A Scripture-Map of the Wilderness of Sin, Treatise · Part 2 · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV. Riches a wilderneſs to the unregenerate, opened and applyed.
SEcondly,2. Riches a wilderneſs to unregenerate ones. Riches themſelves are but a wilderneſs to carnal ones, 1 Tim. 6.10. The love of money is the root of all evil. What then grows up from that root? truly thickets enough to make a wilderneſs: remarkable are the two things that follow in the ſame verſe. Firſt, they that have coveted it, have erred from the faith (there are the paths.) Secondly, they have peirced themſelves thorough with many ſorrows (there are the thorns of the wilderneſs.) Hence 2 Pet. 2.15. They have forſaken the right way, and have gone astray, following the way of Balaam: Whats the reaſon? Who loved wages of unrighteouſneſs. Expreſs is that language in all three Evangeliſts, Mat. 13.22. Mark. 4.19. Luk. 8.14. We read it the deceitfulneſs of riches, but the Greek is foreign, of foreign (that ſignifies a way) and the privative foreign, in plain Engliſh, riches, whoſe property it is to lead out of the way. Or (which tranſlation of the word cannot be quarrelled with) the bewildrings of riches. More particularly riches of the world are ſubject to bewilder by the multitudes of their occaſions, temptations, and excuſes.
1. Riches ſet men round with a wilderneſs of occaſions,1. Their occaſions. ſo that they know not which way to turn toward Canaan, Pro. 30.9. Give me not riches, ſaith Agur, verſ. 7. leaſt I be full and deny thee, verſ. 9. When the houſe is full of Mammon, ſeldom it is that there's room for God. I am bold to underſtand fulneſs of buſineſs created by riches, as one ſort of fulneſs here meant. He hath ſo great trading, and ſo many to ſpeak with, ſo many wayes at once to go, that he hath not time to ſpeak with God, as he goes by, or to walke in the wayes towards Canaan, or to trade for heaven. I have very rarely obſerved that any man hath had more time for heaven then another, by having more of earth then hath another. If the rich man can finde time enough from his occaſions to have a leſſon ſet him, or to hear it read, Good maſter what ſhall I do to be ſaved? he can by no means ſtay to take it forth; He went quickly away; for he had great poſſeſſions, Mat. 19.16, 22. The rich have barns to pull down, and greater to build, and a thouſand more occaſions. Ask them, and ſay, Come let us go up to Zion; they muſt needs deny you, their hands are already full of their own occaſions. I have ſeen what time ſome had to take money in, but I have wondred what time they have had to pray in. Or if you turn unto duty, which yet is as ſad, do not the occaſions of the world go along with your hearts. Ezek. 33.31. They come, and ſit and hear, but their heart goes after their covetouſneſs.
2. Their temptations.2. The temptations of riches are a wilderneſs to the ſoul: This the poor man thinks not of, when he would ſo fain change eſtates with the rich. 2 Tim. 6.8, 9. Having food and raiment let us be content. But they that will be rich fall into temptations, and into a ſnare, and into many an hurtful luſt. Such as theſe.
1. Temptations to forget their dependance upon God; they that are fed from hand to mouth, are not ſo ſubject. But the rich man (if carnal) Pſal. 10.3, 4. boaſteth of his hearts deſire, and God is not in all his thoughts.
2. Temptations to ſenſuality and carnal luſts. Theſe men have fuel to caſt upon the flame, more than others have. The rich man can go alwayes in purple and fine linnen, and fare deliciouſly every day, Luk. 16.19. Poor men (though they would) cannot: And verily what is all that they have in the world more than others, but the lusts of the fleſh, the luſts of the eyes, and the pride of life?
3. Temptations to deſire alwaies to be here: to undervalue heaven, to build upon earth, to neglect, yea, to forget their latter end. If the fool hath much good, he preſently dreams of many years, Luk. 12.19. and ſaith, he ſhall never be moved, Pſal. 10.6. ſuch and a thouſand more ſuch like temptations are enough to bewilder a poor ſoul.
2. A wilderneſs of excuſes. The more riches,3. Their excuſes. the more occaſions: and the more occaſions, the more excuſes (and excuſes, as one ſaid, are as hilts upon the hands, and make it much more difficult to make men lay down their weapons.) Such a friend muſt be ſeen, I, and that this day; to morrow will not do ſo well; let this excuſe mine abſence from this days Lecture. Such a cuſtomer muſt be waited on, who juſt now is to go out of town; let this excuſe another time, Luk. 14.18, 19, 20. What with rich bargains, and rich leaſes, and rich wives, or one thing or other, all with one conſent began to make excuſes. There were different excuſes, but all with one conſent. If he had not had money enough to have bought thoſe Oxen, to have hired that farm, to have joyntured that wife, he might, for ought I know, have been a gueſt at the wedding ſupper. Mark further the language of excuſes, I have bought a peice of ground, and I must needs go and ſee it, I pray thee have me excuſed. I have pointed the man to meet me there, and he will be fruſtrated, except I go; pray tell your maſter, if it were not a caſe of neceſſity I would have come unto him, but now I muſt needs go another way. There is a wilderneſs of excuſes.
Give me leave then you that are rich in this world, Ʋſe. Advice unto rich men.and perhaps I might ſay in this wilderneſs, to preſent a few things to your conſiderations.
1. May not this be a worm unto all your enjoyments,4. Conſiderations for rich men. to think, as perhaps you have reaſon to do, if unregenerate you ought to do, that what ever you have gotten, you have gotten it in the wilderneſs. Tis the Lords own notion, not mine. Read Job. 24.5, 6. Behold, as wild Aſſes in the deſert, go they forth to their work, riſing betimes for a prey; the wilderneſs yeeldeth food for them, and for their children, &c. Thou haſt got (thou canſt ſay) an eſtate for thy ſelf, an inheritance for thy ſon, portions for thy daughters; but if thy neighbors or thy conſcience can ſay, thou haſt got it in the wilderneſs, that ſin hath yeelded food for thee, and for thy children, doſt thou nor think this thought will ſpoil all, in the day that thy wilderneſs ſhall become an howling wilderneſs? Surely it ſhall. Therefore, Go to now, rich men, lament and howle for the miſeries that ſhall come up on you, James 5.1.
2. Conſider, Tis not more hard for any to get out of the wilderneſs, then for the rich; as strait as the gate is that enters into life, ſo ſtrait is the gap that leads out of the wilderneſs. And ſurely it is not for thoſe that are fat like Jeſuron, cloathed (as the Prophet ſpeaks) with thick clay, to croud or creep out at ſo narrow an hole. The paſſage is no bigger then a needles eye; therefore one way or another, by loſſes, or ſelf-denial, or contempt of the world, thou muſt be brought to a ſingle thred to go thorough the needles eye. The yong man might elſe have got out of the wilderneſs, but he was too thick to go thorough, for he had great poſſeſſions, Mat. 19.22.
3. Conſider what a fooliſh and vain purchaſe it is to grow rich in a wilderneſs; for whilſt an eſtate is gotten, thy ſelf is lost. And upon this account, what would it profit thee to gain the world, whilſt thou loſest thine own ſoul? Mark. 8.36. This was the folly of that fool, Luk. 12.19. He boaſted what an eſtate was his, when that very night it appeared that his ſoul was none of his then; Whoſe are the things that he had provided? verſ. 20.
4. Conſider, Whatever thou getteſt in the wilderneſs, thou ſhalt undoubtedly leave there. The thorns and the bryers of thoſe thickets will never ſuffer thee to go away with thy fleece that grew there. Thus he that gathereth riches, and not by right, ſhall leave them in the midst of his dayes, and in the end ſhall be a fool, Jer. 17.11.
Therefore let rich men learn to chuſe the way of truth, as David, Pſal. 119.30. Yea, to turn their heart thereto, and not to covetouſneſs, as verſ. 36. Yea, To rejoyce in the way (mark the phraſe, the way) of Gods teſtimonies as much as in all riches. My friends, Gods teſtimonies are a way; all riches without them are but a wilderneſs.