appeals to ourselves respecting the justice of the sentence, and the certainty of its execution : " Know ye not, that the covetous shall not inherit the kingdom of God2?"]
To improve the subject, and assist you in mortifying this corrupt principle, we recommend you to consider,
1. The shortness of human life —
[Who knows not, that our life is but " a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away ? " Shall we then be anxious about matters which will be so soon ter- minated? Should we not rather live as pilgrims and sojourn- ers, that are passing onward towards their eternal home ? It will soon be of not the smallest moment to us whether we were rich or poor. The instant that the Rich Man's soul was required of him, his riches profited him not; they could not procure so much as a drop of water to cool his tongue : nor did the troubles of Lazarus leave any sting to interrupt or lessen his joys, when once he was safely lodged in Abraham's bosom. Let us then, like the holy Apostle, " die daily :" let us "weep as though we wept not, and rejoice as though we rejoiced not, and possess as though we possessed not, and use the world as though we used it not ; because the fashion of this world passeth awaya.]
2. The vanity of those excuses by which men jus- tify their sin —
[Every one has some cloak wherewith to cover his sin. One says, I only desire a competency. But a competency, in God's estimation, may be a very different thing from what it is in ours: we may be desiring so many hundreds a year ; but he says, " Having food and raiment, be therewith content." Another says, " I care not for myself, but only for my family: and must not I provide for them ? But we must no more covet an earthly portion for them than for ourselves : the wel- fare of their souls should be our great concern for them, as well as for ourselves. Another says, I am poor, and therefore cannot be supposed to be under the influence of covetousness. But the principle of covetousness may be as strong in a beggar as in any other person : for envy and discontent are as much branches of covetousness, as dishonesty or avarice can be. To all then, I would say, beware of the deceitfulness of sin, and the treachery of your own hearts ; and be afraid, lest, after being acquitted by your fellow-creatures, you should at last be condemned by your Godb.]
z 1 Cor. vi. 9, 10. a i Cor. vii. 29—31.
b See 1 Tim. vi. 9. This passage is not generally understood. It
1527.] THE RICH fool. 475
3. The infinite excellency of eternal things —
[As the Apostle says, " Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess ; but he filled with the Spirit," so I would say; Covet not earthly things, wherein is excess ; but covet heavenly things, even to the utmost possible fulness ; for in them there is no excess. It is not possible to desire too earnestly, or to seek too diligently, an interest in Christ : nor can you take too great delight in the enjoyment of him, or fear too much the loss of his favour. Here is scope for all the energies of our minds. In reference to heavenly things then I would say, Covet earnestly the best gifts : enlarge your desires to the utmost extent of your capacity to receive, and of God's ability to bestow. However wide you open your mouth, God will fill it.]
speaks of the inclination or principle ; fiovXofievoi tvXovteiv. And the danger of self-deceit in relation to it is fully stated. Eph. v. 5 — 7.