Craft bringeth nothing but shame. Deceit is most short-sighted policy. Dissimulation is short wisdom.-Lord Bacon. Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.-Luke, xii. 1. Wisdom from above is pure, and without hypocrisy.— James, iii. 17. Lay aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisy.1 Pet. ii. 1. The joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment.-Job, viii. 13. The hypocrite's hope shall perish.—Job, xx. 5. We are oft to blame in this : "Tis too much proved, that with devotion's visage, And pious action, we do sugar o'er The devil himself.-Shakspeare. To thine own self be true; And it must follow, as the night the day, Esto quod esse videris. Shakspeare. Cui non conveniat sua res, ut calceus olim Si pede major erit subvertit, si minor uret.-Horace Esse quam videri malim.-Seneca Ex omni vita simulatio dissimulatioque tollenda est.— Cicero. Non simulatum quidquam potest esse diuturnum.Cicero. Nequa fraus, nequis dolus adhibeatur.-Cicero. Diligimus omnia vera, id est fidelia, simplicia, constantia; vana, falsa, fallentia odimus.- Cicero. In omni re fugienda est solertia.- Cicero. CONCLUSION. THEME XL. The Love of Money is the Root of all Evil. INTRODUCTION.—An overweening desire of wealth is the cause of much moral turpitude. 1ST REASON.-Money being the medium of self-indulgence, lays a suare for the feet to draw them into evil. 2ND REASON.-The love of money is the cause of many actual sins, such as theft, murder, cheating, and so on.Mic. vi. 10-12. 3RD REASON. It weans the heart from God; for he who makes Mammon his idol can never worship the God of heaven. 4TH REASON.-It causes men to draw the line of merit in the wrong place,-not between good and evil, but between wealth and poverty: To the lover of money, large possessions "hide a multitude of sins," but need "stirreth up very hatred." 5TH REASON. The love of money produces an endless variety of misery, as mercenary marriages, oppressive landlords, grinding masters, contumelious neighbours, &c. 6TH REASON.-Avarice checks all the generous emotions and sympathies of the soul; the lover of money has no heart to pity the distressed, no hand to assist the needy, 20 gratitude for favour received, no liberality, no love for his neighbour, no reward for merit, ingenuity, and toil. 7TH REASON.-The money-lover is the most selfish of all men; he sacrifices the whole world to himself, and him self to Mammon. SIMILES. Food is needful for the support of life, but gluttony and drunkenness are the source of various diseases. Manure is necessary for the production of corn; but, in immoderate quantities, is most prejudicial to agricul ture. Nothing is more conducive to health than judicious exercise, but immoderate exercise wears out the body, and renders it liable to various diseases. Pluto, the God of Wealth, is synonymous with Hades, the God of Hell, in classic mythology, and sometimes by a figure of speech is even put for the infernal world. The ancient poets feign, that when Plutus (which is riches) is sent from Jupiter, he limps and goes slowly; but when he is sent from Orcus, he runs and is swift of foot; meaning that riches, gotten by good means and honest labour, come with a tardy step; but when they come rapidly, they come by fraud, oppression, and sin. A miser is like a heap of unspread manure, which engenders reptiles of a venomous nature, noxious weeds, and pestilential miasmata. The love of the miser for money is like the love of a dropsical person for water; it is both the effect and cause of great disease. HISTORICAL ILLUSTRATIONS.-The avarice of the popes of Rome introduced into the Christian religion the abominable sale of relics, indulgences, the practice of celebrating masses for the dead, the invention of purgatory, and many other infamous superstitions. The love of money induced Achan to steal "a goodly Babylonish garment and 200 shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight," from the accursed spoil of Jericho. In consequence of this trespass, the army of Joshua was routed by the men of Ai, God's anger was kindled, and Achan, with all his sons and daughters, oxen and asses, and all that he had, were stoned, and burnt with fire in the valley of Achor.-Josh. vii. Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, lusted after the wealth of Naaman, the Syrian; after vainly attempting to conceal his crime by falsehood, he was punished by leprosy, which "clave unto himself and unto his seed for ever."2 Kings, v. 20–27. Judas Iscariot betrayed the Redeemer of the world for fifty pieces of silver, and committed suicide afterwards. Balaam "ran greedily for reward" to Balak, the king of Moab His love "for the wages of unrighteousness" made him a counsellor of evil; for he persuaded the king to allure the children of Israel to sin, that the anger of God might be stirred up against them, to cut them off from the earth: His plot so far succeeded, that 24,000 persons fell a sacrifice to his infernal machinations.-2 Pet., ii. 15; Numb. xxv. 1–9. Desire of the wages of unrighteousness" induced Rechab, and Baanah his brother, to murder Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul: but when they went to David, "thinking to have brought good tidings," he commanded "his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up over the pool in Hebron."-2 Sam. iv. 5-12. Demas forsook St. Paul, and the Lord who bought him, "out of love to this present world."-2 Tim. iv. 10. Demetrius the silversmith, and the other tradesmen of Ephesus, resisted Paul and rejected the Gospel, because "their craft was in danger of being set at nought."— Acts, xix. 24-41. Babylon was the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird," because of "her great riches.”—Rev. xviii. Dives and Lazarus.—Luke, xvi. 19–31. QUOTATIONS.-He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house.-Prov. xv. 27. Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth.--Isa. v. 8. As the partridge sitteth on eggs and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.-Jer. xvii. 11. The love of money is the root of all evil; which, while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.-1 Tim. vi. 10. They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.-1 Tim. vi. 9. The deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and (it) becometh unfruitful.-Matt. xiii. 22. Go to, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. . . . . Your gold and silver is cankered, and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire.-James, v. 1. 3. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.-1 John, ii. 15, 16. Ye cannot serve God and Mammon.-Matt. vi. 24. Many who imagine all things may be bought by riches, forget they have sold themselves.-Lord Bacon. Riches are the baggage of virtue, which always hindereth the march.-Lord Bacon. But there was one in folly further gone; The laughing-stock of devils and of men; Held wedded intercourse . . . Of all God made upright Pollok. Useful (is wealth); it serves what life requires; But lures the pirate, and corrupts the friend: But bribes a senate; and the land's betrayed.-Pope. Seek not proud riches, but such as thou mayst get justly, use soberly, distribute cheerfully, and leave contentedly.-Lord Bacon. |