things with as much eagerness and appetite, when they are leaving the world, as if they were to ftay in it a hundred years longer? So that in this fenfe alfo, they are children again, and are as fond of these toys, as if they were juft beginning the world, and fetting out for their whole life.

3. There is another life after this, to be seriously thought on, and provided for with great care and did men firmly believe this, they would not with Martha, bufy themselves about many things, but would mind the one thing neceffary, and with Mary, chufe that better part, which could not be taken from them. They would overlook the trifles of this world, and fcarce take notice of the things which are feen, but be only intent upon the things which are not feen; becaufe the things which are seen are but temporal, but the things which are not feen are eternal. The great 'concernments of another world would employ their utmost care and their best thoughts.

Whilft we are in this world, we fhould remember that this is not our home, nor the place of our reft; and therefore, as men do in an inn, we fhould make a fhift with thofe indifferent accommodations which the world will afford us, and which we can have upon eafy terms, without too much trouble and stir, because we are not to continue long here; and in the mean time we fhould chear up our felves with the thoughts of the pleasure and the plenty of our father's houfe, and of that full contentment and fatisfaction which we fhall meet withal, when we come to those everlasting habitations.

So that our great care fhould be to provide for eternity. If we have unbounded defires, let us place them upon fuch objects as are worthy of them. Let us earnestly covet the best things, and feek after the true riches. We fhould fo mind the world, as to make heaven our great care; as to make fure to provide our felves bags that wax not old; a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth, as our Saviour adviseth, Luke xii. 33. To the fame purpofe is the counfel of St. Paul, Tim. vi. 17, 18, 19. Charge them that are

rich

rich in this world, that they be rich in good works, willing to diftribute, ready to communicate, laying up for themselves a good foundation (or as the word , may alfo be rendered, a good treasure) against the time which is to come, that they may lay hold of eternal life.

I have told you that all thefe things will fail in a fhort space; we fhall either be ftripped of them. or feparated from them when we come to dy, and fhall look over to that vaft eternity which we must shortly enter upon. This world, and all the enjoyments of it, will then be as nothing to us, and we fhall be wholly taken up with the thoughts of another world, and be heartily forry that the things of this world have taken up fo much of our time and care, and that the great and weighty concernments of all eternity have been fo little minded and regarded by us. Now feeing all these things fhall be, pardon me, if I earnestly beg of you, in the midst of all your worldly cares, to have fome confideration for your immortal fouls, which are no wife provided for by a great eftate, but are defigned for nobler enjoyments than this world can afford. When you are taking care to feed and cloath thefe dying bodies, remember that better part of yourselves, which is to live for ever. Let not all your enquiry be, what shall I eat? or what shall I drink? or wherewithal fhall I be cloathed? But fometimes ask yourselves this quetion, what shall I do to be faved? I have an immortal fpirit, it is but fit fome care fhould be taken of that, to train it up to eternity, and to make it fit to be made partaker of an inheritance among them that are fanctified.

The firm belief and serious confideration of the great things of another world, cannot furely but cool the heat of our affections towards thefe dying and perishing things, and make us refolved not to do any thing whereby we may violate the of peace Our confciences, or forfeit our intereft and happiness in

another world.

II. By way of remedy against this vice of covetoufnefs, it is good for men to be contented with VOL. V.

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their

their condition. This the Apoftle prefcribes as the beft cure of this vice, Heb. xiii. 5. Let your converfation be without covetousness, and be content with Tuch things as ye have; αρκούμενοι τοῖς παροῦσιν, being contented with the prefent, and thinking that fufficient. A covetous man cannot enjoy the prefent, for fear of the future; either out of fear that he shall come to want, or out of a fickness and uneafinefs of mind, which makes that nothing pleafeth him: But if we could bring our minds to our condition, and be contented with what we have, we fhould not be fo ea ger and impatient after more.

This contentedness with our prefent condition doth not hinder, but that men by providence and induftry, and lawful endeavours, may lay the foundation of a more plentiful fortune than they have at prefent. For provided a man use no indirect and dif honeft ways to increase his eftate, and do not torment himself with anxious cares, do neither make himfelf guilty, nor miferable, that he may be rich; provided he do not neglect better things to attain these, and have not an infatiable appetite towards them; provided he do not idolize his eftate, and fet his heart upon these things; and if he can find in his heart to enjoy them himself, and to be charitable to others, nothing hinders but that he may. be contented with his prefent condition, and yet take all fair opportunities which the providence of God puts into his hands of enlarging his fortune. It is a good character which the poet gives of Ariftippus,

Omnis Ariftippum decuit color, & ftatus, & res; Tentantem majora, ferè præfentibus aquum. "Every ftate and condition became him; for though "he endeavoured after more, yet his mind was always in a manner equal to his prefent condition."

But if a man be difcontented with the prefent, and reftlefs because he hath no more, the whole world will not fatisfy him; and if God fhould raife him from one step to another, he would never think his fortune high enough, and in every degree of it, would be as little contented as he was at firft. Our Savi

Our

our reprefents this fort of men by the rich man here in the parable, who, when his barns were full and ready to crack, his mind was not filled; therefore he pulls them down and builds greater; and if he had lived till thefe had been full, they must have gone down too, and he would ftill have built greater. So that though he defigned when he had raised his eftate to fuch a pitch, to have fat down, and taken his eafe, yet his covetous humour would have been ftirring again, and ftill have ftept in between him and contentment, and for ever have hindred him from arriving at it.

III. By way of direction, I would perfuade thofe who are rich, to be charitable with what they have. If God hath bleffed us with abundance, and we would not be like this rich man here in the parable, we muft lay out of our eftate, in ways of piety and charity, for the publick good, and for the private relief of those who are in want; for that is the aróJoris, or moral of the parable; fo is he that layeth up treasures for himself, and is not rich towards God. So fhall he be, fuch an iffue of his folly may every one expect (to be taken away from his eftare before he comes to enjoy it) who layeth up treasures for himfelf, but is not rich towards God; but does not lay up riches with God. How is that? By works of mercy and charity. This our Saviour calls laying up for ourselves treasure in heaven, Matth. xvi. 20. And at the 33d verfe of this chapter, he calls giving of alms, providing for ourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens which faileth not: They who do thus, who are rich in good works, ready to diftribute, willing to communicate, are faid to lay up for themselves a good treasure against the time which is to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life, 1 Tim. vi. 18, 19. Extra fortunam eft quicquid donatur; "whatsoever we give to the poor is fafely difpo"fed, and put out of the reach of fortune, because "it is laid up in heaven, where we may expect the

return and recompence of it." Charity to our poor brethren is a certain way of tranfmitting our riches into the other world to make way for our reception there.

So our Lord tells us, Luke xvi. 9. I say unto you, make to your felves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, that when ye shall fail (that is, when you fhall leave this world, and the enjoyments of it) they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

At the great day of judgment, when we fhall appear before God, and according to our Saviour's reprefentation of the proceedings of that day, shall hear him thus expoftulating with men, I was hungry, and ye gave me no meat; thirsty, and ye gave me no drink; naked and ye clothed me not; fick and in prifon, and ye vifited me not; what would we then give, how much of our estates, if we had them then at our command, would we not be willing to part withal, to have that comfortable sentence paft upon us, Come ye bleffed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you, before the foundation of the world! But if we be found among thofe who would fpare nothing out of their abundance to any charitable ufe and purpose, I have not the heart to tell you how miferable the condition of fuch perfons will be, and how dreadful doom will be paffed upon them.

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It is a fad confideration, that there are fome perfons in the world, who feem to be only defective in this duty; like the young man in the gospel, who lacked but this one thing to make him perfect; had kept the commandments from his youth, and preferved himfelf from thofe grofs fins which the law did plainly forbid, and yet for want of this one thing he parted from his Saviour, and, for any thing we know, fell fhort of eternal life. There are many who are very devout and religious, much in prayer and fafting, and all the other frugal exercifes of piety, which coft them no money; but yet are very defective in alms and charity, which in fcripture are fo frequently joined with the faftings and prayers of good men; and by this means, all their devotion and diligence in the other parts of religion is loft, and will not bring them to heaven. And is it not great pity, that they who are not far from the kingdom of God, fhould fall fhort of it? that they who in moft

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