words, by a rich child of the Devil, and a poor child of God: What: shall we say, if other circumstances being equal, she prefer the rich man to the good man? It is plain, her eye is not single; therefore her foolish heart is darkened, and how great is that darkness, which makes her judge gold and silver a greater recommendation than holiness! Which makes a child of the Devil, with money, appear more amiable to her than a child of God without it! What words can sufficiently express the inexcusable folly of such a choice! What a laughing-stock, (unless she severely repent,) will she be to all the devils in hell, when her wealthy companion has dragged her downto his own place of torment! 7. Are there any of you that are present before God, who are concerned in any of these matters? Give me leave, "with great plainness of speech," to apply to your consciences "in the sight of God." You, whom God hath intrusted with sons or daughters, is your eye single in choosing partners for them? What qualifications do you seek in your sons and daughters-in-law? Religion or riches? Which is your first consideration? Are you not of the old Heathen's mind, "Seek money first: Let virtue then be sought." Bring the matter to a point. Which will you prefer? A rich Heathen, or a pious Christian? A child of the Devil with an estate, or the child of God without it? A lord or gentleman, with the Devil in his heart? (He does not hide it: his speech bewrayeth him,) or a tradesman, who, you have reason to believe, has Christ dwelling in his heart? O how great is that darkness which makes you prefer a child of the Devil to a child of God! Which causes you to prefer the poor trash of worldly wealth, which flies as a shadow, to the riches of eternal glory! 8. I call upon you more especially, who are called Methodists. In the sight of the great God, upwards of fifty years I have administered unto you, I have been your servant for Christ's sake. During this time I have given you many solemn warnings on this head. I now give you one more, perhaps the last. Dare any of you, in choosing your calling or situation, eye the things on earth, rather than the things above? In choosing a profession, or a companion for life for your child, do you look at earth or heaven? And can you deliberately prefer, either for yourself or your offspring, a child of the Devil with money, to a child of God without it? Why the very Heathens cry out, O curvæ in terras animæ, et celestium inanes ! O souls bowed down to earth, strangers to heaven! Repent, repent of your vile earthly-mindedness! Renounce the itle of Christians, or prefer, both in your own case, and the case of your children, grace to money, and heaven to earth. For the time to come, at least, let your eye be single, that your whole body may be full of light! BRISTOL, Sept. 25, 1789. SERMON CXXI. ON WORLDLY FOLLY. "But GoD said unto him, Thou Fool!"-LUKE xii. 20. BUT one of these fools is commonly wiser in his own eyes than seven men that can render a reason. If it were possible for a Christian, for one that has the mind which was in Christ, to despise any one, he would cordially despise those, who suppose they are the men, and wisdom shall die with them! You may see one of these painted to the life, in the verses preceding the text. "The ground of a certain rich man," says our blessed Lord, " brought forth plenteously." ver. 16, &c. "And he reasoned within himself, saying, What shall I do? for I have no room where to bestow my fruits, And he said, this will I do, I will pull down my barns, and build greater, and there will I bestow all my goods and my fruits. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years take thy ease; eat, drink, and be merry:' but God said unto him, Thou fool!" I propose, by the assistance of God, I. To open and explain these few words; and, II. To apply them to your Consciences. I. 1. To open and explain them. A little before, our Lord had been giving a solemn caution to one who spoke to him about " dividing his inheritance." "Beware of covetousness: for the life of a man," that is, the happiness of it, "does not consist in the abundance of the things that he possesseth." To prove and illustrate this weighty truth, our Lord relates this remarkable story. It is not improbable, it was one that had lately occurred, and that it was fresh in the memory of some that were present. "The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plenteously." The riches of the ancients consisted chiefly in the fruits of the earth.. "And he said within himself, What shall I do?" The very language of want and distress! The voice of one that is afflicted and groaning under his burden: What shalt thou do? Why, are not those at the door, whom God. hath appointed to receive what thou canst spare? What shalt thou do? Why, disperse abroad, and give to the poor. Feed the hungry. Clothe the naked. Be a father to the fatherless, and a husband to the widow. Freely thou hast received; freely give. O no! He is wiser than this comes to: he knows better than so. 999 2. "And he said, This will I do;" without asking God's leave, or thinking about him any more than if there were no God in heaven or on earth," I will pull down my barns, and build greater, and there will I bestow all my goods and all my fruits." My fruits! They are as much thine as the clouds that fly over thy head! As nuch as the winds that blow around thee; which, doubtless, thou canst hold in thy fists! "And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years." "Soul, thou hast much goods!" Are then corn, and wine, and oil, the goods of an immortal spirit? "Laid up for many years." Who told thee so? Believe him not; he was a liar from the beginning. He could not prolong thy life, if he would. (God alone is the giver of life and death.) And he would not if he could, but would immediately drag thee to his own sad abode. "Soul, take thy ease, eat, drink, and be merry!" How replete with folly and madness is every part of this wonderful soliloquy! "Eat and drink!" Will thy spirit then eat and drink? Yea, but not of earthly food! Thou wilt soon eat livid flame, and drink of the lake of fire burning with brimstone. But wilt thou then drink and be merry? Nay, there will be no mirth in those horrid shades. Those caverns will resound with no music, but "weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth." 3. But while he was applauding his own wisdom, “God said unto him, Thou fool! This night shall thy soul be required of thee. And then whose shall those things be, which thou hast prepared ?" 4. Let us consider his words a little more attentively. He said within himself, "What shall I do?" And is not the answer ready? Do good. Do all the good thou canst. Let thy plenty supply thy neighbour's wants, and thou wilt never want something to do. Canst thou find none that need the necessaries of life? That are pinched with cold or hunger? None that have not raiment to put on? Or a place where to lay their heads? None that are wasted with pining sickness? None that are languishing in prison? If you duly consider our Lord's words, "The poor have you always with you ;" you would no more ask, "What shall I do ?" 5. How different was the purpose of this poor madman! "I will pull down my barns, and build greater, and there will I bestow all my goods." You may just as well bury them in the earth, or cast them into the sea. This will just as well answer the end, for which God intrusted you with them. 6. But let us examine a little farther the remaining part of his resolution. "I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years, take thy ease, eat, drink, and be merry.” What, are these the goods of a never-dying spirit? As well may thy body feed on the fleeting breeze, as thy soul on earthly fruits. Excellent counsel then to such a spirit, to eat and drink! to a spirit made equal to angels; made an incorruptible picture of the God of glory; to feed not on corruptible things, but on the Fruit of the Tree of Life, which grows in the midst of the Paradise of God. 7. It is no marvel then, that God should say unto him, "Thou fool!" For this terrible reason, were there no other: "This night shall thy soul be required of thee !" "And art thou born to die, To lay this body down? And must thy trembling spirit fly Into a land unknown? A land of deepest shade, Unpierc'd by human thought; "And whose then shall all the things be which thou hast provided?" II. 1. The second thing which I proposed was, to apply these considerations, which, it is certain, are some of the most important that can enter into the heart of man. In one sense, indeed, they have been applied already, for, what has been said, has been all application. But I wish every one who hears or reads these words, directly to apply them to his own soul. 2. Does it not concern every one that hears,-"The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully," to inquire, Was this ever the case with me? Have I now, or have I ever heretofore, had more worldly goods given than I wanted? And what were my thoughts upon the occasion? Did I say in my heart, What shall I do? Was I distressed by my abundance? Did I think, "I have much goods laid up for many years?" Many years! Alas! What is thy life, if protracted to its utmost span? Is it not a vapour, that just appeareth, and vanisheth away! Say not then, I will pull down my barns; but say to God in the secret of thy heart, Lord, save, or I perish. See, my riches increase: let me not set my heart upon them. Thou seest I stand upon slippery ground; do thou undertake for me! "Uphold me, Saviour, or I fall! O reach me forth thy gracious hand; Only by faith in thee I stand !" See, Lord, how greatly my substance increases! Nothing less than thy almighty power can prevent my setting my heart upon it, and being crushed lower than the grave! 3. I ask thee, O Lord, hat shall I do? First of all, endeavour to be deeply sensible of thy danger, and make it matter of earnest and constant prayer, that thou mayest never lose that sense of it. Pray that thou mayest always feel thyself standing on the brink of a precipice. Meantime let the language of thy heart be, "Having more means, I will do more good, by the grace of God, than ever I did before. All the additional goods, which it hath pleased God to put into my hands, I am resolved to lay out with all diligence, in additional works of mercy. And hereby I shall lay up for myself a sure foundation, that I may attain eternal life."" 4. Thou no longer talkest of thy goods or thy fruits, knowing they are not thine, but God's. The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof: He is the Proprietor of heaven and earth. He cannot divest himself of his glory: he must be the Lord, the possessor of all that is. Only he hath left a portion of his goods in thy hands, for such uses as he has specified. How long he will be pleased to lodge them with thee, thou dost not yet know; perhaps only till tomorrow, or to-night. Therefore talk not, think not of many years. Knowest thou not, that thou art a creature of a day, that is crushed before the moth? That the breath which is in thy nostrils may be taken away at a moment's warning? That it may be resumed by him that gave it, at a time thou thinkest not of it? How knowest thou, but the next time thou liest down on thy bed, thou mayest hear, "This night shall thy soul be required of thee." 5. Is not thy life as unstable as a cloud? Fluctuating as a bubble on the water? It fleeth as it were a shadow, and never continueth in one stay. "Many years!" Who is sure of one day? And is it not an instance both of the wisdom and goodness of God, that he holds thy breath in his own hand, and deals it out from moment to moment, that thou mayest always remember, to "live each day, as if it were the last." And after the few days thou shalt have spent under the sun, how soon will it be said, "A heap of dust is all remains of thee; "Tis all thou art, and all the proud shall be." 6. Consider again, the exquisite folly of that saying, "Soul, thou hast much goods." Are then the products of the earth, food for a heaven-born spirit? Is there any composition of earth and water, yea, though air and fire be added thereto, which can feed those beings of a higher order? What similitude is there between those ethereal spirits, and these base-born clods of earth? Examine the rest of this wise soliloquy, and see how it will apply to yourself! "Soul, take thy ease!" O vain hope! Can ease to a spirit spring out of the ground? Suppose the soil were ever so improved, can it yield such a harvest? "Eat, drink, and be merry!" What! can thy soul eat and drink, "Manna such as angels eat, Pure delight for spirits fit?" But these do not grow on earthly ground; they are only found in the paradise of God. 7. But, suppose the voice which commands life and death, pronounce, "This night thy soul shall be required of thee; then whose are all those things thou hast provided?" Alas! They are not thine! Thou hast no longer any part or lot in any of the things that are under the sun. Thou hast then no more share in any of these things. |