1 2 3 told us the contrary, assuring us, that except we repent we must all perish.' I confess there have been such blasphemous heretics amongst us, called Antinomians who are altogether for faith without good works, making as if Christ by erecting his gospel destroyed the moral law; but none can entertain such an horrible opinion as that is, whose sinful practices have not so far depraved their principles, that they believe it is so only because they would have it to be so, directly contrary to our Saviour's own words, Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.' But I hope there is none of us but have better learned Christ, than to think that he came to patronize our sins, who was 'sent to bless us by turning away every one of us from our inquities.' But how come Christians then to be as bad and sinful as other men? Is it because they are as destitute as other men of all means whereby to become better? No, this cannot possibly be the reason, for nothing can be more certain, than that we all have, or at least may, if we will, have whatsoever can any way conduce to the making us either holy here, or happy hereafter. We have the way that leads thereto revealed to us in the word of God; we have that word frequently expounded and applied to us: we have all free access, not only to the ordinances which God hath appointed, for our conversion, but even to the very sacraments themselves, whereby our faith may be confirmed, and our souls nourished to eternal life. And more than all this too, we have many gracious and faith2 Matt. v. 17. 3 Acts, iii. 26. Luke, xiii. 3. ful promises, that if we do but what we can, God, for Christ's sake, will afford us such assistances of his grace and Spirit, whereby we shall be enabled to perform universal obedience to the moral law, such as God, for Christ's sake, will accept of, instead of that perfection which the law requires. So that now, if we be not all as real and true saints, as good and pious Christians as ever lived, it is certainly our own faults: for we have all things necessary to the making of us such, and if we were not wanting to ourselves, it is impossible we should fail of having all our sins subdued under us, and true grace and virtue implanted in us. Insomuch that since the Christian religion was first revealed to the world, there have been certainly millions of souls converted by it, who now are glorified saints in heaven, which once were as sinful creatures upon earth as we now are. But it seems they found the gospel an effectual means of their conversion and salvation; and therefore it cannot be imputed to any defect in the gospel, or the Christian religion, that we are not all as good men as ever lived, and by consequence better than the professors of all other religions in the world. But what then shall we say to this wonder of wonders, that Christians themselves in our age live such loose and dissolute lives as generally they do? What shall be the reason that all manner of sin and evil should be both practised and indulged among us, as much as in the darkest corners of the world, upon which the gospel never yet shined ? Why, when we have searched into all the reasons that possibly can be imagined, next to the degeneracy and corruption of our nature, this must needs be, that living upon earth, and conversing ordinarily with nothing but sensible and material objects, they are so much taken up with them, that those divine and spritual truths which are revealed in the gospel, make little or no impression at all upon them though they hear what the gospel saith and teacheth, yet they are no more affected with it, nor concerned about it, than as if they had never heard of it, their affection being all bent and inclined only to the things of this world. And therefore it is no wonder, that they run with so full a career into sin and wickedness, notwithstanding their profession of the gospel; seeing their natural propensity and inclination to the things of this world are so strong and prevalent within them, that they will not suffer themselves to think seriously upon, much less to concern themselves about, any thing else. The apostle, in his first epistle to Timothy, chap. vi. endeavouring to persuade men from the over-eager desire of earthly enjoyments, presses this consideration upon us, that such an inordinate desire of the things of this world betrays men into many and great temptations, ver. 8, 9. And then he gives this as the reason of it, ver. 10. 'For the love of money is the root of all evil;' that is, in brief, the love of riches and temporal enjoyments is the great reason why men are guilty of such great and atrocious crimes as generally they are; there being no evil but what springs from this, as from its root and origin; which is so plain a truth, so constantly and universally experienced in all ages, that the heathens themselves, the ancient poets and philosophers, could not but VOL. II. D take notice of it. For Bion the philosopher was wont to say, that piλapyvpía, the love of money, was κακίας μητρόπολις, the metropolis of wickedness. And Apollodorus, "When thou speakest of the love of money, thou mentionest the head of all evils, for they are all contained in that." "To the same purpose is that of the poet Phocylides, "The love of riches is the mother of all wickedness." What these saw by the light of nature, hath here divine authority stamped upon it; God himself asserting the same thing by his apostle, "The love of money is the root of all evil;" which, that we may the better understand, we must consider, I. What is here meant by money: II. What by the love of riches: III. How the love of money is the root of all evil. I. As for the first, I need not insist long upon it, all men knowing well enough what money is. But we must remember, that by money is here understood not only silver and gold, but all earthly comforts, possessions, and enjoyments whatsoever, whether goods, lands, houses, wares, wealth, or riches of any sort or kind whatsoever. II. By the love of money we are to understand that sin which the Scriptures call covetousness; and the true nature and notion of it consisteth especially in three things. 1. In having a real esteem and value for wealth or money, as if it was a thing that could make men happy, or better than otherwise they would be ; 1 ̓Αλλὰ σχεδόν τε τὸ κεφάλαιον τῶν κακῶν εἴρηκας ἐν φιλαργρίᾳ, γὰρ παντ ̓ ἔνι. * Η δὲ φιλοχρημοσύνη μήτηρ κακότητος ἀπάσης. as it is plain all covetous men have their desire of riches proceeding only from a groundless fancy, that their happiness consists in having much, which makes them set a greater value upon riches, preferring them before other things, even before God himself. Hence the love of money is altogether inconsistent with the love of God, 'If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.' It being impossible to love God as we ought, above all things, and yet to love the world too at the same time. 1 2. Hence the love of money supposeth also a delight and complacency in the having of it, proceeding from the aforesaid esteem they have for it; for, being possessed of a fond opinion that the more they have, the better they are, they cannot but be pleased with the thoughts of their present enjoyments, as the rich man was in the gospel,2 who, because his ground brought forth plentifully, resolved to enlarge his barns, and lay up stores for many years, and bid his soul take her ease. How many such fools have we amongst us, who please and pride themselves with the thoughts of their being rich ? 3. From this esteem for, and complacency in money or wealth, it follows that men are still desirous of having more, placing their happiness only in riches; because they think they can never be happy enough, therefore they think too they are never rich enough. Hence how much soever they have, they still desire more, and therefore covetousness in Scripture is ordinarily expressed by TAEOVEEía, which properly signifies an inordinate de 1 1 John, ii. 15. 2 Luke, xii. 16, 17, 18, 19. |