Riches, than having abundance of Wealth to be caft with the rich Man into Hell. But then, as was before said, the only warrantable way of cafting away our Riches, is to difpofe of them as be directs us, who beftowed them upon us.

And yet the Temptations which accompany extream Poverty are, if not as many, yet as powerful, as thofe which attend abundance, and no less meafure of Grace is needful to ftrengthen us against them, than against the Temptations of Riches; and therefore well did Agur join them together in his Prayer. Give me (faith he) nei ther Poverty nor Riches, feed me with food convenient for me. Left I be full, and deny thee, and fay, who is the Lord? Or left I be poor and steal, and take the name of my God in vain, Prov. 30. 8, 9. Extream want is not eafily borne, but Nature pinched hard with it, will ftruggle hard too, even against the Laws of God, to relieve it felf; and if not reftrained by the Power of Grace, will break them all rather than fuffer very much.

Whofo therefore wifely confults the fafety of his own Soul, will not make either of the two extreams his choice: Seeing it is no Wisdom for any one to ensnare himself in Temptations, which require a greater ftrength than a Man's own, to mafter them. It is enough, and (as a great many of us make it too manifeft) too much for moft of us, to manage any confiderable ftock of Riches fo as we ought to do, when by the Providence of God they fall to our fhare, without our feeking for them. It is good advice which Solomon gives us. Prov. 23. 4 Labour not to be rich : Ceafe from thine own Wisdom. We are too apt to account it Wisdom, to fciape up to together as much of the World as we can get, for our felves

and

and our Children; but certainly it is a great Folly to run into trong Temptations. He that maketh baft to be rich, fhall not be innocent, Prov. 28. 20. Therefore, baving Food and Raiment, let us be therewith content, 1 Tim. 6. 8. For this we ought to Labour, and for this we are taught to Pray, faying, Give us this Day our daily Bread.

What then was the Sin of this rich Man? Was it this, that he was clothed in Purple and fine Linnen? It is certain, that it is not always a Sin to` wear fuch clothing. Every one may Cl th himfelf according to his Rank and Quality. And he who is no otherwise apparalled than is fuirable to his Rank, may, tho' he wear Purple and fine Linnen, be more pious and bumble, than a Beggar in his Rags. As God hath ordained, that there fhall be feveral Orders and Degrees of Dignity and Pre-eminence among Men in the World; fo may all these be diftinguifhed, and known afunder by their Habits, which may differ each from other, as well in the matter, as in the form, in the richnefs, as in the fashion. God hath furnished the World with great Variety of Things fit to be worn. The Priests of old had a very rich Attire, and coftly Vestments, even of Gold, and pretious Stones, Purple, and fine Linnen, commanded by God himself, wherein they were to Minister before him in their Offices. Princes and Magiftrates had their Royal Robes, and coftly Ornaments; and were not rebuked or blamed by any of the Prophets for fuch Matters. The bare wearing of fuch coftly and glorious Apparel, was not the fault of this rich Man, fuppofing him to be a Perfon of fuch an Order or Degree, as that this Habit might be fuitable to it:

Was it then his Sin, that he fared fumptuously? Truly, for a rich Man to keep a better Table than the poor can do; to eat better or costlier Meat, and to drink better and costlier drink, than poor Men are able to afford themselves, I cannot think to be a fault, but a thing very decent, And if fuch an one do fometimes feast and fare fumptuously, there may be very good Reafon for it, and then it very well becomes him to do so, rejoicing in God, and obferving the Laws of Moderation, Sobriety and Charity. The best Men in all Ages have used on juft Occafions fuch Jump tuous Feafting. And the Holy JESUS refufed not to go, and be prefent at fuch Feafts, where he was richly entertain'd, and where he himself was pleafed, to add to the richness of the Entertainment, at the expence of a Miracle, turning Water into Wine, Jo. 2.

And yet after all this, I make no question of it, but that our Saviour, by this Defcription which he gives of this rich Man, would teach us what his chief Vices were, for which he was condemned to Hell. Telling us, that he was clothed in Purple and fine Linnen, and that he fared fumptuously every Day; whilft poor Lazarus lay at his Gate full of Sores, and defirous of a small Alms; he doth as good as tell us, that we are to look upon this rich Man, not as a Magistrate, or a Perfon dignified, and fet aloft above his Neighbours, for any real worth was in him, or any Special Service he did to his Prince or Country but as a vain, proud, fenfual and uncharitable Epicure, whatever he was befides, wholly addicted to the Vanities of the World, and the pleasures of the Flesh; all whofe Bufinefs was about the luft of the Eyes, the luft of the Flesh, and the pride of

Life. He was a lover of Pleafures, more than a lover of God, one who had fet his Affections on Things below, placing all his Happiness in raking his fill of this World, and in humoring and gratifying his carnal Mind and Appetite: Or, as we fay, in leading a Gentleman's Life. God had granted him a large Portion of this World's good Things, and in this was his Heart's delight; thefe he loved more than he did the giver of them; and could by no means Efteem himself in any measure happy, without the liberty of abusing them at his Pleafure, and himself with them. He was in the fame Mind with that other rich Man in another Parable. Luke 12. 19. He faid to bis Soul, Soul thou haft much goods laid up for many Years; take thine eafe, eat, drink, and be merry. Never regarding how foon God would call his Soul out of the World, and he should leave all behind him, and he knew not to whom. He confidered not himself to be but a stranger and Sojourner here, as all his Fathers had been before him. He remembered not his Stewardship under God, nor the account which he was fhortly to be called unto; but as if all had been, abfolutely his own, and he had had no other Law to govern himself by, but that brutish Appetite, he Sacrific'd all freely to his Lufts.

His Purple and fine Linnen, were the Demonftrations of his Pride and Vanity. Why did he not content himself with a more modest and homely Drefs? But that he had a mind to appear Some Body in the World. The most splendid and glorious, the most costly and fashionable sort of Ap÷ parel then in Ufe amongst great Ones, fuch as Persons of highest Place and Dignity were wont to wear, he muit needs have to swagger in, and

to fet himself out with to the fight and admiration of Men. What good would his riches do him? if they made him not look like a Gentleman? And tho' wife Men can never be perfwaded, that fine' Cloths can make a Man of a Swine, or a brave Gentleman of a luxurious EpiCare; yet he knew there would be always Fools enough in the World, who never think a Man to be of any more worth, than the Suit he hath on his back, and that he who wants Honour and Worship, needs do no more for it, but go to his Draper and buy it. There always will be fome, who will account him the moft glorious, that glorieth in his fhame; for fo doth he that glori th in his Cloths, which no Man fhould fo much as once think upon, without confidering what a fhame it is to him, that he needs them.

It must be confeffed, that rich Cloaths do not make any one proud, any more than they can make him good or honourable; nor are they always figns of pride in him that weareth them. A Prince or Nobleman may be more bumble in all his outward glory, than the most ragged Beggar; and a Beggar himfelf may wear a rich Suit of Cloaths that's given him, when he hath no other to cover his nakedness, or to keep him warm, and yet be as humble as ever. Yet certain it is, that tho' fine Cloaths cannot make one proud, Pride doth too often make fine Cleaths; and let them never be condemned for me, where Pride, or fomething else as bad, directs not the Buyer or the Tailor. Let every one confider what his Rank and Order calTeth for, and what is well confiftent with Humility, Modefty, Charity and Decency; and he

may