Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n
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A57546
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The rich fool set forth in an exposition on that parable : Luke 12, 16-22 ... / by Nehemiah Rogers ...
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Rogers, Nehemiah, 1593-1660.
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1662
(1662)
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Wing R1824; ESTC R5063
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109,384
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135
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to what end the Soul was given Every animated Creature beaâ—s in the Figure of the Body the mark of the value of its Soul Amongst Beasts they that are made of moist matter and are most earthly hang their heads most downward the Soul of a Hogg is earthiest being extended in the Body not to fit him for any handsome action but only serves as brine so keep him from putrefaction and his look also is most debased and dejected having his eyes under his belly as it were and his Nose is alwayes rooting in the Ground So that as Plutarch saith If he should be turned upon his back and constrained to see the Sky he would be amazed at the novelty of the sight If there be any sparke of ingenuity left in thee this consideration should move thee to mind Heaven more and the Earth less Is it not a shame that whilst the eyes of thy Body survey and peruse the Sky and glorious Lamps of Heaven the eyes of thy Soul should see nothing but dirt and dung Like the Kite which whilst she soares aloft hath her eye still upon Carrion that is cast out upon the Dunghill Or as Bernard speaks To have a crook-backt Soul in a straitbackt Body Lo this only have I found saith Solomon that God made man upright or strait both in body and mind Eccles 7.29 Is qui ficlitus est homo differt ab eo quem Deus fâ—cit Philo l. 1. legis Allegor but he hath sought out many inventions or fictions of his own That man which is fained differeth from him which God made saith Philo Man is made of himself a fained man it consisting in the fained invention of his own wayes And amongst all imaginary fictions there is none that doth discover more Beast in Man then this base sordid and covetous fiction Psal 49.6 11 12 17 20. 2 Pet. 2 12 14. Beasts they are that exercise themselves in covetous practises and such Beasts as are to be taken and destroyed whose throats are for the knife as the Hogg and Swine which Beast of all other the Worldling doth most resemble both for his feeding rooting and unprofitable living It is never good we say till the knife comes to the throat But we shall say no more at present of that Come we now to the more proper title belonging to this Man A Rich Man There are two sorts of rich men some rich in this World rich in Goods yet poor in Grace Others rich in reference to another World that are poor in this This the Apostle intimates 1 Tim. 6.17 Charge them that are rich in this World which the Apostle would not have said as Austin sheweth Aug. Serm. de temp if there were not some truly Rich that are not Rich in this World And our Saviour thuâ— distinguisheth of them in the Reddition of this Parable ver 21. of which we shall speak more in due place This Rich man here spoken of was a worldly Rich man And of these that are worldly Rich there are several degrees Some are Rich in Superfluity these are called in Scripture mighty men of Wealth as 2 Kings 15.20 and said to be men of great Estate Eccles 1.16 and to possesse multitude of Riches Psal 49.6 and to have abundance of them Psal 52.7 and great Revenues Prov. 16.8 Of this rank of rich men were those mentioned Luke 21.1 4. who out of their abundance cast in Gifts into the Treasury Others are Rich in Competency having enough not only for necessities of Nature but likewise to maintain their Place and State Quality and Calling a sufficiency they have of all Temporal Blessings albeit not that infinite and overflowing superabundance which the other have And of this rank those wealthy men may be thought to be who in the Gospel are called Rich Neighbours Luke 14.12 who being invited to a Feast are able to invite again And others there are who are rich in Mediocrity living in a golden mean between plenty and penury being neither eminently rich nor miserably poor the estate that Augur desired of God Prov. 30.8 9. These have a sufficiency whereby to subsist and to support themselves in regard of necessity of Life but sometimes in respect of the necessity and exigence of their state they may stand in need of their wealthy Neighbour who hath abundance and superfluity and borrow assistance and supportation from him at a pinch 1 Joh. 3.17 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereby they may be upheld in their honest Course and Calling And to this rank may be referred those who have some small Cottage and Tenement of their own and a little Stock and an honest Calling to live by these enjoy the World's Good though not in such abundance as either of the former sorts and may be truly said to be rich for that they have wherewith to maintain themselves and theirs comfortably in that Calling and State of Life in which God hath set them This saith Seneca Pauper eâ—im non est cui rerum suppetit usus is the first degree of Riches To have what is necessary The next is To have what is enough The last To have superfluity and more then enough and of this rank was this rich man here mentioned Give me leave to stop a little and commend hence unto you this general Observation Doct. All men are not alike for outward estate Mens outward estates are so ordered by God's providence that some are rich and some poor And amongst the rich some are wealthier than other and of greater estate than others It is a Point that needs not much confirmation yet we shall produce a Text or two to back it 1 Sam. 2.7 8. The Lord maketh Poor and maketh Rich saith Hannah he bringeth low and raiseth up he raiseth up the Poor out of the Dust and lifteth up the Beggar from the Dunghill to set him amongst Princes and to make them inherit the Throne of Glory All this He doth So Prov. 22.2 The Rich and the Poor meet together The Lord is the Maker of them alt A difference in Estate there is betwixt men in this World yet the disparity is not such but that in many things they meet and are alike as in the Womb they meet being alike conceived formed and brought forth in Nature they meet being both reasonable Creatures consisting of Soul and Body in Life they meet both breathing the same Aire and nourished in the same manner they meet sometimes in the Church sometimes in the Street sometimes about this business sometimes about that and in God they meet He being the same Lord who giveth them both that Form and Shape that Nature and Life they have for he is the Maker of them all It is He and not their care and pains that hath made the Rich It is he and not their hard Fortune that hath made the Poor and that God who hath made all men can make any though never so distant in Condition yet to meet
abundance or hope to have And hence it is That many will seem to the World to have them that have them not They will be sure to make a fair outside and appear to be rich albeit they be nothing lesse according to that of Solomon Prov. 13.7 there is that maketh himself rich yet hath nothing Hence it is that they will be fishing in all Waters with a golden hook and try all Baits And with the expert Fisher that fisheth with the fly have flyes of all sorts that may suit with every season Nabal's flye shall be the great Feast he makes at his Sheep-Shearing that he may be reputed bountiful and liberal Absolom's sly shall be the flattering of his Fathers Subjects that all might extol the young Prince and wish him in his Fathers Throne Jesabel fisheth with a painted fly Acts 12.21 22. to allure her Lovers Herod with a gay golden flye royal Apparrel Cloth of Silver saith Josephus which being beaten upon by the Sun beams so dazled the Beholders eyes that it drew from them that blasphemous Acclamation It is the Voice of a God and not of a Man And when they have taken with these Baits and have best sport may we not truly say They have fished and caught a fool for wise men cannot be taken with such flyes as these There are indeed a company of Sycophants and Flatterers in the World who will fawn upon the wealthy and follow after with cap and knee and crouch and crindge before such as the Spaniel doth unto his Master for a bone c. But will you count this Credit to be licked with a Sycophants rankling Tongue saith One and to be followed by a company of Hangbyes that run after you with cap in hand crying out Good your Worship c If you call this Credit and if this be the repute you speak of and seek after it may indeed be obtained by wealth But yet know that the Flame that is derived from Fools is in Fancy Nor is that Pageant of crindges and faces which is acted by them intended to thee but to thy gay Coat and stuffed or well-lined Pouch which is a Credit and Honour much like to that which the Egyptians shewed to the Ass that carried their gods upon his Back which when the silly Ass grew proud of he was told That it was to Us not to Thee that this Honour was given Non tiâ—i sed Isidi when these trinkets are taken off thou must look to be turned into a dirty Stable with a kick in scorn Jer. 22.18 19. when death comes all thy wealth must be left behind and thou buried with the burial of an Ass without any lamentation made for thee thy Name shall rot and be no more had in rememberance oâ— if it be mentioned it shall be with loathing and detestation yea and of those thou thinkest thy self now to be had in Honour thou wilt in the end be esteemed vile none will be more ready to blaze thy faults to thy disgrace and to deride and scorn thee than those who now slatter thee And this is all that thy wealth can procure to thy Name Neither God nor good Men will esteem ever the better of thee simply for thy riches Vse 2 And as the folly of those is to be reproved who hope by heaping up wealth to gain themselves Credit being otherwise graceless So they are no less to be taxed who bless the covetous in their hearts whom the Lord abhorreth It is strange to see how apt men are Psal 10.3 Exod. 32. with the Idolatrous to fall down and worship a golden Calf Let a man be as very a Churl as Nabal of mount Carmel As foolish as Rehoboam who was the foolishness of the People As vain-glorious as Haman As basely covetous as Vespasian who laid an Impost upon the Excrements of the People of Rome Let him be as full of ill qualities as Naaman was of the Leprous spots yet if he be rich and wealthy him we Idolize as a god him we bless him we magnify and extol nay are ready to say with those to Christ Blessed is the Womb that bare thee and the Papes that gave thee suck Albeit the Eye of Heaven scorns them and esteems them vile preferring the poorest Beggar full of Boyls and Botches having Grace in his heart before such worldlings with their Golden Fleeces Say no more of a wicked worldling He is a man of great worth and worship his Rents Revenews and Commings-in are so much by the year He is a great monied man a landed man one of the best of his Rank and Quality in the whole Country A Gentleman 's or an Alderman's Fellow a Knight's Companion c. All this may be yet if he be graceless he is worthless in God's esteem and in the esteem of all good men And the Scriptures which put a just Valuation upon things esteem of all these things but as dross and puteth such men in lowest form and amongst the meanest rank of men and tell us whose Fellows they are 1 Cor. 6.9 10. There you have them placed that are worldly and covetous in the midst of a damned Crew and crowded upon both sides with Fornicators Idolators Adulterers Abusers of themselves with Mankind Theeves Drunkards Revilers Extortioners and such Companions as the World cryes shame upon and with whom we are charged to keep no Company 1 Cor. 5.11 Covetousnesness is such a Vice that it should not be once named amongst us saith the Apostle without detestation Eph. 5.3 When we speak of filthy and uncomly things saith a judicious and grave Divine of our Time Dr. Jones Com. in Heb. p. 616. we use to do it with a Preface saving your Reverence c. So in speaking of these earthly muck-worms and worldly-minded persons be they never so great in the World's Eye it will not be amiss to use the like Preface such a one is a very rich man yet saving your reverence he is a very Earth-worm and a covetous Miser Being graceless they are worthless in God's esteem so let them be in thine Vse 3 And let me leave a word or two with you whose minds are wholly set upon the Earth and that by way of Exhortation My Text here styles thee Man albeit one of the meanest and lowest ranck Now there is something in this name Man that bids thee to look up and leave groveling here like the Swine upon the Earth Thou art called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Man from looking up on high saith Plato 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à sur sum aspiciendo Os homini sublime dedit caelumque tueri O vid. and there are four Causes as he shews of man's upright Posture The Efficient is God The Formal is the power of the Soul The Material is the straitness of the backbone The Final is to contemplate high and holy things The very aspect of Man being made and fitted to look upwards towards Heaven doth demonstrate