Bates - BT766 B3 1699

4.6 Spiritual Per f ec`fion. 2. The love of Money, difcoveredin the heaping up Riches, and the tenaci- ous humour in keeping them, is direly contrary to the clearer Reafon, and per- fealy vain. The notion of Vanity con- firs either in the change and inconran- cy of things, or when they have not seafonable and worthy ends. In both refpeas, Covetoufnefs is Vanity : For the Objed of that Paffion is the prefent World, the fphere of mutability ; and the immoderate Care and Labour to ob- tain and preferve it, is not for folic!, fubfantial, but a mere imaginary Good. In this fenfe, the moll beautiful Colours, were there no Eyes to fee them , and the fweetef Sounds, were there noEars to hear them, are Vanities. According to this Rule, the greedy defire of Riches for Riches fake, which is the mor pro- per notion of Avarice, is the moil un- reafonable and vain Ar%aion ; for it has no end, The Apof}le tells us, that an idol ù , nothin; in the World : the matter of it may be Gold or Silver, but it has nothing of a Deity in it. Ide that word Ihips it, worfhips an Objea not only moll unworthy of Adoration, but which lias no Exigence, but in the fancy of the Idolater. So he that loves Money for it felf , fers his Afreaion upon an end that has no Goodnefs, but in his foolish a

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