's own Peace, and puts his Spirit out of Order, and difturbs his Duty? When a Man's thoughts are so fet upon what he

Would

would have, that he cannot pray, nor hear the Word of God, nor read a good Book, but ftill this comes into his Mind, and calls him away 'from his better Business, he cannot be excufed from the Guilt of Covetoufnefs. For this was Ahab's Cafe alfo, who could not eat, nor fleep, for longing after Naboth's Vineyard.

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4. When a Man fo defires alfo another Man's Goods, that he conceives a Difpleasure against the Perfon who will not fatisfy his Defire, we know not how to quit him from Blame It is fo fenfible an Irregularity, that we cannot but condemn the Difpleafure he hath within himself at his own Condition, because it is not fo good as that of other Mens.

5. And ftill it is a more palpable Degree of Bafenefs, when a young Man's Defires are fo eager, that they make him not care what Courses he takes to fatisfy thein: As Abab you know most unworthily confented to his Wife Jezabel to accufe Naboth unjustly, that he might get his Vineyard. And tho' a Man do not actually proceed to do bad things that he may effect his Defires, if it be in his Heart and Purpose, were it not for the Shame of the World, and for fear of lofing his Credit, or fome fuch Confideration, which hinders him, he is exprefly guilty of the Breach of that Command, Thou shalt not covet: Which intends to prohibit all evil Defigns, and close Projects of Mischief, tho' they never be put in Execution. This was Ahab's Condition, who did not practife any thing against his Innocent Neighbour at the firft, but had it in his Heart,

it should feem by what followed, to difpoffefs him by irregular Courses, rather than go without that Garden which lay fo convenient for him. Then it was that his foul Inclinations discovered themselves, when Injuftice might be done by another, and he not feen in it, and his Wife had contrived a handfome Way to bring about his End, without a barefac'd Violence.

6. But the very worst Degree of all is, when Men will make Religion and facred things ftoop to their worldly Defires, becoming factious rather than be poor, and fubmitting themselves to irreligious Flatteries rather than be Underlings, and not in Favour with the People. This Covetoufness is called by St. Peter, in Simon Magus's Cafe, who coveted for bafe Ends to be like the Apostles, the Gall of Bitterness, and the Bond of Iniquity; or a Complication of Wickedness; great many Crimes involved one in another, out of which it was hard for him to extricate himself. Acts 8.23.

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Let us put a stop therefore to greedy Defires, for we know not whether they may proceed: If we find our felves inclined to this Distemper, let us look after a Cure prefently; for it is the Root of all Evil, where Covetoufnefs is, there is neque amor, neque fides, neque mifericordia, as a great Philopher fpeaks, neither Love, nor Faith, nor Pity; it being the worst natur'd Vice in the World. And it is of the more dangerous Difpofition, because it is one of those Passions (Ambi tion is another of them) that are purely in the Mind; and for that Caufe, is an Appetite not caE e

pable

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