A Christian Library, Chapter 14
CHAP. XIIII.
FOurthly, he puts his trust in his riches, & not in God, loves & serves Satan more then God, therefore he shall have his comfort, & reward from them and not from God. Yea Satan shall have more service of him for an ounce of gold, then God shall have for the Kingdom of heaven, because he profers a little base pelf before God and his own salvation. He loves God well, but his money better, for that is his summum bonum: yea he thinks him a fool that does otherwise. What part with a certainty for an uncertainty? if he can keep both, well and good, if not, what ever betides he will keep his Mammon, his money, though he lose himself, his soul. And yet the Lord gives far better things for nothing, then Satan will sell us for our souls; had we the wit to consider it, as we may see, Isa. 55.1, 2.
Again he loves his children better then the Lord, oppressing Gods children to inrich his own, for so his young ones be warm in their nest, let Christs members shake with cold, he cares not. He loves the Lord, as Laban loved Iacob, onelyonly to get riches by him, or as Saul loved Samuel, to get honor by him. He will walk with God, so long as plenty, or the like does walk with him, but no longer; he will leave Gods service rather then lose by it.
That the Mammonist loves not God, is evident; for if any man love the world, the love of God is not in him, 1 John 2.15. yea the two poles shall sooner meet, then the love of God and the love of money.
Not is this all, for he not onelyonly loves Mammon more then God, but he makes it his god, shrines it in his coffer, yea in his breast, and sacrif…ceth his heart to it; he puts his trust, and placeth his confidence in his riches, makes it his hope, attributing and ascribing all his successes thereunto, which is to deny God that is above, as we may plainly see Iob 31.24, 28. Nor ought covetous men to be admitted into Christian society. We have a great charge to separate from the covetous, Eat not with him, sayes the Apostle, 1 Cor. 5.11. and also wise Solomon, Prov. 23.7.
Covetousness is flat idolatry, which makes it out of measure sinful, and more hanious then any other sin, as appears, Col. 3.5. Ephes. 5.5. Iob 31.24, 28. Ier. 17.5. 1 Tim. 6.9, 10. Fornication is a foul sin; but nothing to this, that pollutes the body, but covetousness defileth the soul; and the like of other sins. Yea, it is such a sordid and damnable sin, that it ought not once to be named among Christians, but with detestation, Ephes. 5.3.
It is a sound Conclusion in Divinity, That is our God, which we love best and esteem most; as gold is the covetous mans god, and …ellychear, the voluptuous mans god, and honor the ambitious mans god: and for these they will do more, then they will for God. Yea all wicked men make the devil their god; for why does Saint Paul call the devil the god of this world? but because wordly men do believe him, trust him, and obey him above God, and against God; and do love his wayes and commandments better then the wayes and laws of God.
We all say, that we serve the Lord, but as the Psalmist speaks, other Lords rule us, and not the Lord of heaven and earth. The covetous Mammonist does insatiably thirst after riches, placing all his joyes, hopes, and delights thereon; does he not then make them his God? ye… God sayes, lend, clothe, feed, harbor; The devil and Mammon, say, take, gather, extort, oppress, spoil; whether of these are our gods? but they that are most obeyed? Know ye not, saith, Saint Paul, that to whomsoever ye give your selves as servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey, Rom. 6.16. the case is plain enough, that every wilful sinner makes the devil his god; he cannot deny it. I wish men would well waigh it. The goods of a worldling are his gods, Ye have taken away my gods, says Micha, and what have I more to lose, Jud. 18.24. He makes Idols of his coyn, as the Egyptians did of their treasure: They have turned the truth of God into a lye, and worshipped and served the creature, forsaking the Creator, which is blessed for ever, Amen, Rom. 1.25.
The greedy Wolfe, Mole, or Muckworm, who had rather be damned then damnified, hath his Mammon in the place of God, loving it with all his heart, with all his soul, with all his minde, making gold his hope, and saying to the wedge of gold, Thou art my confidence; and yet of all men alive, he is least contented when he hath his hearts desire, yea more then he knows what to do withall; the issue of a secret curse. For in outward appearance they are as happy as the world can make them, they have large possessions, goodly houses, beautiful spouses, hopeful children, full purses; yet their life is never the sweeter, nor their hearts ever the lighter, nor their meales the heartier, nor their nights the quieter, nor their cares the fewer; yea none more full of complaints among men. Oh cursed Ciatifs, how does the devil bewitch them! Generally, the poorer the merryer, because having food and raiment, they are therewith content, 1 Tim. 6.8. They obey the rule, Heb. 13, 5. and God gives his blessing. But for those that make gold their god, how should not God either deny them riches, or deny his blessing upon them; and instead thereof, blast his blessings with a curse, and give them their riches in wrath, so that they had better be without them.
If we put our trust and confidence in God, he hath promised … to fail nor forsake us, Heb. 13, 5. But this is the man that took not God for his strength; but trusted unto the multitude of his riches, and put his strength in his malice, Psal. 52.7. Yea he saith in his heart, God hath forgotten; he hideth away his face and will never see, Psal. 10.11. He puts his certain trust in uncertain riches, 1 Tim. 6.17. And not for want of ignorance, for to trust to God, and not to any creature or carnal policy is the greatest safty. A lesson yet to be learned of many, that do in a good measure trust in God (which this muckworme not so much as minds) But shall we trust God with our jewels, our souls, and not with the box, Mat. 6.30? Take we heed, lest whiles he doth grant us that wherein we do not trust him (worldly riches) he take away that wherein we do trust him (everlasting joy and happiness.)
Fiftly and lastly, let a graceless and ingrateful cormorant, an unmerciful miser have never so much, he neither intends to glorifie God, nor do good to others with his riches: he will not change a peece without profit, scarse let another light a torch at his candle. He will not lose a groa… to gain a mans life, nor speak a sillable for God were it to save a soul: And God cares for none, that care for none but themselves, making themselves the center of all their actions and aimes. Whereas he is abundantly bountiful to publike spirits, that aime at his glory, and others good. And so ye have the Reasons, the Uses for the present, and in this place, shall be onelyonly