*With regard to most of the commandments of God, whether relating to the heart or life, the Heathens of _Afric_ or _America_ stand much on a level, with those that are called Christians. The Christians observe them (a few only being excepted) very near as much as the Heathens. For instance: the generality of the natives of _England_, commonly called Christians, are as sober and as temperate, as the generality of the Heathens, near the _Cape_ of _Good Hope_. And so the _Dutch_ or _French_ Christians, are as humble and as chaste, as the _Choctaw_ or _Cherokee-Indians_. It is not easy to say, when we compare the bulk of the nations in _Europe_ with those in _America_, whether the superiority lies on the one side or the other. At least, the _American_ has not much the advantage. But we cannot affirm this, with regard to the command now before us. Here the Heathen has far the pre-eminence. He desires and seeks nothing more than plain food to eat, and plain raiment to put on. And he seeks this only from day to day. He reserves, he lays up nothing; unless it be, as much corn at one season of the year, as he will need before that season returns. This command, therefore, the Heathens, though they know it not, do constantly and punctually observe. They _lay up for themselves no treasures upon earth_: no stores of purple or fine linen, of gold or silver, which either _moth or rust may corrupt_, or _thieves break through and steal_. But how do the Christians observe, what they profess to receive as a command of the most high God? Not at all; not in any degree; no more than if no such command had ever been given to man. Even the _good Christians_, as they are accounted by others as well as themselves, pay no manner of regard thereto. It might as well be still hid in its original _Greek_, for any notice they take of it. In what Christian city do you find one man of five hundred, who makes the least scruple, of laying up just as much treasure as he can? Of increasing his goods just as far as he is able? There are indeed those who would not do this unjustly: there are many who will neither rob nor steal; and some, who will not defraud their neighbour; nay, who will not gain, either by his ignorance or necessity. But this is quite another point. Even these do not scruple the thing, but the manner of it. They do not scruple the _laying up treasures upon earth_; but the laying them up by dishonesty. They do not start at disobeying _Christ_, but at a breach of Heathen morality. So that even these honest men do no more obey this command, than a highwayman or a house-breaker. Nay, they never designed to obey it. From their youth up, it never entered into their thoughts. They were bred up by their Christian parents, masters and friends, without any instruction at all concerning it: unless it were this, to break it as soon, and as much as they could, and to continue breaking it to their live’s end.