But even in this sense the words do not apply to all rich men without distinction. For in the parallel place of St. Mark*, upon the difciples expreffing their astonishment at our Lord's declaration, he immediately explains himself by faying, how hard is it for them that truft in riches to enter into the kingdom of heaven; and it is after this explanation, that the proverbial paffage follows, "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

We fee then that those rich men only are meant, who truft in their riches, who place their whole dependence upon them; whofe views and hopes are centered in them and them only; who place their whole happiness, not in re lieving the distresses of the poor, and foothing the forrows of the afflicted; not in acts of worship and adoration, and thanksgiving to him from whose bounty they derive every bleffing they enjoy; not in giving him their hearts, and dedicating their wealth to his glory and his fervice, but in amaffing it without end, or fquandering it without any benefit to mankind, in making it the inftrument of pleafure, of luxury, of diffipation, of vice, and the means of ' gratifying every irregular appetite and paffion without controul. These are the rich men, whofe falvation is reprefented by our Saviour to be almost impoffible; and yet even with respect to thefe he adds; with men this is im poffible, but with God all things are poffible; that is, al though if we look to human means, to human ftrength alone, it seems utterly impoffible that fuch men as these fhould ever repent and be faved; yet to the power of God, to the overruling influences of the Holy Spirit nothing is impoffible. His grace fhed abroad in the heart may touch it with compunction and remorfe, may awaken it to peni tence, may heal all its corruptions, may illuminate, may purify may sanctify it, may bring the most worldly-mind-ed man to a fenfe of his condition, and make him tranf fer his truft from riches to the LIVING GOD.

It is then to those that trust in riches that this denunciation of our Lord peculiarly applies; but even to all rich men in

* Mark x 24.

general it holds out this most important admonition, that their fituation is at the best a fituation of difficulty and danger; that their riches furnish them with fo many opportunities of indulging every wayward wish, every corrupt propenfity of their hearts, and spread before them fo many temptations, fo many incitements, fo many provocations to luxury, intemperance, fenfuality, pride, forgetfulness of God, and contempt of every thing serious and facred, that it is fometimes too much for human na ture to bear; that they have therefore peculiar need to take heed to their ways, to watch inceffantly over their own conduct, to keep their hearts with all diligence, to guard the iffues of life and death, and above all, to implore with unceafing earnestness and fervor that help from above, thofe communications of divine grace, which can alone enable them, and which will effectually enable them to overcome the world, and to vanquish all the powerful enemies they have to contend with. They have in short their way plainly marked out to them in fcripture, and the clearest directions given them how they are to conduct themselves, fo as to become partakers of everlasting life.. Charge them, fays St. Paul, that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor truft in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate, laying up in ftore for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life*."

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This ftriking charge to the rich is pregnant with most important and wholesome counfel, and is an admirable comment on that very paffage which has fo long engaged our attention. It seems indeed to allude and refer to it, and points out all those diftinctions which tend to explain away its feeming harfhnefs, and afcertain its true fpirit. and meaning.

It cautions the rich men of the world not to trust in uncertain riches: the very expreffion made use of by our Lord, and the very circumstance which renders it so hard

* Tim. vi. 17-19.

U

for them to enter into the kingdom of heaven. They are enjoined to place their trust in THE LIVING GOD. They. are to be rich in a far brighter treasure than gold and filver, in faith and in good works; and if they are, they will "lay a good foundation against the time to come, and will lay hold on eternal life.” This entirely does away all the terror, all the difmay, which our Lord's denunciation might tend to produce in the minds of the wealthy and the great: it proves that the way to heaven is as open to them, as to all other ranks and conditions of men, and it points out to them the very means by which they may arrive there. These means are, trust in the living God, dedication of themselves to his fervice and his glory, zeal in eve ry good work, and more particularly the appropriation of a large part of that very wealth, which conftitutes their danger, to the purposes of piety, charity, and beneficence. Thefe are the fteps by which they must, through the merits of their Redeemer, afcend to heaven. Thofe riches which are their natural enemies, must be converted into allies and friends. They muft, as the fcripture expreffes it, make to themselves "friends of the mammon of unrighteoufnefs;" they must be rich towards God; they must turn that wealth, which is too often the cause of their perdition, into an inftrument of falvation, into an inftrument by which they may lay hold, as the apoftle expreffes it, on eternal life.

Before I quit this interefting paffage, it may be of use to obferve, that while it furnishes a leffon of great caution, vigilance, and circumfpection to the rich, it affords alfo no finall degree of confolation to the poor. If they are less bountifully provided than the rich, with the materials of happiness for the prefent life, let them however be thankful to Providence that they have fewer difficulties to contend with, fewer temptations to combat, and fewer obstacles to furmount, in their way to the life which is to come. They have fortunately no means of indulging themselves in that luxury and diffipation, thofe extravagances and exceffes which fometimes difgrace the wealthy and the great; and they are preferved from many follies, imprudences, and fins, equally injurious to prefent comfort and future happiness.

* Luke, xvi. 9.

If they are deftitute of all the elegancies and many of the conveniences and accommodations of life, they are alfo exempt from thofe cares and anxieties which frequently corrode the heart, and perhaps more than balance the enjoyments of their fuperiors. The inferiority of their condition fecures them from all the dangers and all the torments of ambition and pride; it produces in them generally that meekness and lowliness of mind, which is the chief conftituent of a true evangelical temper, and one of the most effential qualifications for the kingdom of heaven.

Jefus having made these observations on the conduct of the young ruler, who refused to part with his wealth and follow him, Peter thought this a fair opportunity of afking our Lord what reward should be given to him, and the other apostles, who had actually done what the young ruler had not the courage and the virtue to do. Then `answered Peter and faid unto him, "Lo! we have forfaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore ?” It is true the apostles had no wealth to relinquish, but what little they had they cheerfully parted with; they gave up their all, they took up their crofs and followed Christ. Surely after fuch a facrifice they might well be allowed to afk what recompence they might expect, and nothing can be more natural and affecting than their appeal to their divine Master: "Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what fhall we have therefore ?" Our Lord felt the force and the juftice of this appeal, and immediately gave them this most gracious and confolatory answer: "Verily I fay unto you, that ye which have followed me in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall fit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall fit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Ifrael: and every one that hath forfaken houses, or brethren, or fifters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's fake, fhall receive an hundred fold, and fhall inherit everlasting life."

Our tranflators, by connecting the word regeneration with the preceding words, "ye which have followed me in the regeneration," evidently fuppofed that word to

relate to the firft preaching of the Gofpel, when thofe who heard and received it were to be regenerated or made

new creatures.

But most of the ancient fathers, as well as the beft modern commentators, refer that expreffion to the words that follow it," in the regeneration when the Son of man fhall fit in the throne of his glory;" by which is meant the day of judgment and of recompence, when all mankind fhall be as it were regenerated or born again, by rifing from their graves; and when, as St. Matthew tells us in the 27th chapter (making use of the very fame phrase that he does here) the Son of man fhall fit on the throne of his glory. At that folemn hour Jefus tells his apostles that they fhall alfo fit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Ifrael. This is an allufion to the custom of princes having their great men ranged around them as affeffors and advisers when they fit in council or in judgment: or more probably to the Jewish fanhedrim, in which the high prieft fat furrounded by the principal rulers, chief priests, and doctors of the law; and it was meant only to exprefs, in these figurative terms, that the apostles fhould in the kingdom of heaven have a diftinguished pre-eminence of glory and reward, and a place of honor affigned them near the perfon of our Lord himself.

Jefus then goes on to fay, ἐσ every one that hath forfaken houfes, or brethren, or fifters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's fake, fhall receive an hundred fold, and shall inherit everlasting life." It is plain, both from the conftruction of this verse, and from the exprefs words of St. Mark in the parallel paffage, that the reward here promised to the apoftles, whatever it might be, was to be bestowed in the prefent world; befides which they were to inherit everlasting life.

What then, it may be asked, is this recompence, which was to take place in the prefent life, and was to be a hundred fold? It certainly cannot be a hundred fold of thofe worldly advantages which are fuppofed to be relinquifhed for the fake of Chrift and his religion; for a multiplication of feveral of these things, inftead of a