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Here the apostle shows how God inspires humility into the hearts of rich and honourable men, whom he previously endues with faith; namely, by calling them to a serious consideration of their own instability and vanity, and of all those outward comforts which they so amply enjoy. The conviction of this nothingness in riches, in connexion with the humility produced by it, seeing there is nothing in them of which any man can reasonably boast, preserves the wealthy possessor from the improper influence which otherwise they would exert upon his mind.

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There is another state of mind to which we would turn the careful attention of the reader; we allude to that of, love, or charity," as the common version renders it. As charity and avarice are in perfect opposition to each other, one of them must fall in the conflict, leaving the victor to enter on the full occupation of the heart. He who desires to be saved from covetousness should remember this, and carefully preserve this Divine virtue in all its purity and vigour. This love, indeed, is the very goal to which the whole drift of this essay ought to aspire; instead of being the means of accomplishing the end contemplated, it is absolutely the end itself, to which all our other considerations are subservient. As he whose object is to banish darkness must take measures to introduce light; so, whoever would effect a cure of the evil of which we have been speaking, must direct his labours chiefly, if not wholly, to this one point. And without the states of mind referred to above, this noble charity can never be enkindled in the heart. They must also be urged with peculiar force, as the great and proximate causes of true charity.

On these, including love, all that can be said upon the general question ought to bear. The great moral change which they imply must, of necessity, become the experience of him who would renounce his covetousness and acquire a character of genuine liberality: "A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit." Should he fail of this internal renovation, no reflections and arguments, adduced to show how awfully responsible he is for the application or non-application of his wealth, or calculated to demonstrate how unreasonable, how odious, how punishable is this detested vice, could have any ultimate success in the attempt to convert him from a temptation so infatuating and so powerful.

Even general arguments drawn from the Scriptures would, in case of the capital omission just referred to, be void of all essential weight, and would be justly ranked, in this respect, with the unsuccessful attacks of the uninspired moral writers to whom we adverted in the commencement of this essay. Satan himself will not greatly object to a literary perusal of the books of Proverbs and of Ecclesiastes by all the sons of avarice, provided they continue strangers to the epistle to the Romans. All the common reasonings, therefore, on this subject, whether drawn from the Scriptures, or from other writers, are only useful as they lead the unconverted sinner to those essential states of mind which we have named, or as they throw the apostate professor back upon those states, because they are the grand sources of the liberality from which he has departed. And we regret, that a brief essay, purporting to glance at the general subject, does not admit of that full attention to those states, in their influence on covetousness, which their paramount importance so obviously demands.

We may observe here, that some spiritual writers have strongly recommended the special and extraordinary cultivation of some one grace or principle of the Divine life as a likely method of effectually advancing the whole. This arises partly from the uncommon power and range of some graces, when compared with others,-as, for instance, faith compared with meekness; partly from some graces being the immediate cause of one or more of the rest; and partly from the intimate connexion and mutual influence which subsist among the whole. In this view, what more important grace could be selected by the man who desires to conquer avarice? Instead of observing little pretty moral devices, such as some, for instance, have recommended in regard to anger, to repeat a hundred seriatim till the passion cool,-let him go to the very foundation of the evil. Let him pluck it up by the roots. Not content with vanquishing the out-posts, let him seize upon the citadel, and dislodge the enemy from the very seat of his annoyance. Love to God and man should, therefore, be the object of his most assiduous attention. He should incessantly pray for this "most excellent gift of charity;" avoid every thing likely to injure it; and diligently fan and foster the purifying flame by every holy art of which he is capable.

IX. PRACTICAL MEASURES RECOMMENDED.

In order to complete the remedy, certain courses of action must accompany the foregoing states of mind. The founda

tion being laid, the superstructure must be raised. And he who refuses to attempt any practical measures which might interfere with his beloved covetousness may fear lest his money perish with him; for he is yet "in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity." So long as he remains fixed in this refusal, no hope can be indulged of his recovery.

Of those practical measures, we shall only mention two,— a constant course of sincere and fervent devotion, and a persevering endeavour "to do good and to communicate,” even in opposition to the bias of the mind. These, on the part of the believer who has sunk into worldly-mindedness, may, by the Divine blessing, be the means of rekindling in his heart the dying flame of benevolence.

The spirit of devotion, by which the soul aspires to God, is directly opposed to worldly-mindedness, can never grant it the least allowance, but must wage war with it to the death; and if this spirit live and flourish, it must speedily, and of necessity, subdue its antagonist. This is not only agreeable to the doctrine and tendency of the Gospel, but is matter of experience. Let any man reflect upon the frame and firmness of his own mind, just after he has been holding happy communion with his God, and drunk largely of the strengthening and elevating joys which result from fervent prayer; and he will find that he is new armed against all temptation, and that even that of covetousness would melt before the burning devotion of a heart so entirely consecrated to God, and more than ever qualified and resolved to resist all the fiery darts of the wicked one. Did the Christian warrior always maintain this position, he could not fail to go on conquering and to conquer. But there is a great proclivity in human nature to sink down from high emotions into a state of partial apathy, which is usually a state of weakness and unguardedness. Here a watchful disposition is invaluable, as recalling the soul, at proper intervals, to return with unfailing punctuality and fervour to that gracious throne from whence she may again. be replenished with all necessary power and courage. And, surely, the man who perpetuates this practice, and pursues these invigorating exercises, through all the varieties of prayer and

praise, of reading and reflection, will have little time or inclination to be exercised with covetous practices. It is greatly to be feared, however, that an antinomian and delusive devotion is but too prevalent among professors; as some, of whose covetousness even charity can hardly doubt, are, notwithstanding, very diligent in all the outward forms of religious duty. Such exercises are, of course, without spiritual profit; and hence it is possible the party may increase in the observances of his devotions and his covetousness together.

Among these exercises of devotion, prayer, with strong cries and tears, against this one sin in particular, must not be neglected. To weed out the attachments of the heart to riches, by degrees, and under the ordinary influence of the means of grace, is not an ineffectual method; and mortification in its own proper nature implies this gradual conquest over radicated vices, whether of the flesh or of the mind; "but utterly to extirpate all trust in them, where they abound," as that eminent theologian, Dr. Thomas Jackson, has observed, "is only possible to the Omnipotent Power, and a rare document of the Divine Mercy." Hence the necessity of faith as well as prayer; faith in the promises, the power, and goodness of God; that what is impossible to man may be felt and known as possible to God. And in the case before us, the faith must be unusually strong, to overtop the mighty evil which it has to overpower. The same writer adds: "If the assent of faith be as twelve, and any natural delight to be removed be as thirteen, that man's faith is worse than nothing. Though we had faith of force sufficient to remove mountains, yet it were possible Achan's vast desires might harbour with it, in the same breast, a wedge of gold which would oversway it, or wrest it out of its place, and hale the soul wherein it lodged, maugre all its force and strength, to hell."

The next practical measure we have named is a resolute performance of acts of liberality, in opposition to the bias of the covetous mind. It is astonishing what powerful effects may be produced upon the character by this method, if persisted in with boldness and trust in God; not merely because custom creates a habit, but because some extraordinary assistance from above appears to be gratuitously bestowed on such decided and sincere endeavours to obey God. Let him who seeks emancipation from this vice but give more or less largely, and increase his gifts, in spite of himself, for some considerable length of time, in the

meanwhile looking to the Strong for strength; and, to his own amazement, he will find a new nature flowing in upon him, which will lead him to still more liberal and delightful communications. If with this he combine a general system of mortification, giving battle to all those propensities to please which he began to accumulate and to love money, "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life;" grieving before God because of his covetousness, and fasting and praying with the express view of beating down so dangerous and powerful an enemy, he will soon find the spiritual benefit of all these plans of attack and defence.

X. MISCELLANEOUS SUGGESTIONS, ARGUMENTS, AND

REFLECTIONS.

HAVING dwelt so long upon the general inquiry, we come now to certain miscellaneous suggestions, reflections, and arguments, which, by a Divine blessing, may complete and confirm the design of the more essential remedies suggested above. Too little space, perhaps, is left for what remains to be advanced. In apology it may be said, that a strong desire was indulged to place the leading features of the entire question before the reader, from an opinion, which we advance with great deference, that a more salutary impression may be expected to accompany the truth as it breaks from the whole orb of the subject, than from any limited and partial aspect in which it might be viewed. Though in such sketches the substance be but slightly marked, its effect, we think, is stronger, at least in moral and religious questions, than that of single considerations more amply pursued. Still such single considerations deserve all possible regard; because, as we have before observed, they may be divinely blessed as the means of reverting the eye of the conscientious mind to those vital measures which alone can exterminate the evil; and which, again we regret to say, have in this essay been so faintly pointed out.

A few remedial suggestions may be mentioned here as of a minor character. They imply the previous adoption of the principal remedies, and are merely designed as expedient and auxiliary.

Are you consciously covetous? Think how by this sin you break the golden rule of doing to others as, on a change of circumstances, you would wish them to act towards you. Seriously reflect, whether you do not by this violation quite forget the actual equality of all men as possessed of a common nature, and

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