perception, the consciousness of it. What, then, will be the joy of heart which his presence, and the light of his countenance,' who is the life of the universe, will inspire good men with, when they shall have a sensation that he is the sustainer of their being, that they exist in him; when they shall feel his influence to cheer, and enliven, and support their frame, in a manner of which we have now no conception? He will be, in a literal sense,' their strength and their portion for ever.'

When we speak of things so much above our comprehension, as the employment and happiness of a future state, doubtless it behoves us to speak with all modesty and distrust of ourselves. But the Scripture represents the happiness of that state under the notions of seeing God, seeing him as he is, knowing as we are known, and seeing face to face. These words are not general or undetermined, but express a particular determinate happiness. And I will be bold to say that nothing can account for, or come up to these expressions, but only this-that God himself will be an object to our faculties, that he himself will be our happiness, as distinguished from the enjoyments of the present state, which seem to arise, not immediately from him, but from the objects he has adapted to give us delight.

To conclude: let us suppose a person tired with care and sorrow, and the repetition of vain delights which fill up the round of life; sensible that everything here below, in its best estate, is altogether vanity. Suppose him to feel that deficiency of human nature before taken notice of, and to be convinced that God alone was the adequate supply to it—what could be more applicable to a good man in this state of mind, or better express his present wants and distant hopes, his passage through this world as a progress towards a state of perfection, than the following passages in the devotions of the royal prophet? They are plainly in a higher and more proper sense applicable to this than they could be to anything else. I have seen an end of all perfection. Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire in comparison of thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. Like as the hart desireth the water-brooks, so longeth my soul after thee, O God. My soul is athirst for God, yea, even for the living God: When shall I come to appear before him? How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men shall put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be satisfied with the plenteousness of thy house: and thou shalt give them drink of thy pleasures, as out of the river. For with thee is the well of life: And in thy light shall we see light. Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and receivest unto thee: He shall dwell in thy court, and shall be satisfied with the pleasures of thy house, even of thy holy temple. Blessed is the people, O Lord, that can rejoice in thee: they shall walk in the light of thy countenance. Their delight shall be daily in thy name; and in thy righteousness shall they make their boast. For thou art the glory

of their strength; and in thy lovingkindness they shall be exalted. As for me, I will behold thy presence in righteousness: and when I awake up after thy likeness, I shall be satisfied with it. Thou shalt show me the path of life; in thy presence is the fulness of joy, and at thy right hand there is pleasure for evermore.'

SERMON XIII.

Preached before the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor, the Court of Aldermen, the Sheriffs, and the Governors of the several Hospitals of the city of London, at the parish church of St Bridget, on Monday, in Easter- Week, 1740.

The rich and poor meet together: The Lord is the maker of them all.PROV. xxii. 2.

The constitution of things being such that the labour of one man, or the united labour of several, is sufficient to procure more necessaries than he or they stand in need of, which it may be supposed was in some degree the case even in the first ages-this immediately gave room for riches to arise in the world, and for men's acquiring them by honest means; by diligence, frugality, and prudent management. Thus some would very soon acquire greater plenty of necessaries than they had occasion for; and others, by contrary means, or by cross accidents, would be in want of them. And he who should supply their wants would have the property in a proportionable labour of their hands, which he would scarce fail to make use of instead of his own, or, perhaps, together with them, to provide future necessaries in greater plenty. Riches, then, were first bestowed upon the world, as they are still continued in it, by the blessing of God upon the industry of men, in the use of their understanding and strength. Riches themselves have always this source, though the possession of them is conveyed to particular persons by different channels. Yet still the hand of the diligent maketh rich' —(Prov. x. 4), and, other circumstances being equal, in proportion to its diligence.

But to return to the first rich man, whom we left in possession of dependants, and plenty of necessaries for himself and them. A family would not be long in this state, before conveniences, somewhat ornamental, and for entertainment, would be wanted, looked for, and found out. And, by degrees, these secondary wants, and inventions for the supply of them, the fruits of leisure and ease, came to employ much of men's time and leisure. Hence a new species of riches came into the world, consisting of things which it night have done well enough without, yet thought desirable, as affording pleasure to the imagination or the senses. And these went on increasing, till at length the superfluities of life took in a vast

larger compass of things than the necessaries of it. Thus luxury

made its inroad, and all the numerous train of evils its attendants; of which poverty, as bad a one as we may account it, is far from being the worst. Indeed the hands of the generality must be employed, and a very few of them would now be sufficient to provide the world with necessaries; and therefore the rest of them must be employed about what may be called superfluities, which could not be if these superfluities were not made use of. Yet the desire of such things insensibly becomes immoderate, and the use of them almost of course degenerates into luxury; which in every age has been the dissipation of riches, and in every sense the ruin of those who were possessed of them, and therefore cannot be too much guarded against by all opulent cities. And as men sink into luxury, as much from fashion as direct inclination, the richer sort together may easily restrain this vice, in almost what degree they please; and a few of the chief of them may contribute a great deal towards the restraining it. It is to be observed further concerning the progress of riches, that had they continued to consist only in the possession of the things themselves which were necessary, and of the things themselves which were, upon their own account, otherwise desirable, this, in several respects, must have greatly embarrassed trade and commerce, and have set bounds to the increase of riches in all hands, as well as confined them in the hands of a few. But in process of time, it was agreed to substitute somewhat more lasting and portable, which should pass everywhere in commerce, for real natural riches-as sounds had before, in language, been substituted for thoughts. And this general agreement (by what means soever it became general), that money should answer all things, together with some other improvements, gave full scope for riches to increase in the hands of particular persons, and likewise to circulate into more hands. Now this, though it was not the first origin of covetousness, yet it gives greater scope, encouragement, and temptation to covetousness than it had before. And there is, moreover, the appearance that this artificial kind of riches, money, has begot an artificial kind of passion for them; both which follies well-disposed persons must by all means endeavour to keep clear of. For indeed the love of riches is the root of all evil' (1 Tim. vi. 10), though riches themselves may be made instrumental in promoting everything that is good.

The improvement of trade and commerce has made another change, just hinted at, and, I think, a very happy one, in the state of the world, as it has enlarged the middle rank of people, many of which are, in good measure, free from the vices of the highest and the lowest part of mankind. Now these persons must remember that whether, in common language, they do or do not pass under the denomination of rich, yet they really are so with regard to the indigent and necessitous, and that, considering the great numbers which make up this middle rank among us, and how much they mix with the poor, they are able to contribute very largely to their relief, and have in all respects a very great influence over them.

You have heard now the origin and progress of what this great city so much abounds with-riches, as far as I had occasion to speak of these things; for this brief account of them has been laid before you for the sake of the good admonitions it afforded. Nor will the admonitions be thought foreign to the charities which we are endeavouring to promote. For these must necessarily be less, and the occasions for them greater, in proportion as industry should abate or luxury increase; and the temper of covetousness is, we all know, directly contrary to that of charity, and eats out the very heart of it. Then, lastly, there are good sort of people who really want to be told that they are included in the admonitions to be given to the rich, though they do see others richer than themselves.

The ranks of rich and poor being thus formed, they meet togetherthey continue to make up one society. The mutual want, which they still have of each other, still unites them inseparably; but they meet upon a foot of great inequality; for, as Solomon expresses it in brief, and with much force, 'the rich ruleth over the poor.'-(Prov. xxii. 7.) And thus their general intercourse, with the superiority on one hand, and dependence on the other, are in no sort accidental, but arise necessarily from a settled providential disposition of things, for their common good. Here, then, is a real standing relation between the rich and the poor; and the former must take care to perform the duties belonging to their part of it; for these chiefly the present occasion leads me to speak to, from regard to him who placed them in that relation to the poor, from whence those duties arise, and who 'is the Maker of them all.'

What these duties are will easily be seen, and the obligations to them strongly enforced, by a little further reflection upon both these ranks, and the natural situation which they are in with respect to each other.

The lower rank of mankind go on for the most part in some tract of living, into which they got by direction or example; and to this their understanding and discourse, as well as labour, are greatly confined. Their opinions of persons and things they take upon trust: their behaviour has very little in it original, or of home-growth; very little which may not be traced up to the influence of others, and less which is not capable of being changed by such influence. Then, as God has made plentiful provision for all his creatures, the wants of all, even of the poorest, might be supplied, so far as it is fit they should, by a proper distribution of it. This being the condition of the lower part of mankind, consider now what influence, as well as power, their superiors must, from the nature of the case, have over them; for they can instil instruction, and recommend it in a peculiar manner by their example, and enforce it still further with favour and discouragement of various kinds; and experience shows that they do direct and change the course of the world as they please. Not only the civil welfare, but the morals and religion of their fellowcreatures greatly depend upon them; much more, indeed, than they would if the common people were not wanting to their duty. All