VER. 19.] SERMONS UPON PHILIPPIANS III. 137
these distempers, and settling his soul to his constant bent, work, and joy. It is not a frame of heart that he can rest in ; it is his trouble, and in time he gets above the distemper.
II. The aggravations of this sin ; and —
1. The first is, ' Whose god is their belly.' Earthly-mindedness is a renouncing of the true God, and setting up of base idols in his stead.
Now —
[1.] Here mark what is prized by the earthly-minded, the belly. Provision for the flesh is the sum of worldly happiness. Men that have the world at will get no more by it than bodily food and bodily clothing, which the poorest may attain to without so much ado. It is no great happiness whether our dung or excrements be of a finer or coarser matter, whether we have fewer or more dishes to our table, nor what a gay show we make with our apparel. Some have troubled themselves and the world to make themselves great ; and what a sorry happiness have they at last ! Hab. i. 16, ' Their portion is fat, and their meat plenteous ; a little good cheer and a merry life. They that want it live as well as they, and have more contentment. Are they the nearer to true comfort, or the further from the grave ? So Ps. xvii. 14, ' From men of the world, who have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hidden treasures ; they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.' They have a belly well filled and a back well clothed, which is but a sorry addition to- their happiness. They use it not well, dispense it not to the glory of God, and so have not the true use of riches.
Object. You will say, There are men of great estates who will not part with anything for the necessary uses of nature, who will not afford themselves conveniences, but fare hard, go meanly, and are in debt to- back and belly.
Ans. (1.) Covetousness is usually the purveyor for the flesh, and those that mind earthly things, their god is their belly : Kom. viii. 5, ' They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh ; ' those that seem to deal hardly with the flesh, yet please it in the hoarding of wealth, though not in the spending of it.
(2.) If they fail in giving nature its due, yet they much more fail m giving grace its due ; and so are twice fools, while they transgress both the laws of nature and of grace. They transgress the laws of grace while they do not lay up treasure in heaven, but treasure up wrath against the day of wrath ; and they transgress the laws of nature while they bereave their souls of good, and do not rejoice in their labour, and that portion of earthly things which God hath given them : Eccles. v. 18, 19, ' Behold that which I have seen ; it is good and comely for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun, all the days of his life, which God giveth him ; for it is his portion. Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and rejoice in his labour ; this is the gift of God/ These deny that real benefit which is in a worldly portion, which is the supply of the bodily life, or a free and comfortable use of the creature^ denying the lawful use of those comforts to himself which God hath given him.
(3.) They lay it up for them that spend it on the belly ; for usually
138 SERMONS UPON PHILIPPIANS III. [SeR. XIV.
God sendeth an heir that wasteth an estate profusely that was greedily and sparingly gotten ; and as one goeth to hell in getting, so doth the other in spending it, till all this wealth revolve into other hands that will use it better: Eccles. ii. 26, 'To the sinner he giveth travail to gather and to heap up, that he may give it to him that is good before God.' God by his overruling providence disposeth it besides and against the purpose of the gatherer, even to those that fear him, mak- ing wicked men but drudges and purveyors for others. Wicked men built the ark, but Noah made use of it. One maketh a garment, and another weareth it : Prov. xiii. 22, ' The wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just ; ' Job xxvii. 17, ' He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver ; ' Prov. xxviii. 8, 'He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor.' The world will not believe it, but it is a certain truth that estates are ruined by sins of omission as well as commission ; though they are not unjustly gotten, yet if they are not well improved for the glory of God and the good of others. Strange are the providential dispensations of God in disposing money, lands, and heritages, till they come into clean and bountiful hands. They are tenacious, sparing to make use of it ; but God will put it into their hands who will divide and distribute for his glory.