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with the Fruits of fubftantial Piety and Righteoufnefs.

Other are intended to engage us to Affiduity and Earneftness in the great Duty of Prayer.

And, Laftly, there are feveral of his Parables, which are defigned to put us upon Exercising a continual Watchfulness, that we may be always in a Readiness for our Lord's Coming.

All these are manifeftly Things of very great Confequence: And, by taking a brief View of our Saviour's Parables under these feveral Heads, the great Usefulness and Excellency of them will convincingly appear.

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Firft, Some of his Parables are defigned to guard us against an inordinate Love to this prefent World, and to engage us to make a right Use of worldly Riches.

Any one that hath made juft Obfervations upon Mankind, must be fenfible that there is fcarce any Thing of more pernicious Confequence to the Interefts of Religion and Virtue, or which is more apt to lead Men wrong in their whole Course, than a strong Paffion for worldly Riches and Enjoyments, and a Regarding thefe Things as our Happiness. Accordingly this is what our bleffed Lord, this incomparable heavenly Teacher, frequently warnQ4 eth

eth Men against by exprefs Precepts, and by wife and weighty Maxims concerning the great Danger of Riches: But no Words could place this in a fronger and more affecting Light, than that beautiful Parable he propofeth, Luke xii. 16—21. which tendeth to make us fenfible in an eafy and familiar, yet convincing Manner, of the Folly thofe are guilty of who place their chief Happiness in worldly Riches and Poffeffions, and count as fecurely upon enjoying them for many Years to come, as if they had the Time future abfolutely in their own Power; and who think of no other Ufe for their Riches, but to please themselves, and gratify their own carnal Appetites. Our Saviour after having given that excellent Advice, Take Heed and beware of Covetoufness; (by which he there intends not merely a fordid Niggardliness, the Abfurdity of which is generally acknowledged; but an inordinate Love of worldly Riches and Enjoyments ;) for a Man's Life, i. e. the Satisfaction or Happiness of Life, confifteth not in the Abundance of the Things which he poffeffeth; proceeds to illuftrate and inforce it with this most inftructive Parable: The Ground of a certain rich Man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, faying, What fall I do, because I have no Room where to beflow

bestow my Fruits: And he faid, This will I do ; I will pull down my Barns, and build greater, and there will I beftow all my Fruits and my Goods: And I will fay to my Soul, Soul, thou haft much Goods laid up for many Years: Take thine Eafe, eat, drink, and be merry. But God faid unto him, Thou Fool, this Night thy Soul fhall be required of thee: Then whofe fhall thefe Things be which thou haft prowided? And our Lord concludes the Parable with this Application of it: So is he that layeth up Treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God. By thefe last Words he fhews who the rich Men are that he points at; viz. thofe that lay up Treasures for themselves, i. e. have only their own felfish Interefts and Pleasures in View in heaping up Riches, and who employ them in making Provifion for the Flesh to fulfil the Lufts thereof; but are not rich towards God, i. e. do not regard their Riches as a Truft committed to them by God, and take no Care to use them to valuable Parpofes, for the Glory of God and the Good of Mankind.

The Guilt and Danger of rich Mens' giving themselves wholly up to Luxury and Senfuality, with an utter Infenfibility to the Wants and Miferies of others, and without endeavouring to do Good with their Wealth, is alfo reprefented in a very lively and striking Manner, in the Parable of the

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rich Man and Lazarus: Though this PaFable is alfo intended to convey feveral other important Inftructions, as I fhall have Occafion to fhew afterwards.

To thefe Parables may be added another, which is defigned to engage us to be careful to make a right Ufe of worldly Riches, in order to the promoting and fecuring our eternal Happiness. It is drawn from a familiar Inftance of a politic Steward, who, finding that he was to be turned out of his Stewardship, for having wafted his Mafter's Goods, contrived to make his Lord's Debtors his Friends, by giving in their Debts lefs than they really were, that, when he was turned out, they might receive and entertain him. Luke xvi. 1-7. Our Lord's Obfervation upon this is, that the unjuft Steward had acted wifely for the Children of this World are in their Generation wifer than the Children of Light, Ver. 8. i. e. they generally take more proper Measures for fecuring and making Provifion for their carnal Interefts in this prefent World, than thofe that make a Profeffion of Religion do in providing for their Salvation and Happiness in a better World, which they profefs to have principally in View. And then followeth the Application of this Parable: I fay unto you, Make to yourselves Friends of the Mammon of Unrighteousness (a degrading Epithet, by

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which he chufeth to defcribe Riches in general, as being deceitful and fading, and often falling to the Lot of unrighteous Men, and either obtained by unjust Means, or kept and ufed to bad Purposes) that, when ye fail, i. e. when ye leave this World, and are obliged to quit your earthly Treafures, they may receive you (or you may received) into everlafting Habitations. Ver. 9, i. e. Take Care to ufe your worldly Riches in fuch a Manner, by doing Good with them, and employing them for the Purposes of Piety and Charity, that, though of themselves they are often apt to prove Snares and Hindrances,, they may be inftrumental to procure you a more fubftantial and enduring Subftance in a better World. And, confidered in this View, this Parable

is very well fitted to the Purpose for which it is proposed, and it ought not to be pushed farther. Hence, as was fhewn at large in a former Discourse, he took Occafion from every Thing that prefented itfelf to raise fome useful religious or moral Reflections a manifeft Proof of the Divine Temper of

his Mind.

Secondly, It was obferved, that fome of Chrift's Parables are intended to recommend and inculcate an univerfal Benevolence, and a Readiness to do Good to all Men. Remarkable to this Purpofe is the

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