Spiritual Perfeaion. ''them. Yet how many, who have raifed great Ellates by Unr ighteoufncfs · thei r accunng Thoughts by refolv ing to bequeath ~ome pious Legac ies, wh:n ~~~e t ih•ll leave the World? And how often when a R 1ch Man dyes, his lafl Will d , y with ~im, an.d is buried in obl.ivion? How can an un:ighreous Man confide in i~~ ~u~~f~~~~cerc~a~~~t~~~n \:t~~u~15D~:r~ a~~s p~r~11; f~n;~f~a~:~1r1c? :Ce ~~fi~r'ut f~~ t 01. ~~~ by Deceit or Force was unJuftly got, there 1s nothmg to give. 2. (\ covetous ~~n is. very defeClivc in th~ manner of giving. There are interna l Affell:Jon~ to be m1xd with the aC\s of Chanty. They mufl be done with readinefs and alacnty; and not wrung our, as a Man prcJTt:s foure Grapes: For there is no moral value in Benefits fo obtain,d. God loves a chearful giver. Charity mull be unconfi:rain'd as well as unconfin'd; free, and refpcaing all in their \Vants and Mife. ries. Now Covetou fnefs makes one as unwilling to part with his Money , as to have Blood, rhe treafure of Life, drawn from his Veins. We arc direC\ed to put on bowels Col. 3 . 3 . of Compaffion, and to remember them in bonds, as bound with them. CovetoufnefS infufes an unrelenting frame into the Breart\ hardens the Bowels, and makes them in. capable of mcltiog.impreflions. The languiOJing Looks, the pleading Eyes, the Comp la ints and Cal amities of the miferable, do nor affefl thofe in whom Covetoufnefs reigns: The tender inclinations of Humanity arc quench'd by it. 1· The Covetous will not give in l'roportion to their abilities, and the exi· ~~~ci~~e~! ~:~~~st. b;~is v~fiub~; ~~n~~~it~g~~r~~fnof°C~~~t;~Fn~tfsr1r~;h!~ei:,~:~~~~ of the Gift; but ~here is a fecrer prooff~om the Confcience of the give r, and known to God, The W1do1v that gave two Mites to the facred Treafury , wa< more liberal than thofe wbo threw imo ir richer Gifts. God 4&upts a&&ording to what a Man hM and not 4&ºg to IVhat he hiM not. A covetous Man, d10ugh rich, wit! pretend rh~ fmallnefs of his Eflare to excu(e and palliate his illiberal giving; and makes himfelf doubly guilty, of feigned Poverty, and rea l Avarice, in God 's fi ght : Bur a liberal Man dtvifeth liberal things: He duely confiders the Circumll:anccs of Perfons in want· and efleems a JUfl Occafion of Charity, to be a golden Opportunity, and will b~ noble and magnificent. 2. I will confider the difficulty of the Cure. This will be evident from the caufes of the Difcafe, and the frequent unfuccefsfulnefs of the means in order to it. There is no kind of Sinners more inconvincible and incurable, rhan the Worldly-minded. 'Tis a Rule without exception, Thofe Sios which have the greatefl appearance of Reafoo, and the leaf! of Senfuality, are the mofl plaufiblc and prevailing. So long as there are • rema~ns of Reafon in Mankind, there will be Modefly ; and brurifh Lulls will expofe to !hame. The high birth and honourable rank of the unclean, cannot varnilb and d1fguifc their Impurities, but renders them more infamous and odious. Befides, unlefs Men are not prodigiouOy bad, if they are not free from Fault , they will not defend their Intemperance and Incontinency. If there be any fpark of Confcience alive, it difcovers and condemns t ho[e Sins, and affifls a faithful counfellor in their Cure. But the CoQecous, by many fair pretences, ju!lilic themfelves : The , Th<(, 5 . Apoflle cxprelfes them by the c/oke of Coveto11{ne{s, to hide its filth inefs. They prc· tend to be frugal, but not covetous: They alledge the example of thofc who are reputed wife, who profccute the gains of the \Vorld, as the ma in fcope of their aClions: They will tel1 you, 'tis oeceiTary Prudence to improve all Opportunities to increafe their Eflares, to fecure them from Evils that may happen; and to negle8: providing for our Families is worfe than Infidelity. Thus rcafon is inga!;ed to jqyn with the AffeCtion. From hence the Covetous are not only inamour'd wnh the unworthy ObjeCl:, bur averfe from the Cure of rhe vicious Affefl ion. The love of Money [mothers the Mind w ith Ignorance, and ,darknefs its feren iry, t hat the filthinefs of the Sin is indifcernible. The Covetous are like Perfons fi ck beyond rhe fenfe of their Difeafe, and near Death, withou t feel ing the prefages of it. Befides, rhofe corrupt AffeC\ions, which in their rife and degrees depend upon the humours of the Body that are mutable, are fometimes with force and violence carried to their Ob· jeC\s; bur when the d ifpofition of t he Body is altered, they flag, and diflails fucceed: Bur the root and principle of Coveroufnefs is in the Will; and when that is depraved, 'tis diabolical in obflinacy. The moll fierce and greedy Beails, when they have crt(uu:tmfo- glutted th~ir ravenous A~pet~tc_s, do not pr~fe~tly feek _after 1 new _prey; but c;:~ve · qu,~ur ;ur~ pt· toufnefs ) ltke a Dropfie thtrft JS mflam'd by drmkmg, and mrag d by tncrea~ng Rtcncs. ~~:;:r:~::,~. !~~nefs11d~~i:e:t!':~ v/if~o~~dd~~~~u:7ro~ca~\~:.d ~~eb;~~~g~1~s t:~~ ~keJ\~~s' 3°r~J~· ' Covcrous
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