be rich, fall into temptation, and a fnare: for the love of money is the root of all evil; which while fome have lufted after, they have erred from the faith. The young man in the gospel is a fad inftance of this kind, who chofe rather to leave Chrift, than to part with his great poffeffions. And fuch a one was Demas, who forfook the Apoftles, and Christianity itself, to cleave to this prefent world. Thus I have done with the first thing I proposed to speak to, the nature of this vice, which our Saviour in the text cautions men fo earnestly against: Take heed, and beware of covetousness. I fhould now proceed, in the fecond place, to fhew the evil and unreasonableness of this vice; but that shall be the fubject of another difcourfe. SERMON XCI. The evil and unreasonableness of covetouf nefs. LUKE XII. 15. And he faid unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness for a man's life confifteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. I The fecond fermon on this text. Have made entrance into a difcourfe upon these words, in which I told you there are three things obfervable. Firft, The manner of the caution which our Saviour here gives, Take heed, and beware. Seconly, The matter of the caution, or the fin which our Saviour here warns his hearers against, Take heed, and beware of covetoufnefs. And, Thirdly, The reafon of this caution, Becaufe a man's life confifteth not in the abundance of the things which be poffefeth. In difcourfing of the fecond of thefe, viz. the matter of the caution, I propofed, 1. To confider wherein the nature of this vice of covetousness does confift. 2. To fhew the evil and unreasonableness of it. The first of thefe I have difpatched, and now go on to the fecond, viz. To fhew the great evil and unreafonablenefs of the vice of covetoufnefs. Now covetoufnefs will appear to be very evil, and unreasonable, upon these following accounts. 1. Because it takes men off from religion, and the care of their fouls. 2. Because it tempts men to do many things which are inconfiftent with religion, and directly contrary to it. 3. Because it is an endless and infatiable defire. 4. Because the happiness of human life doth not confift in riches. 5. Becaufe riches do very often contribute very much to the mifery and infelicity of men. First, Covetoufnefs takes men off from religion, and the care of their fouls. The covetous man is wholly intent upon this world; and his inordinate defire after these things, makes him to neglect God, and the eternal concernments of his foul. He employs all his time, and care, and thoughts, about these temporal things; and his vehement love and eager purfuit of thefe things fteals away his heart from God, robs him of his time, and of all opportunities for his foul, and diverts him from all ferious thoughts of another world, and the life to come. And the reafon of this is that which our Saviour gives, Matth. vi. 24. No man can ferve two mafters for either he will bate the one and love, the other; or else he will held to the one, and defpije the other. Ye cannot ferve God and MAMMON. No man can ferve two mafters fo different as God and the world are; becaufe they will give crofs commands, and injoin contrary things God calls upon us to mind the duties of his worship and ervice, to have a ferious regard to religion, and a diligent care of our fouls: But the cares of the world, and the importunity of bufinefs, and an eager appetite appetite of being rich, call us off from thefe divine and fpiritual employments, or difturb us in them. God calls upon us to bé charitable to those that are in want, to be willing to diftribute, and ready to communicate, to the neceffities of our brethren; but our covetoufnefs pulls us back, and hales us another way, and checks all merciful and charitable inclinations in us. God calls us to felf-denial, and fuffer. ing for the fake of him and his truth, and commands us to prefer the keeping of faith and a good confcience, to all worldly confiderations whatfoever; but the world infpires us with other thoughts, and whispers to us to fave ourselves, not to be righteous over much, and rather to trust God with our fouls, than men with our bodies and estates. If we fet our hearts and affections ftrongly upon any thing, they will partake of the object which they are converfant about; for where our treasure is, (as our Lord hath told us) there will our hearts be alfo. If a great estate be our chief end and defign, if riches be our treasure and our happiness, our hearts will be found among the fluff. We cannot beftow our af fections freely upon two objects. We cannot intenfely love God and the world; for no man can have two ultimate ends, two principal defigns. Our riches may increafe, but if we fet our hearts upon them, and give them the chief place in our affections, we make them our Lord and Mafter. Whatever we make our ulti mate end, we give it a fovereignty and empire over us; we put ourselves under its dominion, and make ourfelves fubject to all its commands. So that if it bid us go, we must go; come, we must come; do this, we must do it; because we are under authority. The world is our mafter, and we are its laves. Now, he that is under the rule and dominion of this master, muft withdraw his obedience from God, and in many cafes decline obedience to his laws. This worldly covetous difpofition was that which made thofe in the parable to make fo many excufes, when they were invited to the fupper, Luke xiv. 18, One had bought a farm, and he could not come; another bad bought fo many yoke of oxen, and there fore fore he defired to be excufed. Riches do fo fill the covetous man's heart, and the cares of the world fo poffefs his mind, that he hath no room left in his foul for any other guests: Intus exiftens prohibet alienum, that which is full already can receive no more. The covetous man's heart is taken up with fuch things as keep out God, and Chrift, and better things. If any man love the world, and the things of it, to this degree, St John tells us, that the love of the Father is not in him. In the parable of the fower, Matth. xiii. 7. our Saviour represents to us, the cares of the world, which choke the word of God, by thorns which fprung up among the feed, and ftified the growth of it. The cares of the world will not fuffer the word of God to take deep root in our hearts, and to have any permanent effect upon them: And Ezek. xxxiii. 31. God gives this as a reason why the people of Ifraef would not hearken to the words of his prophet, because their hearts were upon the world: They come unto thee (fays God there to the prophet) as the people cometh, and they fit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: For with their mouth they fhew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetoufnefs. A heart that is deeply engaged in the world, wil ftand out against all the invitations, and promises, and threatenings of God's word. When the word of God invites fuch perfons, it is like making love to thofe who have already fixed their hearts and affections elsewhere. The promifes and threatenings of the gofpel fignify but very little to fuch men; because their hearts are fet upon worldly things, and all their affections are bent that way all their hopes and defires are worldly; to be rich, and abound in wealth; and all their fears are of poverty and lofs. Now fuch a man can only be mo ved with the promises and threatenings of temporal things for no promifes have any effect upon us, but fuch as are of fome good, which we care for, and value; nor are any threatenings apt to move us, but fuch as are of fome evil which we dread, and are a fraid of. And therefore when eternal life, and the happiness of another world, are offered to a worldly : minded man, he does not defire it, he is not at all fenfible of the value of it; the man's heart is full already of other hopes and defires, and the full foul loatheth the honey-comb. Promife to fuch a man the kingdom of heaven, and the pleafure of God's prefence, and the joys of eternity; this does not fignify to fuch a man any good or happiness that he is fenfible of, or knows how to relifh. And on the other hand, threaten him with the lofs of God, and an eternal feparation from the fountain of happiness, and with the unspeakable anguifh and torments of a long eternity; these things, though they be terrible, yet they are at a distance, and the covetous man is inured to fenfe, and is only to be moved with things present and fenfible: he cannot extend his fears fo far as another world, fo long as he finds himself well, and at ease, as to the things of this prefent life. If we would affect fuch a man, we must offer to his confideration fomething that is fit to work upon him threaten him with breaking open his house, and rifling his coffers, and carrying away his full bags; with questioning his title to his eftate, or starting a precedent mortgage, or fomething of the like nature: thefe things indeed are dreadful and terrible to him; now you speak intelligibly to him, and he understands what you mean. Tell him of a good bargain, or an advantageous purchase, offer him decently a good bribe, or give him notice of a young heir that may be circumvented, and drawn in, then you fay fomething to him that is worthy of his regard and atten. tion; the man may be tempted by fuch offers and promises as thefe: But difcourfe to him with the tongue of men and angels, of the excellency of virtue and goodness, and of the neceffity of it to the obtaining of a glory and happiness that fhall neither have bounds nor end; and lo! thou art unto him as a very lovely fong of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well upon an inftrument; for he bears thy words, but he will not do them, as the prophet expreffeth it, Ezek. xxxiii. 32. Such difcourfes as these they look upon as a fine talk, or a melodious found that vanitheth into air, but leaves no impref |