3. Obferve further, that when the better part is thus neglected, and no care taken of the cultivation of the mind, every vice will spring and fhoot up in the foul, as briars and thorns do upon uncultivated ground. Sin, my brethren, is natural to us; it is the produce of the foil; if it is not destroyed, it will not die; if it is but neglected, it will thrive. Now, whenever perfons fall under the power of vice, they begin first to excufe, and then to vindicate it. Those who are under the government of luft, foon find it would be their interest that there was no fuch thing as religion and virtue. Whatever we wish, we are eafily led to believe to be true. Loofe and atheistical principles then find a ready admittance, and are fwallow. ed down greedily. This is a fhort sketch of the fieps by which people in affluent and easy circumstances are often led to deny God, and to fay, What is the Almighty that we should ferve him, and what profit should we have if we pray unto him?-Loofe principles are, at firft, more fre quently the effect, than the cause of loose practices; but when once they have taken deep root, and obtained full dominion in the heart, they have a dreadful and fatal influence on the devoted victim.

But, my brethren, I find a strong inclination to make another remark, though perhaps it may be thought of too refined and abstract a nature. It is, that the danger of affluence in leading to contempt of God, arifes from the nature of all fin as fuch. The original and first fin of man was plainly affecting independence. They defired and expected to be as gods, knowing good and evil. And ftill fin properly confifts in withdrawing our allegiance from, and throwing off our dependence upon God, and giving, as it were, that esteem, love and service to ourfelves, in one fhape or another, that is due only to him. Now observe, that affluence nourishes this mistake, and

fuffering

fuffering kills it. The more every thing abounds with us, the more our will is fubmitted to, and our inclinations gratified on every fubject; the more we look upon ourfelves as independent, and forget our obligations to God. Whereas, on the other hand, disappointments and calamities open our blind eyes, and make us remember what we are. Was not the proud monarch of Babylon infpired with this deluñve fenfe of independence, when he expreffed himself thus: At the end of twelve months be walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon. The king Spake and faid, Is not this great Babylon that I have built for the boufe of the kingdom, by the might of my power, and for the bonour of my majefty? But powerful word of the King of Kings.

mark the more While the word

was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, faying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken, the kingdom is departed from thee! That this is the proper fource of worldy greatnefs, may be feen in the temper such persons usually acquire and settle in, which is pride, infolence, and contempt of others. Nay, it appears still more clearly in fome few inftances, in which the intoxication comes to its height, and the poor deluded mortal literally afpired to be confidered and treated as God. It may feem incredible, but we have the most authentic evidence that history can afford, that fome men have demanded and received divine worship. This was the case, not only with Alexander the Great, who was really an illuftrious prince, but with fome of the later Roman emperors, who were the meanest and basest of all men. No wonder, then, that prosperity makes men neglect God, when it prompts them to fit down upon his throne, and rob him of the service of his other fubjects.

1

Before I proceed to the other part of the Prophet's ar

gument,

gument, fuffer me to make a few remarks for the im provement of what has been already faid. And,

1. See hence the great malignity and deceitfulness of fin. It hardly appears more ftrongly from any circumstance than that which has been the subject of this dif course, viz. that the gifts of God, in the course of his Providence, are so far from exciting our gratitude, in proportion to their number and value, that, on the contrary, those who receive moft are usually most profane. They make his favours inftruments of rebellion against him, and return contempt for his indulgence, and hatred for his love.

Let us not take occafion from this to gratify our own envy, by particular or personal reproach against those who are great, or have become rich amongst themselves; but let us act a far wiser and juster part, and be humbled for the finfulness of our nature, and warned of the deceitfulnefs of fin. We may feel the feeds of this difpofition in us all. You find the wife man charging a fimilar ingratitude upon man in general. Because fentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the fons of men is fully fet in them to do evil. And do you not obferve every day, nay, has it not turned into a proverb, that we think light of our mercies, fpiritual and temporal, when they are common and abundant? And what is the true and proper interpretation of this, but that the greater God's goodness is to us, commonly the lefs is our gratitude to him?

2. Let me befeech you to make a wife improvement of the advantages you enjoy over one another. Let them excite in you a holy emulation to teftify your fense of fuperior bleffings, by fuperior piety and usefulness. Do you excel others in any refpect? Are you fuccefsful in trade? Have you rifen to reputation? Are you exalted

to

to offices of dignity? Are you endowed with capacity of mind? Can you remember the time when those were your equals who are now your inferiors? Do not look with infolence upon others, making odious, and perhaps unjust comparisons. Do not fwell in pride and felf-complacence, as if by your own power you had made yourfelves to differ, but rather look the other way to God, who is the maker both of rich and poor, and pray that your thankfulness and duty to him may exceed that of the poor man, as much as his liberality to you exceeds what he has thought proper to bestow upon him. This affords me an opportunity of relating a little piece of private history, that happened in Great Britain, and appears to me very worthy of remembrance, and very conducive to the ends of edification.

A gentleman of very confiderable fortune, but a ftranger to either perfonal or family religion, one evening. took a folitary walk through a part of his own grounds. He happened to come near to a mean hut, where a poor man with a numerous family lived, who earned their bread by daily labour. He heard a voice pretty loud and continued. Not knowing what it was, curiofity prompted him to liften. The man, who was pioufly disposed, happened to be at prayer with his family. So foon as he could distinguish the words, he heard him giving thanks with great affection to God, for the goodness of his Providence, in giving them food to eat, and raiment to put on, and in supplying them with what was neceffary and comfortable in the prefent life. He was immediately, no doubt, by Divine power, ftruck with aftonishment and confufion, and faid to himself, Does this poor man, who has nothing but the meaneft fare, and that purchased by fevere labour, give thanks to God for his goodness to himself and family, and I, who enjoy ease and honour,

and every thing that is grateful and defirable, have hardly ever bent my knee, or made any acknowledgment to my Maker and Preferver. It pleased God, that this providential occurrence proved the mean of bringing him to a real and lasting sense of God and religion.

Let all perfons in health, quiet and plentiful circumstances, learn from the preceding discourse, what it is they ought clearly to guard against.—Pride, fecurity, forgetfulness of God, are peculiarly incident to that ftate. L this, faith the Lord to Jerufalem, was the iniquity of thy fifter Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idlenefs was in her, and in her daughters, neither did fbe ftrengthen the band of the poor and needy. A ferious reflection on the obligation such lie under to God for what they have received in their continued dependence upon him, and the inftability of all earthly things, would fave them from the hurtful influence of worldly prosperity. To enforce this, I fhall only read the apoftolic charge to Timothy. Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded, nor truft in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us all things richly to enjoy ; that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to diftribute, willing to communicate; laying up in flore for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.