unto him? No, our Prefence there on Sundays contradicts that, and I have more Charity than to think that any are so atheistical as to imagine it to be fuperfluous to pay our Homage to the fupreme Governour of the World, and to implore his Aid and Bleffing upon us? But what then should be the reason of it? in plain Terms it is nothing else but because Men love Money, and therefore are loth to spare fo much time from their Shops or Callings, as to go to Church to pray to God for what they want, and praise his Name for what they have. Let us fearch into our own Hearts, and we shall acknowledge this to be the only reafon of it. But it is a very foolish one, for who can blefs us but God?

2. WHAT is the reafon that fo many neglect the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper? Do not we all look upon it as our Duty to receive it? I dare fay we do; Chrift himself having commanded it, Luk. xxii. 19. and it being the only way whereby to manifeft our felves to be Chriftians, what then can be the reafon of this Neglect of it, but merely the Love of Money, which makes Men loath to spend time in prepa ring and fitting themfelves for it.

BUT feeing Men thus excommunicate themselves by not coming to the Commu

nion, in plain Terms, they deserve to be excommunicated by the Cenfures of the Church. And if God fhould in his Providence deprive them of ever having an Opportunity of receiving the Sacrament a gain, they must even thank themselves for it. Howfoever this fhall be their prefent Punishment, that they fhall be deprived of it, until they think it worth their while to come unto it.

3. WHAT is the reason that the Sabbath is fo profaned? That fo many take their Recreations upon the Lord's Day, but because they cannot spare time for it from getting Money upon other Days? thinking the Day long, because they can get little in it, as Amos viii. 5. And why do fo many profane the Sabbath, while at Church, by thinking upon the World, but because they love it? Ezek. xxxiii. 31.

4. WHAT is the reason that Charity is fo cold, but that the Love of Money is grown fo hot amongst us? For do not we all know it is our Duty to relieve the Poor? Hath not God exprefly commanded it? Hath not he threatned a Curse to them that do it not, and promised a Bleffing to them that do it? what then can be the reafon that fo many neglect it, but because they love their Money more than God?

To

To these might be added many other Sins, which the Love of Money daily occafions. For what is the reafon that many read the Scriptures fo feldom, and fo curforily as they do? What is the reason that they either have none, or commonly neglect their Family Duties? That every flight Occafion will make them omit their private Devotions; that they can find no time to look into their own Hearts, to confider their Condition, and meditate upon God and Chrift, and the World to come. What is the reason that many know their Shops better than their Hearts, and are acquainted with the temper of their Body more than with the conftitution of their Souls? That they are fo careful and industrious in the Profecution of their worldly Designs, fo negligent and remifs in looking after Heaven? What is or can be the reafon of these things, but that inordinate Love and Affection they have for Money, or the things of this World, which makes them fo eager in the purfuit of them, that they forget they have any thing else to mind and fo much taken up with worldly Bufinefs, that God, and Chrift, and Heaven, and Soul and all, muft give way to it? Oh, the Folly and Madness of finful Men! what a ftrange corrupt and degenerate thing is the Heart of Man become! that we should

fhould be fo foolifh and unwife as to prefer our Bodies before our Souls, Earth before Heaven, Toys and Trifles before the eternal God, the worft of Evils before the beft of Goods, even Sin itfelf, with all the Miseries that attend it, before Holiness and that eternal Happiness which is promifed to it! And all for nothing else but the love of a little Pelf and Trafh, which hath no other worth but what our own diftracted Fancies put upon

it.

AND if the Love of Money be the Root of fo many Sins of Omiffion, how many Sins of Commiffion muft needs fprout from it? Indeed they are fo many that it would be an endless thing to reckon them all up, and therefore I fhall not undertake it, but shall mention only fuch of them as every one upon the firft reading fhall acknowledge to be the curfed Offspring of this one fruitful and big-bellyed Sin of Covetoufnefs, or the Love of Money, of which Cicero obferves, that Nullum eft Officium tam Sanctum atque folenne, quod non avaritia comminuere atque violare foleat. So we may fay on the other fide too, That there is no Sin fo great and horrid, but Covetousness will fometime put Men upon it.

Is Idolatry a Sin? yea certainly, one of the greatest that any Man can be guilty of, and yet nothing can be more plain,

than thatCovetoufnefs,wherefoever it comes, draws it along with it; infomuch that every covetous Man is afferted by God himfelf to be an Idolater, Eph. v. 5. and Covetoufness to be Idolatry itself, Col. iii. 5. And the reason is plain; for what is Idolatry but to give that Worship to a Creature which is due only unto God? But what higher Acts of Worship can we perform to God, than to love him and to truft on him, which it is certain every covetous Man gives to his Money; and therefore Covetoufness is here called qinaplueia, the Love of Money. And we cannot but be all fenfible what Truft and Confidence Men are wont to repofe in their Eftates and Incomes. But fuch will fay, we do not fall down before our Money, nor pray unto it; but they truft on it, and that is infinitely more than bare praying to it: And though they do not bow down before it in their Bodies, yet they make all the Faculties of their Souls to bow and stoop unto it; they love and defire it, they rejoyce and delight in having of it, they are grieved and troubled for nothing fo much as the parting with it, nor fear any thing fo much as the lofing of it.

BUT they will fay again, we do not facrifice to our Bags, nor burn Incense to our Estates; we never did, nor intend to

offer