Hey on Article XXXVIII: Of Christian men's Goods, which are not common

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526 BOOK iv. ART. xXXVIII. SECT. VII,

his religion: though there is no natural impossi- bility of their becoming converts, it is not to be expected. On some accounts the poor* will be more eligible, at first; yet whoever does sacrifice worldly advantages for the sake of Christianity, thall be amply rewarded.

This is the idea which the passage conveys to me. Yet it is not to be expected that we should fee all the reasons which our Saviour had for any measure that he took*®. And it is possible he might, on many occasions, especially at first, avoid a language perfectly clear and explicit; and intend only to {et men on thinking for themselves. I can conceive it possible, that he had no thoughts of engaging the young man to be his disciple : why should he have a youth to follow him? why should he incur the scandal of inveigling pious young men of fortune from their parents?

As to the expressions, © go arid fell that thou hast“ —“ come and follow me”—they seem to amount to no more than a proposal; they make that proposal in a clear and lively way; but only to the purpose which we have mentioned. — We may consider the case of this young man as an instance of what ‘1s delivered Luke xiv. 26—33; and that passage as illustrating this. On the whole, the account of the rich young man, shews no absolute perfection in parting with one’s fort une: great occasions may happen, when we may be called upon to make great sacrifices. Ordinarily, per- tection may be plain rugality. |

VII. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Luke xvi. 19, &c. is calculated to have a very good effect in producing a right 2 of riches, but

does

• 1 Cor. i. 26. 28 — James ii. 5.

3 Art. x1v. this case was mentioned; Sect. 1v. in the way of objection; to which the answer was given, Sect. v.

BOOK IV. vil. 527

does not seem to have been intended to terrify men out of the possession of them. It represents two extremes in human life, splendor and indigence: death intervenes, and then there is a reverse; he who had been high in this world, is in a state of torment; he who had been low and wretched, is in a state of bliss: the rich man intreats him who had been poor, to administer some relief; but all intercourse is cut off.

It is not to be inferred that every rich man must be in such a state of inferiority to him on whom he had looked down in this world ; but only that he may be ; that is, if he be wicked, and the. poor virtuous and good. Ho little do the generality of rich men attend to what fo plainly follows from the belief of a future state of rewards and punish- ments! How do they suffer imagination and habit to represent to them the scenes of this life as con- tinued into another

That representation, then, which will awaken men from such dreams of prejudice, wants nothing more to make it of the utmost importance. It prompts every rich man to say, of every poor wretch with whom he has had any intercourse; great and luxurious as I am, and mean and destitute as this miserable creature is, it may hap- pen, through my folly and his goodness, that he may be exalted to rejoice in the society of Angels, whilst 1 am abased to undergo the torments of Hell, and the taunts and insults of Devils; nay, I may one day be glad to be a suppliant for re- lief and affistance, to him, who now intreats my help in vain.”

This beipg the thing particularly wanted, we may allow it to be the thing particularly meant.— And therefore we. need not trouble ourselves to Investigate what the crime of the rich man was:

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he was condemned, Zherefore he had been wicked; the poor man was rewarded, therefore he had been good: though certainly a rich man may be good, and a poor man wicked. That the good in every station, will be happy, and the bad miserable, is proved in all parts of scripture: so that when we are told, that a man is happy after death, we may take his goodness for granted; as we may the wickedness of the damned. - The end of the para- ble then was, to impress upon the minds of the rich, that those whom they now despised, or op- pressed, might hereafter, whilst they were cast down beneath all earthly meanness, be soaring far above all earthly grandeur. — Suppose a rich man, by meditation on this parable, to acquire an habit of feeling this, and of representing it to himself whenever he has any business or conversation with any poor person; though it need not make him throw his wealth into the sea; yet what an hea- venly disposition it must generate in him! what mildness and humility ! what condescension, huma- nity, and even respect for the poor and needy! viii, Much has been said of Acts 11. 44, 45. (and 1v. 32. 34.) but it does not appear to me, that property amongst Christians was ever abolished. They were called upon, by the exigencies of the times, to offer large contributions for the support of the poorer converts; fo large, that they were obliged to /e// some possessions in order to make them. But all was voluntary beneficence. Indeed after the sales were made, and the produce thrown into a common stock, that stock was possessed by Christians in common. And popularly speaking, before such fales, the generosity of the richer con- verts was so great, that all might be said to be

welcome to every thing that any possessed. bt the

BOOK iv. ART, XXXVIII. SECT. IX. 529

the expostulation in Acts v. 4. clearly implies the continuance of property; and Acts ii. 46. shews, that Disciples kept their houses. — Nay, if Christians had, strictly speaking, given up their property at first, we could only infer any rule for ourselves by that proportion, or comparison of circumstances, of which we just now spoke. Lucian mentions Christians as having things in common, and in the same popular sense, in which I understand the two passages in the Acts of the Apostles®. |

IX. Such passages as 1 Tim. vi. 9, 10. only express facts, not any general doctrine, or Theory. — Many evils, no doubt, arise from the abuse of riches; and the description of an abuse is some- times apt to make well-meaning men fo eager to avoid 1t, that they go much farther than was in- tended, Breaking a bad habit requires sometimes, at first, almost as much resolution as parting with a Limb; and therefore the Scripture tells us, we must be ready to part with a limb if it offend us, or be the occasion of our sinning:—but advice to correct an abuse, is not to be mistaken for advice to throw away the ½ of anything’; we are ad- vised to reform the abule of anything in order that we may afterwards have all the advantages from it, which it is capable of producing. Spiritual power has been abused by the Bishops of Rome; that 1s a good reason for a reform, but not for laying aside all Ordinations.

Here we close our proof, direct, and indirect.

TX. Al

” See Lardner’s Works, Vol. 8. page 71, bottom; or Lucian’s Peregrinus.

See Matt. v. 29, 30.—Origen’s mutilation was remedying an abuse by taking away the use; and that by parting with a Limb. Matt. xix. 12.

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530 BOOK iv. x.

x. An Application might lead us to consider the rules of voluntary beneficence ; and to inquire, whether any restraints might be laid on the ac- cumulation of property ?— But these things not being our immediate concern, I forbcar to enter upon 1 them.

Notes

• , 10 2 Luke xix. 2, &c.