SERMON XXIII. THE DANGER OF ADVERSITY. BY JOHN WITHERSPOON, D. D. LL. D. PROVERBS XXX. 9. Left I be poor and fleal, and take the name of my God in I vain. PROCEED now to confider the argument by which the Prophet urges the fecond branch of his, requeft, which, in connexion, runs thus-Give me not poverty, left I be poor and steal. Having not only explained the general principle that runs through the whole of this fubject, but also very particularly pointed out the dangers attending an opulent and wealthy ftate; I fhall endeavour to do the fame thing with refpect to a state of poverty and | ftraitness. While I attempt this, I am fincerely forry that there is so much propriety in the fubject, and that it is fo well fuited to the circumftances of the inhabitants of ¦ this place. You fee the Prophet confiders the great and general temptation to which the poor are expofed to be dishoneft, by ufing fraudulent means of relieving their wants, or bettering their condition. You fee also, he confiders this temptation in its progrefs, not only inclining them to act unjustly, but fometimes proceeding to the terrible degree of concealing or fupporting the fraud by faifehood, and perhaps at laft by perjury or falfe fwearing; left I be poor and steal, and take the name of my God in vain. Let us firft confider a little the matter of fact, as it appears in experience, and then a few of its principal causes. As to the first of these, fhall I be afraid to affirm, that extreme poverty often inclines perfons to dishonesty and fraud? Will it be thought harsh and fevere to thofe already fufficiently depreffed? As I would not feem to stand in this place and flatter the pride of the greatest, and most eminent of my fellow-finners, fo neither will I diffemble. the truth from a falfe compaffion for the poor. This would indeed be doing them the greatest poffible injury; It would be treating them, from mistaken tenderness, as the rich are often treated from the fear or partiality of those who are about them; fostering their felf-deceit, and not fuffering them to hear the most falutary truths, because they are not pleafing to the flesh. It is undoubtedly matter of experience, that great poverty makes many take unjuft and unwarrantable methods of procuring relief. Not only fo, but they feem often disposed to justify and defend them, as if they had a title to rectify what they think mistakes of Providence, in the distribution of worldly poffeffions. This, in the event, receives great encouragement from fome who seem to have imbibed a general false principle, and act upon it, both in their own conduct, and in their judg ment ment of others. In the divifion of controverfy, or dividing difputed property, when one party is, or is fuppofed to be rich, and in eafy circumftances, and the other poor, and in a mean condition, they think, that instead of acting according to strict justice, the advantage should always be made to fall to the poorer fide. This conduct is confidered by fome, not only as lawful, but as laudable. It is, however, a false principle, and is condemned in Scripture, which fays, Neither halt thou countenance a poor man in his caufe. It may be thought, perhaps, that the other is the more common and dangerous partiality, and probably it is fo; yet this also is blameworthy, and when followed out, as I am afraid it too often is, must involve numbers unawares in the guilt of stealing; for when they have once laid down this rule, that the poor have fome claim upon the rich, they are ready to apply it to their own cafe, and extend it very far. But in all matters of property, or right and wrong, whether a perfon is rich or poor, ought to be utterly out of the queftion; the only thing to be confidered is, what is just and lawful. The rich, are, indeed, in point of conscience, bound to affift the poor; but this must be their own act; no perfon can take the smallest part of their property without their confent, but he is guilty of an act of injustice, and violation of the law of God. No perfon has a right to make them generous and charitable against their wills, or to exercise their own generofity and charity at their expence. This must be left to the Supreme Judge at the last day, who will fay to them, I was a firanger and ye took me not in, naked and ye clothed me not, fick and in prifon and ye vifited me not. But what will give us the most diftinct view of the influence of poverty as a temptation, is the too frequent conduct of thofe who are reduced from what was once their state to poverty or debt, by misfortune or extravagance, or mifmanagement of their affairs. The temptation of poverty is not by far fo great to those in the meanest ranks of life, whose incomes, though small, is not very difproportionate to what hath always been their condition, as to those who are reduced from a higher to a lower ftate. The few who, in fuch a fituation, preferve their integrity inviolated, and their fincerity of fpeech unfufpected, deferve the highest honour. Nay, I am persuaded that, bad as the world is, every perfon in reduced circumftances would meet with compaffion and affiftance, if all about him were fenfible that he had neither loft his fubftance by neglect, nor wafted it by riot, nor concealed it by fraud. But though we cannot help afcribing fome measure of what is laid to the charge of perfons in this unhappy state, to the rage and refentment of those who have suffered by them; yet, alas! there is too great reason to affirm, that they are too often guilty of prevarication and fraud, the fins mentioned in the text. I will dwell no longer upon the fact, but will confider a little the reasons of it, which will directly ferve to promote the defign of this discourse, by exciting men to concern and folicitude, as well as pointing out the proper means of avoiding the temptation. The general reason of this, to be sure, is obvious to every body, that perfons poverty, being ftrongly folicited by the appetites common to all men, and not having of their own wherewith to gratify their defires, are tempted to lay hold of the property of others. They grudge to fee that others have the enjoyments from which they are debarred; and fince they cannot have them in a lawful, make bold to feize them in an unlawful way. But this I do not insist on, that I may mention one or two particular reasons, which will fuggeft fuitable exhortations to duty. 1. The first I fhall mention, is ignorance. This is peculiarly culiarly applicable to those in the lowest ranks of life. Through poverty they are not fo well inftructed, as they ought to be, in the principles of religion, and the great rules of duty. An ignorant state is almost always a state of fecurity. Their confciences are lefs tender, and they are lefs fenfible of the great evil of prevarication and fraud. I am obliged, in fidelity, to fay, that in the private inspection of my charge, though I have found fome instances both of poverty and fickness borne with the moft pious refignation; there are alfo fome whose condition might move the hardest heart, living in the most fordid poverty, grofsly ignorant, and, at the fame time, fo difpirited, fo flothful, or so proud, that they will do little to obtain knowledge for themselves, or communicate it to their children. Many will not attend upon the public means of inftruction, because they cannot appear in fuch a decent garb as they could wifh; and for the fame reason they keep their children from them, till they contract fuch habits of idleness and vice, that they come out into the world without principle, obftinate and untractable. Is not the duty here very plain? All fuch fhould exert themselves to obtain the knowledge of the things which belong to their peace. They should neither be unwilling nor ashamed to make application for supply; and even the coarfeft raiment fhould not hinder them from appearing in the house of God. Thus they will find acceptance with him, if they worship him in the beauty of holiness, preferable to thofe who are clothed in purple and fine linen, and their hearts are after their covetousness. 2. Another great reafon why poverty becomes a temptation to fraud is, that they are introduced to it insensibly, and led on by degrees. The fin fteals upon them by little and little. People involved in their circumftances, to get rid of importunity and folicitation, make promises, |