Serm. i t . that they may be Acceptable imlo God? 243 pear by the tides which they commonly give unto them, calling them their goods, as if they were the only good things ; and theirfu4ttance,as if all things elfe were (hadows ; and by the increafe of them, they fay they are made for ever, and by the lofs of them, they fay they are ut- terly undone. What do thefe expre(Iions imply, but a trua and confi- dence in their Riches ; whereupon faith the Wife-man, The Richmans Prov.18.ii: wealth is his (irons City, andat an highwall in his own conceit. It makes him think himfelf fo fafe and fecure, that like the Judge mentionedby our Saviour, hefearethnot God, nor regardeth man. Luke In the next place follows the Vertues enjoyned. The firft is Confidence, or Faith in God, which is direaly oppofed to trufa in Riches, fo as richmen may have wherein to Grua, though they trua not in Riches. God is the God of the Rich, as well as of the Poor, and the one as well as the other, are to put their whole trua in him. And if we confider the property here given toGod, viz. Living, but trxfi? in the liming God ; we (hall fee good reafon to trua in Go 1, rather than in Riches. For our wealth may vani(h away, but he ever liveth ; our wealth may proveour bane, buthe is both the giver and preferver of life. Our trufaing in God is here preffed by an Argument taken fromGods bounty tous in thefe words, who giveth tee richly all things to enjoy : So that the Lord is not only a Living, but alfo a Giving God, of whofe gift you havenot only your life ; but alto your Riches ; yea, all that you have is thegift of God, who giveth you not only all needful things, but alfo Richly, and as Sr. James faith, liberally. For God in his James /.5% gifts fheweth himfelf tobe a God, and that two wales. z. In the free- nefs. 2. In the greatnefs of them. He loadetb to with benefits, faith the pfai.os.rar: Pfalmil. This Richbounty of God is a further motive todraw you to true} in him. Yea, theApofile addeth, that theLord giveth us all things richly to enjoy ; that is, not only for the prefent to fpend, as being abfolutelyne- cefl'ary ; but alfo to lay wp and referve, fo as itis notunlawful to layup for after- times. TheApo(ale preffeth it on Parents asabounden Duty, to lay upfor their Children. Only let this lawful liberty be limited with thefe and fuch like z Cor.zz,z bounds. r.That we lay up nothing but what is jufaly gotten. To lay up Riches of unrighteoufnefs, is to kindle a fire that may defcroy both our tem- poral and our fpiritual efaate. z. That we benot fo .covetous of hoarding up, as to denyour felves I i what
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