be every way as humble in their own eyes, and as lowly minded in the enjoyment of all temporal Bleffings, as if they enjoyed nothing; as confidering, 1. how much foever they have, they are no way really the better for it.

1. NOT in their Souls; they are never the wiser nor holier, nor more acceptable unto God by their being rich, Ecclef. ix. 1, Job xxxiv. 19.

2. NOR in their Bodies; they are never the stronger, nor healthier, nor freer from pain and trouble, nor yet longer lived than others.

3. NOR in their Minds, their Consciences are never the quieter, their Hearts never the freer from cares and fears, neither can they fleep better than other People, Eccl. v. 12.

4. NOR yet in their Eftate and Condi-:

tion.

I. NOT in this Life. For Riches can never fatisfie them, nor by consequence make them happy; but they may ftill be as miferable in the enjoyment, as in the want of all things, Eccl. v. 11.

2. NOR yet in the Life to come; they are never the nearer Heaven, by being higher upon Earth; their Gold and Silver can never purchase an Inheritance for them in the Land of Canaan, Jaç. ii. 5.

2. THEY

2. THEY are fo far from being better, that they are rather much worfe for their having abundance here below.

1. THEY have more Temptations to Sin, to Luxury, to Covetoufnefs, to the love of this World, to the neglect of their Duty to God, to Pride and Self-conceitedness, to Security and Prefumption, Luk. xii. 19.

2. IT is harder for them to get to Heaven, than it is for others; and by confequence, the richer they are, the more danger they are in of being miferable for ever, Mat. xix. 23. Whence our Saviour himfelf denounceth, a Wo upon them that are rich, Luk. vi. 24. and St. James bids them weep and howl for their miferies, Jac. v. 4. And therefore advifes us to rejoice rather at Poverty than Riches, fac. 1, 9, 10, Now these things being confidered, as fpoken by God himself, none can deny but that the rich are moft certainly in a worfe condition than the poor; and by confequence, that Men have no caufe to be proud, or high minded, nor to glory in their riches, Fer. ix. 23. And therefore what foever outward Bleffings God hath bestowed upon us, Let us not be high minded, but fear, Rom,

xi. 20.

2. NOR truft in uncertain Riches, which I confefs is a very hard Leffon for a rich Man to learn, nothing being more difficult L 4 than

than to have Riches, and not to trust in them, as our Saviour himself intimates, in explaining the one by the other, as things very rarely fevered, Mark x. 23, 24. But certainly it is altogether as foolish a thing to truft in Riches, as it is to be proud of them. For,

1. THEY of themfelves can ftand us in no ftead, they cannot defend us from any evil, nor procure us any good; they cannot of themselves either feed us,or cloath us, or refresh us, or be any ways advantageous to us, without God's Bleffing, Prov. xi. 4. How much less can they be able to deliver us from wrath to come. No, we may take it for a certain truth, our Riches may much further our eternal Mifery, but they can never conduce any thing to our future Happiness.

2. IF we truft in them, be fure they'll fail us, and bring us into Mifery and Defolation, for to truft in any thing but God, is certainly one of the highest Sins we can be guilty of, it is in plain terms Idolatry; and therefore He that trufteth in riches, is fure to fall, Prov. xi. 28. For this is to deny God, Job xxxi. 24, 25,28.

3. THEY are but uncertain Riches, they make themselves wings and fly away, Prov. xxiii. 5. They are in continual motion, ebbing and flowing, and never continuing in

on

one stay. So that you are never füre of keeping them one day; and what reafon then can we have to truft on them? Efpecially confidering, that they are not only uncertain, but uncertainty it felf, as the word here fignifies, Truft not in the uncertainty of riches.

BUT in the living God; He, he is to be the only Object of our truft, whether we have, or have not any thing elfe to trust on; or to speak more properly, there is nothing that we can upon good Grounds make our truft and confidence, but only him, who governs, and difpofeth of all things, according to his own pleasure. So that it is he, and he alone that giveth us all things richly to enjoy. It is not our Wit or Po licy, it is not our Strength or Industry, it is not our trading or trafficking in the World, it is none but God that giveth us what we have, Deut. viii. 18. Prov. x. 22. And as it is he that maketh Men rich, fo he can make them poor again, when he himself pleaseth ; and they have cause to fear he will do fo too, unless they obferve what is here charged upon them.

THERE are four Duties ftill behind, which we are here commanded to charge all those who are rich to observe.

1. THAT they do good. In treating of which I might fhew the feveral Qualifica

tions required to the making up of an A&tion good, as that the matter of it must be good, as commanded, or at least allowed by God, that the manner of performing it be good, as that it be done obedientially, understandingly, willingly, chearfully, humbly, and fincerely; and that the end be good too, fo as that it be directed ultimately to the Glory of God. But not to infift upon that now, I fhall only confider what kind of good Works the Rich are here commanded to do, as they are rich Men. And they are two, Works of Piety, and Works of Charity.

1. THEY are here commanded to do. works of Piety; where by works of Piety I mean not their loving and fearing, and honouring of God, nor yet their praying to him, their hearing his Word, or praising his Name, for fuch works of Piety as thefe are, the pooreft as well as the richeft Per fons amongst us are bound to do; whereas the Apostle here fpeaks only of fuch works as they who are rich are bound to do, upon that account because they are fo. And therefore by works of Piety here, I underftand fuch works as tend to the Honour of his Name, to the Performance of Worfhip and Homage to him, to the Encouragement of his Minifters, the propagating of his Gospel, and the Conversion of Sin

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