Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n
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A58044
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Two sermons preached by Brune Ryves.
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Ryves, Bruno, 1596-1677.
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1652
(1652)
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Wing R2452; ESTC R26993
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21,750
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42
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far greater then poverty It was the Observation of a Religious Votary That the Devils of Consolation as he cals them are more dangerous then those of Tribulation certainly of the Two extreams the wise man in that prayer Prov. 30. plainly intimates that the Temptations of riches are more dangerous then those of poverty Give me saith he neither poverty nor riches feed me with food convenient for me lest 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 Verse 8 9. Poverty may drive a man to steal to deal unjustly and then to forswear it and take the name of God in vain but if a man be rich and full he is in danger to deny God and in pride of heart to say with Pharaoh who is the Lord Certainly it is very difficult to be rich and not to neglect God and to trust in riches upon this very ground our Saviour sayes That it is easier for a Camel to go thorow the eye of a needle then for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven Mat. 19. 24. Thirdly Consider in what manner thou camest into the world and how thou shalt go out we were born Sine Integumento and we depart Sine viatico Ep. 44. as S. Ambrose speaks Nature doth furnish us with provision neither at our coming into the world nor at our going out of all that which thou dost possesse what shalt thou carry with thee but a Winding-sheet and a Coffin perhaps neither What a madnesse is it then to wound thy soul to get what shortly thou must leave behind thee and carry with thee nothing else but the guilt of ill gotten wealth Perhaps thou wilt answer Though I leave my wealth yet I shall leave it to my Child that shall be after me Though this cannot be every Covetous mans Apologie For there is one alone as Solomon speaks and there is not a Second yea he hath neither child nor brother yet is there no end of his labour neither is his eye satisfied with riches neither saith he for whom do I labour and bereave my soul of good Eccles 4. 8. But suppose thou hast children and canst say though I leave my wealth yet I shall leave it to my Child that shall be after me yet let me tell thee thou knowest not whether that Child will be a wise man or a fool This Solomon cals vanity and for this very reason he did even hate his labour as himself speaketh I hated all my labour which I had taken under the Sun because saith he I should leave it to a man that shall be after me and who knows whether he shall be a wise man or a fool yet he shall have rule over all my labours wherein I have laboured and wherein I have shewed my self wise under the Sun this also is vanity Eccles 2. 19. Thy wealth may prove to thy posterity but an instrument to serve some lust to commit some sin an Instrument of Gods dishonour and their own damnation Nay as thy wealth was uselesse to thy self so may thy Children be useless to themselves useless to the publick to their Country uselesse to the Church of Christ They may be fools or prodigals or extreamly wicked the very Curse and Punishment of their fathers Avarice Fourthly Consider that when by sordid and dishonest courses thou hast got a great estate yet this great estate doth not fill thy Appetite â—idem sunt termini Regni tui Alexander mundi as he spake in the Suasory The same bounds measured Alexanders Empire and the world and yet inventus est qui concupisceret aliquid post omnia he would have more then all in coveting a Second world before he was full master of the First Habes Aâ—rum habes argentum concupiscis aurum concupiscis Argentum habes concupiscis Plenus es sitis morbus est non Opulentia sayes S. Austin Thou hast Ser. 3. de verb. Apost gold and thou hast silver and yet thou dost covet gold and covet silver Thou hast and yet dost covet Thou art full but not satisfied this is not a fulnesse but a disease for Riches were no more made to fill the soul then Learning or Knowledge were to fill a bag He that as one speaks shall shoot an Arrow cut of a Plough or hunt a Hare with an Elephant cannot be said to be unfortunate for missing the prey but foolish in chusing such improper Instruments to obtain it so he that shall seek for content in Riches or the things of this life is not so unhappy in losing his desires as vaine and foolish in the choice of such means to obtain them And therefore it was not without mysterie observed amongst the Ancients That they who made Gods of gold and silver of hope and fear peace and war Garlick and Onions beasts and serpents nay though they deisied diseases quod dicere nolo what without breach of modesty I cannot name yet Funesta Pecunia templo nondum habitas They never deified money nor erected any Temple to it thereby meaning that though wealth was admired by common or abused understandings yet from riches further then they served and supplied the exigencies and necessities of nature nothing conducing to mans reall content and happinesse could be expected While therefore these considerations convince your judgements let these means and helps assist your wils in the great work of mortifying this powerful lust The Love of Money which is the Root of all Evil. First Labour to anchor thy soul with content to say with the Apostle I have learned in whatsoever estute I am therewith to be content Phil. 4. 11. for content is a nearer cut to wealth then Covetousness For what matters it whether thou be rich Tuo pationti◠〈◊〉 beneficio an fortunâ—… as Seneca speaks by the benefit of thine own moderation Ep. 119. and contentation or the bounty of fortune for as he reasons on Nihil interest utrum non desideres an habeas where is the difference between having and not desiring There is content in both for as our life doth not consist in the abundance of the things which a man possesseth so neither doth his content there is a way which S. Paul found out of having nothing and yet possessing all things 2 Cor. 6. 10. Content reconciles this seeming contradiction of having nothing and yet possessing all things for as he that is master of a great estate is still poor if he think it to be too little So he that is possessed of a mean estate is rich if he think it to be enough He that seeks for Content without himself loseth both himself and it Quareigitur à Fortuna potius impetrem ut det quà m à me ne petam sayes the same Seneca why should Irather desire of God to give me wealth then to desire of my self not to desire it I conclude this with the
Epigrammatist Fis fieri dives Pontice nil cupias He is abundantly rich that desires nothing Secondly Learn to compare things Temporal with things Spiritual and see how the scales will turne Vilescunt temporalia cum considerantur aeterna saith S. Gregory the Glo-worm may seem a glorious light till the Sun that eye of the world be disclosed and Temporal riches may seem a great blessing until they be weighed with the Eternal in the ballance of the Sanctuary Raise thy meditations therefore to the heavenly Jerusalem walk about her wals mark all her bul warks tell all her towers and in comparison of that City that is above thou wilt say of all Earthly possessions as Hyram did of the Cities which Solomon gave him they pleased him not and he called them the land of Cabul unto this day that is the dirty land 1 Kings 9. 13. What were the pleasures and riches of Egypt the pomp and glory of Pharaohs Court in the eyes of Moses after he had once seen his God what was the world and the vanities thereof in S. Peters thoughts after he had a glimpse of the glory of heaven a ray of the happinesse thereof in the Transfiguration of Christ As some great Peer therefore that hath been used to stately shews courtly magnificence doth not vouchsafe so much as to cast an eye or a glance towards the mean and worthlesse Gewgaws of a Pedlars pack which yet silly children and fools behold with wonder and greedinesse their eyes dwelling long upon them So the soul that by divine contemplation hath its conversation in heaven scorns to suffer its self to be transported with the trash and toyes of this vain and transitory world I have read of a Spiritual person who saw heaven but in a dream dream but 't was such a dream as made deep impressions in him the glory and happinesse of it being presented with vigorous and pertinacious phantasms not easily disbanding So that when he awaked he knew not his own Cell he remembred not him that slept in the same Dorter with him nor could he tell how night and day were distinguished nor could he discern oyl from mine but passionately cried out for his vision again Redde mihi campos meos floridos Colnmnam auream Comitem Hieronymum assistentes Angelos Give me 〈◊〉 fields again my most delicious fields Give me my Pillar of a glorious Light my Companion S. Jerom and my assistant Angels And this lasted until he was told of his duty when the fear of a sin disincharmed him and caused him to take care lest he lost the substance out of a transported greedinesse to possesse the shadow the same operation at least in some proportion which that vision had on him may meditation have on thee Labour therefore to get a piercing eye in meditation to see the Invisible God send out thy soul in a devout extasie contemplate the glory and beauty of heaven weigh the happinesse of the Saints and Angels and of the Spirits of just men made perfect Think upon those ravishing unspeakable Consolations that like a torrent of joy shall swallowup those that are redeemed from the earth And these meditations must needs kindle and inflame thy affections inseparably to be united to God and work in thee an holy impatience of delay and a staying here a loathing of the things of this world and a wearisomenesse of the prolongation of thy pilgrimage here in this world being wholly bent upon that which is to come saying with the Psalmist My soul is â—â—â—inst for God even for the living God when shall 〈◊〉 to appear before the presâ—â—ce of God Psalm 4â— 2. Thirdly 〈◊〉 all this inordinate 〈◊〉 proceeds from distrust and diffidence of Gods protection and providence providing for our selves because we do not believe that God will provide for us have faith in God knowing that he hath said I will never leave thee nor for sake thee Heb. 13. 5. Certainly our great cares come from our little faith great faith would lessen our cares for Faith doth not only purifie but satisfie the heart So that whereas before Covetousness did make Gold thy God now quite contrary this affiance shall make God thy Gold for as Job speaks if thou return to the Almighty thou shalt then lay up gold as dust and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brook Eritque Omnipotens Lectissimum aurum tuum as Junius reads that place And the Almighty shall be thy choice gold and silver and strength unto thee Job 22. 23 24 c. So undervaluing the world the wealth glory and pomp of it thou wilt prefer God in all thy desires saying with the Psalmist The Lord himself is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup Thou shalt maintain my lot The lot is fallen unto me in a fair ground yea I have a goodly heritage Psal 16. 6 7. Lastly To all these considerations and means to prevent or cast out this Love of Money which is the Root of all Evil joyn fervent prayer to God that he would make these means and thy endeavours effectual unto thee Pray with the Prophet David in the place but now alleadged Incline my heart O Lord unto thy Testimonies and not unto Covetousnesse and he that knowing the plague of his own heart shall thus pray against it Then hear thou in heaven O Lord thy dwelling place and do according to all that thy servant calleth unto thee for even for Jesus Christ his sake to whom with thee O Father and the Holy Ghost be ascribed all honour and praise dominion and power now and for ever AMEN FINIS