ter.

in this place and in some other passages of St. Paul's epistles. First; the covetous man is called an idolaNow there is no proper reason for this, or meaning in it, according to the common sense of the word covetous. For though we may sometimes say that a man idolizes gold, it is only a modern fashion of speaking. It is not intended nor found in the language of the New Testament, nor like that language: but in the sense we are arguing for, it is very just and proper. The character of the heathen idolatry (and this is what St. Paul refers to) was, that it taught immorality instead of morality: that instead of prohibiting and discouraging lewd and licentious practices, it promoted and authorized them by the impurity and indecency of its religious rites-which being the case, it was natural for our apostle to call a man addicted to these vices an idolater; inasmuch as these vices composed the character of that religion, if it deserved the name of religion, and even of its religious worship.

Secondly; in the passage from which our text is taken, v. 13, you read that "it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret ;" and what is here said, evidently refers to the offences before enumerated. But its being a shame to speak of it, and its being done in secret, does not apply to covetousness, in the common sense of the term: there is nothing indecent or shameful in the mention of covetousness in that sense; nor in that sense can it be particularly accused of being

carried on in secret: but of covetousness in the sense we are affixing to it in this place, the inordinate indulgence of vile and licentious desires, both these may be said truly.

In

Thirdly; one can hardly avoid being convinced that we are right in our exposition of the word, when we consider how it stands joined with this sort of sins in other parts of St. Paul's epistles: Col. 3, 5. " Mortify, therefore, your members which are upon earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry." Again, 1 Cor. v. 9. "I wrote unto you in an epistle, not to keep company with fornicators of this world, or with the covetous:" and in the next verse, "but now," says he, "I have written unto you, not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother, be a fornicator or covetous." both these places, covetousness is put in close connexion with fornication, which connexion establishes the sense we give to it. The fourth chapter of the 1st Thess. verse 5th, is equally strong for our purpose, though not quite so obvious: the passage is this "Ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus"-an awful preface-then what follows? "This is the will of God, even your sanctification; that ye should abstain from fornication; that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour, not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God; that no man go beyond, or

defraud his brother in any matter, because that the Lord is the avenger of all such: as we have also forewarned you and testified, for God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness." In this passage the Apostle is discoursing of one class and kind of crimes; and what that class was appears from the concluding clause, "God hath not called us unto uncleanness." Now though the word covetousness does not appear in our translation, it does in the original language; for the word which is translated go beyond in this passage is the word which is translated coveting, covetousness, in the other passages. In each and every one of these passages, it is put as an undoubted and characteristic mark of idolatry. From the term, therefore, being always put by St. Paul in strict and close connexion with fornication, we are authorized to conclude that it bore in his mind, and in his manner of writing, a signification similar to what that term bears.

It may be said, that investigations of this sort are superfluous and minute; but I answer, that when we read such strong texts as the present, "because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience;" it can never be superfluous to ascertain what things the apostle really meant. These declarations are what we have to go by: their true sense, therefore, is of the utmost moment for us to know and in the present instance, I think that it is made out with great certainty, that sins of

debauchery and licentiousness were what the Apostle had specifically in his mind, when he pronounced this condemnation,

The next observation I have to make is, that these sins were then common amongst the heathen that the Christians, before their conversion, had been addicted to them; that those who practised them were endeavouring, under various pretexts, to draw others to be partakers with them; that these pretexts were to be resisted by the consideration that, let the slaves or the advocates of those vices say what they will, "the wrath of God, because of these, cometh upon the children of disobedience." These sins were so common amongst the idolatrous heathens, that they were emphatically called idolatry itself, and that in all the different passages which have been quoted. Again, some of the Christians themselves, before their conversion, had been addicted to them. "Ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord; walk as children of the light." And more express in the Epistle to the Colossians, speaking of the same practices: "In the which," says he, "ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them." Thirdly; those who practised these crimes were endeavouring, by various practices, to draw in others to be partakers with them : "Be not ye partakers with them. Let no man deceive you with vain words: have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness." was the state and character of the times.

This This was

the situation of the persons whom St. Paul so earnestly admonishes. And in similar situations, the like admonitions will be always necessary. For I take upon me to say, that whensoever any licentious practice becomes common in the country, palliatives and excuses, salvos and subterfuges, will never be wanting to draw in and encourage the timid and apprehensive who are entering upon such courses, as well as to fortify and to harden those who are actually and deeply engaged in them; that there will always be found, as I said before, deceivers ; and likewise persons very willing, not to say desirous, to be deceived; that, as it was in St. Paul's time, so since, so now, so hereafter, it will be the case, that those who give a loose to such practices will endeavour by many vain words, by various forced and futile reasons, both to make themselves as easy as they can in the course which they are following, and to bring others, first to relax in their own condemnation of such examples, and then to imitate them. When this once happens (and it happens to all of us), that is the very case in which we ought to recollect St. Paul's powerful warning, delivered under circumstances perfectly similar to those which we experience

"Let no man deceive you with vain words;" with artful salvos and subterfuges, with contrived excuses and extenuations; for the solemn truth remains, and so you will find it to be, that "because of these things, cometh the wrath of God on the children of disobedience."