there is a continued craving as if this were nothing Yea though he hath given us allowance to seek of him day by day our daily bread who hath also power to forgive us our sins that might cause him to withhold it from us and to seek it in such works of his providence as he gives us to be exercised in that we might take our own portion and give to others so as in all doing it to his glorie Yea and though he gives to all flesh their food and doth men good filling their hearts with food and gladness yet as not contented with all this there is still a crying Give give a desire after the forbidden fruit as if nothing else would make happy and in the eating of this we should be as Gods and have a self-sufficiency in our own hands hence Covetousness is opposed to a being content with such things as we have Heb. 13. 5. Thus it was with Ahah though he governed the kingdom of Israel and therefore had large possessions yet because Naboth would not give the inheritance of his Fathers to him he was heavy and displeased as if all he had was nothing 1 King 21. 2-4 Yea thus it was with the first man Adam though God had given a world of creatures to him and given allowance to eat of every tree of the garden the tree of knowledge of good and evil onely excepted yet listening to the lye of the tempter and conceiving in eating of that tree he should be self-sufficient he conceived a lust hereto as if it were best because not allowed and did eat of the forbidden fruit and this is still the nature of this iniquity a man is like the troubled Sea when it cannot rest alwayes desiring and craving for the possessing of an abundance and thinking Oh could I but attain to so much money or so much by the year then I should be contented and is even sick till the desire be accomplished as Amnon was for his sister Tamar 2 Sam. 13. 2-4 and yet if he attain thereto that which was at first the end of his desire is now but a means to a further and he as much unsatisfied as before as was Amnon when his former lust was satisfied 2 Sam. 13. 15. And it cannot be otherwise while the heart is inclined to it's covetousness because there is no rest to the soul in these things all that which is not bread is unsatisfying Isa 55. 2. He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver nor he that loveth abundance with increase Eccl. 5. 10. Pro. 21. 26. He may indeed resolve with the rich man in the Parable which our Savior immediately joynes to this admonition and instruction that he will say to his soul when he hath so much in his hand as he proposes to himself Soul take thy rest eat drink and be merry but as he never came at it so more generally it is with him that layeth up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God Luk. 12. 16-21 He never arrives at that rest he proposes to himself in these things his Soul shall not dwell at ease For these things are not of the Father not the rest he hath prepared for our weary spirits Christ onely is that and in taking his yoke upon us we shall finde it Isa 28. 12. and 55. 1 2. Math. 11. 28 29. Hence our Savior when he is admonishing of this iniquity of Covetousness and shewing the unprofitableness of it saith What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and loose his own Soul Math. 16. 26. He may herein secretly intimate that a man following his own wisdom hath a will and lust for this even to have all the world in his own possession as it was with that proud King of Babylon as before yet if he had it it would not so fill his heart as to satiate his desire but such is the nature of this disease of the Soul that like the Dropsie the more they have the more they crave and had such a man the whole world which Satan may promise to give him as he did our Savior to gain worship from him yet he would still desire with him that there were another world to conquer and possess And as this is the nature of this evil so that he proposes to himself in it is 4. That he may be rich in or toward himself that he may be self-sufficient as opposed to the being rich towards God this is the end of his greedy and Covetous desire that he may heap up for himself A man may as before is said with Gods allowance desire of him to give us food convenient and to bless the work of our hands so as herein submitting to God to this end that we may be accommodated to seek after the Kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof that we may more know and glorifie it and be rich toward God in dispensing according to our capacities as he hath given us instruction and incouragement but now the end of this greedy desire is that he may lay up for himself treasure on earth where moth and rust corrupt and where thieves break thorow and steal of which we are admonished Matthew 6. 23. We are not forbidden to lay up treasure for our selves but are allowed instructed and encouraged to provide our selves baggs which wax not old a treasure in the heavens that failes not to lay up for our selves treasure in heaven and that in giving to them that stand in need as the love of Christ constraines to do good to all but especially to to the houshold of faith as we have opportunity with this assureance that our labour of love shall not be in vain in the Lord And thus doing we shall lay up for our selves in store a good foundation not for the present to build on or that this should now be the foundation of our faith and hope and matter of our feeding and ground of our rejoycing no the bread which he gives and which believers feed on is the flesh of Christ which he hath given for the life of the world Joh. 6. 51. The sheep as those that know not themselves thereby nor have this as the foundation they are built on they shall say Lord when saw we thee an hungred and fed thee c. Math. 25. 37-40 Though Christ rejoyces in them as produced by his grace taking away the mixtures and they shall be rewarded but for the time to come 1 Tim. 6. 19. But this laying up for our selves consists notwith this covetousness it proposes no such end in it's inordinate desire it knows not how to be subject to the doctrine of God and it's instructions nor indeed can it be it is afraid to trust God and leads a man to think that what he possesseth is safer and securer then in the hands of God and that whatever is thus parted with is lost for ever it is indeed a casting our bread upon the waters
reproving and discovering quality and secretly to depart from it so as not so as not so to receive the love of the truth as to be saved thereby it will cause a man to hate reproof so that though such may sit before God's servants as his people and hear their words and shew much love Yea the Ministers of Christ in their speakings may be as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice and they hear their words yet they do them not because their heart goeth after their covetousness Ezek. 33. 31. 32. This will lead to hate the light when it discovers their deeds to be evil and to hate those that are faithful reprovers as those before spoken of Son of man saith the Lord the children of they people are talking against thee by the walls and in the doores of the houses namely privately and secretly so as the prophet might not know it till God revealed it to him and yet they say Come I pray you and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lorde Ezek. 33. 30 31. Joh. 3. 19 20. So the Prophet Jeremy also signifies and bewailes To whom saith he shall I speak and give warning that they may hear behold their ear is uncircumcised and they cannot hear not hear in hearing not endure sound doctrine behold the word of the Lord is a reproach to them they have no delight in it Whence was this For from the least of them even to the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness Jer. 6. 10-13 Yea so bruitish will this make a man when given to it as even openly to reject despise and seek to destroy the word of the Lord when it strikes against it and shews the evil nature and fruit of it Or that God will so proceed in his judgments as to strip them of the objects of this lust See what Jehoiakims wickedness was when he heard the roll read which Jeremy had received from the Lords mouth and saw others cut it and cast it into the fire yet he was not afraid Yea though some made intercession that he would not burn it yet he would not hear Whence proceeded this open wickedness surely from hence Thine eyes and thine heart saith God to him are not but for thy covetousness and therefore he could not endure to hear of the King of Babylons coming to destroy the nation Compare Jer. 36. 23. 29. with Chap. 22. 17. This also was the cause of their wise men's Priests and Prophets rejecting the word of the Lord Jer. 8. 9 10. Hence they are said to be such as fear God who hate covetousness Exod. 18. 21. And however certain it is that though men have received the word of the kingdom in some measure to purpose yet going out these thornes the cares of this world and deceitfulness of riches and lust of other things entring in choak the word and it and so the man becomes unfruitful Math. 13. 22. Mark 4. 18 19. Luk. 8. 14. And this leads to the next 2. It bereaves and hinders the soul of good namely of doing good and so consequently of being further made partakers of it and injoying it For if we be wise we shall be wise for our selves and so 1. it hinders from doing good with this worlds good which he is putting into our hands that according to what we have we might do good to all men and especially to the houshold of faith and in doing which as moved and instructed by the grace of God we might in some measure adorn the doctrine of God our Savior and so either 1. it will shut up the bowels of our compassion when opened that we shall not be faithful as is required of stewards God's end in giving to us the things of this world is that we should according to our ability do good therewith in our life time Eccl. 3. 12. And hence I conceive they are called another mans Luk. 16. 13. Not onely because they pass from one to another and no man can be sure of them but as they received them from others for they brought nothing into the world with them so it is certain they shall carry nothing out with them But also because he is intrusting men with the things of this life as stewards who must give an account hereof to him he is putting them into their hands that according as he is instructing and moving them they should dispense to others and those that are rich might be rich in good workes ready to communicate to the needs of others even as it is with stewards that which is committed to them is not that they should lay it up for themselves onely but that according to the instruction of their Lords they might take their own portions and dispense thereof to others of their fellow-servants in the family so he is giving these things into our hands that we might herewith make to our selves friends of the Mammon of unrighteousness with this uncertain riches But now this Covetousness retained and served shuts up the bowels of our compassions when God is opening them on sight of our brothers need Thus it was with the rich man he had an opportunity to have made Lazarus his friend with this Mammon of unrighteousness but neglected it and this our Savior adds after he had been instructing to faithfulness in disposing what is committed to us and admonishing of covetousness as intimating this was the root of it Luk. 16. 9-25 This also was the cause of the great evil of the fool mention'd in the parable in this Luk. 12. when his ground brought forth plentifully he thus reasons with himself what shall I do because I have no room where to bestow my fruits had he observed the instructions of the grace of God he should not have been at a loss for this for the poor are always with us that we might do good to them and refresh their bowels in relieving their necessities this he never thought of but he said This will I do I will pull down my barn and build greater and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods c. This man God calls fool because he thought not of laying up his treasure better or in a better place even in heaven and this was the issue of his covetousness and hence it is immediatly joyned to the admonition we are speaking to Luk. 12. 15-20 And such a fool is every one that layeth up treasures for himself and is not rich toward God ver 21. 2. Or if it have not such dominion over us as quite to shut up the bowels of our compassion but we are dispensing to others yet still this covetousness consulted with and yeilded to will hinder and deprive us of good and that either 1. By causing us to do what we do niggardly and sparingly and so not as a matter of bounty but of covetousness 2 Cor. 9. 5 6. And to do what we do grudgingly as that which is a
meant that life which he hath as a man or which is proper to him as a man as distinguished from that life which God hath prepared for men and given them in Christ this is the record that God hath given to us mankind eternal life and this life is in his Son 1 Joh. 5. 10 11. and which life he is giving with Christ so as in finding him we shall find and be made partakers of it in which is contained the forgiveness of our sins and the favor of God and fellowship with him which is now given through the knowledge of him our Savior here speaks not of this life nor is this man's life as a man or Son of Adam but obtained and treasured up for us in the second Man the last Adam this is called the life of God Eph. 4. 18. which he hath given us in and is giving us with his Son and making him partaker of it by faith that receiveth him had our Savior said eternal life or the life of God consists not herein many would have been ready to say they know that well enough who yet are given to covetousness and so are idolaters and rejoyce and trust in these things as if eternal life consisted in them But here he descends so low in asserting the emptiness unprofitableness of man's abundance as that he may shew that the thoughts of man yea and of the wise also are very vain For what man is there that doth not secretly think that his life consists in the abundance of the things which he injoyeth but it is not so his life his natural life which is given to him through the Mediator and which God doth preserve during his pleasure by his blessing of meat and drink to him for man lives not by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of his mouth and by his gracious protection this consists not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth That is 1. As life and to live signifies in Scripture a comfortable being and injoying chearfulness and gladness as 1 Sam. 25. 6. so in an higher sense the word is used 1 Thes 3. 8. so a man's life consists not therein a man lives never a whit the more merrily this is that which men at least think to be in abundance they think it will make their lives comfortable they propose to themselves a great deal of contentment in having an abundance and therefore they desire and lust after it and labor to be rich in themselves and they say or will say Eat drink and be merry as he in the parable Luk. 12. 19. but they never come at it it makes not their present life comfortable and joyous For 1. There is no satisfaction in these things he that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver nor he that loves abundance with increase Eccl. 5. 10. the appetite or desire is not filled but he still cryes Give give he coveteth greedily all the day long Eccl. 6. 7. Pro. 21. 26. and so is like the troubled sea that cannot rest surely every man walks in a vain shew surely they are disquietedin vain he heapeth up continually c Psal 39. 9. while they seek for rest in these things their desire is inlarged as Hell and they cannot be satisfied this is not our rest because it is polluted it is not bread and therefore it will not satisfie Isa 55. 2. Mica 2. 10. Christ onely is the rest where the weary may find rest but the abundance of these things give no rest and so the life cannot be comfortable he is still wishing for and desiring more and such is the way of every one that is greedy of gain that it takes away the life the comfort of the life of the owners thereof Prov. 1. 19. and from the greediness of gain they are led to much sore travel and labor that they may increase to themselves and more load themselves with thick clay it is a loading themselves indeed for it is an heavy burden to them fills them with trouble grief and much disquietment and vexation of spirit Hab. 2. 6. yea though at some time they may laugh and rejoyce yet it is but as the crackling of thorns under a pot appears great but it is presently gone yea in laughter the heart may be sorrowful and the end of that mirth is heaviness Eccl. 2. 2. and 7. 6. Pro. 14. 13. it is the word of Christ kept in the midst of the heart that is life to those that find it and health to all their flesh and though all the days of the affliction of such is evil yet he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast Pro. 4. 20-22 and 15. 15. he then that will love life and see good days live chearfully and comfortably let him not labor to be rich but refrain his tongue from evil and his lips that they speak no guile let him eschew evil and do good let him seek peace and ensue it 1 Pet. 3. 10 11. 2. As such an ones life or living comfortably consists not in his abundance because while he seeks rest therein he still desires after and labors for more and so disquiets himself in vain so also he meets with much vexation in bethinking how to secure to himself what he hath gotten like this rich man in the parable Luk. 12. 17 18. he thought within himself saying What shall I do because I have no room where to bestow my fruits and he said this will I do I will pull down my barns and build greater c. All his days are sorrows and his travel grief Yea his heart taketh no rest in the night Eccl 2. 23. The sleep of a laboring man is sweet whether he eat little or much but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep Eccl. 5. 12. they are now caring how they shall lay up what they have so as to secure it or how they may let it out or lâ—y it out safely or to greatest advantage and full of fears lest thieves should break through and steal or lest those in whose hands they have disposed it should be impoverished and break and they loose all or when troubles are in the Earth and God orders judgements of war and sword lest all should be taken away by violence from them all his days he eateth in darkness and affliction many sorrows cares and feares attend the abundance here possessed and injoyed and so a man's life the comfort of it consists not herein Eccl. 5. 14-17 3. Yea God distributeth sorrows also and is ordering sorrow and wrath to them with their sickness while they possess their abundance and are not laying it up in Heaven according to the instructions of his grace Eccl. 5 14-17 and this to a gracious end while called to day that they might seek after that treasure hid in Christ and make themselves friends of the Mammon of unrighteousness To the sinner to those that erre and miss
world and loose his own soul these are idolaters and as such they shall be punished their worm dyeth not in that lake into which they shall be cast and their fire is not quenched Were it not infinitely better for us now to receive the love of the truth that we may be saved from our iniquities and idols than expose our selves to the wrath to come Oh who knoweth the power of it what shall a man then give in exchange for his soul than a great ransome cannot deliver will he esteem thy riches no not gold nor all the forces of strength Job 36. 18 19. these profit not in a day of wrath Oh how dreadful will it then be when the Son of man shall say Depart ye cursed into everlasting fire propared for the Devil and his angels For I was an hungred and ye gave me no meat I was thirsty and ye gave me no drink I was a stranger and ye took me not in naked and ye cloathed me not sick and in prison and ye visited me not Math. 25. 41-43 He saith not your heart was so given to your covetousness you so loved the world and the things thereof that you defrauded me and took away from me wrongfully what was mine you were not content with that portion of earthly things that was in your own possession but you coveted mine and took it away by violence and extortion and so exposed me to hunger thirst cold and nakedness no this was not directly laid to their charge though this is strongly supposed to be a more grievous iniquity but that for which they are sentenced to everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord it is that they did not cast their bread upon the waters they withheld more than was meet and now it tends to this great poverty they are now left destitute of his favour and for ever separated from him and doomed to the vengeance of eternal fire now when his poor servants that formerly injoyed their evil things are comforted those who formerly injoyed their good things are tormented and shall be so for ever For there will then be such a great gulf fixed that there is no passing from that state and condition to another Luk. 16. 25. at this our heart may tremble and be moved out of place who amongst us will give ear to this who will hearken and hear for the time to come such an one as thus shuts up the bowels of his compassion when opened may possibly by some men be look't upon as an hard man and as one that too much loves his money and this may be deemed as a venial or small offence in him and yet he may pass for an honest man though somewhat hard but were it wisely considered how such wil hereafter be proceeded against it would as viewed in Christ in whom there is now forgiveness and cleansing and power to deliver from the wrath to come be powerful to awaken us to quit our selves from this iniquity What hath been said in shewing that we may take heed and beware of covetousness and by what means we may do it may be of usefulness to us Vse 1. To shew unto us the preciousness of the blood of Christ in its vertue and in it's discovery for redeeming us 1 Pet. 1. 18 19. As that is it whereby forgiveness is procured peace made spirit received great and precious promises confirmed eternal life and redemption obtained so the discovery and application thereof is that whereby he doth wash us from our sins Rev. 1. 5 1 Joh. 1. 7. redeem us unto God from the Earth and from amongst men Rev. 5. 9. and 14. 4 5. purges from dead works as well as from those that are deadly to serve the living God Heb. 9. 14. 2. It shews unto us the reason why we are not washed from this filthiness of covetousness namely because we come not unto and are not obedient to the blood of sprinkling 1 Pet. 1. 2. Eph. 5. 6. for were we obedient thereto it would save us and if we do not thus experiment it let us judge our selves and search and try our ways for certainly we have been wandring out of the way of understanding 1 Cor. 15. 2. 1 Thes 1. 9 10. Oh thou who art named the house of Jacob is the spirit of the Lord straitned are these his doings do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly Mica 2. 2-7 3. Let it instruct and ingage us to give more earnest heed to the things which God hath testified of his Son in what he hath done and is become in what he is now doing and in what he will do and so let us receive and walk in the spirit minding the things of the spirit and we shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh Gal. 5. 16. this is our victory even our faith who is he that overcometh the world but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God 1 Joh. 5. 4 5. it is onely through the spirit we may mortify the deeds of the body Rom. 8. 13. it is good for us to know that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by the faith of Christ the word of faith in which he is now manifested to be the foundation and object of faith as formerly he was not that we may believe in Jesus Christ that we may be justifyed and cleansed also as justified sometimes signifies as Dan. 8. 14. by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified Gal. 2. 16. That we may therefore flee covetousness consider we and remember what God hath given us in Christ and the hope set before us to be possessed and injoyed when he shall appear in glory and wait through the spirit who glorifies Christ for the hope of Gods righteousness through faith so shall we meet with his Divine power for delivering us from every path of the destroyer Col. 3. 3-5 Gal. 5. 5. And to ingage us to take heed and beware of covetousness let us briefly consider the motive here laid down by our Savior to seal home this caution For a man's life consists not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth From whence we noted 3. That the consideration of this that a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth is also proper as viewed in the glorious Gospel to move us to receive this admonition viz. to take heed and beware of covetousness By the abundance of the things which he possesseth is here meant the things of this present world as appears in that it is said a man as a man possesseth them and by the parable which our Savior presently joyns unto this Caveat Luk. 12. 16-18 the things of the Earth which he possesseth here on Earth as distinguished from what is laid up in Heaven in the motions and teaching of his grace And by a man's life is