The other Inftruction to the Poor is to be contented with their Lot, without murmuring and repining. A Mixture of rich and poor is neceffary to the Beauty, Order and good Government of the World: And as this is the Will of the fupream® Governor, if their Lot be hard at prefent, yet it will foon have an End, and their Patience and Virtue in that low Condition of Life, will be duly confidered and rewarded in the World to come; for there, all Diftinctions of high and low, rich and poor fhall ceafe, and the honest Day-labourer fhall ftand upon the fame Level with his rich Mafter; and indeed the Distribution of Things would feem unequal, if the fame virtuous Man was to be poor in both Worlds.

It may likewife afford fome Degree of Comfort in this Cafe to confider, that as our bleffed Saviour dignified Poverty by choofing that Condition of Life for himself, fo he generally gave the Preference to the Poor. His Birth was firft notified to poor Shepherds; he was born of a poor Virgin, whose Husband was a Carpenter; his Apostles and Companions were poor Fishermen; and he chose the Poor to be the firft Hearers of his Gofpel; accordingly, the firft Notification

he fent to John the Baptift of his being the true Meffiah, concludes with thofe Words, Matth.11.5. And the Poor have the Gospel preached to them. The Rich expected the Preference, but they were mistaken. And we find the fame

Partiality to the Poor was continued by his James 2. 5. Apoftles. Hearken, my beloved Brethren, fays St. James, bath not God chosen the Poor of this World, rich in Faith, and Heirs of the Kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him. You that are poor therefore may well be contented with your present Lot, fince you are rich in Reverfion, and no earthly Power can cut off your Entail.

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But this Comfort belongs to the virtuous Poor only, and not to thofe whofe Follies and Vices have reduc'd them to Poverty, and who faw it coming with their Eyes open Neither God nor Man can pity fuch, for their Poverty is their own Act and Choice, and their standing Reproach, and therefore they must take it for their Pains.

I come now to the other Branch of Agur's Prayer relating to Riches; Give me neither Poverty nor Riches. And perhaps this is the first Petition of its Kind that ever was put up. For as the Defire of Riches is in foze Sort natural, it is almost universal.

It may perhaps be faid, what Occafion has any Man to pray against Riches, when it is in every Man's Power to be poor if he pleases? 'Tis very true; and there is a very short Way to it; let a Man live without Care and Oeconomy, let him follow his Pleasures, and open his Doors wide to Sycophants and Blood-fuckers, let him retain an Houfe full of idle and diffolute Servants, and the Work will be foon done, and he may ease himself of his Thousands per Anfurther Trouble; every num, without any Day's Obfervation proves this to be the short Road to beggary in this and all other Countries. Agur therefore could not be at a Lofs for this Receipt to become poor, if he had been poffeffed of Riches, which appears from his Prayer he was not; but he was a wifer Man, and knew a better Way of doing it than this, which I fhall mention in its Place.

But the true Meaning of his Prayer was, that God would not by his Providence heap Riches upon him: he neither cared for the Trouble that a great Eftate does, and muft one way or other create to every Man; and he was likewife aware of the Snares and Temptations of it, and therefore was afraid

to be entrusted with it. I fhall enter into the Detail of these two general Heads.

ift, Riches unavoidably bring with them great Care and Trouble. It is impoffible for a Man of a great Eftate to be free from Anxiety, whether he faves or spends it.

If his Turn be to Management and Parfimony, his Wealth will encrease upon him every Year, and this will of Course encrease his Cares for making the beft Improvement of his Money.

On

He is follicitous to find out good Mortgages, and cheap Purchases; he is afraid of dormant Settlements, prior Incumbrances, bad Titles, and vexatious Law-fuits. the other Hand, if his Money lies dead and unprofitable, his Soul is grieved to compute the Lofs of fo much per Diem; he is fufpicious of Bankers, or in Pain for his Iron Chest; he is afraid left Thieves should break through and feal; and which is worst of all, he cannot be fure but his Enemies may be thofe of his own Houfe, and that his only Guards, his own Servants, may combine to betray or to rob him.

These are the Anxieties and Fears that attend an Accumulation of Riches: Solomon

obferved

obferved it in his Time, The Sleep of a la- Prov. 5. 12, bouring Man is fweet whether he eat little or much, but the Abundance of the Rich will not fuffer him to fleep. And yet all this might be tolerable, if it were limited to a certain Time, and a Man knew when he had enough; but Men of this Turn know not what enough is; they will join House to Houfe, and Field to Field, till there is no Place, even to the Age of Methuselah; Heirs or no Heirs, be it to go to a wife Man or a Fool, makes no Difference; Reft and Satiety are Felicities unknown to fuch, and nothing but Death can fign their Quietus.

On the other Hand if a rich Man should be content with his Principal, and has the Courage to expend his Income with Credit and Honour, without running out, this will create him a good deal of Trouble. For it is no eafy Thing to preferve Oeconomy in the Midft of Splendor, and to retain a large Family without great Waftes and Embezzlements; many Servants will often be as many Plagues; much Company and frequent Entertainments will try a Man's Health, and eat up a great deal of his Time, which he would be glad to spend to better Purposes, if he were left to his Liberty.A Man