them (saith he) that are rich, that they put not their trust. in uncertain riches, but in the living God, laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life," 1 Tim. vi. For the same reason the Son of God adviseth us, "not to lay up for ourselves treasures upon earth, where the moth and rust do corrupt; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where the moth and rust do not corrupt, and where thieves no not break through and steal," Matt. vi. A wise Persian was well acquainted with this truth; therefore he hath left this lesson for posterity, "The world is constant to no man; my brother, apply thyself and thy heart to the great Creator of the world, and that shall suffice thee." 15. Consider, that if riches and honours leave us not in our life-time, or in case none can take them away from us by violence, it is most certain that Death will deprive us of all, and will separate them from us for ever. Psa. xlix. For when a man dies, he carries nothing with him, his glory accompanies him not into his grave. 1 Tim. vi. "We brought no❤ thing into this world, and it is certain that we can carry nothing out." Jobi. The kings and the greatest princes may speak in this language, as well as the meanest soldiers of fortune, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return." All the treasures, riches, sceptres and crowns. shall never advantage us after our decease. What was Nebuchadnezzar the better for having had so great a number of people within his dominions? They could not hinder him from lying down upon a couch of worms, nor preserve him from being eaten with vermin, Isa. xiv. To what purpose did the rich glutton abound in all manner of riches in his life-time: after his decease he could not obtain a drop of cold water to assuage his violent thirst, Luke xvi. The author of the book of Wisdom was entered into this meditation, when he represented the worldlings spending themselves in lamen tations tations for their former follies, and voluntary blindness, "What hath pride profited us, (say they,) or what benefit hath riches brought us? Allthese things are passed away as a shadow, as a post that runs swiftly, or as a ship that slides through the troubled waves," Wisd. xvi. Our heirs give us. nothing of all our substance but a winding sheet, a few boards, or, it may be, some pounds of lead; all consumes with us, and rots in our grave in time. In short, we must not only quit and abandon all our honours, dignities, treasures, and riches; but we must also quit this body, this flesh and bones, covered with this beautiful skin. O man! remember that. thou art but dust, and thou shalt return to dust. 16. Saladin, the famous sultan of Egypt, hath left to posterity an illustrious testimony of the vanity of all riches and worldly grandeur; for upon his death-bed he commanded that his winding-sheet should be carried at the end of a lance by a herald, who was to proclaim, "Here is all that this great prince hath carried away of his riches, glory, principalities, and lordships, which he enjoyed upon earth.” 17. Consider that it is a great cause of grief, that we know not who shall inherit the fruits of all our labours, which we keep with so much care and restless fears. Who knows but our greatest enemies, and, that which is worse, God's enemies, shall clothe themselves with our spoils; and that which we have been gathering many years, shall be spent in a moment? Of this vanity and evil the royal prophet complains, Psa. xxxix. "Surely every man walketh in a vain show; surely they are disquieted in vain; he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them." 18. Consider well, Christian people, the dangerous effects wrought in us by the love of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches: it stifles in our hearts the good seed of the gospel, Matt. xiii. it hinders it from growing up to salvation: it keeps keeps many from glorifying God, and making an open profession of the truth; as it is said of some of the chief Pharisees, that they believed in our Lord Jesus Christ, but they would not confess him before men, because they loved more the glory of men than the glory of God. Therefore when Cyrus made proclamation, that the children of Israel should have full liberty in their own country to rebuild Jerusalem, to repair God's temple, to re-establish his neglected services, there were many Jews that cared not to obey this prince's command, nor God's call; because they were settled in Babylon, they were too much wedded to the pleasures and delights of that city, and therefore loth to part with their concerns there for Jerusalem. For the same cause that young man, mentioned before, would not follow the Saviour of the world, nor obey his command, because he had much riches, and had settled his heart and affections upon them. As God's ark and Dagon cannot dwell together under one roof, 1 Sam. Y. so the love of God and the love of the world can never subsist together. Therefore St. John adviseth us, "Love not the world, nor the things that are in the world: if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him," 1 John ii. 19. Take notice, that this is the passion that stops so many in their first beginnings of piety: for, as Lot's wife was changed into a statue of salt, as soon as she had looked behind her; so when God sends his angels to take us by the hand, and drag us out of the spiritual Sodom, there is nothing more dangerous than to look with regret and longings for carnal delights and worldly advantages, which we are then totally to quit. That alone is able to stop our proceeding forward, to stifle our zeal, and to cause all pious intentions to vanish into air: therefore we must imprint in our minds this excellent sentence of our Saviour, "No man that puts his hand to the plough, and doth look back, is fit for the kingdom of God." 20. This is the cause that so many persons, esteemed wellgrounded in religion and piety, are prevailed upon, at last, to turn their backs to God, and to make shipwreck of their faith. What was the reason of the Israelites murmuring so often, and desiring to return to Egypt? Was it not, as we have already taken notice, because their hearts and affections were settled and fixed on that cursed land, from whence God had delivered them by so many miracles? And wherefore did Demas leave St. Paul and Christ's gospel? It was because he "loved too much this present world." In short, our own experience confirms to us the saying of our Saviour, "No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or he will cleave to the one, and despise the other: you cannot serve God and Mammon." 21. Consider, that if these worldly goods and honours de not produce in us these woeful and lamentable effects, they often produce them in our posterity. Many would live happier in the world, and be honester men, if their parents had not left them so much riches and so many honours to possess. Their riches and honours therefore draw upon them many evils, and oft-times they cast them headlong into several debaucheries and insolencies. It is that which fills them full of ridiculous vanity, and of unsufferable pride, that renders them hateful to God and man. In a word, it is that which makes them to forget God, and be unmindful of the treasures and advantages of his kingdom, Prov. xxx. Therefore Agur presented this excellent prayer unto God, "Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me; Jest I be full and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor and steal, and take the name of my God in vain." Wretched man! to what purpose dost thou labour so carefully to gather up riches for thy children? It may be that. these riches which thou takest from others, or which thou dost get with the loss of thy soul, shall serve to make golden calves, calves, to be the substance of infamous idols, as Gideon's gold, plundered from the Midianites, was employed in an ephod, which became a snare to his house, and to all Israel. Thus it happens many times, that the goods which are gotten with the expence of much blood and sweat, and the honours unto which we climb up with so much earnestness and passion, become a snare to our posterity; they cast them headlong into an abyss of misery. 22. I should not forget that death is a kind of sleep; therefore, in holy scripture, to die, and to fall asleep, are to be understood in the same sense. Now, as we cannot conveniently fall asleep, unless we set aside and forget all the troublesome affairs of the world; likewise it is altogether imposible to die comfortably and peaceably, if we banish not out of our hearts, betimes, all the foolish fancies that disturb us, and all the sharp cares that undermine and consume us, 23. To this purpose, profane history tells us of a remarkable passage of Cyneas, a great minister of state to Pyrrhus, king of Epirus; that when he saw his master so busy in raising an army, to march against the Romans, he began to argue with him in this manner, Sir, if it please God to grant you the victory over the Romans, how could you employ yourself next?-The king answered, We will then endeavour to conquer the rest of Italy. And when we shall have Italy in our possession, replied Cyneas, what shall we do afterwards? We will go against Sicily, said the king. The discreet Cyneas continued to demand, And when we have all Sicily, what shall we do?-Pyrrhus answered him, We will pass to Africa, and take Carthage; and after that we may recover Macedonia, and command all Greece without control. But, sir, replied Cyneas, when we shall have got all in our possession, what shall we do then?-The king answered him with a smiling countenance, We will then repose ourselves, |