SERM ON VIII.

Happiness consisteth not in Abundance.

[ From Doctor SOUTH'S Fourth Volume.]

LUKE Xii. latter Part of ver. 15. -A man's life confifteth not in the abundance of the things which he poffeffeth.

T

HESE words are an answer of our
Saviour, to an argument formed in

the minds of moît men, in the behalf of covetoufnefs; which grounding itself upon that univerfal principle, that all men defire to make their life in this world as happy as they can, proceed to the main conclufion by these two fteps; to wit, that riches are the direct and proper means to acquire this happiness, and covetoufnefs the proper way to get and obtain riches,

The ground of which arguments, namely, that every man may defign to himself as much happiness in this life, as by all lawful means he can compafs, our Saviour allows, and contradicts not in the leaft; as being indeed the first, and most native result of those principles, which every man brings into the world with him. But as for the two confequences drawn from thence; the first of them, — that riches are the direct and proper means to acquire happiness, our Saviour denies, as abfolutely false; and the fecond, that covetoufnefs is the proper way to obtain riches, he doth by no means allow for certainly true, though he doth not fet himfelf here directly to difprove it, but only infifts upon the falsehood of the former confequence, in order to demonftrate the inability of riches for the attainment of true happiness, and thereby to make good the main point infifted on, that man's life confifteth not in the abundance of the things which be poffeffeth.

Where by life, I fuppofe, there can be no need of proving, that our Saviour doth not here mean life barely and ftrictly so

taken,

taken, and no more; which is but a poor thing (God knows); but by life, according to an ufual way of expreffion, he understands the happiness of life, in the very fame fense wherein St. Paul takes this word in 1 The, ii. 8. Now (fays he) we live, if we stand fast in the Lord: i. e. we live with comfort, and a fatisfactory enjoyment of ourselves.

Now that riches, wealth, and abundance are not, as men are apt to perfuade themselves, fuch fure unfailing causes of that felicity, which the grand defires of their nature fo eagerly prefs after, will appear from these following confiderations.

FIRST, That no man, generally speaking, acquires or takes poffeffion of the riches of this world, but with great toil and labour, and that very frequently even to the utmost fatigue. The first and leading curfe, which God pronounced upon mankind in Adam, was, that in the sweat of his face he should eat bread. And if it be a curse for a man to be forced: to toil for his bread, i.e. for the most neceffary fupport of life; how doth he heighten

and

and multiply the curfe upon himself, who toils for fuperfluities, and fpends his time and ftrength in hoarding up that, which he has no real need of; and which, it is ten to one, but he may never have any occafion for. For fo is all that wealth, which exceeds fuch a competence, as anfwers the prefent occafions and wants of nature. And when God comes to account with us, let our own measures be what they will, he will confider no more.

Now certain it is, that the general stated way of gathering riches, must be by labour, and travail; by ferving other men's needs, and profecuting their business, and thereby doing our own. For there is a general intercourse of these two; which circulates, and goes about the world, and governs all the affairs of it; one man's labour being the ftated price of another man's money; that is to fay, let my neighbour help me with his art, skill, or ftrength, and I will help him in proportion with what I poffefs.

And this is the original caufe and reafon, why riches come not without toil and labour; this, I fay, is the original cause,

-for, it is certain, the world being once fettled, eftates come to be transmitted to many by inheritance; and fuch need nothing else to render them wealthy, but only to be born into the world. Sometimes alfo, riches fall into men's hands by favour or fortune; but this is but feldom, and these make but a small number in comparison of thofe, who get what they have by dint of labour, and severe travail. And therefore, (as I said at first), this is not the common ftated way, which providence allows men to grow rich by.

But now, can any man reconcile temporal happiness to perpetual toil? or can he enjoy any thing truly, who never enjoys his eafe? I mean, that lawful ease, which God allows, and nature calls for, upon the viciffitudes of reft and labour. But he who will be vaftly rich, must bid adieu to his reft, and refolve to be a flave, and a drudge all his days. And at laft, when his time is spent in heaping up, and the heap is grown big, and calls upon the man to enjoy it, his years of enjoyment are past, and he must quit the world, and die like a fool, only to leave his fon, or his