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his parents, whatever conduct he might pursue. Every young person should be taught that he has a certain part to act in the world, for which he is accountable to the Great Lord of all-that his happiness or misery in this world, (under God,) is dependent upon himself and the course he pursues-that he ought not to live merely for the gratification of his own humour or pleasure, but for the good of mankind—and that there are certain physical and morál laws which he can never violate without feeling a corresponding punishment.

But, if a parent act on a different principle; if he indulge his covetous disposition for the purpose of enriching his children, and give them reason to expect that they shall inherit wealth and independency, when he shall have left the world, the worst consequences may ensue, both to himself and to his offspring. When children begin to discover that the penurious disposition of their parents is a mean cringing vice, they will be led to conclude that extravagance is a virtue, and thus a broad path will be opened for licentious conduct in the future part of their lives. They are trained up in the idea, that their parents are accumulating a mass of wealth, which they are destined one day to spend, and they live under restraints and privations, which they hope the death of their parents will soon remove. The children of very covetous parents are frequently found in this situation. The old men die, and we immediately behold the children entering on the career of gaiety and licentiousness, and running headlong to poverty and destruction; and, instead of feeling grateful to their parent for the riches he had accumulated, can scarcely conceal their joy, that they are removed from under his restraints. The moment of his death, is the signal for the plunder of his penurious savings. "I never knew the son of a miser," says a certain writer, "either feeling or expressing the least gratitude for the means which his father had employed to amass his fortune. The heir of this kind of wealth receives it as a debt which has been long due, and which has been recovered by a vexatious law-plea. He may dispute the sum, but he will not esteem the person who has prevented him from enjoy

It would be impossible to describe all the variety of manœuvres by which covetousness is, in this way, displayed, even by multitudes who consider themselves as followers of Christ; and, therefore, I shall only glance at some of the nefarious means which are frequently employed. Among other well-known practices, are the following: varnishing over deteriorated articles with a fair outside, in order to deceive the purchaser, and to prevent the real state of the commodity from being perceived. Hence, a pound of butter has frequently been found with a quantity of Scotch porridge in its interior; milk mixed with chalk and water; sugar mixed with white sand; the under part of a chest of tea of an inferior quality to that of the top; and many such frauds and deceptions, best known to the nefarious trader. Other practices are, taking advantage of ignorance to pass off an unsaleable commodity, and asking more than the just value of whatever is offered for sale; in a merchant denying the goods which he has in his possession, when there is the prospect of an advancing price; in his overcharging for the articles of which he is disposing, and undervaluing those he intends to purchase; in using light weights and deficient measures, when there is little prospect of their being detected; in the jealousies, slanders, and evil surmising which one trader harbours, and endeavours slyly to throw out against another; in their attempts to extol their own articles beyond their just value, and to depreciate the characters and the commodities of their neighbours; in their engaging in smuggling and other unchristian modes of traffic; in taking advantage of the necessities of the poor and unfortunate, in order to procure their goods at half their value; in selling spiritous liquors to the worthless and dissipated, whether men, women, or children, to swell the list of "transgressors among men," merely for the sake of the paltry profit of such a traffic; in trafficking in wind-bills, bribing the officers of justice for the liberty of continuing a nefarious trade, and in a thousand other modes which the fraudulent dealer alone is best qualified to describe. In all such transactions, not only is covetousness displayed, but a principle of falsehood runs through

all his mercantile negotiations, so that every fraudulent trader is of necessity a systematic liar.

I have known high-flying professors of religion guilty of most of the frauds to which I now allude. I have known a merchant, an office-bearer in a Christian church, who, by a dexterous mode of measuring his cloth, kept off nearly an inch from every yard, and who charged a higher price for his commodities than any of his neighbours; another of the same pretensions, who seemed to consider himself, as holier than others, who possessed a considerable quantity of wealth along with a good business, and who could, notwithstanding, degrade himself and gratify his avarice, by selling drams and gills of whiskey and gin over his counter, to dissipated women, and all others who chose to be his customers. I have seen such practices in the shop even of the mayor of a large town, who was also a distinguished member of the church. I have known others of similar religious pretensions, who have engaged in smuggling spiritous liquors, paper, teas, and other commodities, who have even forged excise stamps, and who seemed to consider such practices as nowise inconsistent with the principles of Christianity. I have known such whose weights and measures were deficient, whose quartern loaves were from five to ten ounces below the just standard, and whose butter, when exposed to sale in the public market, has been frequently seized by police officers, on account of its deficiency in weight. I have seen the confidence of their brethren in this way grossly abused by their assumed character of piety and rectitude, and have been sometimes tempted to suspect the honour and honesty of every one who made high pretensions to sanctity and evangelical religion. Yet many such nefarious practices are overlooked in Christian churches, as scarcely worthy of censure, especially if the guilty individuals have a large share of wealth, and regularly attend the public ordinances of religion. Were it expedient in the present case, numerous examples of the above description might be brought forward.

Another way in which merchants display their covetous disposition is, by toiling their apprentices and servants,

It would be impossible to describe all the variety of manœuvres by which covetousness is, in this way, displayed, even by multitudes who consider themselves as followers of Christ; and, therefore, I shall only glance at some of the nefarious means which are frequently employed. Among other well-known practices, are the following: varnishing over deteriorated articles with a fair outside, in order to deceive the purchaser, and to prevent the real state of the commodity from being perceived. Hence, a pound of butter has frequently been found with a quantity of Scotch porridge in its interior; milk mixed with chalk and water; sugar mixed with white sand; the under part of a chest of tea of an inferior quality to that of the top; and many such frauds and deceptions, best known to the nefarious trader. Other practices are, taking advantage of ignorance to pass off an unsaleable commodity, and asking more than the just value of whatever is offered for sale; in a merchant denying the goods which he has in his possession, when there is the prospect of an advancing price; in his overcharging for the articles of which he is disposing, and undervaluing those he intends to purchase; in using light weights and deficient measures, when there is little prospect of their being detected; in the jealousies, slanders, and evil surmising which one trader harbours, and endeavours slyly to throw out against another; in their attempts to extol their own articles beyond their just value, and to depreciate the characters and the commodities of their neighbours; in their engaging in smuggling and other unchristian modes of traffic; in taking advantage of the necessities of the poor and unfortunate, in order to procure their goods at half their value; in selling spiritous liquors to the worthless and dissipated, whether men, women, or children, to swell the list of "transgressors among men," merely for the sake of the paltry profit of such a traffic; in trafficking in wind-bills, bribing the officers of justice for the liberty of continuing a nefarious trade, and in a thousand other modes which the fraudulent dealer alone is best qualified to describe. In all such transactions, not only is covetousness displayed, but a principle of falsehood runs through

all his mercantile negotiations, so that every fraudulent trader is of necessity a systematic liar.

I have known high-flying professors of religion guilty of most of the frauds to which I now allude. I have known a merchant, an office-bearer in a Christian church, who, by a dexterous mode of measuring his cloth, kept off nearly an inch from every yard, and who charged a higher price for his commodities than any of his neighbours; another of the same pretensions, who seemed to consider himself as holier than others, who possessed a considerable quantity of wealth along with a good business, and who could, notwithstanding, degrade himself and gratify his avarice, by selling drams and gills of whiskey and gin over his counter, to dissipated women, and all others who chose to be his customers. I have seen such practices in the shop even of the mayor of a large town, who was also a distinguished member of the church. I have known others of similar religious pretensions, who have engaged in smuggling spiritous liquors, paper, teas, and other commodities, who have even forged excise stamps, and who seemed to consider such practices as nowise inconsistent with the principles of Christianity. I have known such whose weights and measures were deficient, whose quartern loaves were from five to ten ounces below the just standard, and whose butter, when exposed to sale in the public market, has been frequently seized by police officers, on account of its deficiency in weight. I have seen the confidence of their brethren in this way grossly abused by their assumed character of piety and rectitude, and have been sometimes tempted to suspect the honour and honesty of every one who made high pretensions to sanctity and evangelical religion. Yet many such nefarious practices are overlooked in Christian churches, as scarcely worthy of censure, especially if the guilty individuals have a large share of wealth, and regularly attend the public ordinances of religion. Were it expedient in the present case, numerous examples of the above description might be brought forward.

Another way in which merchants display their covetous disposition is, by toiling their apprentices and servants,

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