reason to avoid overcharging our hearts with either, is the most forcible that can be; left that day come upon you unawares *. Riches and greatness no one thinks can secure him from death; but they can make many forget it as absolutely as if they did think fo; and please themselves with the imagination, that they have much good laid up for many years, till, when they apprehend it least, their foul is required of them†. Therefore we should often call to mind the Pfalmist's admonition: They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches, none of them can redeem his brother, nor give God a ransom for himself, that be should live for ever, and not fee corruption ; when he dieth he shall carry nothing away; his glory shall not defcend after him. Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish : like them in this world; but will with in vain to be like them in the next, when all that have lived unmindful of God, the kings of the earth, (as St. John foretells) and the great, and the rich, and the mighty, shall hide themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains ; and shall say to the mountains and the rocks, fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that fitteth on the throne, and from the face of the Lamb: for the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to Stand §.

SERMON XIX.

THE DUTIES OF THE RICH.

1

1 TIM. vi. 17, 18.

Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust 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.

HAVE already, in two discourses on these words, explained and enforced the two cautions, which St. Paul requires that the minifters of God's word shall give to perfons of wealth and rank, against the fins to which they are peculiarly liable. And now I proceed to the duties, of which he enjoins they shall be peculiarly reminded.

I. The first is, to trust in the living God, who giveth us all things richly to enjoy.

After warning them against placing their happiness in the pre-eminences, the possessions or pleasures of this world, it was very natural to direct them where they should place it: for somewhere we must. And his precept carries the proof of its own fitness along with it. For the living God must have the greatest power to reward our trust, and he who giveth us all things richly to enjoy, hath shewn himself to have the greatest will alfo. All that we are, and have, and can hope for, proceeds from him, and depends upon him. Since therefore he hath made us capable of knowing this, duty, gratitude and interest, conspire to demand, that we devote our whole being to him; use what he hath bestowed on us agreeably to the rules, which he hath prescribed, and for the attainment of the

ends, which he had in view; nor ever be so abfurdly attentive

1

€

to his gifts, as to forget the giver: whose bounty, the more largely we taste of it, ought surely to inspire the warmer love. And therefore the rich and great, on whom Providence hath conferred so many distinguished benefits and privileges, (of the value of which they feem in general highly sensible) are bound, beyond others, to a most affectionate piety in return: and yet, is it not on the whole visibly true, that these of all others express the least piety in the whole compass of their behaviour?

Too many of them scorn to observe or acknowledge any rule of conduct at all, unless it be fashion, worldly advantage or pleasure. A great part of those who will own, and occafionally feem zealous for the obligations of virtue, or however of some virtues, manifest very little sense, if any, of the duties of religion. Some have never had the condescenfion, or imagine they never had the leisure, once to think of it: others have heard objections against it, or at least have heard there are such; which, to prove themselves no bigots, they refolve to believe are unanswerable, without further inquiry. And not a few, who are fully perfuaded, after a fort, both of the greatness and the goodness of God, still are as absolutely negligent of him, as if no regard whatever were due to him for either. Yet, if we are to reverence authority, and love mercy, and believe in veracity, and be forry for offences, amongst men; why are not all these things unspeakably more necessary in relation to our Creator? Some persons, it may be, when they are pressed upon the subject, will plead, that they are by no means without inward regard to God; though they cannot say, they give much outward demonstration of it, in acts of worship. But how real, how deep, how practical, this regard is, they would do well to ask their hearts very carefully: for he that fees their hearts knows with certainty; they that fee only their lives, can form a strong presumption: and no one will ever be a gainer, by attempting to deceive either God, or man, or himself.

But fuppofing them fincere, what reason can there be, why refpect to God should not be paid outwardly, when refpect to every fuperior befides is? For furely his knowing we have it, is no fufficient reason for omitting to express it: fince vifible and stated acts of homage to him appear notwithstanding, both from reason and experience, highly requifite, to preserve and strengthen a sense of religion in our own minds, and to spread it

in

in the world. Or could we have doubted of this otherwife; yet, when he hath expressly required himself to be worshipped, both in public and in private, what pretence have we to a shadow of piety, if we either disobey or think meanly of that command? And they among the great, who neglect to honour God, difcern very clearly the neceffity, not only of their inferiors paying honour to them, but of their paying honour to persons that are a little above them and would think the exeuses extremely frivolous in their own cafes, which they are determined, shall be good and valid in his. What can this inconsistence mean? Surely they do not think it beneath them, to fall down and kneel before the Lord their Maker *, while they can bow so very low to a fellow-creature, perhaps a worthlefs one. And yet really, the manner, in which they sometimes fpeak of religion, looks a good deal this way. I mean, when they own its importance to keep the vulgar in order, and their obligation to attend on its exercises confcientiously, for that purpose; but intimate, that fome how or other they themselves are exempted. Now the difference in the eyes of God, between the highest and lowest of men, is as nothing: and if any part of the world hath need to be restrained by the ties of religious duty; the upper part, being the least subject to other restraints, hath the greatest need: nor can it be more their interest, that the rest of mankind should have a sense of piety kept up amongst them; than it is the interest of the rest of mankind, that the great should. But if this were otherwise, they may depend upon it, that if they will flight religion, such as see them do so, will not be influenced by them to respect it. And therefore all the choice they have is, either to shew fome regard to its precepts themselves; or to be content, that their families, their dependants, and the world about them, shall have

This latter is the resolution, that many feem to have taken: what will follow from it, hath been already felt too much; and if they go on, will be felt continually more. But God grant, they may rather fee, before it be too late, both the wickedness and the folly of throwing off that reverence, which is so justly due to him, whose laws are, every one of them, provisions for our temporal happiness in this world, as well as our eternal felicity in the next. Men of rank and fortune, have a much much greater concern in the welfare of society, than others; and therefore are more bound in point of prudence to fupport religion: they have a much greater ability of doing it, and are particularly intrusted with it, and therefore are more bound in point of confcience. But what completes their obligation, in both respects, is, that if they neglect it, the endeavours of others will, humanly speaking, be all in vain. There may be fome hope, even for a wicked nation, while the fear of God remains in any confiderable number of the wealthy and ruling part of it: but when they once come to be throughly corrupted; then every thing is ripe for ruin. And therefore the prophet Jeremiah, after complaining very pathetically, of the finfulness and impiety of the bulk of his countrymen, still thought there was one resource left. But when he found, that those of high condition were as bad or worse, than the rest; he immediately gives up all and pronounces their destruction. I faid, (fpeaking of the common people) These are poor, they are foolish; they know not the way of the Lord, and the judgement of their God. I will get me unto the great men, and will Speak unto them: for they have known the way of the Lord, and the judgment of their God. But, these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds. Wherefore a lion out of the forefts shall tear them, and a wolf of the evening shall spoil them; a leopard shall watch over their cities;-becaafe their tranfgreffions are many, and their backslidings are increased *.

But it is poffible for us to keep up a fufficient profession of religion, to fecure both public order and domestic tranquility; yet by no means have a fufficient sense of it, for obtaining eter. nal life: and what will the former avail us without the latter? It is not a merely prudential and political piety; it is not one, that will only form our behaviour into an outward regularity, or affect our hearts tranfiently now and then, that will stand us in stead hereafter: it must be a fixed inward principle, that moves us effectually to look beyond every thing in this world, to God the fountain of all good; and to take him for our hope and our portion in the land of the livingt. He offers himself for such, and furely we ought to accept the offer. He is able to make us happy, and nothing else is: whatever earthly good we have most pieasure in, quickly fails: or if it did not, in a

• Jer. v. 4,-6,

† Pfal. cxlii. 6.

few