October 6 — Thou shalt not covet, &c.

Consider, first, that, after forbidding the sins and injuries committed by words or actions, God forbids also, in these two last commandments, the sins of thoughts and desires, particularly with relation to avarice and lust; Thou shalt not covet thy neighbourns wife: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's goods. These two kinds of irregular desires and inclinations, suggested by the lust of the flesh and by the love of the mammon of this world, are like a raging pestilence, which has infected the greatest part of mankind from the beginning: like another deluge, they even overflow the earth. Money and carnal pleasures are the two great idols set up by Satan, to confront the living God. To these, men sacrifice their hearts and affections; the young, by the concupiscence of the flesh, the old, by the concupiscence of the eyes; and thus both old and young are for the most part debauched from the love and service of God, and made slaves to sin, d victims to hell. Ah, Christians, never think yourselves nocent, though you keep your hands from stealing, and your dies from fornication or adultery, if you do not, at the same e, keep your eyes and your hearts from coveting. Such you e in the sight of God, as your affections and desires are. If ese are criminal, you cannot be innocent.

Consider, secondly, that by this precept, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, we are commanded to set a guard upon our thoughts, upon our hearts, upon our eyes, and upon all our Other senses, that the fire of concupiscence may not make its way through any of those avenues into our souls, to burn them here with lust, and with the dark flames of hell hereafter. Ab, what have we not to apprehend, from the depraved inclinations of our corrupt nature, if we do not turn away both our senses and our imaginations from all alluring objects, and shut these gates against the first suggestions of evil 1 How much more are aH Christians bound to fly all such occasions as expose them to a more evident and immediate danger of lewd thoughts and desires, as a great part of modern comedies, balls, masquerades, &/C., are known to do, more especially with relation to the younger sort. And yet, alas! how few are there, that are not too fond of these dangerous diversions, which are so near akin to the pomps of Satan, which we renounced at our baptism I

Consider, thirdly, the necessity of restraining also the corrupt inclinations of that other branch of concupiscence, w'hich relates to our neighbour's goods. In order to this, we most, in the first place, renounce and detest all unjust desires, and such as any ways lend to withhold from our neighbour, or deprive him of what, in justice, belongs to him; as also all wishes of his death, that we may come at his possessions; all desires of public or private calamities, for one’s own particular advantage, &c. But then, we must not stop here; we must lay the axe to the root of all these evils, which is the love of this mammon of iniquity; this unhappy vice of covetousness, which if it be not cut iip, and cast out of the heart, will not suffer either justice or grace long to reside there; according to that of the apostle, 1 Tim. vi. 9, 10 — They that will become rich, fall into temptation, and into the snare of the devil, and into many unprofitable and hurtful desires, which drown men into destruction and perdition; for covetousness is the root of all evils.

Conclude to fight till death against both these branches of concupiscence, as capital enemies of the soul, which, if not guarded againk, and overcome, are capable of doing us infinite more harm than all the devils in hell.