Sixteen Sermons, Sermon 8
The Fourth 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.
IN my two laſt Diſcourſes on this Subject, I have repreſented the Evil and Unreaſonableneſs of the Vice of Covetouſneſs in Four Particulars. I proceed now to the Fifth and laſt Particular, whereby I told you the Evil… and Unreaſonableneſs of it would appear; viz…
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 evidently appear, if we conſider theſe Four Things.
Firſt, The Labour and Care which the Covetous Man is 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.
Fourthly, The heavy and dreadful Account which every Man muſt give of a great Eſtate.
Firſt, The Labour and Care which the Covetous Man hath in getting a great Eſtate. He that will be Rich muſt ſweat for it, and refuſe no pains and trouble; he muſt riſe up early, and lie down late, and eat the bread of Carefulneſs. A Slave that Diggs in the Mines, or Rows in the Gallies, is not a greater Drudge, than ſome Covetous Worldlings are; only with this difference, that the Covetous Man thinks that he Labours and takes all theſe Pains for himſelf; whereas the Slave underſtands the matter more truly, and thinks that he does it for another.
But beſides the Pains he takes, he is full of Care and Anxiety. How is he, through the greedy deſire of having, rack'd between the hopes of getting, and the fear of miſſing what he ſeeks? The Apoſtle obſerves what tormenting Cares accompany this Vice, 1 Tim. 6. 10. The love of Mony (…aith he) is the root of all evil; not only of the Evil of Sin, but of the Evil likewiſe of Trouble and Diſquiet. For it follows, which while ſome coveted after, they have pierced themſelves through with many ſorrows: Variety of Troubles attend them that will be Rich.
Secondly, If we conſider the Anxiety of keeping what they have got, together with the Fear of loſing it again, this is another great part of a Covetous Man's infelicity. The Rich Man here in the Parable after the Text, when he ſaw his Eſtate coming upon him ſo faſt, cries out, what ſhall I do? Poor Man! who would not pity his Condition, to ſee him put to this difficulty and diſtreſs, and to hear him make as heavy a moan as the Pooreſt Man could do! Now that he hath a plentiful Harveſt, and his Crop hath anſwered, if it were poſſible, his Covetous Deſire, he is in a great deal of perplexity, and almoſt at his wits end how to diſpoſe of it; he was horribly afraid leſt any of it ſhould be loſt for want of a ſecure place to ſtore it up in. What ſhall I do, becauſe I have no room where to beſtow my Fruits? Where was the difficulty of this? why, he was loth to loſe his Fruits, and he was loth to lay out Mony to ſecure them. But upon farther Conſideration, he reſolves of the two Evils to …huſe the leaſt; and he ſaid, this will I do, I will pull down my Barns, and build greater, and there will I beſtow all my Fruits, and my Goods. But why could he not let the Barns he had ſtand, and build more? No, that he did not think ſo well, he loved to ſee all his good Things at one view, and what a goodly ſhow they would make together. Beſides that it is the humour of Covetouſneſs, when it breaks out into Expence, to over-do; the Miſer's Buildings are like his Feaſts, always Extravagant. The Covetous Man (as to the buſineſs of expence) is like a Coward as to fighting, he declines it as long as he can; but when he is puſh'd to the laſt neceſſity, he grows deſperate, and lays about him.
Tantis parta malis, curâ majore metuque
Servantur, miſera eſt magni cuſtodia cenſûs.
Riches which are got with ſo much trouble, are not kept without greater fear and care. A Covetous Man is in nothing more miſerable, than in the Anxiety and Care of diſpoſing and ſecuring what he hath got. When a Man's Deſires are endleſs, his Cares and Fears will be ſo too.
Thirdly, As great an Evil as any of the former, is the vexation of having loſt theſe Things. If by any Accident the Man happens to be deprived of them, then he takes on heavily, hangs down his head and mourns, as a Man would do for his firſt-born; and is ready to cry out with Micah, they have taken away my Gods, and what have I more? Upon every little loſs the Covetous Man is undone, tho' he have a hundred times more left than he knows what to do withal. So deeply are the hearts of Earthly-Minded Men many times pierced with Earthly Loſſes, as with Rachel to refuſe to be comforted. Nay St. Paul obſerves, that the ſorrow of the world ſometimes worketh death, 1 Cor. 7. 10.
Fourthly, But the ſaddeſt Conſideration of all is, that heavy and dreadful Account that muſt one day be given, both of the getting and uſing of a great Eſtate. They that have got an Eſtate by Fraud and Falſehood, or by Oppreſſion and grinding the face of the Poor, may read their Doom at large, James 5. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Go to now ye Rich Men, weep and howl for your miſeries that ſhall come upon you, your Riches are corrupted, and your garments moth-eaten, your Gold and Silver is canker'd, and the ruſt of them ſhall …e a witneſs againſt you, and ſhall eat your fleſh as it were fire: ye have heaped treaſure together for the laſt days. Behold the hire of the labourers which have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back b… fraud, cryeth, and the crys of them which have reaped, are entred into the ears of the Lord of Sabbath; ye have lived in pleaſure on the earth, and been wanton, ye have nouriſhed your hearts as in a day of ſlaughter.
And we muſt be accountable likewiſe for the uſing of our Eſtates. God gives them to us in truſt, and the greater they are, the more we are to account for; ſo much as we need is ours, but beyond what will ſupport us, and be a convenient proviſion for our Families, in the rank God hath placed them, all that is given to us, that we may give it to others; and indeed it is not ours; we are the Proprietors of it in reſpect of Men, but in reſpect of God we are but Truſtees, and Stewards, and God will require an account of us how we have diſpoſed of it.
And can there be a more reigning madneſs among Men, than to take care only to increaſe their Account more and more, by receiving much; whereas our great Care and Concernment ſhould be to clear our Account, by laying out what we receive, according to the truſt repoſed in us. How much we ſhall receive of the Things of this World, is in the Care and Will of our Maſter; but our Care and Fidelity is ſeen in laying it out as we ought. Among Men (ſays one) it is well enough, if a Steward can give an Account of ſo much laid out, and ſo much in Caſh, and upon this he ſhall have his Diſcharge: but we cannot this way clear our Account with God; for it is not offering him his own again that will ſatisfie him, as we may learn from the Parable of the Talents. So that upon the whole matter, we ſhould be ſo far from envying the Rich, that we ſhould rather envy the Safety and Happineſs of thoſe who are not intruſted with ſuch dangerous Bleſſings, and who are free from the Temptations of a plentiful Fortune, and the Curſe of a Covetous Mind, and from the heavy Account of a great Eſtate.
I come now, in the laſt place, to make ſome Application of this Diſcourſe to our ſelves.
1. Let our Saviour's Caution take place with us, let theſe words of his …nk into our Minds, take heed and beware of Covetou…neſs. Our Saviour I told you doubles the Caution, that we may double our Care. It is a Sin very apt to ſteal upon us, and ſliely to inſinuate it ſelf into us, under the ſpec…ous pretence of Induſtry in our Callings, and a provident Care of our Families: But however it may be coloured over, it is a great Evil, dangerous to our ſelves, and miſchievous to the World. Now to kill this Vice in us, beſides the Conſiderations before-mentioned taken from the Evil and Unreaſonableneſs of it, I will urge theſe three more.
1. That the Things of this World are uncertain.
2. That our Lives are as uncertain as theſe Things: And,
3. That there is another Life after this.
1. The uncertainty of the Things of this World. This ſhould very much cool our Affections toward them, that after all our Care and Diligence for the obtaining of them, we are not ſure to enjoy them, we may be deprived of them by a thouſand Accidents. This Conſideration Solomon urgeth, to take Men off from an over-eager purſuit of theſe Things, Prov. 23. 5. Wilt thou ſet thine eyes upon that which is not; for Riches certainly make to themſelves wings, they flye away as an Eagle towards Heaven. After we have ſat brooding over an Eſtate many years, it may all on a ſudden, before we are aware, take wing, and flye away like an Eagle towards Heaven, ſoaring ſuddenly out of our ſight, and never to return again.
And the ſame Argument St. Paul …ſeth, to take off Mens Affections from the World, 1 Cor. 7. 31. becauſe the faſhion of this World paſſeth away, foreign. He compares the Things of this World to a Scene, which is preſently changed, and vaniſheth almoſt as ſoon as it appears. Now ſeeing theſe Things are ſo uncertain, we ſhould take heed how we fix our Hearts too much upon them; we ſhould not make love to any thing that is ſo Fickle and Inconſtant as this World is. We ſhould be afraid to contract too near and intimate a Friendſhip with any thing which will forſake us, after we have Courted it with ſo much importunity, and purchas'd it with ſo much pains, and endeavour'd to ſecure it with ſo much Caution, and Tenderneſs.
2. Our Lives are as uncertain as theſe Things. If our Eſtates remain with us, we are continually in danger of being removed from them. And (as one ſays) it is folly to build our hopes upon a Match, where both Parties a…e ſo uncertain and inconſtant. Why ſhould we place our deareſt Affections upon Things which we are not ſure to enjoy one Moment? Thou Fool, this night ſhall thy Soul be taken from thee, and then whoſe ſhall thoſe things be? I remember Seneca tells us a real Story, juſt anſwerable to the Rich Man in the Parable, of an Acquaintance of his, who by long and great Induſtry had arrived to a vaſt Eſtate; and juſt when he began to enjoy it, after one of the firſt good Meals which perhaps he ever made in his Life, that very night his Soul was taken from him, for preſently after Supper he died. In ipſo actu bene ſedentium rerum, in ipſo procurrentis fortunae impetu. In the heighth of his Proſperity, and in the full career of his good Fortune.
But if we live to enjoy for any time what we have got, we ſhould remember that our Life is but a paſſage through the World, and that we are but Pilgrims and Stranger in the World, as all our Fathers were, that we have here no abiding place, no continuing City, but are travelling towards our own Country. And why ſhould we load our ſelves whilſt we are upon our journey, and cumber our ſelves with thoſe things which will be of no uſe to us there, whither we are a going?
But the great wonder of all is, that this Vice ſhould ſo ſtrongly reign, and even grow upon Men in Old Age, and get ſtrength, as weakneſs creeps upon us. This very thought that we are to dye, ſhould work in us a great indifferency towards the Things of this World. But when Men are convinc'd they cannot live long, and that every ſtep they take, they are in danger of ſtumbling into the Grave, this one would think ſhould wean our Affections from this World; and yet uſually none take ſo faſt hold of it, and embrace it ſo kindly as Old Men; like Friends, who tho' they know they muſt leave one another, yet are loth to part. Do we not ſee many purſue theſe things with as much eagerneſs and appetite, when they are leaving the World, as if they were to ſtay in it a hundred years longer? So that in this ſenſe alſo, they are Children again, and are as fond of theſe Toys, as if they were juſt beginning the World, and ſetting out for their whole Life.
3. There is another Life after this, to be ſeriouſly thought on, and provided for with great care: and did Men firmly believe this, they would not with Martha, buſie themſelves about many things, but would mind the one thing neceſſary, and with Mary chuſe that better part which could not be taken from them. They would overlook the trifles of this World, and ſcarce take notice of the things which are ſeen, but be only intent upon the things which are not ſeen; becauſe the things which are ſeen are but Temporal, but the things which are not ſeen are Eternal. The great Concernments of another World would employ their utmoſt Care, and their beſt Thoughts.
Whilſt we are in this World, we ſhould remember that this is not our home, nor the place of our reſt; and therefore as Men do in an Inn, we ſhould make a ſhift with thoſe indifferent Accommodations which the World will afford us, and which we can have upon eaſie terms, without too much trouble and ſtir, becauſe we are not to continue long here; and in the mean time we ſhould cheer up our ſelves with the thoughts of the pleaſure and the plenty of our Father's houſe, and of that full contentment and ſatisfaction which we ſhall meet withal, when we come to thoſe Everlaſting Habitations.
So that our great Care ſhould be to provide for Eternity. If we have unbounded Deſires, let us place them upon ſuch Objects as are worthy of them. Let us earneſtly covet the beſt things, and ſeek after the true Riches. We ſhould ſo mind the World, as to make Heaven our great Care, as to make ſure to provide for our ſelves bags that wax not old, a treaſure in the Heavens, that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither Moth corrupteth, as our Saviour adviſeth, Luke 12. 33. To the ſame purpoſe is the Counſel of St. Paul, 1 Tim. 6. 17, 18, 19. Charge them that are Rich in this World, that they be Rich in good works, willing to diſtribute, ready to communicate, laying up for themſelves a good foundation; or (as the word foreign may alſo be rendred) a good treaſure, againſt the time which is to come, that they may lay hold of Eternal Life.
I have told you that all theſe things will fail in a ſhort ſpace, we ſhall either be ſtripp'd of them, or ſeparated from them when we come to dye, and ſhall look over to that vaſt Eternity which we muſt ſhortly enter upon; this World, and all the Enjoyments of it, will then be as nothing to us, and we ſhall be wholly taken up with the thoughts of another World, and be heartily ſorry that the things of this World have taken up ſo much of our Time and Care, and that the great and weighty Concernments of all Eternity have been ſo little minded and regarded by us. Now ſeeing all theſe things ſhall be, pardon me, if I earneſtly beg of you, in the midſt of all your Worldly Cares, to have ſome Conſideration for your Immortal Souls, which are no wiſe provided for by a great Eſtate, but are deſign'd for Nobler Enjoyments than this World can afford. When you are taking care to Feed and Cloath theſe dying Bodies, remember that better part of your ſelves which is to live for ever. Let not all your enquiry be, what ſhall I eat? or what ſhall I drink? or wherewithal ſhall I be cloathed? But ſometimes ask your ſelves this queſtion, what ſhall I do to be ſaved? I have an Immortal Spirit, it is but fit ſome Care ſhould be taken of that, to train it up to Eternity, and to make it fit to be made partaker of an Inheritance among them that are ſanctified.
The firm Belief and ſerious Conſideration of the great Things of another World cannot ſurely but cool the heat of our Affections towards theſe dying and periſhing Things, and make us reſolved not to do any thing whereby we may violate the peace of our Conſciences, or forfeit our Intereſt and Happineſs in another World.
2. By way of Remedy againſt this Vice of Covetouſneſs, it is good for Men to be contented with their Condition. This the Apoſtle preſcribes as the beſt Cure of this Vice, Heb. 13. 5. Let your converſation be without Covetouſneſs, and be content with ſuch things as ye have; foreign, being contented with the preſent, and thinking that ſufficient. A Covetous Man cannot enjoy the preſent, for fear of the future; either out of fear that he ſhall come to want, or out of a ſickneſs and uneaſineſs of Mind, which makes that nothing pleaſeth him: But if we could bring our Minds to our Condition, and be contented with what we have, we ſhould not be ſo eager and impatient after more.
This Contentedneſs with our preſent Condition doth not hinder, but that Men by Providence, and Induſtry, and lawful Endeavours, may lay the Foundation of a more plentiful Fortune than they have at preſent. For provided a Man uſe no indirect and diſhoneſt ways to increaſe his Eſtate, and do not torment himſelf with anxious Cares, do neither make himſelf guilty, nor miſerable, that he may be Rich; provided he do not neglect better things, to attain theſe; and have not an inſatiable Appetite towards them; provided he do not Idolize his Eſtate, and ſet his Heart upon theſe things; and if he can find in his heart to enjoy them himſelf, and to be Charitable to others; nothing hinders but that he may be contented with his preſent Condition, and yet take all fair Opportunities which the Providence of God puts into his hands of enlarging his Fortune. It is a good Character which the Poet gives of Ariſtippus,
Omnis Ariſtippum decuit color, & ſtatus & res;
Tentantem majora, ferè praeſentibus aequum.
Every State and Condition became him; for tho' he endeavoured after more, yet his Mind was always in a manner equal to his preſent Condition.
But if a Man be diſcontented with the preſent, and reſtleſs becauſe he hath no more, the whole World will not ſatisfie him; and if God ſhould raiſe him from one ſtep to another, he would never think his Fortune high enough, and in every degree of it would be as little contented as he was at firſt. Our Saviour repreſents this ſort of Men by the Rich Man here in the Parable, who when his Barns were full, and ready to crack, his Mind was not fill'd; therefore he pulls them down, and builds greater; and if he had lived 'till theſe had been full, they muſt have gone down too, and he would ſtill have built greater. So that tho' he deſigned when he had raiſed his Eſtate to ſuch a pitch, to have ſat down, and taken his eaſe, yet his Covetous humour would have been ſtirring again, and ſtill have ſtept in between him and Contentment, and for ever have hindred him from arriving at it.
Thirdly, By way of Direction, I would perſwade thoſe who are Rich, to be Charitable with what they have. If God have bleſt us with abundance, and we would not be like this Rich Man here in the Parable, we muſt lay out of our Eſtates, in ways of Piety and Charity, for the Publick Good, and for the private Relief of thoſe who are in want; for that is the foreign, or Moral of the Parable; ſo is he that layeth up Treaſures for himſelf, and is not Rich toward God. So ſhall he be; ſuch an iſſue of his Folly may every one expect, (to be taken away from his Eſtate before he comes to enjoy it) who layeth up Treaſures for himſelf, but is not Rich toward God; but does not lay up Riches with God. How is that? By Works of Mercy, and Charity. This our Saviour calls laying up for our ſelves Treaſure in Heaven, Mat. 16. 20. And at the 33d Verſe of this Chapter, he calls giving of Alms, providing for our ſelves baggs which wax not old, a Treaſure in the Heavens which faileth not; they who do thus, who are Rich in good Works, ready to Diſtribute, willing to Communicate, are ſaid to lay up for themſelves a good Treaſure againſt the time which is to come, that they may lay hold on Eternal Life, 1 Tim. 6. 18, 19. Extra fortunam eſt quicquid donatur; whatſoever we give to the Poor is ſafely diſpoſed, and put out of the reach of Fortune, becauſe it is laid up in Heaven, where we may expect the return and recompence of it. Charity to our poor Brethren is a certain way of tranſmitting our Riches into the other World, to make way fo… our reception there. So our Lord tells us, Luke 16. 9. I ſay unto you make to your ſelves Friends of the Mammon of Unrighteouſneſs, that when ye ſhall fail (that is) when ye ſhall leave this World, and the enjoyments of it, they may receive you into Everlaſting Habitations.
At the Great Day of Judgment, when we ſhall all appear before God, and, according to our Saviour's Repreſentation of the Proceedings of that Day, ſhall hear him thus Expoſtulating with Men, I was hungry, and ye gave me no meat; thirſty, and ye gave me no drink; naked, and ye cloathed me not; ſick, and in priſon, and ye viſited me not; what would we then give, how much of our Eſtates, if we had them then at our Command, would we not be willing to part withal, to have that Comfortable Sentence paſt upon us; Come ye bleſſed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you, before the foundation of the World! But if we be found among thoſe who would ſpare nothing out of their abundance to any Charitable Uſe and Purpoſe, I have not the heart to tell you how miſerable the Condition of ſuch Perſons will be, and how dreadful a Doom will be paſſed upon them.
It is a ſad Conſideration, that there are ſome Perſons in the World, who ſeem to be only defective in this Duty; like the young Man in the Goſpel, who lacked but this one thing to make him perfect; he had kept the Commandments from his youth, and preſerved himſelf from thoſe groſs Sins which the Law did plainly forbid; and yet for want of this one thing he parted from his Saviour, and, for any thing we know, fell ſhort of Eternal Life. There are many who are very Devout and Religious, much in Prayer and Faſting, and all the other frugal exerciſes of Piety, which coſt them no Mony; but yet are very defective in Alms, and Charity, which in Scripture are ſo frequently joyn'd with the Faſtings and Prayers of good Men; and by this means, all their Devotion and Diligence in the other parts of Religion is loſt, and will not bring them to Heaven. And is it not great pity, that they who are not far from the Kingdom of God, ſhould fall ſhort of it? that they, who in moſt other things bid ſo fair for Heaven, ſhould break wit… God upon this ſingle Point?
I know Men have ſeveral ways to deceive their own Hearts, and to defend themſelves againſt all theſe Aſſaults.
Firſt, They ſay they are injurious to no Man, in not being Charitable. And 'tis true, that in Humane Courts the Poor can have no Action againſt the Rich for want of Charity to them; but yet for all that, they do injuriouſly detain that which doth not of right belong to them. They are Cruel, and Hard-Hearted, and they are guilty of high breach of Truſt, in reſpect of God, whoſe Stewards they are, and who hath dealt ſo liberally with them in the Things of this Life, on purpoſe to oblige them to be ſo to others. That which thou ſtoreſt up, without regard to the neceſſities of others, is unlawfully detained by thee, ſince God intended it ſhould have been for Bread to the hungry, and Cloaths to the naked, and for help and relief of thoſe who are ready to periſh. For why art thou Rich, and another Poor? But that thou mighteſt exerciſe thy Charity upon thoſe fitting Objects which the Providence of God preſents to thee. It had been eaſie for God (ſince the Earth is his, and the fu…neſs thereof) ſo to have contrived Things, that every Man ſhould have had a ſufficiency, and have been in a moderate Condition; but then a great many Virtues would have been ſhut out of the World, and loſt, for want of opportunity to exerciſe them. Where then had been the Poor Man's Patience, and the Rich Man's Pity? and the contentedneſs of Men of moderate Fortune?
Secondly, Men ſay that they have Children to provide for. And do ſo in God's Name, for he allows us to do it liberally; but unleſs their Condition and Wealth ſet them above an ordinary Calling, do not chuſe ſo to provide for them, as to take them off from all Employment, leſt you put them in the ready way to be undone; have a Care of leaving them no other buſineſs, but to ſpend what you have left them; if you do ſo, they will in all probability do that work very effectually, and make as much haſte to be Poor, as you did to make them Rich. If Men could but be contented to do that which is beſt for their Children, they might do a great deal better for themſelves, by diſpoſing what they have to ſpare in Charity.
Thirdly, Others would fain excuſe themſelves from this Duty at preſent, by telling what they intend to do when they come to Die, that is, when they can keep what they have no longer. It ſeems then thou wilt leave it to thy Executor to do good in thy ſtead This ſhews thou haſt no great heart to the buſineſs, when thou deferreſt it as long as ever thou canſt. But why wilt thou truſt another with the diſpoſal of thy Charity, rather than thy ſelf? This is hardly to offer either a Reaſonable, or a Living Sacrifice to God, to do good only when we are dead. It is well that God hath made all Men Mortal, and that it is appointed for all Men once to die; otherwiſe ſome Men would never do good at all.
Wherefore ſetting aſide theſe, and all other excuſes, which will not be admitted, nor will any of us have the face to plead them at the Day of Judgment; I ſay, ſetting aſide all Excuſes whatſoever, let us reſolve to do good with what we have whilſt we can; and to that end let us lay aſide ſome Portion of what God has bleſt us withal, for the uſes of Piety, and Charity, and let it bear ſome decent Proportion to what God hath given us.
There is never want of proper Objects for our largeſt Charity, and now leſs than ever. Beſides thoſe at home, which preſent themſelves to us in great numbers every day, God hath ſent us many from abroad, who call loud upon us for our pity and help, both as they are reduced to the greateſt extremi…y, and are Sufferers in the beſt Cauſe, that of our common Religion, which ought now to be dearer to us than ever. Let us ſhew Mercy now, as we expect Mercy from others, in any day of our diſtreſs in this World, and as ever we hope, when ever we come to appear before the Judgment Seat of Chriſt, to find Mercy with the Lord in that Day.
Conſider what I have ſaid upon this Argument, and let this extraordinary kind of Caution, which our Saviour here gives, make a deep impreſſion upon your Minds; Take heed and beware of Covetouſneſs; for a Man's Life conſiſteth not in the abundance of the things which he poſſeſſeth.