IV.

Riches may well be mentioned in the firft SER M' Place, because they lead the way to worldly Honour, and worldly Pleafure. They have it in their Power most commonly to procure whatever a Man may propose, or fancy to himself, as neceffary to his Happiness in this World: and, too often, to procure what ought to be the Reward of Merit, and Virtue alone. But then, as they seem frequently to be defired, and fought after, even for their own Sakes; I mean by the Covetous, who defpife what is called Honour, and know no other Pleasure, but that of having much of them in their Poffeffion: They may well claim a diftinct Place by themselves, as they are feen to stand for themselves, and all other good Things too; to be not only Riches; but Honcur, and Pleasure, in the Opinion of Those who fet their Hearts upon them. But, as there are Others who are as fond of worldly Honour and Grandeur, as the most Covetous Man can be of his Mony; and Others, as transported with the Love of Pleasure, as either of these can be with their Idols; and, as Both these latter can make Riches fubfervient to the Objects of their particular Defires: They may juftly claim, every One of them, to be distinctly spoken of, on this Occafion.

SERM.

Nor is the Nature of this World, or of IV. Man, fo framed, as that We must suppose that

Riches, Honour, or Pleasure, are not good Things; or, that all Defire of them, or Enjoyment of them, is finful. Far from it. This World is our Habitation at prefent. It is our Houfe of Entertainment, in our Paffage to another. The three great Entertainments that it sets before Us, are Riches, Honour, and Pleasure. They cannot but be accounted Goods (till they are wilfully made Evils) by all who carry human Nature about them, and live in fuch a State as this is.

This being then the Nature of the World; and thefe being the principal Goods it pretends to; and of fo great Confequence, as to be ever chiefly comprehended in the Name World; it is plain, that the Ufe of thefe, is the Ufe of the World; and the Abuse of these, the Abuse of the World: that, when We ufe Riches, Honour, and Pleasure, as we ought, then We ufe the World without abufing it; and that then We abuse the World, when We abuse the Riches, Honours, or Pleasures, of it. Let Us then,

II. In the Second Place, enquire, as I propofed, when it is that We use the World, that is the Riches, Honours, or Pleafures of it, as We ought; as it is our Praife, and Duty to do. The firft Step of all is to use them innocently, fo as not to be induced, by the Love of

them,

IV.

them, to the Violation of any One Law of s ER M. God; or of Reafon, which is His Gift. The fecond is to use them fo as to make them the Inftruments of much good, and of lafting Happiness, to Ourselves and Others. The former is fomething: but it is the lowest Degree of Virtue and Praise. It leads naturally to the latter and without it, it can hardly be suppofed; and, I believe, never is found. For He that doth not ufe the good Things of this World, fo as to make them the Inftruments of Good to himself, and of Happiness to Others, is, I fear, always feen to make them the Means of Evil to Himself, and of Unhappiness to Others; as, He that is feen to receive no Harm from them himself, and to be untouched by the Evil that comes from them too naturally, will likewise be seen to make them the Occafions, and Inftruments, of Good, and Happiness to Others. Their Nature is fuch, that, if they produce not Good to Ourfelves and Others, they can hardly avoid producing a great deal of Evil and Mischief.

The true ufe of Riches is firft to be confider

ed. And in what is it that They differ from the other common Dirt of this Earth, if they be not used fo as to adminifter the Conveniences and Neceffaries of this Life to Ourfelves; and after that, to all about Us, to whom Our

SERM. Help can reach? When a Man is seen, out
IV. of a Sort of Madness of Covetousness, to deny

Himself the common Conveniences of Life,
rather than break in upon his facred Store;
He cannot be faid to ufe Riches, because they
lie untouched and unused, unless they are
fometimes handled and told over, with an
unaccountable Satisfaction. But this is fo very
rare a Sort of Covetousness, that it raiseth the
Astonishment of all, whenever it
appears.
There are Few, who will not make use of the
Riches of this World, for their own Ease, and
Convenience; but Many, who stop here, when
they should
go much farther.

The next Thing is to confider the Abundance that We enjoy; and how much of it can fafely and fecurely be fpared, without breaking in upon our own Conveniences and Accommodations, or our own nearer Relations: and of this Abundance to impart to Those who have it not in their Power to procure for themselves the common Neceffaries of Life without our Affiftance. This is a noble Ufe of Riches in Truth; but not more noble, than it is reasonable, and fitting. For what can We better, or more becomingly, do with those Superfluities which furround Us? what Method can We take, to make them more effectually fubfervient to our own Happiness,

IV.

Happiness, than to use them thus ? What S ER M. more manly Pleafure, than to look upon every Thing human to be of Concern to Ourfelves? and every Thing that can happen to any other Men, to touch Us nearly, as Men alfo? What more rational Satisfaction, than to think of Multitudes made happy by Us? It is a Sort of approaching to Divinity; and a being, in the best Senfe poffible to Us, Partakers of the Divine Nature; to make Ourselves, under the fupreme GOD, Affiftants, Supporters, Benefactors, Prefervers, to all within our Reach. They that feel it, know that there cannot be a greater Pleasure to a well-difpofed Mind, than this of adding to the Happiness, or diminishing the Miferies, of our Fellow-Creatures around Us. Nor can the Praise due to fuch a beneficent Use of Riches, be detained from it. Every One applauds it, tho' every One will not imitate it. It conftrains and commands the Voice of Mankind in it's Favour. And if it should at any Time, by fome strange Accident, go without that; yet, it always recommends to the great Judge of the World. It makes Us rich towards Him; and makes Him condefcend to be Our Debtor, on Account of Others, to whom our Riches are difpenfed.

It