3. It hinders the receiving of good, and those means of reformation that should make us better. It fills us with prejudice against what- ever shall be spoken for God and for the concernments of another world : Luke xvi. 14, ' And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things, and derided him.' Come with any strict and holy doctrine that shall carry out men to the interest of another life, and they will make a scoff at it. If the word stir us a little, and make us anxious and thoughtful about our eternal condition, the thorns, which are the cares of this world, choke the good seed. Mat. xiii. ; it stifles our conviction, while it distracts our head with cares, and puts us out of all thought about things to come. If a man begins to do some outward thing, it makes him soon weary of religion and attend- ance upon the duties thereof: Amos viii. 5, ' When will the Sabbath be gone, that we may set forth wheat?' They think all lost that is bestowed upon God. As Seneca said of the Jews, they were a foolish people, they lost the full seventh of their lives because of the Sabbath ; so they think all Sabbath time lost. Nay, it distracts in duty : Ezek. xxxiii. 31, 'With their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.' It interlines our prayers, and the world will still be creeping ; and when we are offering incense to God, we shall be mingling sulphur and brimstone of worldly thoughts with it ; our minds will be taken up with worldly projects ; and then it perverts the good we do, as they followed Christ for the loaves, John vi. It turnetli religion into vencde artificium, a trade to live by. If they do good things, it is for worldly ends ; they make a market of their devotion, as the Shechemites would be circumcised, for then their sub- stance and their cattle will be ours.
Use 1. It informs us of the evil of covetousness. Most will stroke it with a gentle censure, and say. Such an one is a good man, but a little worldly, as if it were no great matter to be so. Nay, they are apt to applaud those that are tainted with it : Ps. x. 3, * He blesseth the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth.' He that getteth honour and riches by hook and crook is the only prudent and serious man in their account. It is a foul sin, though the men of the world will not believe it. Surely we have too mild thoughts of it, therefore do not watch and strive against it. The sensualist shames himself before others ; but covetousness is worse than prodigality in many respects, as being not occasioned by the distem})er of the body, as excess of drinking and lust is, but by the depravation of the mind ; and when other sins decay, this grows with them ; it is an incurable dropsy, Luke xii, 15. The words are doubled for the more vehemency. Christ doth not only
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say, ' Take heed/ but ' Take heed and beware of covetoiisness/ Sins that are more gross and sensual are more easily discovered, and a sinner sooner reclaimed ; but this is a secret sin, that turns away the heart from God, and is incessantly working in the soul. Look, as the scripture tells you, to make you careful against rash anger, that it is murder, 1 John iii. 15 ; so to make you careful to avoid covetousness, the scripture tells you it is idolatry ; and is that a small crime ? What, to set up another God ? Who are you that dare to harbour so great an evil in your bosom, and make no great matter of it ? Will you dethrone that God which made you, and set up another in his stead ? How can you hope he will be good to jon any longer when you offer him so vile an abuse ? It is adultery ; it is a breach of your conjugal vow. You promised to renounce the world in your baptism, and gave up yourselves to his service, and will you cherish your whorish and disloyal affections that will carry you to the world in God's stead ? We cannot think badly enough of such a sin.
Use 2. If covetousness be the great let and hindrance from keeping God's testimonies, then let us examine ourselves, Are we guilty of it ? Doting upon the creature, and an inordinate affection to sensible things, is a natural, a hereditary disease, more general than we are aware of : Jer. vi. 13, ' From the least to the greatest every one is given to covetousness.' It is a relic of original sin, and it is in part in the godly man, though it do not bear sway in him ; there is too much of this worldly wretched inclination in a godly man's heart. Nay, those that seem most remote from it may be tainted with it. A prodigal, that is lavish enough upon his lusts, yet he may be sparing to good uses ; so- he is covetous ; as the rich man that fared dehciously every day yet denied a crum to Lazarus, Luke xvi. 19-21. Those that aim at no great matter for themselves, that have not ravenous impatient desires, yet may be full of envy at the increase of others, and vexed to see them flourish ; it may be they have no ability or opportunity to do anytliing for themselves, but have an evil eye at the increase of others. Most men are more industrious for the world, whereas they are overly and slight in heavenly matters ; and that is evidence enough. Some are not greedy, but they are too sparing. They seek not, it may be, a higher estate, but they are too much delighted with present comforts. The gallant that pampers himself, and wastes freely upon his pride and lusts, may laugh in his sleeve, and say, I am free from this evil ; yet his heart desires wherewith to feed his excess and bravery and pride. Covetousness may be entertained as a servant where it is not entertained as a master ; entertained as a servant to provide oil and fuel to make other sins burn. Therefore let us see indeed whether we be not guilty of this sin ?