tures are necessary means to support our bodies, while we are doing God the service which we owe him in the world: and so they must be loved, as a means to his service; though we cannot say properly that riches are ordinarily thus necessary. 5. The creatures are necessary to sustain our bodies in our journey to heaven, while we are preparing for eternity and thus they must be loved as remote helps to our salvation. And in these two last respects we call it in our prayers 'pur daily bread.' 6. Riches may enable us to relieve our needy brethren, and to promote good works for church or state. And thus also they may be loved: so far as we must be thankful for them, so far we may love them; for we must be thankful for nothing but what is good.

II. But worldliness, or sinful love of riches, is, 1. When riches are loved and desired, and sought more for the flesh than for God or our salvation; even as the matter or means of our worldly prosperity, that the flesh may want nothing to please it, and satisfy its desires. Or that pride may have enough wherewith to support itself, by gratifying and obliging others, and living at those rates, and in that splendour, as may shew our greatness, or further our domination over others. 2. And when we therefore desire them in that proportion which we think most agreeable to these carnal ends, and are not contented with our daily bread, and that proportion which may sustain us as passengers to heaven, and tend most to the securing of our souls, and to the service of God. So that it is the end by which a sinful love of riches is principally to be discerned; when they are loved for pride or flesh-pleasing, as they are the matter of a worldly corporal felicity, and not principally for God and his service, and servants, and our salvation. And indeed, as sensualists love them, they should be hated.

Worldliness is either predominant, and so a certain sign of death; or else mortified, and in a subdued degree, consistent with some saving grace. Worldliness predominant, as in the ungodly, is, when men that have not a lively belief of the everlasting happiness, nor have laid up their treasure and hopes in heaven, do take the pleasure and prosperity of this life for that felicity which is highest in their esteem, and dearest to their hearts, and therefore love the riches of the world, or full provisions, as the matter and

means of this their temporal felicity. Worldliness in a mortified person, is, when he that hath laid up his treasure in heaven, and practically esteemeth his everlasting hopes above all the pleasure and prosperity of the flesh, and seeketh first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and useth his estate principally for God and his salvation, hath yet some remnants of inordinate desire to the prosperity and pleasure of the flesh, and some inordinate desire of riches for that end; which yet he hateth, lamenteth, resisteth, and so far subdueth, that it is not predominant, against the inte rest of God and his salvation. Yet this is a great sin, though it be forgiven.

III. The malignity or greatness of this sin consisteth in these points, (especially when it is predominant.) 1. The love of the world, or of riches, is a sin of deliberation, and not of mere temerity or sudden passion: worldlings contrive the attaining of their ends. 2. It is a sin of interest, love and choice, set up against our chiefest interest: it is the setting up of a false end, and seeking that; and not only a sin of error in the means, or a seeking the right end in a mistaken way. 3. It is idolatry, or a denying God, and deposing him in our hearts, and setting up his creatures in his stead, in that measure as it prevaileth. The worldling giveth that love, and that trust unto the creature, which are due to God alone: he delighteth in it instead of God, and seeketh and holdeth it as his felicity instead of God: and therefore, so far as any man loveth the world, the love of the Father is not in him. And the friendship of the world is enmity to God. 4. It is a contempt of heaven; when it must be neglected, and a miserable world preferred. 5. It sheweth that unbelief prevaileth at the heart, so far as worldliness prevaileth: for if men did practically believe the heavenly glory, and the promise thereof, they would be carried above these present things. 6. It is a debasing of the soul of man, and using it like the brutes, while it is principally set upon the serving of the flesh, and on a temporal felicity, and neglecteth its eternal happiness and concernments.

7. It is a perverting the very drift of a man's life, as employed in seeking a wrong end, and not only of some one faculty or act: it is an habitual sin of the state and course of mind and life, and not only a particular actual sin. 8. It

is a perverting of God's creatures to an end and use clean contrary to that which they were made and given for: and an abusing God by his own gifts, by which he should be served and honoured: and a destroying our souls with those mercies which were given us for their help and benefit. This is the true character of this heinous sin. In a word, it is the forsaking God, and turning the heart from him, and alienating the life from his service, to this present world, and the service of the flesh. Fornication, drunkenness, murder, swearing, perjury, lying, stealing, &c. are very heinous sins. But a single act of one of these, committed rashly in the violence of passion, or temptation, speaketh not such a malignant turning away of the heart habitually from God, as to say a man is covetous, or a worldling.

IV. The Signs of covetousness are these: 1. Not preferring God and our everlasting happiness before the prosperity and pleasure of the flesh; but valuing and loving fleshly prosperity above its worth. 2. Esteeming and loving the creatures of God as provision for the flesh, and not to further us in the service of God. 3. Desiring more than is needful or useful to further us in our duty. 4. An inordinate eagerness in our desires after earthly things. 5. Distrustfulness, and carking cares, and contrivances for time to come. 6. Discontent, and trouble, and repining at a poor condition, when we have no more than our daily bread. 7. When the world taketh up our thoughts inordinately: when our thoughts will more easily run out upon the world, than upon better things: and when our thoughts of worldly plenty are more pleasant and sweet to us, than our thoughts of Christ, and grace, and heaven; and our thoughts of want and poverty are more bitter and grievous to us, than our thoughts of sin and God's displeasure. 8. When our speech is freer and sweeter about prosperity in the world, than about the concernments of God and our souls. 9. When the world beareth sway in our families and converse, and shutteth out all serious endeavours in the service of God, and for our own and others' souls: or at least doth cut short religious duties, and is preferred before them, and thrusteth them into a corner, and maketh us slightly huddle them over. 10. When we are dejected over much, and impatient under losses, and crosses, and worldly injuries from men.

11. When worldly matters seem sufficient to engage us in contentions, and to make us break peace: and we will by lawsuits seek our right, when greater hurt is more likely to follow to our brother's soul, or greater wrong to the cause of religion, or the honour of God, than our right is worth. 12. When in our trouble and distress we fetch our comfort more from the thoughts of our provisions in the world, or our hopes of supply, than from our trust in God, and our hopes of heaven. 13. When we are more thankful to God or man for outward riches, or any gift for the provision of the flesh, than for hopes or helps in order to salvation; for a powerful ministry, good books, or seasonable instructions for the soul. 14. When we are quiet and pleased if we do but prosper, and have plenty in the world, though the soul be miserable, unsanctified, and unpardoned. 15. When we are more careful to provide a worldly, than a heavenly portion, for children and friends, and rejoice more in their bodily, than their spiritual prosperity, and are troubled more for their poverty, than their ungodliness or sin. 16. When we can see our brother have need, and shut up the bowels of our compassion, or can part with no more than mere superfluities for his relief: when we cannot spare that which makes but for our better being, when it is necessary to preserve his being itself; or when we give unwillingly or sparingly. 17. When we will venture upon sinful means for gain, as lying, over-reaching, deceiving, flattering, or going against our consciences, or the commands of God. 18. When we are too much in expecting liberality from others, and think that all we buy of, should sell cheaper to us than they can afford, and consider not their loss or want, so that we have the gain: nor are contented if they be never so bountiful to others, if they be not so to us. 19. When we make too much ado in the world for riches, taking too much upon us, or striving for preferment, and flattering great ones,

P Duæ res sunt judices quæ omnes ad maleficium impellunt, luxuries et avaritia. Cic. II. ad Her. 34. Sed corrupti mores depravatique sunt admiratione divitiarum. Cic. II. de Off. 71. Nihil esse tam sanctum, quod non violari; nihil tam munitum, quod non expugnari pecunia possit. Cic. in Verrem. Act. I. 4. When Alexander sent Phocion an hundred talents, he asked, why he rather sent to him, than all the rest of the Athenians? He answered, Because he took him to be the only honest man in Athens: whereupon Phocion returned it to him again; entreating him to give him leave to be honest still,

and envying any that are preferred before us, or get that which we expected. 20. When we hold our money faster than our innocency, and cannot part with it for the sake of Christ, when he requireth it; but will stretch our consciences and sin against him, or forsake his cause, to save our estates; or will not part with it for the service of his church, or of our country, when we are called to it. 21. When the riches which we have are used but for the pampering of our flesh, and superfluous provision for our posterity, and nothing but some inconsiderable crumbs or driblets are employed for God and his servants, nor used to further us in his service, and towards the laying up of a treasure in heaven. These are the signs of a worldly, covetous wretch.

V. The Counterfeits of liberality or freedom from covetousness, which deceive the worldling are such as these. 1. He thinks he is not covetous because he hath a necessity of doing what he doth for more. Either he is in debt or he is poor, and scarcely hath whereon to live; and the poor think that none are worldlings and covetous but the rich. But he may love riches that wanteth them, as much as he that hath them. If you have a necessity of labouring in your callings, you have no necessity of loving the world, or of caring inordinately, or of being discontented with your estate. Impatience under your wants shews a love of the world and flesh, as much as other men's bravery that possess it.

2. Another thinks he is not a worldling, because if he could but have necessaries, even food, and raiment, and conveniences for himself and family, he would be content; and it is not riches or great matters that he desireth. But if your hearts are more set upon the getting of these necessaries or little things, than upon the preparing for death, and making sure of the heavenly treasure, you are miserable worldlings still. And the poor man that will set his heart more upon a poor and miserable life, than upon heaven, is more inexcusable than he that setteth his heart more upon

q It was one of Chilo's sayings, Lapideis cotibus aurum examinari,auro autem bonorum malorumque hominum mentem cujusmodi sit, comprobari:-i. e. As the touchstone trieth gold, so gold trieth men's minds, whether they be good or bad. Diog. Laert. lib. i. sect. 71. p. 44.