Wealth

Seeking Heavenly Riches. — The Roman Emperor fitted out a great expedition and sent it to conquer Britain. The valiant legionaries leaped ashore, and each man gathered a handful of shells and went back to his bark again — that was all. Some of you are equally foolish. You are fitted by God for great endeavors and lofty enterprises, and you are gathering shells: your gold and your silver, your houses and your lands — they are mere empty shells — and heaven and everlasting life you let go. Like Nero, you send to Alexandria for sand for your amusements, and send not for wheat for your starving souls. 0 fools and slow of heart, when shall God, who gave you souls, give those souls wisdom that you may seek after the true treasure, the real pearl, the heavenly riches’? “Well,” cries one, “how is heaven to be had1?” It is to be had only by a personal seeking after it. I have read of one who, when drowning, saw the rainbow in the heavens. Picture him as he sinks; he looks up, and there if he sees the many-colored bow, he may think to himself, “There is God’s covenant-sign that the world shall never be drowned, and yet, here I am drowning in this river.”

Drowned by Riches. — I have heard of one, the steward ess of an American vessel, who when the ship was sinking, saw heaps of gold coin scattered upon the cabin floor by those who had thrown it there in the confusion of their escape: she gathered up large quantities of it, wrapped it round her waist, and leaped into the water; she sank like a millstone, as tho she had studiously prepared herself for destruction. I fear that many of you traders are diligently collecting guarantees for your surer ruin, planning to bury yourselves beneath your glittering hoards. Be wise in time. My voice, nay, my heart pleads with you for your soul’s sake and for Christ’s sake, be not like Ahitophel, who set his house in order and hanged himself. Take sure bond for enduring happiness, invest in indisputable securities, have done with infinite risks, and be assured for life everlasting. Debased by Wealth. — Strange to say, we have known many Christians who have forgoten much of their love to Christ when they have risen in the world. “Ah!” said a woman, who had been wont to do much for Christ in poverty, and who had had a great sum left her, “I cannot do as much as I used to do.” “But how is that?” said one. Said she, “When I had a shilling purse I had a guinea heart, but now I have a guinea purse I have only a shilling heart.” It is a sad temptation to some men to get rich. They were content to go to the meeting-house and mix with the ignoble congregation, while they had but little; they have grown rich; there is a Turky carpet in the drawing-room; they have arrangements now too splendid to permit them to invite the poor of the flock, as they once did, and Christ Jesus is not so fashionable as to allow them to introduce any religious topic when they meet with their new friends. Besides this, they say they are now obliged to pay this visit and that visit, and they must spend so much time upon attire, and in maintaining their station and respectability, they cannot find time to pray as they did. The house of God has to be neglected for the party, and Christ has less of their heart than ever he had. “Is this thy kindness to thy friend?” And hast thou risen so high that thou art ashamed of Christ? and art thou grown so rich, that Christ in his poverty is despised?

Alas! poor wealth! alas! base wealth! alas! vile wealth! ‘Twere well for thee if it should be all swept away, if a descent to poverty should be a restoration to the ardency of thine affection.

The Idolotry of Money. — One can easily overlook the fault of making too much of children, and wife, and friends, altho very grievous in the sight of God; but alas; there are some that are too sordid to love flesh and blood; they love dirt, mere dirty earth, yellow gold. It is that on which they set their hearts. Their purse, they tell us, is dross; but when we come to take aught from it, we find they do not think it is so. “Oh,” said a man once, “if you want a subscription from me, Sir, you must get at my heart, and then you will get at my purse.” “Yes,” said I, “I have no doubt I shall, for I believe that is where your purse lies, and I shall not be very far off from it.”