Christ in the present day must never be surprised to see worldliness and inattention in the midst of his congrega- tion. The servant must not expect his sermons to be more valued than his Master's.
Let us mark, in these verses, what a solemn warning our Lord pronounces against covetousness. ''He said unto them, take heed and beware of covetousness."
It would be vain to decide positively which is the most common sin in the world. It would be safe to say that there is none, at any rate, to which the heart is more prone, than covetousness. It was this sin which helped to cast down the angds who fdl. They were not content with their first estate. They coveted something better. It was this sin which helped to drive Adam and Eve out of paradise, and bring death into the world. Our first parents were not satisfied with the things which God gave them in Eden. They coveted, and so they fell. — ^It is a sin which, ever since the fall, has been the fertile cause of misery and unhappiness. upon earth. Wars, quarrels, strifes, divisions, envyings, disputes, jealousies, hatreds of all sorts, both public and private, may nearly all be traced up to this fountain-head.
Let the warning which our Lord pronounces, sink down into our hearts, and bear fruit in our lives. Let us strive to learn the lesson which St. Paul had mastered, when he says, "I have learned in whatever state I am therewith to be content." (Phil. iv. 11.) Let us pray for a thorough confidence in God's superintending providence over all our worldly affairs, and God's perfect wisdom in all His arrangements concerning us. If we have little, let us be sure that it would be not good for us to have much.