22 SERMONS UPON MARK X. 17-27. [SeR. IX.
matter of it ? Will you dethrone that God which made you, and set up the world in his stead ? It is called ' adultery,' James iv. 4 ; it is a breach of your conjugal vow. You did promise in your baptism to renounce the world, and give up yourselves unto Christ's service, and will you cherish such whorish and disloyal affections as will carry you to the crea- ture instead of God ? Oh ! we cannot think bad enough of such a sin. Doct. 4. A carnal worldly man may be sorrowful when he cannot win heaven in his own way.
When he cannot get heaven, and his own will in the world also, as this young man was, when he could not be a christian at a cheaper rate. He departed from Christ sad, as loath to miss this felicity, and yet loath to pay so dear for it. There is a sorrow ' that worketh repent- ance to salvation never to be repented of,' 2 Cor. vii. 10 ; but this is of another nature ; it makes a wound in the conscience, and doth no more. It troubled him much that he had moved this question when he did not find Christ's answer according to his desire and expectation ; and this is just the disposition of a man that hath a sense of eternity, and yet is wedded to his lusts. Fain he would be happy hereafter, but will not leave his lusts now ; so they are troubled ; they cannot have Christ and the world too, Christ for their consciences, and the world for their affections. They love this world, and yet would fain be saved in the world to come, and therefore are grieved when they cannot have both. On the one side they are troubled with a sense of religion, and on the other side with a fear of losing their worldly interests. See a like trouble in Herod : Mat. xiv. 9, ' The king was sorry ; neverthe- less for his oath's sake, and for them that sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her.' He was loath to put John to death, and yet loath to deny her. So Balaam would have the reward, and yet loath to go against the express command of God, Num. xxi., xxii. So Pilate was loath to condemn Christ against his own conscience. Thus shall we be affected till we seek God with our whole hearts.
This sorrow of the young man will give us some light as to the difference between those conflicts that are in a gracious and renewed man, and those conflicts that are in the unregenerate. There are con- flicts in both, yet they differ much. In the unregenerate graceless soul the conflict is between conviction and corruption ; conscience wrestles with their lusts, and lusts wrestle with conscience, and so men are sorrowful upon carnal, not godly reasons ; whereas the conflict in the regenerate is in the same faculty, carnal reason against spiritual reason, and carnal will against spiritual will, carnal affections against spiritual affections ; the battle is fought in every faculty. In the conflict betwixt the flesh and spirit in the regenerate, the spiritual part prevails. Herod, and Pilate, and Balaam had a conflict, natural conscience did restrain them for a while, but at last they yielded ; and here the young man yielded, and went away sorrowful. This conflict and sorrow may leave u wound in the conscience, but it doth not prevail to cause them to look after heaven on Christ's own terms.
The last j)oint is taken from the reason of his heavy and sorrowful departure, ' For he had great possessions.' He had them ; is that a fault ? Here is no note of crime put upon him as to his getting of them. He is not taxed with an insatiable desire of riches, nor with uncon-
VeR. 22.] SERMONS UPON JIAUK X. 17-27. 23
Bcionable means to get them ; only it is said that he was marvellously rich and had great possessions, and therefore he went away sorrowful ; so that the point will be this —
Doct. 5. That the disease of worldliness is very incident to great persons and men of quality.
If we have not a mortified heart, the very having an estate may prove a snare to us. I observe this, because many please themselves in this, that they have not got what they have by extortion or cosenage, or by ■any fraudulent or unlawful means, that their heritage comes to them lawfully, in the fair way of providence ; but if they have it, and they look not to their hearts, it will enchant them. It is not the means of gathering wealth, but the deceitfulness of it, however gathered, that chokes the word. The very possession and presence, though it be not greedily sought for nor unlawfully purchased, may enchant our minds, and render us unapt to obey Christ's commandments. Take three propositions —
1. That it is possible, yea, very likely, that our hearts may be inor- dinately set upon wealth lawfully gotten ; and therefore God gives us that caution : Ps. Ixii, 10, ' If riches increase, set not your heart upon them.' Though they should increase by God's providence, yet con- sider, a man may drink too freely, and be intoxicated with his own wine. The mind may be enchanted with a secret delight and desire to retain and increase riches lawfully gotten. A man may be a slave to his wealth, and loath to part with it upon religious reasons. It is very likely it will be so when men have anything in the world. Saith Austin, Nescio quomodo cum supey-flua et terrena diliguntur, arcfius adepta quam concupita comprimunt ; nam unde jiivenis, iste tristis discesstt, nisi quia magnas Jiabehat divitias? Aliud est enim nova incorpoyare, quia desunt ; aliud. jam incmporata diveUere ; ilia enim velut cihi repudiantur, istavero velut membra prceciduntur — I do not know how it comes to pass, but so it is, there is more danger in pos- sessing wealth than in getting it ; this young man went away sad, for he had great riches ; and it is one thing, saith he, to refuse that we have not, another thing to part with what we have : we may refuse that we have not, as we do some meats ; but that we have, we are loath to part with it, as we are with the members of our bodies. Covetous- ness is not to be determined by a greedy thirst only, but also by com- placency, delight, and acquiescence of soul in worldly enjoyments. Though we would not desire more, yet if our hearts be glued to that we have already, we are unapt for the kingdom of God ; these are torn from us as members. In short, it is the corruption of our hearts that we are very prone to affect worldly goods too much, and so much the more by how much the more plenty and abundance of them is enjoyed. The moon is never in an eclipse but when she is at the full ; so when we are at the full these things prevail over us. They that have much flax and gunpowder in their houses had need be care- ful to keep fire from it ; so a christian, that enjoys a great store of wealth, had need look to his heart, that corruption do not meet with it ; that aversion from God, and conversion to the creature is so natural to us, that when we have great store of the world's goods, we are ready to set our hearts too much on them.