The Apostle's own explanation of his meaning will throw further light on this matter. " The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life," are very generally under- stood as importing all those things which administer to sensual gratification ; and those things which, when beheld, are apt to fascinate us Avith their attractions ; and those things which
men
MPet.ii.22. •» 2 Cor. iv. 18.
men chiefly -affect, as elevating them in the estimation of mankind; or, in other words, pleasure, and riches, a.\\d honour. And if to these we apply what was before specified as im- plied in the term " love," we shall be prepared to determine with very considerable accuracy,]
2. The extent of the prohibition — [Tlie word " love " comprehends three things ; esteem, desire, and dehght: and, if we apply it in this extent to the various things above mentioned, we shall, 1 think, understand with clearness the Apostle's meaning in our text. Some measure of love, I again say, the things of this world are en- titled to: they may be esteemed, as gifts from a gracious God ; they may be desired, as means of honouring him, and benefiting our fellow-creatures ; and they may be delighted in, as conducive to our comfort when rightly improved: foi' " God has given us all things richly to enjoy"." But,
They are not to be esteemed, as though they possessed any in" trinsic good. They are all in themselves empty, vain, perish- ing, and utterly incapable of administering any real comfort to the soul, or even of benefiting us at all, any farther than God shall Ijc i)leased to make use of them for that end.
They are not to he desired so as in the least degree to interfei-e with our pursuit of higher and better things. " Our affections are to be set upon things above, and not on things on the earth ''." The two cannot, and must not, be put in compe- tition with each other. The one, how dear soever in itself, must be despised and hated in comparison of the other: father, mother, wife, children, yea and our own life also, must be of no account with us, if they at all stand in our way of serving and honouring our God^ His claims are paramount to every other; and there is nothing either in heaven or on earth to be desired in comparison of him ^
IViey are not to be delighted in, as things in which, to what- ever extent they were multiplied, ive could be satisjied with taking up our rest. Job seems to have had singularly clear and just views of this subject : '* If," says he, " 1 have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold. Thou art my confi- dence ; if I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because mine hand had gotten much ; this were an iniquity to be pu- nished by the Judge, for then I should have denied the God that is above''." Whoever he be that, on account of his earthly comfort, says, " Soul, take thine ease," is justly branded as " a fool," and to all eternity will find occasion to bewail his folly.]
With ' 1 Tim. vi. 17. " Col.ili. 2. • Luke xiv.2(5.
' Ps. Ixxiii. '25. • Job XX \i. 24, 25, 28.