Imatges de pàgina
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moral writers on this subject would, of course, be totally without foundation.

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Is necessity your plea ? Having food and raiment, let us be therewith content." "Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have." "I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." Such are the counsels and example of a matchless and authoritative judge of this whole question. It is an old and obvious remark, that he who is not content in his present state would be content in none. If, when the reasonable demands of nature and of station in society are fulfilled, there is still no satisfaction, the plea of necessity, we may suspect, would continue to be urged, though innumerable thousands flowed to fill the craving gulf of the covetous disposition. At all events, it may be asked, "What conceivable necessity can there be for loving and adoring riches, and perverting them from their right end?" But in many instances this plea of necessity is not honestly advanced. Provision for a family, as it is called, with seeming virtue, is often kept from the family until the dying wretch can keep it to himself no longer. Poor relations he has frequently named, not from sympathy, but as a reason of his worldly cares; and poorly indeed has he relieved them! Or where is the necessity that your children should begin the world with such mighty advantages above what you yourself possessed before your successful industry raised you to wealth? Money may possibly, by the help of extraordinary grace and watchfulness, be serviceable to holiness; and here the risk is great, as if the party undertook, with a small detachment of men, to effect and enter a breach in the wall of a strongly-fortified city. But where is the necessity of riches to virtue? Rewards, at last, will not be given according to the several stations now allotted to mankind, but according to the manner in which they have been occupied. sweep the public paths, or lift a straw from the ground, in obedience to the will of God, is a more sublime action, and will be infinitely more rewarded at the last day, than the ransom of a nation without regard to his command and glory.

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Nor will your partial innocence and formal and punctual attention to religious duties be any vindication of your covetousness. You may use none but lawful means to increase your stores; you may not covet "any thing that is thy neighbour's;" you may thank God for your possessions, as a wicked farmer may

thank God for a shower of rain to fructify his parched fields ; you may talk of heaven and heavenly things, and fast, and pray, and give a little sometimes for benevolent purposes, and intend to leave much more for such purposes when you come to die; you may speak strong things against covetousness in the abstract, and against individuals whom you presume to be covetous; you may even preach with great vehemence, and argument, and eloquence, in opposition to this vice; and yet you may all the while set your heart upon the world, "mind earthly things," and, consequently, live in continual exposure to eternal damnation.

In the hope, however, that, by a Divine blessing, conviction may result from all that we have said, considered as a whole; we would venture, with much deference and affection, to recommend the following remedies :

VIII. STATES OF MIND ESSENTIAL TO THE REMEDY.

AMONG the states of mind essential to the recovery of a sinner who has been guilty of this abominable vice, that of sincere and deep repentance is the first in order. This, indeed, is absolutely requisite in all cases of transgression; but more especially with regard to avarice, not only because of its peculiar heinousness and turpitude, but also on account of the extreme tenacity with which it grasps the heart; for the design of repentance is not to make atonement for the sin, but, in some degree, to loosen it from the mind by the grace of which it is the medium, as a preparation for pardon, and a more complete recovery from its bondage and defilement. And here the difficulty is increased by the meanness and shamefulness of this base and sordid vice. It is a fearful demand on human pride, to require the acknowledgment of a sin so truly despicable. Still, genuine contrition must ensue, and even public confession where the crime has been public, and restitution where avarice has trenched upon justice. Yes, could honest Latimer again look from his grave upon the culprit, he would make the region ring with his ancient sentence, "Restitution, or damnation!" The grace of God, however, can break the chain of this infernal enchantment; and repentance is not merely commanded, but strongly exemplified, in connexion with this crime. "There was none like unto Ahab, who did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord." The capital instance of this "wickedness," recorded at

length, is his covetousness; the prophet Elijah was, therefore, divinely commissioned to denounce the dreadful judgments impending over both himself and his house: "And it came to pass, that when Ahab heard these words, he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly. And the word of the Lord came to Elijah, saying, Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? Because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days." How condescending, how encouraging, as well as truly sublime, is the following declaration, spoken expressly with regard to covetousness!" Thus saith the High and Lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is HOLY, I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth, for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made. For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I hid me and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart. I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners. I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the Lord; and I will heal him." Upon the first touch of conviction, let the covetous offender cherish the sweet and humbling influence, and invoke his gracious Redeemer for the farther grace of his good Spirit, to bring his penitence to full effect. "Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins."

The grand and super-human principle of a Divine life in the soul should be sedulously cultivated and preserved in health and vigour. If this be neglected, if this principle be suffered to sicken and expire, the mere humanity which may remain, however strengthened and elevated by intellectual and moral culture, and however aided by the authority of reason, would be more than overmatched by this terrible temptation. Or, if its force should be broken, it would only be in consequence of the great power of some other sin, which, for the time being, might pluck Mammon from his throne and occupy his place. It was thus that pride, for instance, was a governing principle and cause of the boasted virtues of the ancients. The honourable conduct

of Alexander towards the daughter of Darius is much celebrated; but it was infinitely above him to exclaim, with a Hebrew saint, "Shall I do this thing, and sin against God?" And even this is not a mere moral consideration, but includes a portion of Divine strength infused to give it energy; it includes regeneration, “a new creature," or, literally, "a new creation." This is clear, in regard to covetousness, from the words of St. John: "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" One would have expected the apostle rather to say, "How dwelleth the love of man in him?" And the love of God, whatever be the sense affixed to it, must imply a Divine principle, as the cause of our cordial charity: "I will send," says St. Paul, "to bring your liberality," that is, your grace, Tv xági úμav, or gift, which is the effect of grace, "to Jerusalem." And on a parallel occasion he asserts the same doctrine: 66 Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; how that, in a great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality." Nay, some excellent theologians are of opinion, that all the natural virtues of unregenerate men are the effect of the Holy Spirit in them, as a Spirit of restraint and of illumination. If so, how much more necessary is it, to the production of the essential graces and accepted actions of a Christian, that the same Divine Agent should dwell in us as a Spirit of grace and of sanctification? Therefore, let the penitent, who begins to loathe his covetousness, turn his fixed and firm attention to this important point; for, should God, in his sovereignty, by mere power, restrain his covetousness, or turn this stream of corruption into some other channel, such as that of pride, cr ambition, still, this would by no means be an evangelical cure of covetousness,— would not profit him in regard to his salvation, however it might subserve some other purpose of Divine Providence.

Another state of mind effectual for conquering this powerful besetment, is that of a scriptural assurance of our state in Christ. In all such contests with our spiritual adversaries, doubt, on so important a question, is debilitating; certainty is, in no small degree, encouraging and animating. Our first Reformers, and succeeding Non-conformists urged this, as a doctrine of great moment, in their controversies with the Romanists, and as a

privilege of unspeakable advantage in the Divine life; a privilege which their writings still inculcate may be obtained by faith in the promises of pardon, adoption, and spiritual consolation. Whoever is inattentive to this runs the risk of being powerfully tempted to seek consolation of a very different kind; proper attention to it will render strong temptation powerless. Hence the pious Baxter writes: "Certainly assurance is a most desirable thing; it kindleth in us the love of God; it maketh duty sweet; it maketh sufferings easy, and death less terrible, and heaven more desired, and, consequently, cureth an earthly mind, and leadeth man to a heavenly conversation, and putteth life into all his endeavours: Whereas a man that is still utterly in doubt of his state of salvation, and right to life, will be loath to die, and, therefore, love this present world, and have less thankful and loving thoughts of God and his Redeemer, and so all sin will have advantage, and holiness a great impediment." To the same effect the ever-memorable John Hales, of Eton, writes: "It is a famous speech of Martin Luther, though hyperbolical, that should a man indeed believe himself to be a son and heir of God, he could not fail in a very short time to be swallowed and die of excessive joy.' And certainly," continues Hales, "either our not believing or not rightly valuing the things of God, or, howsoever, not knowing them, is the cause of this our languishing, and impatient longing after earthly things." The joy of the Lord is the strength of his people.

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Humility is another frame and disposition of the mind, which, if cultivated and confirmed, could not fail to sap and destroy the very foundation of covetousness. This vice produces pride. The converse of the equally correct: Pride engenders covetousness. trary, the man who is humble is also kind and liberal, because he desires but little or nothing for himself. He flies from his own honour, and blushes at the idea of a superfluous satisfaction. St. James illustrates and inculcates humility in this important bearing of it, by a text which conveys the best counsel in very beautiful language: "Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted; but the rich in that he is made low; because as the flower of the grass, he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth; so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways,"

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