Some general directions for a comfortable walking with God delivered in the lecture at…Some generall directions for a comfortable walking with God deliuered in the lecture at…

If it fall in love with riches, it breeds and brings forth covetousness, the vilest, and basest of all the infections of the soul, in the most contemptible, and dunghill disposition. For this kite-footed corruption wheresoever it seizeth, and domineers, blasts, and banisheth all nobleness of spirit, natural affection, humanity, discretion, reason, wisdom, manliness, mutual entertainments, intercourse of kindness, and love; and turns all, even the soul it self, into earth and mud. It draws by a cunning reserved baseness, all occasions, circumstances, advantages, wit, policy, ⟨p. 229⟩even friends, and acquaintance; nay religion, conscience, and all to be serviceable, and contributary to a greedy wolf, and raging gangrene of hoarding up Gold, and worldly pelf. In a word, it makes a man with a Bedlam cruelty to contemn himself, body and soul, for a little transitory trash; wilfully to abandon both the comfortable enjoyment of the short time of this present mortality, and all hope of the length of that blessed eternity to come. And as the object of it is most earthly, base, and incompetent, so of all other vile affections, it is most sottishly, and senselessly unsatisfiable. For how is it possible that earth should feed or fill the immaterial, and heaven-borne spirit of a man? It can not be, and the Spirit of God hath said, it shall not be. Eccles. 5. 10. & 4. 8. He that loveth silver, shall not be satisfied with silver. The eye is not satisfied with riches. Hence it is, that the deepelier and more eagerly the dropsy heart of the covetous man doth drink of this golden stream, the more furiously still it is inflamed with unsatiable thirst: nay certain it is, that if he should purchase, and possess a Monopoly of all the wealth in the world; were he able to empty the Western parts of Gold, and the East of all her Spices, and precious things; should he enclose the whole face of the earth from one end of heaven to another, and heap up his hoard to the stars; yet his heart would be as hungry after more riches, as if he had never a penny, and much more.

If it fall in loue with riches, it breeds and brings forth couetousnesse, the vilest, and basest of all the infections of the soule, in the most contemptible, and dunghill disposition. For this kyte-footed corruption wheresoeuer it seizeth, and domineeres, blasts, and banisheth all noblenesse of spirit, naturall affection, humanity, discretion, reason, wisedome, manlinesse, mutuall entertainements, entercourse of kindnesse, and loue; and turnes all, euen the soule it selfe, into earth and mudde. It drawes by a cunning reserued basenesse, all occasions, circumstances, aduantages, witte, policy,