382 SEKMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. XLI.
drunkenness and the cares of this life.' The heart is burdened and oppressed, so as it hath no life and vigour for spiritual things, but is unbelieving and hard-hearted. The following the world brings a deadness upon us, and these preposterous and eager pursuits spend the strength of our affections, so that God and religion is jostled out and hath no due respect ; the lean kine devour the fat, and Sarah is thrust out of doors instead of Hagar. Thus is greedy getting seen by unjust means, and the immoderate use of lawful means to the oppression of the body and soul.
2. The other discovery is an unworthy detentfon : Prov. xi. 24, ' There is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.' This covetousness in keeping is seen partly —
[1.] By a sordid dispensing of our estate, or a denying of ourselves and others that relief which they should have. Ourselves : Eccles. iv. 8, ' He bereavethhis own soul of good ;' that is, of the comforts of the present life. But chiefly denying of others that relief they should have, a duty which our religion often presseth us to : Luke xii. 33, ' Sell that ye have, and give alms ; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, nor moth corrupteth.' We should rather scatter than hoard. The only means to discover we are not covetous, and to keep ourselves from the filth of this and other sins, is to be much in charity and distribut- ing to those that have need : Luke xi. 41, ' Give alms of such things as you have, and behold all things are clean unto you.' It bringeth a blessing, purgeth the soul from that stain which it secretly con- tracteth by possessing worldly things, as our fingers are defiled by telling of money. But now, when men are backward this way, part with a drop of blood as soon as anything for God's use, when they shut up their bowels against the miseries of others, then is there this unmeet withholding.
[2.] By our loathness to part with these things for the testimony of a good conscience. When we are put to trial, as Joseph was, to lose our coat that we may keep our consciences, I mean, to part with these outward things, or to defile ourselves by compliance with men ; when we are put to this trial, those that will withhold and can dispense with the conscience of their duty to God, they are guilty of this sin : 2 Tim. iv. 10, ' Demas hath forsaken us, having loved this present world.' Oh ! it is a mighty insinuating thing that gets into the hearts of those that profess religion many times, so that they cannot deny any small con- veniences for God. But the contrary is in those saints that ' take joy- fully the spoiling of their goods, knowing that they have in heaven a better and an enduring substance,' Heb. x. 34.
[3]. It appears again when we are loath to part with them in u way of submission to God's providence. Grief at worldly losses shows that these things have gained too much of our love. If we did 'rejoice in them' when we have them ' as if we rejoiced not,' then we would ' weep ' for the loss of them ' as though we wept not,' 1 Cor. vii. 31. They are both coupled together, for one makes way for the other. So we find the other couple : 2 Peter i. 6, * Add to temperance patience.' Where there is temperance and moderation in the use of worldly things, there will be patience, a submission to God in the loss of them.
VeR. 36.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 383
He lost tliem without c^rief, because he possessed them without love. The greatness of our affliction comes from our affection to these things. Did we sit more loose from our earthly comforts, it would not be so irksome to part with them. Grief is always a sign of affection : John xi. 34, and ' Jesus wept ;' and tlien they said, 'Behold how he loved him ! ' When we are surprised with so great sorrow and trouble at the parting of outward things, it may be said, ' Behold how we loved them.' Our hearts are not at so great an indifferency as they should be. The root of all trouble of spirit lieth in our inordinate affection. Get off that, and then what comfortable lives might we live !
Secondly, I am to show how it hindereth us from complying with God's testimonies. I shall do it by these arguments.
1. It disposeth and inclineth the soul to all evil, to break every com- mand and law of God : 1 Tim. vi. 10, ' The love of money is the root of all evil.' Let that once get into the heart and reign there, and then a man will stick at no sin, he becomes, as Chrysostom speaks, a ready prey to the devil ; such a man doth but stand watohing for a tempta- tion, that Satan may draw him to one sin or other : Micah ii. 2, ' They covet fields, and take them by violence.' First they covet ; suffer that to possess the heart, and a man will stop at nothing, but break out into all that is unseemly. Let Judas be but inured to the bag, and enchant his thoughts with this pleasing supposition that he may make a gain of his master, and he will soon come to a quid dahitis : What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you ? he will soon betray him. Gehazi, let him but affect a reward, and he will dishonour God, and lay a stumbling-block in the way of that noble Syrian, that new con- vert : ' Is this a time to take bribes ? ' &c. Let Achan's heart be but tickled and pleased a little with the sight, and he will be purloining the wedge of gold and the Babylonish garment. Tell Balaam but of gold and silver, and he will curse Israel against his conscience, he will ven- ture, though there be an angel in the way to stop him. Let Ahab but have a mind to Naboth's vineyard, and he will soon consent to Naboth's blood. Ananias and Sapphira, let them but look upon what they part withal, let but covetousness prevail upon their hearts, and they will keep back part of that which is dedicated to God. Simon Magus will deny religion, and return to his old sorceries again, that he may be some great one. So that there is no sin, be it never so foul, but covet- ousness will make it plausible, and reconcile it to the consciences of men.