(2.) He that loves the world will break with God in the duties of his particular calling for the world's sake. What manner of men ought magistrates to be ? Exod. xviii. 21, ' Such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness ; ' not only not covetous, but hating covet- ousness ; for let this once possess his heart, it will make him base, and act unworthily ; nay, for a piece of bread will that man transgress. Then for a minister, what a poor meal-mouthed creature will it make him ! One qualification of a minister is, 1 Tim. iii. 3, ' Not to be greed}' of filthy lucre.' If his heart be set upon that, it makes him sordid, low-spirited, flattering and daubing to curry favour with men, more intent upon his gain and profit than the saving of souls. See the work of a minister : 1 Peter v. 2, ' Feed the flock of God that is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind.' What a low flat ministry will that be that is inspired with no other aim but outward profit ! If that be their inducement to under- take, and their ])rime encouragement to discharge the work of their calling, how soon will they strain themselves to please men, especially great ones, and writhe themselves into all postures to soothe the humours and lusts of others ; as Balaam : 2 Peter ii. 15, ' Who loved the wages of unrighteousness,' and therefore would fain curse the people whom God ble.ssed. This base, powerful, imperious lust will draw men to very base and unworthy actions. Saith God, Ezek. xiii. 19, ' Will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley and pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls of people alive that should not live by your lying to my people that hear your lies.' That is to say, What ! wiU you declaim against the good, and harden the evil in their evil, and comply with the fashions of the world thus to humour men ? So if a man be a master of a family : Prov. xv, 27, ' He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house.' What a burden and trouble will he be to his servants and all about him ! In short, it is love of the world that makes one an oppressing landlord, another a false tradesman and an ill neighbour, that makes him study
YeR. 22.] SERMONS UPON MARK X. 17-27. 21
iniquity of traffic : Ezek. xxviii. 5, ' By thy great wisdom, and by thy traffic hast thou increased thy riches.' So that it is the pest and bane of human societies.
[3.] It hinders the receiving of good, and those means of reformation that should make us better. A man that is under the power of worklly lusts is prejudiced against whatever shall be spoken for God, and for the concernments of another world : Luke xvi. 14, ' The pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things, and derided him.' If the word stir us a little, and men begin to have some anxious thoughts about eternal life, these thorns, which are the cares of this world, will choke the good seed, and stifle our convictions, so as they come to nothing : Mat. xiii. 22, ' He also that receiveth seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word, and the cares of this world and the deceit- fulness of riches choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.' They will distract the head with cares, and put out all thoughts of our eternal condition. If a man begins to do some outward thing, it will make us soon weary of religion and attendance on holy duties, as if all time laid out upon God were lost ; and they cry out, ' When will the sabbath be over that we may set forth wheat,' Amos viii. 5. The heathens counted the Jews a foolish people, as Seneca saith, because they lost a full seventh part of their lives ; he speaks it with respect to the sabbath ; so other men are of his mind ; they think all lost that is laid out upon God. And it distracts us in duty, and carries away our heart : Ezek. xxxiii. 31, ' They come unto me as the people cometh, .and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy word, but they will not do them ; for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.' It interlines our prayers and holy services with worldly projects and thoughts ; nay, it turns religion into a trade and market. Men live by it ; it makes religion to serve their worldly ends ; they make a market of their devotion, as the Shechem- ites, for then, say they, ' their substance and their cattle will be ours.'
Use. To inform ns of the evil of worldliness. We need to be set right in that, for most men stroke it with a gentle censure. They will say. He is a good man, but a little worldly, as if it were no great matter to be so ; nay, men are apt to applaud those that are guilty of this sin : Ps. x. 3, ' They bless the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth.' He that by hook and crook gets honour and riches is the only pru- dent man in their account. If our children are loose, and drunkards, and riotous, we are offended, but if we see them worldly, we are not troubled. Oh ! it is a foul sin, but the men of the world will not believe it. Surely we have too mild thoughts of it, and therefore we do not watch and strive against the love of the world : Luke xii. 15, ' Take heed and beware of covetousness.' The words are doubled for the more vehemency ; he doth not say, ' Take heed ' only, but ' Take heed and beware of covetousness.' Sins that are more gross and sensual are easier discovered, and such a sinner is sooner reclaimed, but this is a secret sin that turns away the heart from God. And to make you more careful to avoid it, in scripture a covetous man is called ' an idolater,' Eph. v. 3, and covetousness is called idolatry. Col. iii. 5 ; and is that a small crime ? What ! to set up another god ? Who are you that dare to harbour such an evil in your bosoms, and make no great