fhall fooner go thorough the Eye of a Needle, than a rich Man enter into the Kingdom of God; the Expreffion is figurative, and denotes the great Difficulty and Improbability of rich Men's attending to the Care of their Souls, whilft they are in the Pursuit of Wealth or Pleasures, for, fays he in another Place, Ye cannot ferve God and Mamon: Ye cannot give to both the Time and Thought they require, but muft neglect one, if you

serve the other.

3dly, Riches are apt to withdraw Men from their Dependence upon God, and to make them grow remifs in the Duties they owe him.

The natural Language of Want and Diftress is God help me! but the Voice of Riches and Fullness is that in the Text, Who is the Lord? A great Eftate, that supplies a Man with all the Delights of Life, ought naturally to excite him to be frequent in the Duties of Praise and Thanksgiving to God from whofe Bounty it came; this is no more than a becoming Gratitude; and it ought also to create an humble Dependance upon God for the Continuance of it. For this is a Point of Wisdom as well as Virtue,

fince he that gave, can as eafily take away,

1 Sam. 2.7. For the Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich, he bringeth low, and lifteth up. And yet it has often the contrary Effect, and creates in rich Men a Self-sufficiency, and Forgetfulnefs of God, because in the ordinary Course of the World all the good Things of this Life flow in upon them, without their being obliged to any body. But they forget that the ordinary Course of the World is only another Name for God's Providence, and Pf. 50. 10, that their Eftates are his Property, For every Beaft of the Foreft is mine, Jays he, and the Cattle upon a thoufand Hills; I know all the Fowls upon the Mountains; and the wild Beafts of the Field are mine. If I were hungry I would not tell thee, I would not apply to thee for what is my own, for the World is mine, and the Fullness thereof.

11, 12.

But

And yet this is no dormant Title fet up; but a Property in the Creator of the World, that must in the Nature of Things be paramount to all other Titles whatever. Men of great Eftates are apt to forget this, and to fet up their own poor Title, which is of meer Courtesy, as if it were an abfolute Fee; and hence proceeds their Neglect of God, and the Duties they owe him,

which St. Paul calls being without God in the World, without the Confideration of his Providence, and their own State of Dependence. The Pfalmift describes this Danger of Riches excellently well in the 49th Pfalm, where, fpeaking of thofe that truft in their Wealth, and boast themselves in the Multitude of their Riches, at Verse the 6th. His Remark is at Verse 11. Their inward Thought is, that their Houfes fhall continue for ever, and their dwelling Place to all Generations; they call their Lands after their own Names: fo fure were they of abfolute Property and Independence, to them and their Heirs. In the 10th Pfalm we have it yet fuller, The Wicked thorough the Pride of his Heart will not feek after God; God is not in all his Thoughts, V. 4. He hath faid in his Heart I shall not be moved, for I shall never be in Adverfity, V. 6. This is spoken of rich Men, who were therefore wicked, because they trusted in their Riches, and forgot their conftant Dependence upon God.———— And this leads me to another Danger of Riches which is nearly connected with the former, and that is,

4th.

4th, Pride, or an high Self-esteem, with a Contempt of others. Of all Vices this is the most foolish and fenfelefs, because it ever defeats its own Ends; for no Man ever respects another merely because he demands it; on the contrary, it is the very Reafon why every one contemns him. Refpect is one of thofe Things that is always given to Merit of one Kind or other; it is a free Tribute that can never be forced or purchased with Money, and if proud Men could learn this Secret, they would learn to be humble, that they might have fomething to be proud Prov.29.23.Of. For a Man's Pride shall bring him low, and make him defpis'd, but Honour upholdeth the Humble in Spirit.

And yet this is a Foible too incident to Riches, even where Men have fome Degree of Senfe, and especially when they are fuddenly acquired. The Dependence and Subferviency which Riches create in Men of lower Condition, has a very ftrong Effect to lift up the Mind of a rich Man above his fellow Creatures, and Superiors in real Merit; he fees them in Perfpective, and they appear little and diminutive to him according to his Elevation; but if he were not blind and giddy with the Height, he might easily ob

ferve, that it is the Gold only they worship, while they despise the painted Idol that

wears it.

But however, the great Danger of Pride

comes from another Quarter; for Every one Prov. 16. 5. that is proud in Heart is an Abomination to the Lord. He refifteth the Proud, but giveth James 4. 6. more Grace to the Humble. Tho' the Lord Pf. 138. 6.. be high, yet hath be Respect unto the Lowly, but the Proud be knoweth afar off. That is, he has them in Contempt for their foolish and ill-grounded Pride.

5th, Covetousness is another Snare that attends Riches. The Defires of the Poor are generally limited to their real Wants; but Wants have nothing to do with Covetousness, which is the Defire of more than enough, and that is infinite. The Poor have nothing to nourish Covetousness, they have no Funds for raifing Wealth, and making great Eftates, and therefore it is quite out of their View and Profpect. But Riches love to beget Riches; it is a Dropfy, which the more it drinks, the more it thirsts. And the Confequence is hard Bowels, and a Want of Charity and Bounty; for these Things would break in upon a Man's only Scheme

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