Sixteen Sermons, Sermon 7
The Third SERMON ON LUKE XII. 15.
And he ſaid unto them, Take heed and beware of Covetouſneſs; for a Man's Life conſiſteth not in the abundance of the things which he poſſeſſeth.
AFter I had, in my firſt Diſcourſe upon this Subject, given you an Account of the Nature of the Vice of Covetouſneſs, I proceeded in the next place to repreſent the great Evil and Unreaſonableneſs of it.
Firſt, Becauſe it takes Men off from Religion, and the Care of their Souls.
Secondly, Becauſe it tempts Men to many Things which ar… inconſiſten… with Religion, and dir…ly contra…y to it.
Thirdly, Becauſe it is an endleſs and inſatiable Deſire… Thus far I have gone, I proceed to the
Fourth Thing, whereby the unreaſonableneſs of Covetouſneſs will yet farther appear. Namely, becauſe the Happineſs of Humane Life doth not conſiſt in Riches, and Abundance. And this I ſhall inſiſt upon ſomewhat the more largely, becauſe it is the Argument which our Saviour makes uſe of here in the Text, to take Men off from this Sin. The Life of Man co… ſiſteth not in the abundance of the things which he poſſeſſeth: Therefore take heed and beware of Covetouſneſs. And this certainly is one of the beſt and moſt reaſonable Conſiderations in the World, to moderate our Affections towards theſe Things. For every reaſonable Deſire propounds ſome End to itſelf. Now to what purpoſe ſhould any Man deſire to increaſe his Wealth ſo vaſtly, and beyond the proportion of his Neceſſities and real Occaſions? What Benefit and Advantage can it be to any Man, to have an hundred, or perhaps a thouſand times more than he knows what to do withall?
And as for the other World, no Man ever pretended that the heaping up Riches here, would be uſeful to him there; Riches will not deliver him in the day of wrath. No Man was ever ſo ſenſeleſs, as to imagine that he could take his Eſtate along with him into the other World; or if he could, that Heaven was to be bought with Mony; or that a great Eſtate, or a great many Lordſhips would recommend him to the favour of God. 'Tis true indeed, a Man may ſo uſe Riches in this World, as thereby to promote and further his happineſs in the next. But then it is likewiſe as true, that a Man may ſo demean himſelf in a Poor and Low Condition, as thereby to render himſelf as acceptable to God, and capable of as great a Reward, as the Richeſt Man can do. The Poor Woman's two Mites chearfully given to Pious and Charitable Uſes, will go as far in the other World, and find as great a Reward there, as the Rich Man's thouſands of Gold and Silver. And a Man may be as truly Generous and Charitable of a little, as out of the greateſt Fortune. Beſides that the Poor Man's Contentedneſs in a mean Condition, is more admirable in it ſelf, and more valuable with God, than for a Rich Man to be ſo.
So that the great Uſe of Riches reſpects this World, and the beſt Uſe of them is in ways of Charity; and the Poor Man's Charity, tho' it cannot be of ſo great an extent in the effects of it, yet in the degree of its Virtue and Merit it may be equal to it.
Now the two great Deſigns of Men, in regard to this World, are theſe.
1. To maintain and ſupport our Lives as long as we can.
2. To make our Lives as truly Happy and Comfortable as we can.
To the Firſt of theſe Ends, namely the ſupport of our Lives, a very little will ſuffice, and 'tis not much that is neceſſary to the other, to render our Lives as truly Comfortable as this World can make them; ſo that a vaſt Eſtate is not neceſſary to either of theſe Ends; for a Man may live by having what is neceſſary, and may live comfortably by having that which is convenient.
No Man lives the longer by having abundance; it is many times an occaſion of ſhortning a Man's Life, by Miniſtring to Exceſs and Intemperance; but ſeldom of prolonging it. And ſetting aſide the vain fancy and conceit of Men, no Man lives the more happily, for having more than he hath real uſe and occaſion for.
Theſe two Heads I ſhall at preſent ſpeak to, to make out the full force of this Reaſon, which our Saviour here uſeth; namely, That a Man's Life conſiſt…th not in the abundance of the things which he poſſeſſeth.
I. That Riches do not contribute to the ſupport of our Lives; nor,
II. To the Happineſs and Comfort of them. That is, they are not neceſſary to either of theſe Ends. For by Riches I mean whatever is beyond a ſu…icient competency of thoſe things, which a…e requiſite to the real Uſes and Occaſions of Humane Life.
Firſt, Riches and Abundance do not contribute to the ſupport of our Lives. And this our Saviour very well repreſents to us in the Parable immed…ately after the Text, of the Rich Man, who was continually encreaſing his Eſtate, ſo that he had goods laid up for many years; but he lived not one jot the longer, for being provided of the Conveniencies of Life for ſo long a time before-hand; for whilſt he was bleſſing himſelf, as if he had ſecured his Happineſs ſufficiently for this World, he was uncertain of his continuance in it; God having decreed to take him out of this World, at that very time when he had determin'd to enter upon the Enjoyment of thoſe Things, which he had been ſo long laying up. God ſays to him, thou Fool, this night ſhall thy Soul be required of thee; and then whoſe ſhall thoſe things be which thou haſt provided? That is, what good then will all theſe Things do thee, when thou haſt no farther uſe and occaſion for them? So that if he had been the pooreſt Man in the World, and had not been provided for the next Meal, he might have lived as long as he did with all his ſtores. You ſee then that in this ſenſe, a Man's Life conſiſteth not in the abundance of the things which he poſſeſſeth. For notwithſtanding all his great Barns, and the abundance of Fruits he had ſtowed in them, he did not live one jot the longer, than the pooreſt Man might have done.
Secondly, Nor do Riches contribute to the Happineſs and Comfort of our Lives. Happineſs is not to be bought and purchas'd together with great Lordſhips; it depends upon a great many Cauſes, among which, a competency of the Things of this World is one; but Riches and Abundance is none of them. The Happineſs of this World conſiſts in theſe two Things,
1. In the Enjoyment of Good. And,
2. In a ſtate of freedom from Evil.
Now Riches do not neceſſarily make a Man Happy in either of theſe Reſpects.
Firſt, For the Enjoyment of Good, A competent Eſtate ſuitable to the Condition and Station in which God hath ſet us in this World, will give a Man whatever Nature and Reaſon can deſire; and abundance cannot make a Man Happier. If a Man had an hundred times more than he needed, he could but enjoy it according to the capacity of a Man; for if he conſulted his own Happineſs, and would tr…ly enjoy what he hath, he muſt eat and drink within the bounds of Temperance and Health, and muſt wear no more Cloaths than are for his Convenience. 'Tis true, he hath wherewithal to put on a new Suit every day; which is to be uneaſie all the days of his Life; and may drink, if he pleaſe, every time out of a new Cup; which would be a vain expence, and a great trouble to his Servants, without any manner of convenience to himſelf.
But then if Riches fall into the Covetous Man's hands, they can be no Happineſs to him, becauſe he hath no heart to enjoy them. He hath indeed the Eſtate of a Rich Man, but he wants the Comfort of it, becauſe he hath the Mind of a Poor Man; and Enjoyment is all the Felicity that is in a great Fortune; what we enjoy is ours, but what we lay up, is from that time not ours, but ſome bodies elſe. He that heaps up Riches, and enjoys them not, is Rich only for his Heir, but a Beggar for himſelf.
We are apt to pity Poor Men, and too apt to deſpiſe them; but ſurely no Man's Condition is more to be deplored than his, who ſtarves himſelf in the midſt of Plenty, and being ſurrounded with the Bleſſings of God, turns them into the greateſt Curſe; for it is a much greater Curſe, not to uſe an Eſtate when one has it, than not to have it. It is like a plentiful Table without an Appetite.
But it may be it is a great Happineſs to have a great Eſtate, tho' a Man never uſe it; the pleaſure of ſeeing it, and telling it over, may be like the removing of Billets, which may warm a Man as much as if he had ſpent and conſumed them. But this is Real, and the other only Imaginary. I doubt not, many Covetous Men take a great deal of pleaſure in ruminating upon their Wealth, and in re-counting what they have; but they have a great deal of tormenting care and fear about it; and if they had not, it is very hard to underſtand where the reaſonable Pleaſure and Happineſs lies of having Things to no end. It is at the beſt, like that of ſome fooliſh Birds, which they ſay take pleaſure in ſtealing Money, that they may hide it; as if it were worth the while, for Men to take pains to dig Silver out of the Earth, for no other purpoſe, but to melt it down, and ſtamp it, and bury it there again.
But many Neceſſities may happen, which we cannot fore-ſee, and it is good to provide againſt them. There is nothing ſo bad, but ſomething may be ſaid in excuſe of it; and I do not deny, but that a provident Care againſt the common Accidents of Humane Life is very commendable; but it is unreaſonable to think of providing againſt all poſſibilities, which it is impoſſible either to fore-ſee, or prevent. 'Tis very poſſible, that after a Man hath gotten the greateſt Eſtate imaginable, he may loſe it all by ſome Fatal Accident; and then to what purpoſe was all this proviſion made, when that which was ſo long a time a getting, and laying up, is loſt at once?
Beſides, that it is not eaſie to conceive what neceſſity can happen to a Covetous Man, to give him an occaſion of uſing his Eſtate; he cannot find in his heart to beſtow it upon himſelf in ſuch Things as are convenient, nay almoſt neceſſary for the ſupport of his Life; for no Man can feed his Servants more penuriouſly than he does himſelf; all the Religion he values himſelf upon, is a ſtrict obſervance of the Leſſian Diet, which he recommends to thoſe few that can deny themſelves to Dine with him, in hopes to make better Meals upon his Eſtate when he is gone. And if he be ſo penurious to himſelf, the neceſ…ities of others are not like to mov… him to be liberal. I can but imagine one Occaſion that could tempt ſuch a Man to lay out what he hath; namely, when one part of his Eſtate is in danger, to ſpend the other to ſecure it. And yet even in that Caſe, if his Cauſe were not very clear and good, he would go nigh to loſe it, uſing it as he does himſelf; that is, by ſtarving it. And if this be all, then a Man had as good be without an Eſtate, and ſave himſelf the trouble either of getting it, or ſecuring it; for if it were all gone, he might live as well as he does, and that with half the Care and Pains.
Secondly, The Happineſs of this World conſiſts in a ſtate of freedom from Evil. Now the great Evils that Men are liable to in this World, are ſuch as are incident to them either in the courſe of their Lives, or at the time of their Death; and Riches do not contribute to Mens Happineſs, by freeing them from either of theſe. I ſhall ſpeak to theſe ſeverally.
1. Not from the Evils which are incident to Men in the courſe of their Lives. Theſe are of two kinds, inward, or outward.
1. Inward Evils, by which I mean thoſe of the Mind; and our greateſt troubles are from within, from the anxiety of our Minds, and the guilt of our Conſciences, from the vicious inclinations of our Wills, and the irregularity and diſorders of our Paſſions. Now Riches were an admirable thing indeed, and worth our Coveting, if they would help to Cure theſe Diſtempers of our Minds; but they are the leaſt fitted for ſuch a purpoſe of any thing in the World: For not he that hath the greateſt Eſtate, but he that hath the feweſt and moſt reaſonable Deſires, and the beſt govern'd Paſſions, and the moſt Virtuous Inclinations, is the Happieſt Man, and dwells neareſt to ſatisfaction. Nemo malus foelix, No bad Man can be Happy, tho' he were poſſeſſed of the whole World; becauſe he hath that within him, which frets and diſcontents him, which galls his Spirit, and keeps his Mind reſtleſs and uneaſie; and he that does not enjoy himſelf, can enjoy nothing elſe.
Did but Men know how much Happineſs hath been enjoyed by many a Pious and Virtuous Man in a mean Fortune, how quiet and eaſie their Minds have been, how much fuller of Joy and Pleaſure, than the Heart of any Covetous Worldling ever was in his moſt proſperous Eſtate, and when his Corn, and Wine, and Oyl abounded; did we (I ſay) but know this, we ſhould not envy the Men of mighty Fortunes. Nam neque divitibus contingunt gaudia ſolis. Rich Men are not the only happy People in the World. If they be not Good as well as Rich, Happineſs is a greater ſtranger to their Dwellings, than to the Cottages of Poorer Men.
Now Riches are ſo far from helping to make Men good, that they are one of the greateſt Temptations to them in the World to be otherwiſe; which it the Reaſon, why our Saviour ſays, it is ſo very hard for a Rich Man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; becauſe conſidering the powerful and almoſt irreſiſtible temptations of a great Eſtate, and the impotency and weakneſs of humane Nature to govern it ſelf in a plentiful Fortune, it is very hard for a Rich Man to be ſo good as he ought, it requires a great force and firmneſs of Reſolution, a very ſolid and vigorous conſtitution of Mind, to bear a great Fortune, and not to be corrupted by it; and a Man hath never more Reaſon to implore God's gracious help and aſſiſtance, and to conſult his own beſt and cooleſt thoughts, to know what he ought to do, and how he ought to demean himſelf, than when the outward Bleſſings of this Life flow in amain upon him; felicitate corrumpimur, nothing ſooner debaucheth Men than Proſperity; and he is a very happy Man, whom Wealth and a good Fortune do not make licentious and diſſolute; becauſe theſe tempt Men with the power and opportunity to do all the ill that their wicked… Hearts can deſign, or deſire.
The Temptation of Riches, and the Power that goes along with them, is ſo forcible and prevalent, that the Devil, who is a ſagacious Spirit, and hath great and long experience in this kind, when he was making the Experiment whether Chriſt was a meer Man, or the Son of God, reſerved this for his laſt Temptation; reſolving if that would not do, to try him no farther. After he had aſſaulted him in ſeveral kinds, he repreſents to him at laſt that which was ſufficient to have ſurfeited two of the moſt inſatiable Deſires of Humane Nature, Ambitio…, and Covetouſneſs, even all the Kingdoms of the World, and the glory of them, in a moment, or point of time; he brings all the Rays of this Glory to one point, that the Temptation might kindle and take hold the ſooner; and ſays to him, all this will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worſhip me. He ſuppoſed with great probability, that if he were but a meer Man, the ſtrongeſt and moſt reſolved Mind would bend and yield to ſo dazling a Temptation as this; but when he ſaw that this Temptation was rejected, he found himſelf baffled, and gave him over; ſince this did not move him, he concluded now that he was the Son of God indeed, and that it was in vain to tempt him any farther.
From all this it appears, that Riches are ſo far from making Men Virtuous, that nothing is more dangerous to Virtue, than a full Condition; if Men have not a great degree of Grace, as well as Diſcretion to manage it. Solomon tells us, that the proſperity of Fools deſtroyeth them.
And yet how do moſt of us Court this Temptation, and are forward to thruſt and venture our ſelves upon it? There are a great many other Things, in which moſt Men make a right Judgment of themſelves, and will readily acknowledge that they are altogether unfit for them. Every Man will not take upon him to be a Phyſician, or a Lawyer, to preſcribe Medicines in dangerous Caſes, and to give Counſel to Men in knotty and difficult Points about their Eſtates; but every Man thinks himſelf fit enough to be Rich, and ſufficiently qualified to manage a great Eſtate, if he can but get it; when perhaps there are few things in the World, which Men are more inſufficient for, than to weild and govern a great Fortune, nor wherein there is greater danger and miſcarriage. It is not every bodies Talent, to be Wealthy, and Wiſe; Rich, and Innocent.
2. As for the outward Evils of this Life, ſuch as Want, and Contempt, Bodily Pains and Diſeaſes, Unhappineſs in Friends and Relations, a great Eſtate is by no means a ſufficient Security or Remedy to a Covetous Man againſt theſe.
1. As for want. And ſurely one would think, that if Riches were good for any thing, they are a very proper Remedy againſt this Evil, and a moſt certain and Infallible Cure of it; but Experience tells us quite otherwiſe. Socrates was wont to ſay, that To want nothing is the priviledge of the Deity, and proper to God alone; but to ſtand in need of as few things as may be, is the Priviledge of a Wiſe and Good Man, and a ſtate of Happineſs, next to that of God himſelf; becauſe he that hath the feweſt Wants, is the moſt eaſily ſupplied, and is next to him that is ſelf-ſufficient. Now a Man of moderate Deſires hath infinitely fewer wants than a Covetous Man; and becauſe his Deſires are moderate, a moderate Eſtate will ſatisfie them: but the Wants of a Covetous Mind are never to be ſupplied, becauſe it hath ordered the Matter ſo cunningly, as to want even that which it hath; ſuch a Man does not get Riches to ſupply his Wants, but is content to Want, that he may be Rich; inſomuch that he hath not the heart to uſe his Eſtate for the ſupply of his real neceſſities. How many do almoſt ſtarve themſelves in the midſt of Plenty and Abundance? There is no greater ſign of Poverty, than to be deeply in debt: now the Covetous Man lives and dies in debt to himſelf. Some Men have been ſo ſhamefully penurious and ſtingy to themſelves, as even to die, to ſave Charges, which yet perhaps is the moſt generous thing they ever did in their whole Lives, in reſpect to the World; becauſe by this means ſome body may come to the enjoyment of their Eſtates, and that great Dunghil which they have been ſo long in raking together, may by this means come to be ſpread abroad for the Publick Benefit.
So that if a Covetous Man were poſſeſs'd of the Wealth of both the Indies, all this would not free him from want. A Poor Man's wants may be ſatisfied, when he hath obtained what he wants: but the Covetous Man labours of an incurable want; becauſe he wants that which he hath, as well as that which he hath not.
2. As for Contempt, Riches will not ſecure a Covetous Man againſt this neither; nay ſo far is it from that, that he is commonly the more ridiculous and deſpiſed for living Poor in the midſt of Abundance, than if he were really ſo. Did I ſay really ſo? He is the moſt really Poor of all other Men. For as one ſays well, the Rich Poor Man is emphatically Poor.
3. Neither will Riches free Men from bodily illneſs and pain. The Rich are liable to as many Diſeaſes, and as ſharp Pains, as the Poor, and they have commonly leſs patience to bear them than the Poor; becauſe they have not been inured to other ſorts of Evils. They that have been accuſtomed to Labour, are generally beſt fitted to bear Pain; the Rich are commonly more tender and delicate, and have a quicker ſenſe of Pain, more Matter, and greater quantity of Humors to feed a Diſeaſe, and to enflame it to a greater heighth.
I muſt not here forget that there is a ſort of Rich Men, I mean the penurious Miſers, who ſtarve themſelves more than the Poor, and fare many times more hardly; and for this Reaſon, tho' they be not in danger of the Diſeaſes that come from Intemperance, and a plentiful Table; yet they are liable to the Diſeaſes which proceed from ſtarving and emptineſs; which the Phyſicians ſay are more dangerous than the other: So that neither the Prodigal, nor the Niggardly Rich Man is ſecured from Bodily Pains and Diſeaſes by a great Eſtate.
4. Neither will Riches ſecure a Man from being unhappy in his Friends and Relations. A great Eſtate will not make a Man's Children either more Dutiful or Wiſe, than the Children of meaner Perſons; and if they be not ſo, his Eſtate cannot be ſo great an Happineſs to him, as they may prove an Affliction. Solomon tells us, that the very fear and apprehenſion of this did very much imbitter the fruit of all his Labour; and he ſeems to ſpeak it ſenſibly, and very probably with a melancholy reflection upon his Son Rehoboam, Eccleſ. 2. 18, 19. Yea I hated all my labour which I had taken under the Sun, becauſe I ſhould leave it unto the Man that ſhall be after me; and who knows whether he ſhall be a Wiſe Man, or a Fool? Yet ſhall he have rule over all my labour, wherein I have labour'd, and wherein I have ſhew'd my ſelf Wiſe under the Sun. Who knows whether he ſhall be a Wiſe Man, or a Fool? He ſeems to ſpeak doubtfully: but he had a very ſhrewd gueſs what kind of Man his Son would make; for he ſpeaks more deſpondingly in the next words, (ver. 20, 21.) therefore I went about to cauſe my heart to deſpair of all the labour which I took under the Sun; (that is, when I thought ſeriouſly of it, I began to think that all the pains I had taken to get an Eſtate, would be but to l…ttle purpoſe;) for there is a Man (ſaith he) whoſe labour is in Wiſdom, and in Knowledge, and in Equity (that is, who by wiſe and honeſt means hath …ais'd a great Eſtate) yet to a Man that hath not laboured therein (that is, to a Man who is endowed with none of theſe qualities) ſhall he leave it for his Portion; this alſo is Vanity, and a great Evit.
And as for Friends, tho' the Rich Man have many that will call themſelves ſo, yet he had almoſt as good have none; for he can hardly ever know whether they be ſo or not, unleſs he chance to fall into Poverty, and then indeed the change of his Condition may give him that advantage and opportunity, which otherwiſe he is never like to have, of diſcerning between his Friends and his Flatterers. Thus you ſee that Riches are no ſecurity againſt the moſt conſiderable Evils which attend us in the courſe of our Lives.
Secondly, When we come to die, nothing will miniſter leſs Comfort to us at that time, than a great Eſtate. It is then a very ſmall pleaſure to a Man, to reflect how much he hath gotten in the World, when he ſees that he muſt leave it; nay, like the Young Man in the Goſpel, he goes away ſo much the more ſorrowful, becauſe he had great Poſſeſſions. All the Things of this World ſeem very inconſiderable to a Man, when he approaches to the Confines of the other: For when he ſees that he muſt leave this World, then he would fain make a Virtue of Neceſſity, and begins to change his apprehenſions of theſe Things, and to have very ſlight and mean thoughts of them, when he is convinc'd he can enjoy them no longer. What the Philoſopher was wont to ſay of the Pleaſures of this World, is as true of Riches, and all the other Enjoyments of it; that if they did but put on the ſame countenance, and look with the ſame face, when they come to us, that they will do, when they turn from us, and take their leave of us, we ſhould hardly entertain them.
Now if a Man have placed his chief Happineſs in this World, as the Covetous Man does in his Riches, his great trouble when he comes to die, will be, that he muſt leave them. Nothing could be more ſeverely ſaid to the Covetous Man, than that which God ſays to the Rich Man in the Parable; Thou Fool, this night ſhall thy Soul be required of thee, and then whoſe ſhall theſe things be? For of all things in the World ſuch Men cannot endure to think of parting with theſe things, or that what they have got with ſuch great Care and Labour, ſhould come to the Poſſeſſion of another.
And therefore when we are ſo hot and eager in the purſuit of theſe things, we ſhould do well to conſider, how they will appear to us in a dying hour. And this Conſideration well imprinted upon our Minds, would make us very careful, to treaſure up other kind of Comforts to our ſelves againſt ſuch a time, and to Labour after thoſe Things which we ſhall never grow out of conceit withall, but ſhall value them to the laſt, and then moſt of all, when we come to die, and leave this World. For as a Poet of our own ſays Excellently,
'Tis not that which firſt we love:
But what dying we approve.
Thus I have done with the Fourth Thing, whereby the Evil and Unreaſonableneſs of Covetouſneſs doth appear; namely, that the Happineſs of Humane Life doth not conſiſt in a great Eſtate; the Life of Man doth not conſiſt in the abundance of the things which he poſſeſſeth. The great Ends of Religion, and Covetouſneſs, are very different. The great End which Religion propoſeth to it ſelf, is Happineſs: but the great End which Covetouſneſs propoſeth, is Riches; which are neither a neceſſary nor a probable means of Happineſs. I ſhould now have proceeded to the Fifth and laſt Particular; namely, That Riches are ſo far from being the Happineſs of Humane Life, that they uſually contribute very much to our Miſery, and Sorrow; as will appear if we conſider theſe Four Things.
Firſt, The Labour and Care which Covetous Men are at in the Getting of a great Eſtate.
Secondly, The Anxiety of keeping it, together with the Fears of loſing it.
Thirdly, The Trouble and Vexation of having loſt it; and,
Fourthly, The dreadful and heavy Account which every Man muſt give of a great Eſtate. But theſe Particulars, together with the Application of this whole Diſcourſe, I ſhall refer to another Opportunity.