Serm. XXXVI. The Nature gfCovgtoufne E2 5 71 -- fet fore Bounds to your Defires after the Things of this World. For whatever Men may imagine, it is certain in Experience, that it is not the Abundance ofout- ward Things which makes the Life of Man happy. Wealth and Content do not always dwell together ; nay, fofar from that, that perhaps they very feldom meet. And the Parable likewife which follows upon this Caution, cloth fuf&ciently thew this to be our Saviour's Meaning ; forhe illuftrates what he was fpeaking of, by a Rich Man whofe defire ofWealth was never fatisfied, but he was continually in- creafing his Elate, and enlarginghis Barns, to make more room full for his Fruits, that he might lay up Goods in fore for manyyears. The Parable does not fomuch as intimateany indireft and unjuft ways of Gain, which this Man ufed to increafe his Eftate; but condemns his infatiable Defire and Thirft after more ; fo that even this alone is Covetoufnef, and a great fault, tho' it were attended with no other ; becaufe it is unreafonable, and without end. II. There is Covetoufrefs likewife in getting an Eftate ; and theVice or Evil of this kind of Covetoufnefs conflits chiefly in thefe three Things. I. In the Life of unlawful and unjuft Ways to get or increafe an Eftate. He is aCovetous Man, who, by the 'greedinefsofGain, is tempted to do anyunjuft Afti- on, whether it be in the way of Fraud and Deceit, or of Violence and Oppreffion. And this perhaps is that which is molt frequently in Scripture call'd Covetoufnefs. And this I take to be the Meaning of the Tenth Commandment, Thou [halt not covet ; wherein is forbidden all unjuf Defire ofthat which is another Man's, and all unjutt Endeavoursand Attempts to deprive him ofit. For fo our Saviour rea- ders it, Mark to. i g. where he fays to theyoung Man that came to be direfted by him, what good thing he fhould do that he might inherit Eternal Life ; Thou kncavell the Commandments, do not commit Adultery, do not kill, do not heal, do not bear Palle witnefs ; and then inftead of the Tenth Commandment, Thou (halt not covet, or rather by way of Explication of it, he adds A4 dvroçaapoois, defraud not ; as if he had Paid in a word', be not injurious to thy Neighbour in any kind, in defiring or endeavouring to deprive him of any thing that is his. As the Romans in their Laws were wont to comprehend thofe Crimes which had no proper Name, by the general Name of Stellionatus, and Dolus malus ; fo here in the Decalogue, after God had inftanced in the chief and molt common forts of.Injuries whichMen are guilty of towards their Neighbour, as Murder, Adultery, Theft, Bearing of falfe Witnefs ; he fumms up all the reit, which could not fo eafily be reckon'd psïrticularly in this Ihort and general Prohibition, Thou _halt not covet ; that is, thou (halt not be injurious to thy Neighbour in any other kind ; in his Wife, or Servant, or Houfe, or Cattle, or any thing that is his. Covetoufnefs, or any in- 'ordinate Defire of that which is our Neighbour's, being commonly the Root and Parent of all thefe kind ofInjuries. And for the fame Reafon St. Matthew, inftead of the TenthCommandment, puts this general Precept, Thotl(halt love thy Neighbour as thy Pelf, as being the Senfe of it in other Words ; Mat. 19. t 8, i 9. Thou_halt do no Murder, thou (halt not Commit Adultery, thoufhalt not deal, thou faalt not bear fafe Witnefs, honour thy Father and thy Mother, and thou _halt love thy Neighbour as thy Pelf. And this Command of loving our Neighbour as our [elves, our Saviour elfewhere ,tells us was the Sumof the Duties of the Second Table ; and it is the fame in Senfe with that Precept ofour Saviour, Mat. 7. 12. Therefore all things whatfoeverye sopuld that Men fhauld do unto you, doye evenfo to them. That is, as thou woulde(t have no Man to be injurious to thee in any thing, fo be not thou to any other Man in any kind. And-the Apoftle, Rom. 13. 8, g, 0. thews us upon . what ac- count this General Precept, Thou_halt love thy Neighbour as thyPelf, is the Summ of the Second Table. He that loveth another bath fulfilled theLaw : For this, thou_halt not commit Adultery, Thou_halt not 1011, Thou _halt not Steal, Thoufault not bearfalfe Witnefs, Thou (halt not Covet ; and if there be any other Command- ment, it is briefly comprehended in this Saying, namely, Thou _halt love thy Neigh- bour as thyPelf And then he adds in the next words, Love worketh.npill to his Neighbour; therefore Love is the fulfilling of the Law. That is, he that truly loves his Neighbour, will not be injurious to him in any kind : ThereforeLove is thefumm ofthe Law. * L I The
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