were sincere for the main, thon2;h a little leavened with carnal conceits, and to sweeten the doctrine wliich seemed so contrary to their humom- : 1 Thes. ii. 11, ' As you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children.' Novices and weak ones are to he used with all indulgence, for they had not received the Spirit in that plentiful measui'e as afterward.
[2.] The matter of his explication, ' How hard is it for them that trust in riches,' &c. He had said before, ' How hardly do they that have riches ; ' now he explains himself, they ' that trust in riches.' He instanceth in this —
(1.) As one common disease of rich men, as soon as they have any- thing in the world, they are apt to trust in it. Some abuse riches one way, some another ; some to increase their worldly cares and desire of having, others to feed their pride and sensuality ; this way, or that way, according to their different temper and constitution of body and soul, but they all agree in this, both the muckworm and the epicure, that they trust in riches.
(2.) He instanceth in this trust rather than love of riches, not how hard is it for them that love riches, but how hard is it for them that trust in riches, because this is more, and doth more express the disposi- tion of worldly men. We love many things in which we do not put our trust, but we put our trust in nothing but what we love. A glutton loves his belly-cheer, but he doth not trust in it, as thinking to be protected by it, as the covetous doth by his estate ; and therefore though he make his belly his god, or his chief good, and last end, yet he doth not make it the first cause and fountain of his happiness. But now this gives all the titles and privileges of God to wealth. Trust makes wealth to be the first cause, the chief good, and the last end. Well, then, for these two reasons doth Christ instance in this one sin, as being a common disease and cause of all the rest, or implying them at least. This young man, who went away sorrowful from Christ, thought he should be despised, and grow necessitous if he should for- sake all upon the command of Christ ; he made his riches to be the fountain of his hope and confidence; and therefore dot\ Christ say, ' How hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God ! '
Doct. That rich men are very prone and apt to put their confidence in riches, and so thereby render themselves incapable of the kingdom of God.
In the handling this point I shall — (1.) Show there is such a sin as trusting in riches ; (2.) The heinousness and evil of it ; (3.) The signs and discoveries of it ; (4.) The remedies.
I. That there is such a sin, and that a very common sin. The scripture shows it plentifully. Job, when he protested his innocency, among other sins he reckoned up, he disclaims this, chap. xxxi. 24, 25, * If I have made gold my hope, or said to the fine gold. Thou art my confidence ; if I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because my hand had gotten much.' Job to vindicate himself from hypocrisy reckons up the usual sins of hypocrites, and among the rest this for one, making riches our hope and confidence. He had immediately before waved the crime of extortion and oppression, but he thinks not
38 SERMONS UPON MARK X. 17-27. [SeR. XI.
that sufficient to clear himself, and therefore he further denieth also the crime of carnal confidence. It is not enough that our wealth be not gotten by fraud, cosenage and extortion, but we must not trust to it. Symmachus renders it a(f)o(3Lav, my safety and security, the cause why I am not afraid. The world looketh upon wealth as that which will help us to all we want, defend us from all we fear, and procure to us all we do desire ; as if by that we were out of the reach of all danger, and in a capacity to live longer and happier under the patronage and provisions which our money shall procure to us. Another place is Prov. xviii. 10, 11, ' The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the right- eous runneth into it and is safe : the rich man's wealth is his strong city^ and an high wall in his own conceit.' Mark, what the name of the Lord is to the believer, that is wealth to the carnal rich man in his own conceit. A godly man never thinks himself safe till he can get into the name of the Lord, and be within the compass and verge of the covenant ; but a carnal rich man, if he be walled and entrenched within his wealth, thinks himself secure against all changes and chances, and so God is laid aside and little cared for. That there is such a sin you see, but I shall prove that it is a common sin, very incident to all men, and that it is a very secret sin, but yet of a pestilential influence.