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Show 34o No' C R 0 S S; N_o C R 0 W N. VoL·. I. r66S. within bifl:l.: He Ql,ts fluck. in the JUire Of!d Cloy, He tryul,. Ht o:ept; Jfa, ~ bi.t Eyes wtre as a FoJmtnill of Tears. G11tltmcjs was upon btm, _and he muft <:ha'p. xm. he p11rged; his Si111 wajbt white as Snow, tb~~~ were as r~·d a.t Crnnfcn, or ~t is undone for ewr. His Repentance prevatld: Behold,1 what Work th1s Part of Cowtoufnifs makes! 'What Evil, what So_r~ow · 0 that the P~ople of this Coveroufne.fs would let theSenfe ?~ Davul s_So~rows fink deep ~nto their Souls, that they might come to Davul .t Sah·atton. Rrfion me_, fauh that good Man : h feems he once kuew ~ hater Stau: Yes, a~d th1s may teach the bett'er Son to Fear, and ftand In Aw too, left _they Sm, and Fall. For David was taken at a Difadvantage: He was off hts Warch, and gone from the Crofs; The Law was not his Lamp and Light, at that Inllant: He was a Wanderer from his Safety, his Strong Tower, and fo Surprized: Then and There it was the Enemy met him, and vanquifh'd him. 1 Kings 2 r. §. IV. The Second In fiance is that of Naboth's Vineyard: It was coveted by Abnb and Jezcbd: Thar, which led rhem ro fuch an Unlawful Deflre, fou'Dd Means to accomplifh it. ]\roboth mull Dye, /or he would not ftll ir. To do it, 'they accufe the Innocent. Man of BlafpiN~y, and find_two Knights of the Poft, Son.r of Belial, to Evtdence ~gainft htm. Thus, m the Name of God, and in Shew of pure Zeal to hts Glory, 1':7aboth ~uft Dye; and accordingly was Stoned to Dearh. The News of wh1ch comtng to Jezehe!, fhe bid Abnb arife nnd tnil.e PajJej]ion, for Naborh r»os Deod: Bur God fol• lowed both of them with his Fierce Vengeance. In the Place where tbe Dogs licil.ed tbc Blood of Naborh (faith Elijah in rhe Name of rhe Lord) jhall Dog.r lid?. thy Blood; cv,n tbme; and I. WI~ brmg evd upo'! the~, and take away thy Poflerity: And of Jezebel (h1s Wtfe and Parr.ner In thiS Coveroufnefo and Murder, he adds) tbe Dogs jbaU ent ber Fiejb by tbt WaDs of Jezreel. Here is the Infamy and Puni(hment due to this Parr of Coverouf· 11ejs. Let this deter thofe that Defire unlawful Tbings ~ the RigQts of others: For God, that is }Uft, will certainly repay fuch with lnrereff in the End. But perhaps thefe are Jo'ew; either that they don't or dare not Chew )t, becanfe the ta·w will bite if they do. But the Next Part hath company en·ough, that will yet exclair'n againft the Iniquity of this Parr of Covtt· ou[nefs; and by their .feeming Abhorrence of it, would excufe thernfelyes o( all GMilt in th~ Refi: Let us confider that. lf;~·S7·17· Jer.6.q. Ch, 8. 10. &!12. 1], §. V. 'the Next', and nioft Coriuiion Part of Covuoufnef.r is, The un· lawful Dejire ofLawfu!Tbings; ifpuia0l_ of Ricbt.r. Money is lawful, but The Love of it i.r tbc Root of aU Evil, If the Man of God fay true. So Ri· -cbc.r are !tLwjul, but they that purfue them, Faa into diver.r Temptation;, Snt1re.r and Lufls; if the fame good Man fay right. He calls them uncertain to !hew their Fo11y and Danger, that fet their Hearts upon them. Cow .. toufnefs is hateful to God: He hath denounced great ]~tdgment.r uporr thofe that are guilty of it. God charged it on IJrael of old, as one ofthe Reafons of hisJud~ments; For rbe Iniqui!Y of his Covetoufnefs (faith God) wm I n:rotb, andjmote Qim. In another Place, Every one is given to Covetoufilefs, and from the Prophet to the Priejl, every one dealerhfaljly; There• fore wiU I givt· their Wive.r unto otber.r, and their Ficld.r to them that fhaiJ in· berittbem. In another Place God complained thus: B~r rhine ltye.r and thy Heart are not hut for thy Covetoufnefs, By Ezekiel God renews and E:zek, li• repe.:1ts his Complaint againft their CovetouJnif.r: And they come to thee ar 31. the People, and fir Defore thee a1 my People: They bear thy Words, bur f1!ill Tlot do them; with their 4f:outh.r they foeto much Love, btl/ tbtir Hearr.r go after Covetoufnefs. Therefore God, in the Choice of MagHhares, made it parr of tfteir Qpalification, to bate Covetoufnef.r; forefeeing the .Mifcbief that would folJow to that Society or Government where Covetous Men Pfal. 11~. J6. Prdv. :~.8. -.6.1 ~u~e 16, 14. were in Power; that Self would byafs them, and they would feek their own 'Ends at the Cojl ofrhe Poblick. David defired, That bU Henrt migbr not in· clinnoCovetoufnefs,burro theTeftimoniu of his God, And the Wife Jlian ex· prejly tells us, that He that baterh CoverouJnef.r, foaiJ prolong bH Dayr; rna• king a Curfe to follow it. And it is by LuRe charged upon the Pbarifee.r as a Mark of their Wickednefs. Aod Chrift, in thar Evongelijl, bids his Fol· lowers, VbL. I: No C R Q S s, No C R Q W N. lowers, T,zke Hud and beware of Covetoufnefs: And he giveth a Reafon I668. for ir, that carrieth a moft excellent InEhuttion in it; For (faith he) .tJ. ~ .Mtm'.r Life conjij/(lh nor in the Abundance 4rhe Things which be poffe./forh: Chap XIII. But he goeth farther; He joyn.r Covetoufnefs with Adultery, Murder and Luke.u. 1 S~ Blafphemy. No WOJ]der then if the Apoftle Pa11/ is fo liberal in his Cen- Mark 7• 22• fiue ofthis Evil: He p~aceth it ~ith all UnrigbteoNfnef.r, to the Roman.r: Rom. 1, 2,~ 'r_o the Ephefian.r he wnteth the hke; and addeth, Let nor CovetoNJnefs he P.ph. ~· 3• fomuc!JM»amedamongyo~: And bid~ t~eColojfian.r, Morrifo their .Mem· Col. 3· 1•§1 ber.r; an4 names feveral Sms, as Formcarton, Tlncleanne{t, and fut;h like, but ends with GJveroufncfs; with this at the Tail ofit, which (faith he) H ldolalfJ· And we know there is not a gteater Offence againft God ; Nay this v~ry Apofile cailstbe Love, of }doney The Root of aU Evil; which (faith i. Tim. ti~ he) wbJ/jlfome have coveted after, they batJt Erred from the Faith, and Pierc'd 9• 10. •tt tbemfe!ve.r through with diver.r Sorrows: For tbq that will be Rich, falJ into Temptation, and tJ Snare, and many foolifh and hurtful Lufls. 0 Mano/God (faith he to his beloved Friend Timothy) flu tbefe Tbingr, altd /oUow after Righuoufnef.r, Faith, Love, Patience and Meek.nejr. §. VI. Peter w" of rhe fame Mind 1 for he maketh Covrtotifnefs to be • Pe~ '" il One of the Great Murk.r of the Falfe Propberr and Teachers, that fhoUld 3. ... rife among the Chriftians ; and by ~hat t_hey might know them ~ Who, faith he, through Covetoufi1efs, jhaU, amb fe,gned Tiford.r, make Mercbandi~e of you. To copclude, therefore the Author to the liehrew.r, at the End of his £piftle, lea yes rhi~ (wirh other Things) not wirhout grear Zeal and Weight upon the~ ; I:rr. fa~th. ~e, )',OUr Converfation he without Covetoufnefs (he He~ za;., reUs nor In this Genep.hty1 lnn goes on) and be Content wirb fucb Thing$ a.r you hove; /or God ba_tp faid, I wib never !rave tbte, nor /orfake rbee. What. then? Muft we conclude that thofe who are not Content, but feck to be Rub, have forJa!un Gpd,? The Conclufion fF.ms hard· but yet it is Natural : For fuch, 'tis plain,, :ue. no~ _Co~ tent wt.th what they hav·e; they would have mor~; they covet t~ be Ric_b, tf they may : T.hey live not with thofe Dependenctes and Regards to ProvJdence, to which they are exhorted : Nor is Godlinef.r, with Content, Great Gain to them. · §. VII. And rruly ir is a Reproach ro a Man, efpecially the Religfoti§ Man, _that He know.r nor_ when h~ barb enough; whrn to leave off; wbtn tO hej(1tufied: That notwtthftandmg God fends him one Plentiful Seafon ofG~in, after another, he is fo far from making, that the Caufeofwith .. drawtng from the Trn.ffick.r of the World, that he ihakes it a Reafon of Launching farther into it; As if the more be bath, the more be may. He' therefore reneweth his JJpperite, beftirs himfelf more than ever, that he may have his Share in the Scramble, while any thing is to be got: This is as if CumlJer, not Retirement; and Gnin, not Content, were the Duty and Comfort of a Chriftian. 0 that this Thing was better confidered'! For by no~ being fo. obfervable nor obnoxious to the Low, as other Vices are, there IS more Dan get, for Want of that Check. 'Tis plain that moft People ftrive not for $ubflance, but Wealth, Some the·re be that love it ft~ongly, and fpend ir hberally, when rhey have ~t ir. Though this be ~tnful, yet more commendable, than ro love MoneyJor l'tfoney'rStike, That Is one of the bafefl Paffions the Mind. of Man can be captivated With: A Perfe!t Luft; and a greater~ and more Soul·defiling one there is not in' the wh~le Catalogue of. Concupifcence. Which confidered, fhould quicken People Into a ferious Examination, how far this Temptation of Love of .iUoney ~ath enned them; and the rather, becaufe the Steps it makethinto the Mmd. are almoft infenfible, which renderS the Danger greater. Thoufand.r thinks themfelve~ uncMcern'd in the Caution that yet are perfeEHy Guilty ofthe Evil. How can it be otherwi·fe, Whe~ tlfofe that have, from a low Condition, acquired Thoufands, labour yet to advance, yea, do_uble and treble thofa ThouJands; and that with the fame Care and Con'rr~ vallce by which they got them. Is this to liVe comforrably, or to be RIC.h? Do we not fee how early they rife ; hoW late they g_o to Bed ? hoW full of the Change, rhe ·Shop, rhe Warehoufe, rheCuftoni·Hou'fe; of Bills, * Bondo, |