BERM. XXV.] CHRISTTAL: MORALITY, VIZ. JUSTICE, &C. 421 L Covetousness is a great spring of injustice. This consists in an immoderate desire of possessing: And we are told by the apostle, that the love of money is the root of all evil, which while some have coveted after, they have not only erred from the faith, but they have ven- tured upon many sins, as well as pierced themselves through with many sorrows. For they that will be rick, fall into temptation, and a snare, and into many.foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition 1 Tim. vi. 9, lb. Solomon is of the same mind ; Prov. xxviii. 20, 22. He that tnaketh haste to be rich, shall not be innocent, for he hath an evil eye upon the possessions of his neighbour. It is from this cursed root of covetousness that a mul- titude of bitter fruits proceed. It is by this vicious prin- ciple working within us, that weare tempted to take what is not our due, either by craft or by violence. ; Hence it is that men cheat each other in their daily commerce, they defraud and over-reach their neighbour if they can in every bargain they make, and try all the arts of subtle knavery, in order to enrich themselves. They divest their souls of truth and virtue, and put off conscience and shame to load themselves with thick clay. It is covetousness that teaches the sons of men- to prac- tise upon their dealers with a false balance anda 'deceit- ful beam. They shorten their measures, and lessen their weights by 'which they sell their goods :. But when the case alters, and they buy any thing for themselves, they will, ifpossible, take another sort of weight, or use a diffe- rent measure; all which are an abomination to the Lord. It is the same evil and Unrighteous principle that per- suades the seller to put off corrupt and damaged wares for good and sound, and to cozen his neighbour with merchandize that is by no means such as he reasonably expects. It is this principle that persuades the buyer also to cheat hisneighbour with corrupt and false money, which he knows to be unlawful coin. For corrupt mer- chandize and corrupt money, false balances, light weights, and scanty measure, seem all to stand in the same rank of deceit: These are all weapons of craft and knavery to give a secret wound to their neighbour's estate, they all belong to the armory of fraud, grid the magazine of un- righteousness. It is this covetous humour that tempts the tongues -of 111111Nor
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