This Law fhews that it is finful to defire any Thing that is another's Property, and appropriated to his own Ufe; because the Things of another, which he trades in, and has a Right to fell, and, which we have Occafion for, we may defire, and may purchase; but appropriated Things we must not defire, or covet.

A strong Defire, or Coveting another Man's House, or Land, has prevailed with fome to murder the rightful Poffeffor, as was the Cafe when Abab coveted Naboth's Vineyard, 1 Kings xxi. or to use other unjuft Methods to get the Poffeffion of it.

Thus coveting another Man's Wife, has been followed with Adultery, and Murther; of which David was a fad Inftance.

And the coveting the Servants of others, has influenced fome to ufe indirect, or difhoneft Means to prevail with them to leave their Masters.

And the coveting of Money has led many to rob, fteal, and commit Murder. So are the Ways of every one that is greedy of Gain: Which taketh away the Life of the Owners thereof, Prov. i. 19.

The tenth Commandment must be understood to forbid all inordinate, or too ftrong Defires after worldly Things, or too much Love to Money: Becaufe fuch Coveting is not only inconfiftent with the Love we owe to God, and to our Neighbour, but leads on to many other Sins.

For (as St. Paul fays) the Love of Money is the Root of all Evil: Which while fome covet after, they have erred from the Faith, and pierced themselves through with many Sorrows, 1 Tim. vi, 10.

Here I would obferve that a Man's Defire of Money, or other worldly Things is certainly too ftrong, or is a finful Coveting, when for obtaining them, he will ufe unlawful Means, or neglect fome Duty God requires of him; and likewise, when, for the Sake of increasing his Riches, he will withhold

ΤΟ

to himself what God would have him to distribute for the Ufe and Benefit of others.

Thus, if a Man for Lucre Sake will be guilty of Extortion, he is a covetous Man; or if instead of performing the religious Duties of the Sabbath, he will buy, or fell on that holy Day, or if on other Days he will be fo eager in his Purfuits after earthly Riches, as not to allow Time for the Worship of God in his Family, and Clofet, he is a covetous Man And likewife if he will not expend in the Maintenance of his Family, and Education of his Children, fo much as according to his Rank in the World, and his Riches, ought to be expended, he is a covetous Man; and if he will not diftribute in Acts of Charity, according to his Abilities, and the Occafions, which call for his Afiftance, he may justly be thought a covetous Man.

And fuch covetous Perfons certainly do love their Money, more than they love their God; for they who do not defire, and endeavour to please God, cannot be truly faid to love him; and of those, who wilfully fin against God in their way of getting, or of keeping Money, it cannot be juftly faid they defire, and endeavour to please him.

The covetous, the Lord abborreth, Pfal. x. 3.

In Prov. xxviii. 16. it is faid, He that hateth Covetoufnefs fhall prolong his Days, which implies that he who loveth Covetoufnefs, is like to fhorten his Days.

In Ifa. lvii. 17. The LORD faid of his People, For the Iniquity of his Covetousness was I wroth, and fmote kim. Hence it is very evident, that in Ages paft, God inflicted deftroying Judgments on his People for their Covetoufnefs. And therefore covetous Perfons have Reason to be afraid of his Judgments in the Day that he vifits a Land for Sin.

It was a fad Complaint which God made of his People in Ezek. xxiii, 31. where he fays to the ProF

phet

World

phet concerning them, They come unto thee, as the People cometh, and they fit before thee as my People, and they hear thy Words, but they will not do them: for their Heart goeth after their Covetousness. That is, altho' they profess Love, and Obedience to God, and attend the folemn Affemblies to hear the Words of the Lord delivered by his Prophet, yet they will not do them; their flrongeft, and prevailing Affections, being after Riches and other worldly Things, the Objects of their Covetoufness.

Their Riches, and other earthly Things, are the Idols of their Hearts: therefore, Covetoufness is declared to be Idolatry in Col. iii. 5. where Chriftians are commanded to mortify inordinate Affections, evil Concupifence, and Covetoufcnefs, which is Idolatry. In Ephef. v. 5. it is declared, That no Whoremonger, nor unclcan Perfon, nor covetous Man, who is an Idolater, bath any Inheritance in the Kingdom of Chrift, and of God.

It appears from this Declaration, that it is decreed by the righteous Governour of the World, that covetous Perfons fhall not be admitted to partake of the Joys, and Happiness of the Kingdom of Christ, and of God: And this implies that they will be fent into endless Miferies in the next, and that they are liable to destroying Judgments in this, when God proceeds in vifiting a Nation for Sin.

The Covetous, instead of looking to, and relying on the Lord, place a Confidence in their Wealth. The rich Man's Wealth, is his ftrong City, and as an bigh Wall in his own Conceit; as it is faid in Prov. xviii. 11. But let fuch know, and confider thofe Declarations recorded in Prov. xi. 4. viz. Riches profit not in the Day of Wrath; and Verfe 28. He that trufteth in Riches fhall fall.

Thus faith the LORD
glory in his Riches, Jer, ix. 23.

Let not the rich Man

In Jer. xv. 13. God fays to the Wicked among his People, Thy Subftance, and thy Treasures will I give to the Spoil without Price, and that for all thy Sins, even in all thy Borders, Jer. xv. 13. See alfo Jer. xvii. 3.

Thefe Declarations plainly fhew that the Covetous, and they who will go on in difobeying the Commandments of the Lord, have Reason to be afraid, when he is rifen out of his Place to punish wicked Nations.

I have now confidered the principal Sorts of Perfons, Tranfgreffors of one or other of the ten Commandments, against whom the holy God has denounced his awful Threatnings.

A righteous Nation, a holy City, whose Inhabitants know, and love, and ferve the Lord, and make it their Practice to obey all his Precepts, have no Cause to be afraid, but abundant Ground for Comfort, and Joy on the Account of the manifold Promises of Bleffings in this World, and of everlafting Felicity in the next, which are made to the Righteous.

But if the Inhabitants of a City, or Country, have revolted from God, if the Generality of them have caft off the Fear of the Almighty, and have long been regardless of his Authority, and Laws, and have gone on ftubbornly in wicked Ways, and remain incorrigible, notwithstanding the Obligations of multiplied Bleffings, notwithstanding the Patience, and long Forbearance of God, notwithstanding the divers Threatnings, and the Feeling of leffer Judgments, they have then the ftrongest Reasons to expect that the righteous God will proceed in vifiting them for Sin, and pour out the Vials of his Wrath upon them.

I shall now conclude thefe Papers with an Addrefs to the Inhabitants of London, Westminster, and all the other Parts of Great-Britain.

I need not tell you that Infidelity, and Profanenefs, that a Contempt, and Derifion of the divine Providence, and the holy Scriptures, are crying Sins among us; nor that keeping holy the SabbathDay, and a due Attendance on the publick Worship of God are generally neglected; nor that our Cities and Country have long been polluted with all Sorts of Immoralities; neither need I fay to you that the holy God has fhewn himself angry with us, by a Series of awful Judgments, tho' fome of them thro' his abundant Mercy have been taken

away.

And furely I need not fay to you that Iniquities ftill abound among us, that Provocations of almighty Wrath are ftill committed, and that there appears very little of Reformation; neither need I add that the Tokens of God's Anger do ftill fubfift.

The great God has given us Warning after Warning, and Stroke after Stroke, and then ceafed awhile, and waited to fee whether we will confider our evil ways, and repent of our Sins, and return unto him; he has waited, and ftill waits that he may be gracious to us; that he may, confiftent with the Honour of his Government, with the Glory of his Name, forgive our Sins, and be reconciled unto us, and blefs us. But the Reconciliation is not yet brought about; No, for we ftubbornly perfift in our Rebellion against him: And it is too evident to be denied that his Hand is ftill ftretched out against us.

Was it not that holy God who is of purer Eyes' than to behold Iniquity without Abhorrence, and without being incenfed against the wilful Tranfgreffors of his Laws? Was it not he who permitted our Enemies to draw the Sword, and from a Number, fmall, at first, to increase into a Multitude, and to march thro' the Heart of our Country, and to ap

proach