The reason is added, which is a maxim and a ground in the law of nature, that we must trust to no uncertain thing: "Trust not in the uncertainty of riches."

The other two are affirmative, concerning the true use of III. riches.

1. The first: "Charge them that they trust in God." The reason because "He giveth them all things to enjoy plenteously."

2. The second: " Charge them that they do good;" that is the substance. The quantity, that "they be rich in good works;" the quality, that they be "ready to part with," (and a special kind of doing good) "to communicate," to benefit the public.

And all these are one charge. The reason of them all doth follow; because by this means they shall "lay up in store," and that "for themselves, a good foundation, against the time to come." The end; "that they may obtain eternal life.”

I.

1.

Præcipe divitibus, "Charge the rich of this world," &c. Beloved, here is a charge, a Præcipe, a prccept or a writ, directed A Charge. unto Timothy, and to those of his commission to the world's end, to convent and call before him; he the rich men of Ephesus, and we the rich men of this city, and others of other places of the earth, and to give them a charge.

Charges, as you know, use to be given at assizes in courts from the bench. From thence is taken this judicial term Пapáуyeλe, as it appeareth, Acts the fifth chapter and twenty-eighth verse: "Did not we charge you straitly ?" saith [Acts 5. 28.] the bench in the consistory judicially assembled. Whereby we are given to understand that in such assemblies as this is the Lord of heaven doth hold His court, whereunto all men, and they that of all men seem least, the rich and mighty of the world, owe both suit and service. For as earthly princes have their laws, their commissions, their ministers of the law, their courts, and court-days, for the maintenance of their peace; so hath the King of kings His laws and statutes, His precepts and commissions by authority delegate, Ite prædicate, "Go preach the Gospel;" His counsellors at law, Mat. 28. 19. whom Augustine calleth divini juris consultos; His courts in Ps. 7. 8, 9. occulto conscientiæ, in the hid and secret part of the heart

and conscience,' for the preservation of His "peace," which Ps.119.165•

SERM. the world can neither give nor take away, to the end that none may offend or be offended at it.

I.

This we learn. And with this we learn, all of us, so to conceive of and to dispose ourselves to such meetings as this, as men that are to appear in court before the Lord, there to receive a charge, which when the court is broken up we must think of how to discharge.

In which point, great is the occasion of complaint which we might take up. For who is there that with that awe and reverence standeth before the Lord at His charge-giving, that he receiveth a charge with at an earthly bar? Or with that care remembereth the Lord and His charge, wherewith he continually thinketh upon the judge and his charge? Truly, the Lord's commission is worthy to have as great reverence and regard attending on it as the charge of any prince, truly it is. Weigh with yourself; is not God's charge with as much heed and reverence to be received as an earthly judge's? Absit ut sic, saith St. Augustine, sed utinam vel sic; God forbid, but with more heed and reverence; well, I would it had so much in the mean time; and, which to our shame we must speak, I would we could do as much for the Bible as for the statute-books, for heaven as for the earth, for the immortal God as for a mortal man. But whether we do or no, yet as Mat. 11.14. our Saviour Christ said of St. John Baptist, "If ye will receive, this is that Elias which was to come;" so say I of this precept, If ye will receive it, this is the charge the Lord hath laid on you. And this let me tell you farther; that it is such a charge as it concerneth your peace, the plentiful use of all your wealth and riches, in the second verse of my text, "Which giveth us all things to enjoy plenteously," &c. Which may move you. Or if that will not, let me add this farther; it is such a charge, as toucheth your estate in everlasting life-the very last words of my text. That is, the well or evil hearing of this charge is as much worth as your eternal Mat. 11.15. life is worth. And therefore, "he that hath ears to hear, let him hear."

2.

To "the rich.

It is a charge then, and consequently to be discharged. To be discharged? where? "Charge," saith he, "the rich." He speaketh to "the rich;" you know your own names, you know best what those "rich" men are. Shall I tell you? You

are the "rich," he speaketh unto you. It is the fashion and the fault of this world to exercise their authority on them most that need it least; for rich men to feast them that least need it, for mighty men to prefer them that least deserve it. It is an old simile, we have oft heard it, that the laws are like cobwebs; that they hold fast the silly flies, but the great hornets break through them as oft as they list. And as there are cobweb-laws which exempt mighty men, so the same corruption that was the cause thereof would also make cobwebdivinity. For notwithstanding the commission runneth expressly to the rich, " Charge," &c.; notwithstanding they be in great danger, and that of many "snares," as the Apostle 1 Tim. 6. 9. saith in this chapter, and therefore need it greatly; yet I know not how it comes to pass, whether because they think themselves too wise to receive a charge, any charge at all; or because they think themselves too good to receive it at the hands of such mean men as we be-and, if they must needs be charged, they would be charged from the council, from men more noble and honourable than themselves-they would not gladly hear it, surely they would not; and because they would not gladly hear it, we are not hasty they should hear it. And great reason why, as we think; for as it is true which is in the Psalm, "So long as they do good to themselves, men Ps. 49. 18. will speak good of them," so it is true backward too; so long as we speak well of them, spare them, call not on them, they will do good to us. And otherwise, if we spare them not, but prosecute our charge, then cometh Odi Michæam filium Jemla, 1 Kings "I hate Micaiah the son of Imlah." And who would willingly live in disgrace and sustain, I say not the fierce wrath but the heavy look of a man in authority? That makes this office of giving a charge a cold office, and therefore to decay, and be shunned of all hands; that makes us, if we cannot of the eunuch learn to "speak good to the King," yet to follow 1 Kings Balak's counsel at the least, "neither to bless nor curse;" that Num. 23. makes that though for shame of the world we will not set up for upholsters and stuff cushions and pillows to lay them under their elbows, yet for fear of men we shun the prophet Esay's occupation to take the "trumpet" and disease' them, Isa. 58. 1. lest we lose Balak's promotion, or Ahab's friendship, Esau's them to portion, or I wot not what else, which we will not be without. pain.]

22. 8.

22. 13.

25.

SERM. In a word, this maketh that Jonah was never more unwilling I. to deliver his message at Nineveh, than is Timothy to give his charge at Ephesus.

13.

The Apostle saw this and what it would come to, and that you may see that he saw it, you shall understand he hath besides this of yours directed another writ to us, verse the thir1 Tim. 6. teenth, "I charge thee, &c." running in very rigorous and peremptory terms, able to make any that shall consider them aright to tremble; straitly commanding us in the name of God the Father and of the Lord Jesus Christ; laying before us the Passion of Christ, if there be any grace, and the day of judgment, and there be any fear, that we fulfil every part of our charge, and immediately after nameth this your charge for one. And knowing that we are given to fear princes and lords, he telleth us of the "Prince" of all princes, 1 Tim. 6. and "Lord of all lords;" knowing that we are given to fear and be dazzled with the glittering of their pomp, which yet a man 1 Tim. 6. may abide to look on, he telleth us of Him Whose brightness no eye may once abide. Knowing that we fear honour and power though it last but for a small time, he feareth us with One Whose honour and power lasteth for ever.

15.

16.

Beloved in the Lord, I beseech you weigh but the place; weigh it, and have pity on us. For, Nunquid nos recipimus, nunquid nos delere possumus? Si delemus, timemus deleri, saith St. Augustine. We writ not this charge, our pens dealt not in it; it was not we that writ it, and it is not we that can bot it out, unless we ourselves will be blotted out of the book of life.

Such is our charge, as you see, to charge you; and but for this charge, but that we are commanded, but that we are threatened, and that in so fearful manner threatened, we should never do it; of all men, we should never deal with the "rich." For who would not choose to hold his peace and to seek his own ease from this charge, many times chargeable, sometimes dangerous, evermore unsavoury, but for this process that is out against us? For myself I profess that, in the same words that St. Augustine did sometime, ad istam otiosissimam securitatem nemo me vinceret, 'in this discrect kind of idleness no man shall go beyond me,' if St. Paul would be content; if order might be taken to have these verses cancelled, if we

could deliver, I say not yours, but our own souls with silence. But this standing in force, Cogit nos Paulus iste, 'we are enforced by this Paul;' his Præcipio tibi, "I charge you," drives us to our Præcipe illis, "to charge them;" we charge not you, but when we are charged ourselves; we terrify not you, but when we are first terrified ourselves. And I would to God we knowing this terror might both fear together this day at the charge-giving, that so we might both rejoice together in the great day at the charge-answering. This may serve, and I beseech you let it serve to stand between us and your displeasure in this behalf; and seeing the commission is penned to our hand, and that "rich" men are in it nominatim, (except the leaven of affection shew itself too evidently in us) to think we cannot otherwise do; and that therefore it is, because the commandment of our God is upon us, is heavy upon us. The charge itself followeth.

II. 1.

charge:

virtues pointofthe pride. not to be bitter minded.”

"high

"Charge the rich," &c. This is the first point of the charge, that they be not highminded." 1. First against The first that which, if it come with all the riches, yea all the in the world, it spoileth them all; that is, against 2. Secondly, against that which is the root of this branch, and the prop and stay of a high-raised mind, namely, a vain trust in our riches. Both these forbidden by means of their uncertainty, adŋλóτns such, as a man cannot tell where to have them, therefore not to be boasted of, therefore not to be trusted in.

Ever since our first fathers by infection took this morbum sathanicum, this devilish disease, pride, of the devil, such tinder is our nature, that every little spark sets us on fire; our nature hath grown so light, that light, that every little thing puffeth us up, and sets us aloft in our altitudes presently. Yea indeed, so light we are, that many times when the gifts are low, yet for all that the mind is as high as the bramble; low in Jud. 9. 15. qualities, God knoweth, yet had his mind higher than the highest cedar in Lebanon. But if we be but of mean stature once, but a thought higher than others our fellows, if never so little more in us than is in our neighbours, presently we fall into Simon's case, we seem to ourselves as he did, to be τις μέγας, no doubt some goodly great thing." But if we Acts 8. 9.