613 / 652
THE
INIQUITY
OF
COVETOUSNESS.
e0T
also
;
" I
will
lead
him
and
restore
comforts to
him
and
his
mourners."
This
seems to be in
short
the meaning of
the
words,.
and though it
is
the
-
latter
verse
I
chiefly
design
to
inlar`e
upon,
yet.
now
I
shall
be.
enabled
only to
run over the
first,
which
I
shall
do
by
raising several
doctrinal propo-
sitions.
First.
The
first
doctrine
I
shall raise
is
this': Cove-
tousness
in
the children
of God
is
a
provoking
sin,.
Though
the
design
of
my
choice
of this
text
be
not
to
insist
upon. ;this vice,
yet
it
being
mentioned
as
a
particular
instance, wherein
the people
of
old
lead
departed
from
him,
I
cannot but
speak
to
it
a
little.
Arid,
I.
It
provokes God, because it
is
a
setting up
an
idol
in
the
heart
in
the room
of
the living God.
Col. iii. 5.
"
Covetousness which
is
idolatry."
We
do
not
indeed,
in
our
nation,
make gods
and
images
in
the likeness
of
man,
or
any
other
form,
and
fall
down
and worship
them;
but
there
is
another
way
of
making gods
of
gold, even by
overvaluing our treasure, and setting our
hearts
and
at=
fectiens
on
our
chests where
our money
is.
Now the
Lord
is
God
alone,
and
he
will
not
give his glory
unto
another;
he
will
not
suffer
inward
spiritual
worship
to
be
paid
to gold
and
silver.
Covetousness
was
so
hateful
to
the Apostle's
eyes,
that
he saith
it
should
not
so
much
as
be named
in
a
Christian
church..
II.
Covetousness
is
a
provoking sin when
found
in
the
.children
of God especially;
for it
is
to
return
to
the
earth
after
a
sight
and foretaste of heaven
;
such a backsliding
is
a
contempt
cast upon
the
glorious grace
of
God
;
it
is
a refusal of
his
benefits.
'
Ye
that
are
called
to
the
fel
lowship
of
Christ, have
ye
not
had some
hope
of
an
eter-
nal inheritance
?
and do
ye
return
to this world
as
your
Chief
joy?
Do
you esteem
your
enjoyments
in
it
your chief
good
?
Have
ye
begun
in
the spirit, and
will
ye
thus end
in
the
flesh
?
I-Iave
ye
an
inheritance
provided
above,
that
fades
not
away,
and
do
you
again choose for
yourselves
short
-lived possessions
and inheritançes
that
quickly con-
sume
away
?
Such
a
return to
sensual
and carnal
lusts
may,
well be
provoking
to
that
God that
has once
raised
you
out of that
state.
Such
a
contempt
of
the goodness
of
grace,
of
which you
are made a partaker, must needs
be displeasing
to
the almighty giver. And,