صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

thou a king? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice."—"The weapons of our warfare," said Paul, "are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds: casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."

Once more here, this passage is unfavourable to ministers engaging in secular business, and especially, in public civil offices. Even where the object is one of pure benevolence, and not likely to excite a prejudice against those who engage in it, but rather calculated to endear them to all parties, the appointment of the deacons in the Acts of the Apostles, to take care of the poor, that the twelve might not leave the word of God to serve tables, but give themselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word, proves that ministers ought not to get so involved in the management of temporal charities, as would, in any considerable degree, interfere with their own proper duty of promoting the spiritual good of the people. Still more obvious, however, is the impropriety of their engaging in what is not so plainly benevolent, or, in what, though it may be useful and acceptable to some, must disappoint, and is therefore very likely to displease others. Should the business of arbitration, in order to prevent law-suits by private settlement, be thought an exception, a careful perusal of the first part of the 6th chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, in which that point is treated, will show that ordinary members, and not the public teachers of the Church, are to be looked to chiefly for that very useful work. As to their formal appointment to the office of magistrates, or judges, few things can be more improper.* Nor ought they to act a prominent part in any thing which, in reference to the passing affairs of life, might fairly subject them to the imputation of being, in any undue degree, party-men. Like other men, they must be supposed to have their own opinions; but it is only where conscience, enlightened by the Word of God, requires it, that they should take any active part. Those who undertake to propose to sinners of all parties the humble and self-denying doctrines and

Surely the appointment of ministers as justice of peace is very objectionable.

duties of the Gospel, have prejudices enow to encounter, without needlessly exciting more. Nor ought any secular business, or any amusements, to be engaged in by them, which would, in any hurtful degree, withdraw their hearts, or their time, from their sacred functions. "No man that warreth," says Paul to Timothy, "entangleth himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier."- "Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them."

This

But, to proceed with the passage before us;-though our Lord declined interfering in the dispute, he, according to his usual custom, took occasion, from the application which was made, to suggest most important instruction to his hearers. As it was certain that covetousness, in one of the parties at least, if not in both, was the cause of the dispute, he laid hold on the circumstance to found on it a strong general caution against that sin. "He said unto them," that is, to the whole crowd, as well as to his disciples, " Take heed, and beware of covetousness." The word rendered covetousness, signifies having, or rather, the desire of having, more, that is, more than what is our own, or, more than Providence allots to us: and we are also guilty of covetousness, if we set our hearts chiefly on the things of this life, and make them the object of our supreme, or very anxious, desire, however honestly we may conduct ourselves. caution Christ enforces, first of all, by the following reason, "For a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. ."* This is plainly true of the life of the soul, or man's immortal interest. The wealth of the whole world has no value in reference to salvation. "We are redeemed not with corruptible things as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." Let no man, therefore, dream of putting his property, or any application of his property, however apparently charitable, or pious, in the room of the free grace of God, flowing through the righteousness of Christ, received by faith. But this assertion is also true of the life of the body, or temporal life. A man's life consisteth not, or is not dependent on, abundance, nor is it secured by it. The mere continuance of his life is dependent, not on super* Non possidentem multa vocaveris Recte beatum: rectius occupat Nomen, &c.

Hor. Carm. lib. iv. 9.

Τα ἀγαθα έξω μη ζητειτε· ἐν ἑαυτοις ζητειτε· εἰ δε μη, οὐκ εὑρησετε.

Epict. iii. 7.

66

fluities, but necessaries. It is certain, too, that no wealth can prolong a man's life, when the appointed time of his removal is come. The grim messenger will not be bribed away from doing his office. The rich cannot purchase a reprieve then, either for themselves, or for their friends. These words in the 49th Psalm, are to be understood in this literal sense, as well as in reference to salvation: They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; none of them can by any means redeem his brother, or give to God a ransom for him: (for the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever) that he should live for ever and not see corruption." The credit of a man's life does not consist in the abundance of the things which he possesseth: for, wealth, abused to impiety and profligacy, becomes the means of elevating some to a conspicuous pinnacle of shame, while, in the midst of virtuous poverty, many are truly respectable, in the eyes both of God and of man. Nor, while this life lasts, does even the happiness of it depend on such abundance. No doubt, there are various comforts which wealth can purchase, and which are not to be despised; but too much value must not be attached to them: much more is generally expected from them than experience justifies. There is much more comparative temporal enjoyment in the lowlier walks of life, where good principle and good conduct prevail, than the votaries of this world's riches and honours imagine. Temperance is favourable to health, and labour, to good spirits and to repose: and there are a thousand cares to vex the ambitious and the high, to which the contented and the lowly are strangers. Where there are the renewed and humble heart, trust in Providence, the hope of glory, and domestic peace, there life is truly happy, much more happy than in the gayest scenes of fashion and irreligion. "He that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast. Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure, and trouble therewith. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith."- “Better is a dry morsel and quietness therewith, than a house full of sacrifices, with strife." So says the wisest of men: and with him agrees the Psalmist," A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked." Wealth, in many cases, is accompanied with much care and trouble: and it is, even in the most favourable cases, altogether insufficient to give satisfaction."I had great possessions of great and small

66

cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me," said Solomon, "I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings, and of the provinces:" " and whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them; I withheld not my heart from any joy."“And, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun." A pious spirit of dependence on the providence and grace of God, is necessary to the enjoyment of temporal life, and to the very existence of spiritual life; "for a man liveth not by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

The

Still farther to illustrate and enforce the caution he had given against covetousness, our Lord spoke the parable of the rich fool. The case supposed in this parable, it is important to observe, is by no means one of the worst. man is not said to have got his riches by oppression, extortion, or fraud; neither is he said to have been what we call a miser. He had extensive grounds, which, by good management, we must suppose, and the blessing of Heaven, were very productive in general, and which, in this particular season, had borne a peculiarly luxuriant crop. So abundant was the produce, that he found it could not be contained in the barns he already had. The proposal he made will appear more natural, if we suppose it was the custom, as it is still in some of the southern parts of this island, not to build any of the produce of the fields in the open air, but to stow up the whole at once in barns. For such a practice, large barns are necessary. This man, therefore, proposed to pull down his present houses, and to build larger barns and granaries, which would be sufficient to contain all the produce of the year, and also, all the remaining corn of former years, and other fruits and goods which he had already accumulated. And he proposed, after that, to cease entirely, or in a great measure, from the cares and labours of husbandry, and every other business, and to give himself to indulgence in the use of what would be sufficient for many years. Now, there is nothing which is uncommon in this, or which, at first sight, may appear very bad. "The character here drawn is exactly that of a prudent worldly man, who rises from inferior circumstances to great affluence, by assiduous industry and good management, and then retires from business to spend the latter part of his life according to his own inclinations."* Is not such a case of frequent occurrence?

* Scott.

are there not many who, though they have not attained, are aiming at this? and are there not multitudes who would consider such a consummation as the very summit of their ambition, and the height of earthly felicity?

[ocr errors]

But observe this character more minutely, and see how its black traits appear one after another. First of all, there was here no acknowledgment of the power and bounty of the Most High, who rendered the ground fruitful, and in whose hand it was to give wealth; and therefore, there was here a degree of impiety, amounting to virtual atheism. Again, there was here no proper sense of responsibility to God for the right us of the property, no sense of the duties of stewardship, no regard to the maxim that to whom much is given, of the same much will be required. Hence, there was no consideration how the glory of God and the good of man might be promoted by all this abundance. He spake of his fruits and his goods as his own, saying, "My fruits,' and "My goods," in a way that overlooked God's property in them. He said, with anxiety, "What shall I do?". he was perplexed; and the poorest beggar, who knew not what he was to have to-morrow, could not have been more disturbed. What shall I do!-were there not many important services, and good things he might have done with all this wealth? Might he not have thought of the poor, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow? Or, if he was to store up, which might have been useful to a certain extent, why speak of storing "all" his fruits and goods? might not part have sufficed?-surely to speak of laying up all, was very bad. And then, the base selfishness which was here! for the man's thoughts turned only on himself, and his own mean gratifications: "Soul, take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry." This was the language of the Epicurean: "Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die."* This was addressing his soul, as if it had no capabilities, nor prospects, beyond those of the beasts that perish. Here was no wish to find happiness in God, but a desire, and an expectation, of ease and happiness without him. What inconsideration was here, too, of the instability of human affairs! It never occurred to the man that if he were to

* 66
"Ede, bibe, lude, post mortem nulla voluptas."

Ὡς οὖν ἐπ ̓ εὐδ ̓ ἐστιν

Και πινε, και κυβευε, &c.

Anacr. Od. xv. 11.

Epictetus thus addresses the Epicurean, Καθευδε, ἐσθιε, πινε, εγκε.

« السابقةمتابعة »