[2.] They have more opportunities of being free to good duties, as being not so straitly bound to bodily labour for present maintenance, nor burdened with so many cares and distractions of this life, and so have more time and leisure for studying the mind of God in his word and improving themselves in the knowledge of the truth, and medita- ting the statutes of God, as David professeth he did all the dny long. And look, as the apostle speaks of married and single persons, 1 Cor. vii. 32, 33, ' He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord ; but he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife ; ' they that are in a single estate have more leisure to attend the service of God, greater opportunities of holy privacy and meditation upon the promises of God, are less distracted and divided with the cares of the world, and have nothing else to do but to serve God and study to please him ; so it is true of poor and rich ; those that live in a plentiful con- dition, oh ! what a great deal of time and leisure have they for religious duties, better education, more helps, more advantages, therefore they are more bound to addict and give up themselves to the study of divine things. A little knowledge of God he will accept of in a poor trades- man that is divided and distracted with the cares of the world, and have not such leisure to attend the service of God, and the opportunities of holy privacy and meditation, which he will not accept of in the rich, that have so many opportunities to furnish themselves with knowledge, and have little else to do but to serve God and labour to please him, and to study the promises of God, that they may grow in grace ; and yet, when they abandon themselves to sensuality, and live from ono week's end to another, and can scarce tell what to do with their time, and yet cannot afford it to God, how culpable are they !
VeR. 25.] SERMONS UPON MARK X. 17-27. 55
[3.] They have greater advantages of furthering the duties of piety and mercy, and of honouring God with their substance, Prov. iii. 9, and of relieving otliers, of ' malcing themselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness/ Luke xvi. 9. I say they have greater opportunities of being ' rich in good works,' 1 Tim. vi. 18. Others that have hearts have not estates, and cannot be so publicly useful. God expects from every man according to his ability, and therefore they should abound in all acts of mercy and piety, for the promoting the honour and service of God, and relief and comfort of others. But alas ! usually it is here as in nature, those mountains in the bowels of which there are most mines of gold and silver are most barren ; so rich men, for the most part, live most unprofitably as to the fruits of grace, piety, ajid charity. They that have great estates have least heart to do anything for God, and men of a middle condition do exceedingly outstrip those that are vastly and excessively rich, in being liberal and open-handed for hon- ouring of God and the relief of others.
[4.] More is required of them because of the influence of their ex- ample. They are as the first-sheets, others are printed off by them. The more any are exalted and lifted up above others, the more con- spicuous are their actions. The example of an eminent person is never single, for when such a one doth evil, he carries others with him as the stream doth that which floats upon it. If they do good, their countenance and example doth exceedingly provoke many to follow after that which is good ; therefore they should specially take care to fear God, and be diligent in the exercise of godliness, and serious in the business of eternal life. But alas ! who authorise sin and propagate it in the poor more than they that have a plentiful fortune and estate to bear them out in it ? Who are more dissolute and lascivious, and profaners of God's holy name and day, and deriders of God's word, and holy services and servants ? and so wherever they go, they leave their dregs behind them, and leaven others, and draw them into sin, which makes the difficulty of their salvation so much the greater.
II. The other proposition that is contained in this observation is, that this ought to be much pressed, seriously thought of, for Christ inculcates it again and again.
1. To keep up a remembrance of God and heavenly things in the hearts of rich men. Security and forgetfulness of God is the cause of all the mischief rich men are liable to. Men that have so much in the world never think of God and salvation. The heart is so full of the world, that it leaves no place for the thoughts and remembrance of God. When God would offer to come in upon them, it doth fare with him as it did with Christ ; when he was born at Bethlehem, ' there was no room for him in the inn,' Luke ii. 7. When God would lodge in the understanding, the upper chamber of the soul, that is full of worldly or sensual projects. If he would enter into the memory, that is the world's warehouse, and it is pestered with cares about present things. If he would enter into their hearts and affections, they are prepossessed already, that is the world's storehouse, there their treasure lies ; and so, what with this and that, it comes to pass, that ' God is not in all their thoughts,' Ps. x. 4. The awful remembrance of God is a strange uncouth thing to those that are full, and live plentifully