The rich mans charge delivered in a sermon at the Spittle upon Monday in…The rich mans charge delivered in a sermon at the Spittle vpon Monday in…

Let us now consider the subject of this charge, Charge those that are rich in this World. He doth ¹not forbid men to be rich, as if Christian perfection consisted in voluntary poverty, as some would persuade us. When Christ pronounceth a ⟨p. 10⟩woe unto those that are rich, he shows us whom he means, Even such as receive all their consolation in this World, and are wholly forgetful of another, Luke 6. 24. When he said to the young man, If thou wilt be perfect, sell that thou hast and give to the poor, Matth. 19. 21. he speaks not of Evangelical Counsels, or a State of Perfection and Supererogation beyond the fulfilling of the Law; but he speaketh [Greek or Hebrew] by way of trial, and to convince him of that worldly love which obstructed his salvation; of his self-deceit in conceiving he had done all that the Law required; of his unsoundness and insincerity of heart, which could not forgo all when Christ required it, to be his Disciple, Luke 14. 26. which could not suffer the loss of all things, and count all dung for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, Phil. 3. 8. which could not with Abraham, Leave his Country, and Kindred, and Fathers house, to follow the command of God, Gen. 12. 1, 4. and with Peter and the other Disciples, Leave Nets and Boats, and Fathers, and all to follow Christ, Matth. 19. 27. And with Barnabas, Sell all, and lay down all at his feet, Acts 4. 36, 37. ^*And so Clem. Alexandrinus, Origen, Hilary, Austin, and others, understand that answer of Christ.