Part.

ordinary Course of Things, without any fingular Cause given for it on their own The Children of poor Parents cannot be otherwife than poor, for Poverty is their Inheritance. But we frequently fee Men reduced to Poverty from an opulent State, by various Accidents which no human Wisdom can prevent; Fire, Tempests, Inundations, Oppreffions, Shipwrecks, Wars, Loffes in Trade will one or more of them, do the Work in an Inftant; Job is an Instance of this, fo well known as to become a Proverb; and we need no other Example of that Kind. We must therefore suppose, that when Agur prays, Give me not Poverty, he had an Eye to thefe fad Events which were out of his Power to hinder, and which befal Men by the Act, or at least the Permiffion, of God's Providence; and that his Dread of Poverty arose both from the natural Evils Infeparable from it, and from the moral Evils or Temptations it would expofe him to.

To fuffer Hunger and Thirst, Cold and Nakedness, Contempt and Infolence, to want all the Comforts, and many of the neceffaries of Life, must ever be grievous to human Nature, and yet these are the fad

Circumstances of Poverty, especially when it is extream. For this Reason every Man in the World is afraid of it, and will join with Agur in praying against a State of such natural Evil and Mifery.

However this was not his only, nor his principal Motive. As a Man, he dreaded those natural Evils of Poverty, but as a virtuous and religious Man, he dreaded more the moral Evils, the Temptations and Vices that are Incident to Poverty; left I fteal, fays be, and take the Name of my God in vain.

He was afraid left it should tempt him to Theft and Dishonesty, as being the shortest Way to supply Men's Wants without labour and Pains taking.

He was afraid of lying and falfe fwearing, which are the conftant Refuge of Fraud and Dishonesty.

He was afraid of murmuring and repining against God for the unequal Difpenfations of his Providence, in giving better Things to Men no better than himself; and of envying their more happy Condition. And there is a whole Neft of Vices in this one; for Envy would rob and murder, and stick at no Mischief to pull down its Object, were

Pf. 73.2, 3.

it not for Fear of the Law. Of all the corrupt Paffions, it is the moft ill-natured and mischievous, for its only Pleasure is to fee other People unhappy; and as they are often out of reach, it will turn upon it felf, and fret and gnaw its own Bowels; and fo extravagant is it, as even to fly at the very Throne of the high God, and arraign the Juftice and Goodness of his Government, or deny his Providence. This is the chief Sense of those Words, left 1 take the Name of my God in vain. Even David was like to have been carried this length, and escaped with much Difficulty; My Feet were almoft gone, fays he, my Steps had well nigh flipt; for I was envious at the Foolish, when I faw the Profperity of the Wicked.

But I need not dwell longer on this Head, because there is no Danger of any Man's defiring Poverty, which is theThing that all the World agree to fly from, fome by the streight and honest Road of Labour and Industry; others by the crooked Paths of Knavery and Fraud, which yet commonly deceive cunning Men, and bring them round to that Point of Poverty, from which they started;

for

for we see a thousand poor Knaves, to one that is rich and profperous. But however, all agree in the fame common End, which is to fly from Poverty as one of the greatest of temporal Evils.

One Exception indeed we have heard of, and that is a voluntary Profeffion or Vow of Poverty, by the Order of Mendicants established in the Church of Rome, who may receive any Alms except Money. But I do not see why this fhould pafs for an Exception; for it is not the want of Money alone that can make any Man Poor; if he can be supplied with all the Conveniencies of Life, without it, he may well be called rich, tho' he has not a Groat; for Money is of no Ufe till it is turned into Food and Raiment, and other Comforts; and if these Things come the shortest Way to him, without the Intervention of Gold and Silver, how can he be called poor? These holy Beggars therefore, with bare Feet, and healthy Looks, must not pass themselves the World for poor Men, fo long as it is made a Point of Religion in all People to supply their Bag with all good Things, tho' they carry no Purse; and even this is fometimes carried for them by other Hands.

D

upon

I fhall

I fhall difmifs this first general Head with two Inftructions to the Poor.

And the

ift is, That they be diligent in their Bufinefs; for this is the fureft Way to be relieved under Poverty; at least it will be a Relief against the Extremity of it. An idle poor Man is a Monster in the Commonwealth, and ought to be drove out of it as a Drone out of the Hive; for he muft either Beg or fteal to fupply his Neceffities. To rely upon Providence, and expect to be fupplied by his Prayers, is to expect that God will work Miracles in favour of his Laziness. There are Seafons for working, as well as for praying; and left any Christian should mistake this Point, St. Paul's exprefs In2 The. 3.junction to the first Christians, is, That if any will not work, neither should he eat, and in the 12th Verfe, he commands, that with Quietness they work and eat their own Bread. He accounted that only to be their own Bread which they earned by their Labour, and that for poor Men to receive Charity, how were able to work for their Living, was to rob those who were unable.

10.

The