But the desire of riches does: those who calmly desire, and deliberately seek to attain them, whether they do in fact, gain the world or not, do infallibly lose their own souls. These are they, that sell him who bought them with his blood, for a few pieces of gold or silver. These enter into a covenant with death and hell: and their covenant shall stand. For they are daily making themselves meet to partake of their inheritance with the devil and his angels. 16. O who shall warn this generation of vipers, to flee from the wrath to come! Not those who lie at their gate or cringe at their feet, desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fall from their tables. Not those who court their favour or fear their frown; none of those who mind earthly things. But if there be a Christian upon earth, if there be a man who hath overcome the world, who desires nothing but God, and fears none but him that is able to destroy both body and soul in hell: thou, O Man of God, speak and spare not; lift up thy voice like a trumpet. Cry aloud, and shew these honourable sinners the desperate condition wherein they stand. It may be, one in a thousand may have ears to hear, may arise, and shake himself from the dust; may break loose from these chains that bind him to the earth, and at length lay up treasures in heaven. 17. And if it should be, that one of these, by the mighty power of God, awoke and asked, What must I do to be saved? The answer, according to the Oracles of God, is clear, full, and express. God doth not say to thee, "Sell all that thou hast." Indeed he who seeth the hearts of men, saw it needful to enjoin this in one peculiar case, that of the young, rich Ruler. But he never laid it down for a general rule, to all rich men, in all succeeding generations. His general direction is, first, "Be not high-minded." God seeth not as man seeth. He esteems thee not for thy riches, for thy grandeur or equipage, for any qualification or accomplishment, which is directly or indirectly owing to thy wealth, which can be bought, or procured thereby. All these are with him as dung and dross: let them be so with thee also. Beware thou think not thyself to be one jot wiser or better for all these things. Weigh thyself in another balance; estimate thyself only by the measure of faith and love which God hath given thee. If thou hast more of the knowledge and love of God than he, thou art on this account, and no other, wiser and better, more valuable and honourable than he who is with the dogs of thy flock. But if thou hast not this treasure, thou art more foolish, more vile, more truly contemptible, I will not say, than the lowest servant under thy roof, but than the beggar laid at thy gate, full of sores. 18. Secondly, "Trust not in uncertain riches." Trust not in them for help: and trust not in them for happiness. First, Trust not in them for help. Thou art miserably mistaken, if thou lookest for this in gold or silver. These are no more able to set thee above the world, than to set thee above thee devil. Know that both the world and the prince of this world laugh at all such preparations against them. These will little avail in the day of trouble: even if they remain in the trying hour. But it is not certain, that they will; for how often do they "make themselves wings and fly away!" But if not, what support will they afford, even in the ordinary troubles of life? The desire of thy eyes, the wife of thy youth, thy son, thine only son, or the friend which was as thy own soul, is taken away at a stroke. Will thy riches re-animate the breathless clay, or call back its late inhabitant? Will they secure thee from sickness, diseases, pain? Do these visit the poor only? Nay, he that feeds thy flocks, or tills thy ground, has less sickness and pain than thou. He is more rarely visited by these unwelcome guests: and if they come there at all, they are more easily driven away from the little cot, than from " the cloud-topt palaces." And during the time that thy body is chastened with pain, or consumes away with pining sickness, how do thy treasures help thee? Let the poor Heathen answer, "Ut lippum pictæ tabulæ, fomenta podagrum, 19. But there is at hand a greater trouble than all these. Thou art to die. Thou art to sink into dust; to return to the ground from which thou wast taken, to mix with common clay. Thy body is to go to the earth as it was, while thy spirit returns to God that gave it. And the time draws on; the years slide away with a swift though silent pace. Perhaps your day is far spent : the noon of life is past, and the evening shadows begin to rest upon you. You feel in yourselves sure approaching decay. The springs of life wear away apace. Now what help in your riches? Do they sweeten death? Do they endear that solemn hour ? Quite the reverse. "O death, how bitter art thou, to a man that liveth at rest in his possessions!" How unacceptable to him is that awful sentence, "This night shall thy soul be required of thee!"-Or will they prevent the unwelcome stroke, or protract the dreadful hour ? Can they deliver your soul that it should not see death? Can they restore the years that are past? Can they add to your appointed time, a month, a day, an hour, a moment?-Or will the good things you have chosen for your portion here, follow you over the great gulph ? Not so: naked came you into this world; naked must you return. Linquenda tellus, et domus et placens Ulla brevem dominum sequetur. Surely were not these truths too plain to be observed, because they are too plain to be denied, no man that is to die could possibly trust, for help, in uncertain riches. 20. And trust not in them for happiness. For here also they will be found deceitful upon the weights. Indeed, this every reasonable man may infer, from what has been observed already. For if neither thousands of gold and silver, nor any of the advantages or pleasures purchased thereby, can prevent our being miserable, it evidently follows, they cannot make us happy. What happiness can they afford to him, who in the midst of all is constrained to cry out, "To my new Courts sad Thought does still repair, And round my gilded roof hangs hovering Care. " Indeed experience is here so full, strong, and undeniable, that it makes all other arguments needless. Appeal we therefore to fact. Are the rich and great, the only happy men ? And is each of them more or less happy, in proportion to his measure of riches ? Are they happy at all? I had well nigh said, they are of all men the most miserable ! Rich man, for once, speak the truth from thy heart. Speak both for thyself, and for thy brethren. "Amidst our plenty something still- Yea, and so it will, till thy wearisome days of vanity are shut up in the night of death. Surely then to trust in riches for happiness, is the greatest folly of all that are under the sun! Are you not convinced of this? Is it possible you should still expect to find happiness in money, or all it can procure? What! Can silver and gold, and eating and drinking, and horses, and servants, and glittering apparel, and diversions and pleasures (as they are called) make thee happy? They can as soon make thee immortal. 21. These are all dead show. Regard them not. Trust thou in the living God. So shalt thou be safe under the shadow of the Almighty; his faithfulness and truth shall be thy shield and buckler. He is a very present help in time of trouble; such an help as can never fail. Then shalt thou say, if all thy other friends die, "The Lord liveth, and blessed be my strong helper!" He shall remember thee when thou liest sick upon thy bed: when vain is the help of man, when all the things of the earth can give no support, he will "make all thy bed in thy sickness." He will sweeten thy pain: the consolations of God shall cause thee to clap thy hands in the flames. And even when this house of earth is well nigh shaken down, when it is just ready to drop into the dust, he will teach thee to say, "O death! where is thy sting? O grave! where is thy victory? Thanks be unto God, who giveth me the victory, through my Lord Jesus Christ." O trust in him for happiness as well as for help. All the springs of happiness are in him. Trust in him who giveth us all things richly to enjoy, παρεχοντι πλεσίως παντα εις άπολαυσιν. Who, of his own rich and free mercy, holds them out to us, as in his own hand, that receiving them as his gifts, and as pledges of his love, we may enjoy all that we possess. It is his love gives a relish to all we taste, puts life and sweetness into all, while every creature leads us up to the great Creator, and all earth is a scale to heaven. He transfuses the joys that are at his own right hand, into all he bestows on his thankful children: who having fellowship with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ, enjoy him in all, and above all. 22. Thirdly, seek not to increase in goods. " Lay not up for thyself treasures upon earth." This is a flat, positive command, full as clear, as, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." How then is it possible for a rich man to grow richer, without denying the Lord that bought him? Yea, how can any man, who has already the necessaries of life, gain or aim at more, and be guiltless? " Lay not up," saith our Lord, "treasures upon earth." If, in spite of this, you do, and will lay up, money or goods, what " moth or rust may corrupt, or thieves break through and steal:" if you will add house to house, or field to field, why do you call yourself a Christian? You do not obey Jesus Christ. You do not design it. Why do you name yourself by his name? "Why call ye me Lord, Lord," saith he himself, " and do not the things which I say?" 23. If you ask, "But what must we do with our goods, seeing we have more than we have occasion to use, if we must not lay them up? Must we throw them away?" I answer, If you threw them into the sea, if you were to cast them into the fire and consume them, they would be better bestowed than they are now. You cannot find so |