Oldalképek
PDF
ePub
[ocr errors][merged small]

The

Preached at!

SPITTLE.

On the Fourteenth of April, 1680.

1 TIM. vi. 17, 18, 19.

Charge them 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 diftribute, willing to com

municate.

Laying up in flore for themfelpes a good Foundation against the Time to come, that they may lay hold on Eternal Life.

G

ROTIUS his Note, upon this Text, is this, That St. Paul now having finished this his Epiftle to Timothy, it comes into his Mind, that there was need of fome more particular Application to be made, and Admonition to be given to thofe wealthy Merchants, with which the City

of

[ocr errors]

of Ephefus (where Timothy refided) did then abound; and upon this Confideration, he inferts those Words I have now read, Charge them that are rich in this World, &c.

How famous foever the City of Ephesus was at that Time for Wealth or Trade, there is little doubt to be made, that this City of ours (praised be God for it) doth in thofe Refpects, at this Day, equal, if not much exceed it. And therefore that which St. Paul thought of fo great Importance, as to give efpecial Orders to Timothy, to press upon the Ephefian Citizens, will always be very fit to be ferioufly recom mended to you in this Place; and more especially at this Time, fince it is the proper Work of the Day. Waving therefore wholly the Argument of our Saviour's Refurrection, upon which you have before been entertained; I apply myself, without farther Preface, to conclude this Eafter Solemnity with that with which St. Paul concludes his Epiftle, viz, with a fhort Difcourfe of the rich Man's great Duty and Concernment, which is in these Words plainly fet forth to us.)

In them we may take notice of thefe Three Generals, which I fhall make the Heads of my following Difcourfe.

Firft, The Duty itfelf incumbent upon thofe that are Rich in this World, expreffed in feveral Particulars.

Secondly, The great Obligation that lies upon them to the Performance of it, which we may gather from the Vehemence and the Authority with which St. Paul orders Timothy

[ocr errors]

to

to prefs it; Charge them (faith he) that are Rich, that they be not, &c.

[ocr errors]

Thirdly, The mighty Encouragement they have to observe this Charge; for hereby they lay up to themselves in ftore a good Foundation against the Time to come, that they may lay hold on Eternal Life.

1. ;

First, I begin with the Rich Man's Duty, which is here exprefs'd in Four Points; Two of them Negative, teaching what Things he ought to avoid; the other Two Pofitive, teaching what he ought to practife. They are thefe :

I. That he should not be high-minded.

II. That he should not truft in uncertain Riches.
III. That he should trust in the living GOD.
IV. That he should do Good, be rich in good
Works, &c.

The First Thing that is given in Charge to all thofe that are rich in this World, is, that they be not high-minded, un inoppover, that they do not think too well of themselves for being rich, and take Occafion from thence to defpife others that are in meaner Circumftances than they. They are not to value themselves a Jot the more, or to think worse of others upon Account of that outward Fortune they are poffefs'd of; but are in all their Converfation to exprefs the fame Moderation, and Humanity, and Eafinefs, and Obligingnefs of Temper to thofe they have to do with, even the meaneft and the pooreft, as if they ftood with them upon the fame Level.

And

And with very great Reafon hath St. Paul given this Caution to rich Men. For by the Experience of the World, it hath been always found, that Wealth is apt to puff up, to make Men look big, and to breed in them a Contempt of others; but what little Ground there is for this, is cafily feen by any that will give themfelves leave to confider.

For what doth any of thefe worldly Goods (which make us keep at diftance) really add to a Man in point of true Worth and Value? Do they either recommend him more to God or to wife Men, or even to himself if he have a Grain of Senfe in him, than if he was without them? Certainly they do not. For that for which either God approves us, or wife Men efteem us, or we can fpeak Peace and Content to ourselves, is not any Thing without us, any Thing that Fortune hath given to us; but fomething that we may more truly call our own; fomething that we were neither born with, nor could any Body hinder us of, nor can be taken from us; that is to say, the Riches of our Minds, our vertuous and commendable Qualities.

A Man is no more a fit Object of Efteem, merely for being rich, than the Beaft he rides on (if I may use the old Comparison) is of Commendation for the coftly Trappings he

wears.

Secondly, Another Caution given to those that are rich in this World, is, that they should not truft in uncertain Riches. This likewife is a Temptation to which they are exposed, and

Our

16, &c.

our Saviour hath very lively fet it forth to us in the Parable of the Rich Man in the Gofpel, who having got mighty Poffeffions, and filled his Barns, thought of nothing farther; but Luke 12. prefently faith to himself, Soul, take thy Eafe, eat, drink, and be merry, for thou haft Goods laid up for many Years: But the Conclufion of that Parable doth fufficiently fhew the Vanity and Ridiculoufnefs of this trufting in our Riches; for a Meffage comes to him from God, Thou Fool, this Night fhall thy Soul be required of thee, and then whofe fhall all thefe Things be that thou haft provided? It is the greateft Madness in the World to pleafe, or fpeak Peace to ourselves upon Account of that, which we are not fure to enjoy a Day, but we may, for any thing we know, be fnatch'd away the next Moment into another World, and fo muft leave the Joy and Pride of our Hearts to we know not whoni.

[ocr errors]

But fuppofing we had fome Certainty of our Lives, and could promife ourselves, that we fhould not leave our Wealth for fome competent Time, yet we have no Certainty that our Wealth will not leave us. How profperous foever our prefent Circumftances be, yet we cannot enfure the Continuance of them; there are a Thousand Accidents may happen every Day, which may ftrip us as naked as when we came into the World; and we may be reduced to the Extremities of those who are now the greateft Objects of our Compaffion and Charity; and this is that which St. Paul in the Text infinuates, when he calls then

1

uncertain

« ElőzőTovább »