SERMON CCCVIII.

THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT.

ST. LUKE xvi. 9.

"I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations."

Ir may appear strange that immortal spirits, such as we know ourselves to be, who are to live through the everlasting ages with GOD, and to be made equal to the Angels, yet should have to spend our days upon earth among such low and poor objects and employments. The life of many is taken up with buying and selling, of others with earning wages, or paying wages; and, indeed, of almost all in some way in making or in keeping money, so as to render it a subject that takes up very much, not only of their time, but also of their thoughts. But the Gospel fully explains this, teaching us that all this state of things is but the means by which God is proving mankind, to ascertain what persons are fit to have entrusted to their care "the true riches;" for the treasures of the next world are thus described as the true riches, to teach us that the riches of this world are but shadows, not real and substantial, but a means of trying us, and no more. And because so many are found to fail in this trial, and to render the goods of this world a cause of sin, and not of salvation, therefore they are called "the unrighteous mammon :" money is said to be "the root of all evil;" it is called "filthy lucre," from making men filthy and unclean in the sight of GOD: the mere possession of it is said to render salvation so difficult,

2 "

as to be almost impossible; to have but little of it is declared to be a state of blessing; to get rid of it is said to lead to a state of perfection. "If thou wilt be perfect," said our LORD, "go and sell what thou hast, and give to the poor 1." Not that riches in themselves are evil, because our LORD says we may make friends of them, such friends as to buy for us eternal treasures : "Make to yourselves friends of the unrighteous mammon They are called "unrighteous" by HIM who knew what was in man, on account of the effect they have on the heart, and the wickedness they will occasion, even among Christians. And although we are told to make friends of riches, yet this is by getting rid of them, as well and wisely as we can, lest they weigh down our souls to hell; not in keeping them in any way, but in parting with them to God's glory and the good of others. No money can be considered safe, or truly our own, until it is put into the treasury of GOD; by being spent by us, or given away, in the fear of GOD, and to His glory.

Now, with regard to stealing, the great object for a Christian is to remember what it is that GoD considers stealing, and not what the world does; for the world allows of many things, which, if a Christian practises, he will no doubt be for ever shut out from the kingdom of GOD. For instance, in buying and selling, a person may make a very good bargain, and the world may applaud him, and yet GOD may not be the more pleased with him for it. A hundred years hence, his soul may think it over as the dearest bargain ever was made. And yet, what the Wise man said is as true now as ever it was, "As a nail sticketh

doth sin stick close

fast between the joinings of the stones, so between buying and selling 3." But in all this, GoD is trying the hearts of men: The LORD pondereth the hearts," says Solomon: "to do justice and judgment is more acceptable to HIM than sacrifice *."

Now there is no end to the number of laws which are made to keep Christians, if possible, from injuring each other; and why is this, but that the fear of GOD cannot restrain men if they can overreach each other? Lawsuits, indeed, sometimes happen in

1 Matt. xix. 21.

3 Ecclus. xxvii. 2.

2 Luke xvi. 9.

4 Prov. xxi. 2, 3.

difficult cases between two persons who are both anxious to know and do what is right: but it is seldom the case in a lawsuit, that there is not injustice and covetousness on one side, and often on both: and, therefore, when a man appealed to our Blessed LORD to divide the inheritance between him and his brother, our LORD immediately came to the root of such contentions, which was of infinitely greater consequence than any earthly inheritance, saying to those around HIM, "Take heed and beware of covetousness." He looked immediately on the heart, and read that, as He will in His final judgment; as if to say, Whichever of you has the inheritance is of extremely little importance, but the covetousness in the hearts of you both, and of too many around ME, is of the greatest consequence. And then He added that fearful parable of the Rich man who was building new barns when his soul was required of him3.

Again, there are numerous ways of carrying on business which men think very lightly of, but which will weigh most heavily on a man's soul in the day of Judgment. The value of any article in trade is supposed to be what a person may get for it in the market, which is in some degree true; but when a man's heart is set upon gain, this opens the door to numerous dishonest practices. A purchaser may be quite unable to form a true estimate of the value of what he purchases, from inexperience perhaps, from carelessness and inattention, and numberless other circumstances; but to take advantage of these is not according to the golden rule of doing as we would be done by. How common is it for men to be hiding the defects of their own goods, and depreciating their neighbour's, which they wish to purchase. And yet most assuredly all these matters pass on and are put down to our great account; for we are told expressly, that if any man go beyond or defraud his brother in any matter, the LORD is the Avenger of all such "."

A still heavier charge is there against some, and indeed, as all are liable to incur this charge who have others in their employment, it is very much to be considered ;-and that is, of oppressing the poor, of not fairly dealing with them according to their due, because they have no helper; that is to say, because

5 Luke xii. 13.

61 Thess. iv. 6.

they have no earthly helper: but for that very reason their cry has attributed to it in Scripture such especial power with God. "Enter not into the fields of the fatherless, for their REDEEMER is mighty: He shall plead their cause with thee"." St. James tells us that even the keeping back the wages of the poor is not a matter below the consideration of the ALMIGHTY GOD. "The hire of labourers," he says, "kept back by fraud, crieth; and their cries have entered into the ears of the LORD of Sabaoth;" i. e. the LORD of Hosts; it is known to HIM who both considers their cause, and has power to avenge it. In the present state of this country nothing is more easy than to oppress the poor, who cannot protect themselves, on account of the great want of employment; and surely this opportunity to oppress the poor has never been taken advantage of more than by this nation at large; yet what is more sure to bring down the displeasure of God on any people?

But again, there is another practice which concerns quite another class of people, which cannot be passed over when we are speaking on this subject, that of living on what can be obtained from others, without earning it by honest labour-the practice of begging. Now this is not so bad as stealing in itself; but it arises too often from covetousness; it leads to unjust pretences, and falsehood, and idleness. In Holy Scripture very great are the exhortations of giving to the poor, who stand to us in CHRIST'S stead. We know that CHRIST considers what is done to the poor as done to HIMSELF, and tells us that He will remember such things especially on the Great Day. But then nothing whatever is said in the Bible to excuse those who are always endeavouring to gain what they can from the bounty of others. It says that" it is more blessed to give than to receive." A desire to give is blessed; a desire to receive is the very contrary to this. Indeed Scripture itself expressly forbids this very thing. "When we were with you," says St. Paul, "this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat"." In another place he exhorts men to work and labour, not that they might live more comfortably, but in order that they might have to give. "Let him that stole," i. e. in his heathen state, before he became

7 Prov. xxiii. 11.

8 James v. 4.

9 2 Thess. iii. 10.

a Christian, "let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth 10." He tells us more than once that he laboured hard with his own hands', even when he might justly have claimed and obtained support from others, in order that he might set a good example by so doing.

In some cases indeed it becomes a matter of necessity that men should ask and live upon the charities of others; as in those countries where the poor have no support from the law of the land, and from infirmities or other reasons cannot maintain themselves; and of course when it is absolutely necessary, the case is much altered.

Certainly the distress in this place is usually such as to be almost unequalled in this country, and every one who has the means is bound to do his utmost to relieve it, in the wisest and best way he can think of: but as to the sufferers themselves, they must remember they have that portion which God assigns them: and great as their privations are, yet in other times and other countries religious men of their own accord have given up riches and honours, and submitted to lives of self-denial, suffering, and hardship greater than what is usually here endured, for the sake of religion, in order to keep their hearts constantly disposed to prayer, and be like JESUS CHRIST. And those that thus suffer according to the will of GoD, may by resignation make their sufferings an offering most pleasing to GOD, committing the keeping of their souls unto HIM in well-doing, as unto a faithful CREATOR. They beyond all are taught to become poor in spirit, to depend upon their Heavenly FATHER for their daily bread, and are invited by a thousand endearing expressions to cast all their care upon HIм, for HE careth for them. Many, I say, have of their own accord practised all these hardships for the sake of devotion, and in order to be upon earth like CHRIST and His Apostles and those who cheerfully submit to the like may obtain of God the same blessings.

We may be assured, that there is no more noble character to be seen in the world than a poor man who is contented to be

10 Eph. iv. 28.

VOL. IX.

1 Acts xx. 34. 1 Cor. iv. 12.

1 Thess. ii. 9.

A a