An Expojition, with Notes defir{l what is good and excellent, and it maketh us envy that others 01@ul~ enjoy it; and then to break all bonds of duty and charity 'th:tt we may wrdl it from them: Acovetous man is a full wicked man, he enlargeth his defires for himfdf, bnt is much fireighcened towards otaers, his eye is evil when Gods hand is good. We often meet with firange compounds and prodigies of vice and fin; z Tim. 3·2· Covetous, proud, boafters, lovers ofthem(tlves,&c. 'Iis faid of Catiline, that he yvas mon[irum ex variis diverji[que & inter j( pugnantibus naturis confiatum, a compound and bundle ofwar- :ng luGs and vices ; fa are many wicked men , a cornpofltion of many fins, which feem to differ in their dfence, but fpring from the fame root of corruption. Ohferv. 3· 1• Fro1'l that [Ye !u(l,ye kjll,ye fight and \Var,J 'Tis luj} 11nd COVl toufnefs that is moft apt to trouble neighborhoods and vicini– ties. .Solomon faith, Prev, I 5.a7. He that is greedy ofg(zin, trou– blethhis own houfr; we may add, yea and all the houfes near him; x Av9fr<>?T~ he is truly the Troubler of Ifrael. x Man i~ by nature a fociable c, rpva-E-1 tc-:ov creature, fit for commerce. Acovetous man IS a Wen of the Body '7foJ..ITtxo;. Politick, not a Mtmber: AWm,by fucking thenourilhment that Afi{t.Pol. c. i. is due eo other parts, growtth mvnflrous and ugly in it fdf, and robbeth the body ; [o he being altogether for private gain, pervert– eth that wh:ch is the cement of all Confederacies and Societies, a c:tre of the Commonweal: Bodies are preferved when the members care one for another,I Cor.I 1.24. But this is not all,Covetoufnefs is abafe affection, that will put a man upon the bafefi and mofr un– worthy pratlifes; mm given to it, trouble their families by exaCt– ing all their labours, and trouble humane Societies by unjufi Con– tentions; they quarrel with thofe that poffefs that which they co– vet: Ahab fp ilr N ()bothJ blood for his Vineyards fake: They pro– more publiqae Changes and Innovations, that they may feather their 1it l1s with the common fpoyls. Befides all this., they bring down Gods Judgi:nems upon their people; Achmu covetoufneis troubled whole lJTaef, fOflJq, efpecially ifhighinplace and honOrj as when Magifiraces build their own houfes upon others ruines, and purchafe large Revenues and El1ates with the Publique Purfe, or detaining the hire ofthe poor; fee J tr. 2 2. I 3. Well then, no won– der that covetous men meet with publique hatred and detefiation; they are not only injurious to God, but humane Societies; they are a fort of men that are neither moved with Arguments of · Nature
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