could not but take notice of it. For Bion the philosopher was wont to say, that agyugía, the love of money, was xaxías unτgórоxis, the metropolis of wickedness. And Apollodorus, ἀλλὰ σχεδόν τε τὸ κεφάλαιον τῶν κακῶν εἴρη καὶ ἐν φιλαργυρία, γὰρ πάντ' ἔνι· When thou speakest of the love of money, thou mentionest the head of all evils, for they are all contained in that. To the same purpose is that of the poet Phocylides, ἡ δὲ φιλοχρημοσύνη μή της κακότητος ἀπάσης, The love of riches is the mother of all wickedness. What these saw by the light of nature, hath here divine authority stamped upon it; God himself asserting the same thing by this apostle, pita, rág πάντων τῶν κακῶν ἐςὶν ἡ φιλαργυρία, The love of money is the root of all evils; which, that we may the better understand, we must consider,

1. What is here meant by money.

2. What by the love of riches.

3. How the love of money is the root of all evils. As for the first, I need not insist long upon it, all men knowing well enough what money is. But we must remember, that by money is here understood not only silver and gold, but all earthly comforts, possessions, and enjoyments whatsoever, whether goods, lands, houses, wares, wealth, or riches of any sort or kind whatsoever.

2. By the love of money, we are to understand that sin which the Scriptures call covetousness, and the true nature and notion of it consisteth especially in three things.

1. In having a real esteem and value for wealth or money, as if it was a thing that could make men happy, or better than otherwise they would be; as it is plain all covetous men have their desire of riches proceeding only from a groundless fancy, that their happiness consists in having much, which makes them set a greater value upon riches, preferring them before other things, even before God himself. Hence the love of money is altogether inconsistent with the love of God, 1 John ii.

15. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. It being impossible to love God as we ought, above all things, and yet to love the world too at the same time.

2. Hence the love of money supposeth also a delight and complacency in the having of it, proceeding from the aforesaid esteem they have for it; for being possessed with a fond opinion, that the more they have the better they are, they cannot but be pleased with the thoughts of their present enjoyments, as the rich man was in the Gospel, Luke xii. 16, 17, 18, 19. who, because his ground brought forth plentifully, resolved to enlarge his barns, and lay up stores for many years, and bid his soul take her ease. How many such fools have we amongst us, who please and pride themselves with the thoughts of their being rich?

3. From this esteem for, and complacency in, money or wealth, it follows that men are still desirous of having more, placing their happiness only in riches; because they think they can never be happy enough, therefore they think too they are never rich enough. Hence how much soever they have, they still desire more, and therefore covetousness in Scripture is ordinarily expressed by wλeovegia, which properly signifies an inordinate desire of having more, which kind of desires can never be satisfied, because they are able to desire more than all the world, and to raise themselves as high and as far as the infinite good itself. Now such a love of money as this is, consisting in having a real esteem for it, in taking pleasure and delight in it, and in longing and thirsting after it, this is that which the Apostle here saith is the root of all evil; that is, it is the great and principal cause of all sorts of evil that men are guilty of, or obnoxious to; which, that I may clearly demonstrate to you, we must first know in general that there are but two sorts of evil in the world, the evil of sin, and the evil of punishment or misery; and the love of money is the cause of them both.

To begin with the evil of sin, which is the only fountain from whence all other evils flow, and itself doth certainly spring from the love of money, as much or more than from any thing else in the whole world. Insomuch that the greatest part of those sins which any of us are guilty of, proceed from this master sin, even the love of money, as might easily be shewn from ́a particular enumeration of those sins which men ges nerally are addicted to. But that I may proceed more clearly and methodically in demonstrating this, so as to convince men of the danger of this above most other sins, I desire it may be considered that there are two sorts of sins that we are all guilty of, sins of omission and sins of commission, under which two heads all sins whatsoever are comprehended.

First, for sins of omission. It is plain that our love of money is the chief and principal cause that makes us neglect and omit our duties to God and man, as it is manifest we most of us do. In speaking unto which I must take leave to deal plainly, for it is a matter that concerns our eternal salvation; and therefore howsoever some may resent it, I am bound in duty and conscience to mind men of their sins, and particularly of this great prevailing sin of covetousness, or inordinate love of money, which most men give but too much reason to fear they are guilty of, and therefore I may tell them of it without any breach of charity. It is true, I cannot pretend to be a searcher of hearts; that is only God's prerogative, and therefore I shall not take upon me to judge or censure any particular persons; but I shall speak to all in general, and leave every one to make the particular application of it to himself. Neither shall I speak of things at random, but I shall instance only in such sins which I can assert upon my own knowledge, that most men allow themselves, and that upon this account only, because they love money.

For first, what is the reason that so few, indeed scarce any of us, are at prayers at church upon the week-day,

to perform our devotion to him that made us? Is it because we think it impertinent to pray unto him? No; our presence there on Sundays contradicts that, and I have more charity than to think that any are so atheistical as to imagine it to be superfluous to pay our homage to the supreme Governor of the world, and to implore his aid and blessing upon us? But what then should be the reason of it? in plain terms, it is nothing else but because men love money, and therefore are loth to spare so much time from their shops or callings, as to go to church to pray to God for what they want, and praise his name for what they have. Let us search into our own hearts, and we shall acknowledge this to be the only reason of it. But it is a very foolish one; for who can bless us but God?

2. What is the reason that so many neglect the sacrament of the Lord's supper? Do not we all look upon it as our duty to receive it? I dare say we do; Christ himself having commanded it, Luke xxii. 19. and it being the only way whereby to manifest ourselves to be Christians, what then can be the reason of this neglect of it, but merely the love of money, which makes men loth to spend time in preparing and fitting themselves for it.

But seeing men thus excommunicate themselves by not coming to the communion, in plain terms, they deserve to be excommunicated by the censures of the church. And if God should in his providence deprive them of ever having an opportunity of receiving the sacrament again, they must even thank themselves for it. Howsoever this shall be their present punishment, that they shall be deprived of it, until they think it worth their while to come unto it.

3. What is the reason that the sabbath is so profaned? That so many take their recreations upon the Lord'sday, but because they cannot spare time for it from getting money upon other days? thinking the day long, because they can get little in it; as Amos viii. 5. And

why do so many profane the sabbath, while at church, by thinking upon the world, but because they love it? Ezek. xxxiii. 31.

4. What is the reason that charity is so cold, but that the love of money is grown so hot amongst us? For do not we all know it is our duty to relieve the poor? Hath not God expressly commanded it? Hath not he threatened a curse to them that do it not, and promised a blessing to them that do it? What then can be the reason that so many neglect it, but because they love their money more than God?

To these might be added many other sins, which the love of money daily occasions. For what is the reason that many read the Scriptures so seldom and so cursorily as they do? What is the reason that they either have none, or commonly neglect their family duties? that every slight occasion will make them omit their private devotions; that they can find no time to look into their own hearts, to consider their condition, and meditate upon God and Christ, and the world to come? What is the reason that many know their shops better than their hearts, and are acquainted with the temper of their body more than with the constitution of their souls? That they are so careful and industrious in the prosecution of their worldly designs, so negligent and remiss in looking after heaven? What is or can be the reason of these things, but that inordinate love and affection they have for money, or the things of this world, which makes them so eager in the pursuit of them, that they forget they have any thing else to mind, and so much taken up with worldly business, that God, and Christ, and heaven, and soul, and all, must give way to it? O the folly and madness of sinful men! what a strange corrupt and degenerate thing is the heart of man become! that we should be so foolish and unwise as to prefer our bodies before our souls, earth before heaven, toys and trifles before the eternal God, the worst of evils before the best of goods, even sin

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