to trust in him, which it is certain every covetous man gives to his money, and therefore covetousness is called philarguria, the love of money.' And we cannot but be all sensible what trust and confidence men are wont to repose in their estates and incomes. But such will say, we do not fall down before our money, nor pray unto it; but they trust on it, and that is infinitely more than bare praying to it: and though they do not bow down before it in their bodies, yet they make all the faculties of their souls to bow down and stoop unto it; they love and desire it; they rejoice and delight in having of it; they are grieved and troubled for nothing so much as the parting with it; nor fear any thing so much as the losing of it. But they will say again, we do not sacrifice to our bags, nor burn incense to our estates; we never did nor intend to offer so much as a lamb or calf unto it! It is true, they do not; but they offer that which is far better, they offer the poor to it, suffering them to perish with hunger, thirst, and cold, rather than relieve them with that necessary maintenance which God has put into their hands for them they offer their own bodies to it, exposing them to heats and colds, to dangers and hazards both by sea and land, and all for money; yea, they offer their own souls to it likewise, as a whole burnt-offering, giving them to lie scorching in hell flames to eternity, and that upon no other account but to get money. And tell me which are the greatest fools, and most odious idolaters, such as offer beasts to the sun and flames, or such as offer themselves both soul and body to dirt and clay? We cannot but all acknowledge the latter to be far the worse, and by consequence the covet ous man to be the greatest idolater in the world, and that too only because he is a covetous man. But Moreover, is not extortion and oppression a sin ? And yet we all know that it is the love of money that is the only cause of it. Is not strife and contention a sin? whence comes it but from our lusting after money? Is not perjury a sin ? Is not corruption of justice a sin? Is not cheating and cozenage a sin? Is not pride and haughtiness a sin? Is not unrighteous dealing betwixt man and man a sin? Is not theft and robbery a sin? Is not treason and rebellion a sin? Are not all these sins, and great ones too? whence spring these poisonous fruits into the lives of men, but from the bitter roots of covetousness in their hearts? It is the love of money that makes these sins to rise amongst us: it is this that makes men forswear themselves, and cozen others; it is this that oft-times makes fathers ruin their children, and children to long for the death of their fathers; it is this that makes neighbours go to law, and brethren themselves to be at variance; it is this that makes men strive to over-reach each other, and to blind the eyes of those they deal with; it is this that hath caused some to murder others, and others to destroy themselves. What shall I say more? There is no impiety that can be committed against God, nor injury that can be offered unto men, but the love of money hath been the cause of it in others, and will be so in us, unless it be timely prevented, and therefore it may well be termed the 'root' of all the evil of sin. And it being the root from whence all the evil of 1 James, iv. 1. sin springs, it must needs be the root of all the evil of punishment and misery too, misery and punishment being the necessary consequent of sin. Indeed this sin carries its misery along with it, as Seneca himself saw by the mere light of nature, saying, Nulla avaritia sine poena est, quamvis satis sit ipsa poenarum: "No avarice is without punishnishment, though it be itself punishment enough." For what a torment is it for a man to be always thirsty, and never able to quench his thirst? Yet this is the misery of every covetous man, whose thirst after money can never be satisfied, and who is desirous of having more, that he can never enjoy with comfort what he hath, loving money so well, that he grudgeth himself the use of it. Hence, the aforesaid author observed, that in nullum avarus bonus est, in seipsum pessimus. "The covetous man is good to none, but worst to himself." And as this is the natural consequent of this sin in itself, so it is the ordinary punishment that God inflicts upon men for it, not suffering them to take any pleasure in the use of what they love. And besides that, what cares and fears, what labours and travels, what dangers and hazards doth the love of money put men upon? How do they rack their brains and break their rest to get it; and when it is gotten, what fears are they always in, lest they should lose it again? What grief and trouble do the poor wretches undergo for every petty loss that befals them? so that every covetous man is not only miserable, but therefore miserable because covetous. But if their misery be so great in this life, how 1 Eccl. vi. 1. 2. great will it be in that to come? Concerning which there are two things to be observed: first, that the very having of riches makes it very difficult to get to heaven.1 Hence Agur was afraid of them.2 Neither do we ever read of any of the patriarchs, prophets, or the saints recorded in Scripture, to have been guilty of this sin, unless Baruch, who was reproved for it.3 4 And as the having of money makes it difficult to get to heaven, so the loving of it makes it impossible to keep out of hell. For so long as man is covetous, he is liable to every temptation, ready to catch at every bait that the devil throws before him; so that he is led by him as he pleaseth, till at length he be utterly destroyed. And therefore the same apostle elsewhere tells us, that the covetous have no inheritance in the kingdom of God, but the wrath of God will most certainly fall upon them. But the wrath of God is the greatest evil of punishment that it is possible for men to bear: indeed it is that which once being incensed makes hell fire. And yet we see that the heat of our love to money will enkindle the flames of God's wrath against us; yea, and such flames too as will never be quenched. And so for the little seeming transient pleasure they take in getting, or keeping money now, they must live in misery and contempt, in shame and torment for evermore. 5 Thus, now we see that love of money will not only put us upon the evil of sin, but it will also bring the evil of punishment upon us, both which 1 Matt. xix. 23, 24, 25; Luke, xvi. 19, 22. the apostle here (ver. 9, 10) imputes to this sin. And therefore he both well may and must be understood of both these sorts of evil, when he saith, that the love of money is the root of all evil;' which, the promises considered, I hope none can deny. And need I then heap up more arguments to dissuade men from this sin, and to prevail with them to leave doting upon the world, and loving of money? Is not this one argument of itself sufficient? For is it possible for us to indulge ourselves in this sin, now we know it is the root of all evil? and that if we still love money, there is no sin so great but we may fall into it, and no misery so heavy but it may fall upon us. Surely, if this consideration will not prevail upon us to despise and contemn, rather than to love and desire this world, for my part I know not what can. Only this I know, that so long as men continue in this sin, all writing and preaching will be in vain to them; and so will their hearing be, their going to church, their reading the Scriptures, their hearing them read and expounded to them; all this will signify nothing, this root of all evil is still within us, and will bring forth its bitter fruit, do what we And therefore as we desire to profit by what we hear, as ever we desire to avoid any known sin whatsoever, to know by what happiest means to escape either present torment, or eternal misery, as ever we desire to be real saints, and to manifest ourselves to be so, to go to heaven, and live with God and Christ for ever, let not our affections be entangled any longer in the briars and thorns of this lower world; let us beware of loving money. 'If riches increase, let us not set our hearts upon can. |