The Prevention of Poverty, Chapter 21
CHAP. XXI.
SEcondly, another reason is, if a covetous man do repent, he must restore what he hath wrongfully gotten, which perhaps may amount to half, or it may be three parts of his Estate at a clap: which to him is as hard, and harsh an injunction, as that of God to Abraham, Gen. 22. 2. Sacrifise thy son, thine only son Isaac. Or as that of our Saviours to the young man, Luk. 18. 22. Sell all that ever thou hast, and distribute unto the poor: And is there any hope of his yeelding? No, Covetousness is idolatry, Eph. 5. 5. Col. 3. 5.
And Gold is the covetous mans god, and will he part with his God, a certainty for an uncertainty? No, a godly man is content to be poor in outward things, because his purchase is all inward; but nothing except the assurance of heavenly things, can make us willing to part with earthly things; neither can he contemn this life, that knows not the other, and so long as he keeps the weapon (evil-gotten goods) in his wound, and resolves not to pluck it out by restoring) how is it possible he should be cured?
Besides, as there are no colours so contrary as white and black, no elements so disagreeing as fire and water, so there is nothing so opposit to grace and conversion, as covetousness; and as nothing so alienates a mans love from his vertuous spouse, as his inordinate affection to a filthy strumpet; so nothing does so far separate and diminish a mans love to God, and heavenly things, as our inordinate affection to the world and earthly things; yea, there is an absolute contrariety between the love of God, and the love of money: no servant, saith our Saviour, can serve two masters, for either he shall hate the one, and love the other, or else he shall leane to the one and despise the other, ye cannot serve God and riches, Luk. 16. 13. Here we see, there is an absolute impossibility, and in the fourteenth Chapter and elsewhere, we have examples to confirm it, All those that doted upon purchases, and farms, and oxen, and wives, with one consent made light of it, when they were bid to the Lords Supper, Luk. 14, 15. to 23. The Gadarenes that so highly prised their hoggs, would not admit Christ within their borders, Luk. 8. Judas that was covetous, and loved money, could not love his Master, and therefore sold him.
When Demas began to imbrace this present world, he soon forsook Paul, and his soul-saving Sermons, 2 Tim 4. 10. and how should it be otherwise with these Misers? for they love and serve Mammon, they put their trust, and place their confidence in their riches; they make gold their hope, they set their hearts upon it, and do homage thereunto, attributing and ascribing all their successes thereunto; which is, to deny the God that is above, as we may plainly see, Iob 31. 24, 28. and as for his love and regard to the Word of God, I will referre it to his own conscience to determine, whether he finds any more taste in it, then in the white of an egge, yea, whether it be not as distastfull to him, as dead beer after a banquet of sweet-meats. Nor is it only distastfull to his palat, for his affections being but a little luke-warm water, it makes his religion even stomack-sick: Let him go to the Assemblies, (which he does more for fear of the Law, then for love of the Gospel, and more out of custome then conscience, as Cain offered his sacrifice, and so will God accept of it:) he sits down as it were at Table, but he hath no stomack to eat; his ears are at Church, but his heart is at home; and though he hear the Ministers words, yet he resolveth not to do them; for his heart goes after his covetousnes, as the Lord tells Ezekiel touching his Auditors, Ezek. 33. 30. to 33.
And as is his hearing, such is his praying, for that also is to serve his own turn; he may afford God his voice, but his heart is rooted and rivited to the earth; They have not cryed unto me, saith God, with their hearts, when they howled upon their beds, and when they assembled themselves, it was but for corn and wine, for they continue to rebell against me, Hosea 7. 14. O that God had but the same place in mens affections, that riches, honours, pleasures, & their friends have! but that is seldom seen, the more shame, folly, and madness, and the greater and juster their condemnation; whence that terrible Text in Jeremiah, Chapter 17. Thus saith the Lord, Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and withdraweth his heart from the Lord, vers. 5. And that exhortation, 1 Tim. 6. Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, and that they trust not in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us abundantly all things to injoy, vers. 17. And well does that man deserve to perish, that so loves the creature, as that he leaves the Creator.