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hearts. This was not the Pfalmift's cafe: when he began the praises of God, he launched out into his course with the life and vigour of the fun, which he describes, like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoicing as a frong man to run his race: when his fubject naturally changed upon his hand, and prayer took place of praise, his mind followed his fubject, and the petitions themselves fhew with what zeal and fervour of spirit they were offered up. And if fuch devotion as this was to beg admittance to the presence of God, and not to appear without an excuse, what must become of ours? fince, without injuring our own merit, many of us have reafon to say when we leave the Church, Lord, lay not this fin to our charge! For furely to approach the throne of God with indevotion, with hearts not difposed to seriousness, to fit out the prayers of the Church as if fomething were doing in which we have no concern, is one of thofe offences which are noted down in the book, and for which God will call the fons of men into judgment.

But fecondly, The words of the text are capable of a more enlarged fenfe: the Pfalmift had begged for mercy for his fecret faults; had implored the affiftance of God to preferve him from prefumptuous fin; and if you continue the thought to the words of the text, in them he befeeches God to take under his direction likewife the words of his mouth, and the thoughts of his heart, that he might be continued innocent and blameless in thought, word, and deed. This fenfe expreffes the greatest regard to virtue and innocence, and the fulleft dependence upon the grace and protection of God:

he knew that God not only faw all his actions, his open and notorious fins, but that he spied out all his ways, and knew his thoughts long before; and that it was in vain for him to wash his hands in innocence, unless he purged his heart likewise from all filthiness of spirit: to him therefore he applies, that he would guard the paffages of his heart, and fet a watch upon the door of his lips, that nothing unclean might enter into one, or proceed out of the other. Our Lord has told us, That for every idle word men shall give an account in the day of judgment : and his Apoftle St. Paul has taught us, That there will be a day in which God will judge the fecrets of all men by Chrift Jefus: which are fufficient cautions to us to be watchful over our tongues and our hearts, that they rob us not of the fruit of all our labour and hope. Unchafte thoughts and loofe defires are the beginning of lewd and impure actions; and if they are generated and conceived in the heart, that fruitful womb of iniquity, they will foon be born into the world, and grow up to the full ftature of fin. To fecure the heart is therefore the ground-work of virtue: it is almoft the one thing neceffary, fince without it no other care can be effectual: it is that only which can render our praises or prayers acceptable to God, and give us courage to offer up our imperfect devotions before his throne. The best of men have their failings, and an honest Christian may be a weak one; but weak as he may be, the goodness and fincerity of his heart will entitle him to put up the petition of the text, which no hypocrite or cunning deceiver

can ever make use of, Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy fight, O Lord, my ftrength and my redeemer.

DISCOURSE XXIX.

LUKE xii. 21.

So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God.

THE riches of the world being often the fruits of injustice and oppreffion, one wealthy man's estate being raised perhaps upon the ruin and poverty of hundreds, and built upon the tears and cries of widows and orphans; and yet being fometimes reprefented in Scripture as the bleffing of God upon the honeft labour and induftry of men diligent in their calling or profeffion; or as the reward beftowed upon a virtuous contentment, and refignation of mind to the providence of the Almighty: a great fortune being often used to very ill purposes, to the increase of luxury and wantonnefs, to the encouragement of vice, and to the mischief of all who are the unhappy neighbours of an overgrown rich man ; and yet being in itself applicable to the beft ufes in the world, to the promotion of virtue and holiness, to the advancement of the honour of God, and to the fetting forward the common good and happiness of mankind: there being fuch different ways both of getting and enjoying the riches of the world, the

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poffeffion of them has been either valued or despised, condemned or approved by moralifts and divines, according to the view they have had of them with relation to the feveral methods by which they are obtained and employed. The hand of the diligent, faith Solomon, maketh rich: and again, The bleffing of the Lord it maketh rich, and he addeth no forrow with it; yet at other times he obferved riches that had no bleffing in them, There is a fore evil which I have feen under the fun, namely, Riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.

From this obfervation I think all difputes about riches may be reconciled: where they are ill got, or ill used, they are an hurt to the owner; where they are honestly got, and worthily enjoyed, they are a bleffing to the owner, and through his means to many others. Thus far the cafe is plain: but then it is a matter of farther confideration, to fee what the iniquity is that generally follows a large poffeffion. The rich man's crimes are commonly confidered under the head of profuseness or covetoufness to the firft are referred luxury, intemperance, and all the fins of pleasure which wealth furnishes and supports: to the second head are reduced fraud, oppreffion, want of kindness and charity, and all the iniquity that attends the unreasonable defire of getting or preserving an estate. All these indeed are very great and too common faults among rich men: but there is ftill a more fecret iniquity that fticks close to great poffeffions, and which does not always discover itself in the ill effects before mentioned a man may have an eftate honeftly gotten, and in the eye of the world he may use it in all re

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