truckling policy, which are any thing rather than the road to wealth. It leads also to a degree of meanness, if not dishonesty, in the pursuit of its object, which is almost sure to defeat itself. Besides, it tends necessarily to excite envy, disgust, and hatred; to increase the number of enemies, and diminish that of friends; and thus cut off very many advantages, for the promotion of temporal prosperity and comfort. And more than all; covetousness may be expected to end in poverty, because it is highly sinful, and is fitted to provoke the desolating curse and judgments of the Almighty. If, as the Wise Man has well decided, "the blessing of the Lord maketh rich;" with equal propriety it may be said, the curse of the Lord maketh poor. As he has all the sources of wealth at his disposal, and can open them in mercy upon those who "honor him with their substance;" so he can cut them off, and dry them up, in judgment upon those who pursue a different course. He can commission his tempests to sweep their forests; or his fire to consume their dwellings; or his drought to parch their fields; or his bottomless ocean to swallow up their wealth. Though they "sow much," he can cause them to "bring in little ;" and although they "earn wages," and "put them in a bag," he can cause it to be "a bag with holes." And as God is infinitely able to do all this, so it may be expected he will do it, in regard to the covetous. "Covetousness," he hath himself said, "is idolatry." It is dreadfully evil in his sight, and tends perhaps more than any other sin, to provoke his desolating judgments, and involve those who practise it in poverty and trouble.

3. The subject to which we have attended is fitted, I think, to remove several mistakes, and to afford in

struction and encouragement, relative to the great work of spreading the gospel. The advancement of this work, which is a prominent object of charity and effort at the present time, is certainly a great and glorious object, one altogether worthy of the prayers and efforts, and the liberality of Christians. And it is one which the God of heaven cannot fail to approve. The cause of the gospel is his own cause, and he must approve all well intended and wisely directed efforts to carry it forward. If the liberal towards any object may expect his blessing, those doubtless may expect it, who liberally contribute for the spread of the gospel.

Some persons appear disquieted at the exertions which are now making, for the universal diffusion of the true religion. They think the friends of religion make too much of it; and they are too frequently called upon for contributions. They wonder why things cannot be suffered to remain, as they have been in years and centuries that are past. They almost wish that their lot had been cast in some former age; or that the present exertions and sacrifices for the advancement of the gospel had been postponed till a later period.-All complaints of this nature, whether uttered or felt, proceed evidently upon the principle that the gospel is a burthen, and that every thing they do for the promotion of it is so much taken from them and lost. But this principle, it will be perceived, is in palpable opposition to the Scriptures, and to the views which have been given in this discourse. "The liberal soul shall be made fat, and he that watereth shall be watered also himself." He who holds his property at the disposal of Providence, and is willing to bestow it cheerfully and liberally, for the promotion of great and worthy ob

jects, shall not thereby be impoverished-on the contrary, he shall be enriched. The way to become rich is to be liberal. Instead therefore of repining, we have the utmost reason to be thankful, that our lot was cast in this favoured period of the world, when the claims of so many great and important objects are presented and urged, and so frequent demands are made upon the liberality of Christians. If there is any truth in the Scriptures, or of that view of them which has been taken in this discourse, the present age should on this very account be regarded, not as a hard and impoverishing one, but as affording peculiar facilities for the acquisition of wealth, and for advancing even in temporal prosperity.

Many persons seem to entertain fears, that the present efforts of Christians for the spread of their religion will be a means of weakening and injuring the Church. In their zeal to extend the blessings of the gospel to others, they will become so enfeebled, as to be unable to support it among themselves.— But if what has been said is true, there is no reason to apprehend this; nor would there be, were the contributions of the Church increased fourfold. If "the liberal soul shall" indeed" be made fat;" if the "be way for Christians to become rich is to be liberal; then the Church, which is composed of Christians, must be, not impoverished, but enriched, by the same means. Have the different Protestant Churches in this country and in Europe been in fact impoverished, by their recent exertions for the spread of the gospel? are they now less able, or less disposed, than they were twenty years ago, to maintain religious institutions among themselves? Or is there an individual Church, in any country, which has become so enfeebled by Missionary efforts, as to be unable

to retain its customary Christianprivi leges? Ihazard nothing in asserting that there is no such Church in existence-and never was. So far from this, it has proved universally true, that the more the Churches did for the spread of the gospel, the more they found themselves able to do; and the more they did for the diffusion of their religion abroad, the greater was their ability, and their disposition, to support its institutions at home. -True indeed, there is a point of liberality, beyond which if Churches or Christians should go, they would overstep their duty, and might be impoverished; but there is no reason to think that in general they have ever passed this point, and no reason to fear that they soon will.

Persons in low, or in moderate worldly circumstances, are liable to think, that they have a sufficient excuse for withholding, and are under no obligations to do any thing for the spread of the gospel. It is the business of the rich, they say, to be liberal. It is as much as they can do to take care of themselves.But if what has been said is true, this excuse is without foundation. God is indeed a reasonable Being.

He

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accepteth according to that a man hath." He does not require those who have but one talent, to improve ten; or those in moderate worldly circumstances to vie with the rich in the extent of their charities. But he requires all his rational creatures to possess, what the apostle denominates "a willing mind"--a liberal and charitable spirit. He requires them to care for the necessities of their fellow men, and to hold whatever he has committed to them in subserviency to his glory, and the interests of his holy kingdom. Our Saviour, while on earth, did not consider poverty an excuse for covetousness.

He commended the poor widow, who possessed only two mites, because she had cast her all into the treasury of the Lord.-It becomes those who are in circumstances of comparative want very seriously to consider, whether it is not their covetousness which has made them poor, and which continues them in that state. The Jews, at a certain period of their history, thought themselves too poor to build the house of the Lord, and to pay their tithes and offerings, according to the requisitions of the law of Moses. And the consequence was, that God “smote them with blasting, and with mildew, and with hail, in all the labor of their hands," and thus impoverishcd them more and more. At the same time, he promised them; if they would "honour him with their substance," if they would “bring all the tithes into the store house, and prove him therewith; that he would "open unto them the windows of heaven, and pour them out a blessing, that there should not be room to receive it." certainly be made fat." is to be liberal.

"The liberal soul shall"

The way to become rich If then any present would have their circumstances improved-if they would be in a prosperous and thriving state; let them take that course to effect it, which the God of nature and of providence has here pointed out.

Had we a stronger faith in the promises of God, and a more unwavering confidence in his fidelity and truth; we should be more ready for every duty, and especially for that which has been considered in this discourse. We should be more ready to meet the calls of his Providence, and to hold our earthly substance at the disposal of his sovereign will. should be more ready, in labors, in sacrifices, and self-denials, to devote ourselves to his service and

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