VeR. 26.] SERMONS UPON MARK X. 17-27. Gl
from communion with God, he could even lay it down at God's feet for their sake. These are rare instances I confess, but some portion of this spirit all should have : ' Charity seeketh not her own/ 1 Cor. xiii. 5. Chrysostom saith, I cannot believe it is possible for that man to be saved who doth not labour to procure and further the salvation of his neighbour ; for whoever would go to heaven would not go to heaven alone, but laboureth to draw others along with him. Vide Chrysostom de Sacerdot., lib. vi. It was out of zeal for the salvation of others.
2. The former reason was good, and argued a gracious disposition in them, but this that I shall now give is of a worse alloy, and argues weakness. And yet I cannot but think that this had an influence upon them, viz., the hopes of an earthly kingdom, and the great emoluments and preferments they expected thence. Christ's own dis- ciples were deeply leavened with a conceit of an earthly kingdom which the Messiah should set up. And though they had left all and followed him in his poor estate, yet they expected greatness and honour, and the confluence of all worldly blessings, when the kingdom of the Messiah should begin ; and therefore, when they heard Christ again and again expressing himself concerning the difficulty of rich men's enter- ing into the kingdom of God, ' They were astonished out of measure,' as finding all their carnal hopes dashed at once. I cannot but think this was one cause of their astonishment, because in all their converses with Christ they bewrayed a spice of this humour. Two instances I «hall give as a pregnant proof of it. One when they were at the sacrament, a little before the death of Christ : ' There was a strife amongst them which of them should be accounted the greatest,' Luke xxii. 24. They understood that the kingdom was consigned to them in that ordinance, and they were framing of principalities, and striving .who should have the highest preferment and office in this kingdom. Nay, you shall see after Christ had suffered such ignominious things at Jerusalem, this conceit abode with them ; and therefore after his resurrection they come to him with this question, ' Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel ? ' Acts i. 6. They thought the Messiah would set up a temporal kingdom over all nations, and that they should at least be princes and lords under him, in the exercise of his dominion and sovereignty. Justin Martyr tells us that the heathens imagined some insurrection that the christians would be guilty of against magistracy, because they spoke so much of the king- dom of heaven ; and well might they be excused of their jealousy and of this surmise, since Christ's own disciples were so far mistaken in it, whom he had so often warned of the cross, and to whom he had expressly said, that ' his kingdom was not of this world.' But we see hence that the best are too carnal, and too apt to mind earthly things, and to please themselves with the dreams of a happy estate in tlie world. The appetite of temporal dominion, and wealth, and honour, and peace is natural to us, and we think God doth us wrong if he doth not make us flourish here. All God's children find something of this disposition in themselves, even whilst they are under the cross ; they do too little comfort themselves with the meditation of the glory of the world to come, but are always feeding themselves with desires and hopes of an
62 SERMONS UPON MARK X. 17-27. [SeR. XIII.
earthly happiness, and of turning the tide and current of affairs that seem to be against them, that the world may more smile upon them, and befriend them more ; and when they are frustrated and disap- pointed of this hope, their soul faints, and they are astonished out of measure. Oh ! this is a sign that our conversation is not in heaven, and that we do not seek the things that are above, and are not perfectly subdued to the will of God, who many times sees the cross to be necessary and profitable for us ; and therefore, to please ourselves still Avith carnal hopes and dreams of a commodious and comfortable con- dition in the world, is not for a christian.
3. The sense of this difficulty might revive the thoughts of other difficulties. Other things besides riches might obstruct them, and hinder their passage to heaven ; and therefore, even those that had left all and followed Christ were astonished out of measure, when they understood the way to heaven to be much harder than they formerly conceited. Certainly it is good to think of the general case when one instance is given. Is it hard to the rich and not to the poor ? have they no temptations ? When we hear strict doctrine pressed, we should not put it off to others, but fear for ourselves. The poor dis- ciples were astonished out of measure when Christ spake to the rich^ How hard it was for them ' to enter into the kingdom of heaven.'