things that are in the world. If you love the luft of the flesh, or the luft of the eyes, or the pride of life; you will love money by which they are procured. Aim not at an impoffible compromise between the love of money

and religion. You cannot ferve God and Mammon. Ufe your worldly wealth; but use it as not abufing it. Beware, left when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy filver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou haft is multiplied, then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God; and thou fay in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.

But thou shalt

remember the Lord thy God; for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth. If you are rich, truft not in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy: do good, be rich in good works ready to diftribute, willing to communicate (p). If you have little, do your diligence gladly to give of that little. Remember the widow's mite. But cherish not the vain idea that liberality to the afflicted can make amends for offences against God. The fervent charity which shall cover the multitude of fins, is the love that throws a veil over the infirmities and offences of others; not the bounty

(p) Deut. viii, 14-17. 1 Tim. vi. 17, 18.
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which

which prefumes to think of making, atone ment for iniquity (q). There is no atonement but in the blood of the Lord Jefus Chrift... Provide yourfelves bags which wax not old, a treafure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth (r). Be faithful in the unrighteous Mammon. Let that gold, which is so frequently the fource and the inftrument, of iniquity, be fo confcientiously employed at all times by you to the glory of God through His beloved Son, that when you shall be fummoned to render up, your account of your stewardship, you may give it with joy, and receive the true riches (s), the glories of the future world. Hide not the talent in a napkin. Bury it not in the earth. Occupy with it in your Mafter's fervice until He come. But as you value your eternal interefts, love it not.

(g) 1 Pet. iv. 8. See the parallel paffage, whence St. Peter probably quoted, Prov. x. 12, Hatred flirreth up ftrife, but love covereth all fins.

(r) Luke, xii. 33.

(s) Luke, xxi. 31.

SER

SERMON IX.

On the SACRIFICE of WORLDLY INTEREST, to Dury..

2 CHRON. XXV. 9.

"But

And Amaziah faid to the Man of God; "what shall we do for the Hundred Talents, “which I have given to the Army of Ifrael?" And the Man of God anfwered; "The Lord " is able to give thee much more than this.”

HE

[E who, under the grace of God, would fhew himself difentangled from the love of money, is required in that branch of duty, as in every other, to prove his faith by his works. He must be prepared to make facrifices of money to confcience. Is the man then, who facrifices money, money to a very large amount, and in obedience to the command of God, afcertained to be a fervant of God? The hiftory of Amaziah will throw light on the enquiry.

Amaziah fucceeded to the kingdom of Judah upon the death of his father Joafh. After

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After he had established himself upon the throne, and had deftroyed the murderers of his predeceffor, he prepared to make war upon the people of Edom, who had revolted. For this purpose he affembled all his forces. But being doubtful whether they were fufficient for the undertaking, and having determined to make the conqueft of Edom certain, he hired to his affiftance an army of an hundred thousand men of Ifrael; and paid them in advance one hundred tąlents of filver. In hiring these Ifraelites the king acted rafhly and prefumptuously. For, in the first place, he enquired not of the Lord (a) upon the occafion, He fought not, as upon, concerns of importance David and the other religious kings of Judah had constantly fought, thofe fpecial directions from God, which, under the exifting difpenfation, a dispensation, into the texture of which miracles were interwoven, were always to be obtained by an immediate reference to the Most High before His altar. And in the next place, he knew that the people of Ifrael had long been open idolaters and that the heaviest calamities had

(a) Judges, xx. 27. 1 Sam. xxii. 20. xxiii. 2.4. xxx. viii. 2 Sam. ii. 1. v. 19, 23. xxi. 1. 2 Kings, xvi. 15. x. 14. xxi. 30.

1 Chron.

fallen

fallen upon his own ancestors in confequence of connections which they had formed with idolatrous Ifrael. Could he then look for the Divine bleffing upon this proceeding? Had he not reason to expect that his finful mifconduct would be made the inftrument of his punishment? God however, in great mercy, afforded to Amáziah both opportunity and encouragement to ftop fhort in the evil courfe on which he had entered. He fent a prophet to reprove and to warn the king. There came a Man of God to him, faying, "O King, let not the army of Ifrael go "with thee; for the Lord is not with Ifrael, to "wit, with all the children of Ephraim. But if thou wilt go, do it; be ftrong for the battle.

God fhall make thee fall before the enemy: for God hath power to help and to caft down.” Amaziah was confounded at the meffage. He could not venture to retain the Ifraelites to go with him to the war, when he was thus affured that his own deftruction would be the confequence. But he was far from poffeffing that fingleness of heart, that true and lively faith, which would have taught him to obey the command of God inftantly and cheerfully, whatever prefent facrifice might be infeparable from obedience. His heart hankered after the money which he had

advanced,