Teaching Resources International

The signs of covetousness are these:

1. Not preferring God and our everlasting happiness before the prosperity and pleasure of the flesh; but valuing and loving fleshly prosperity above its worth (Rom. 13:14; Matt. 6:19; 1 Tim. 3:8; Phil 3:19; Ezek. 33:31; Jer. 9:23).

2. Esteeming and loving the creatures of God as provision for the flesh, and not to further us in the service of God.

3. Desiring more than is needful or useful to further us in our duty.

4. An inordinate eagerness in our desires after earthly things.

5. Distrustfulness, and vexatious cares, and contrivances for time to come.

6. Discontent, and trouble, and a longing discontent at a poor condition, when we have no more than our daily bread.

7. When the world taketh up our thoughts inordinately: when our thoughts will more easily run out upon the world, than upon better things: and when our thoughts of worldly plenty are more pleasant and sweet to us, than our thoughts of Christ, and grace, and heaven; and our thoughts of neediness and poverty are more bitter and grievous to us, than our thoughts of sin and God’s displeasure.

8. When our speech is freer and sweeter about prosperity in the world, than about the concernments of God and our souls.

9. When the world beareth sway in our families and conversations and shutteth out all serious endeavours in the service of God, and for our own and others’ souls: or at least doth cut short religious duties, and is preferred before them, and thrusteth them into a corner, and maketh us slightly huddle them over.

10. When we are dejected overmuch, and impatient under losses, and crosses, and worldly injuries from men.

11. When worldly matters seem sufficient to engage us in contentions, and to make us break peace: and we will by lawsuits seek our right, when greater hurt is more likely to follow to our brother’s soul, or greater wrong to the cause of religion, or the honor of God, than our right is worth.

12. When in our trouble and distress, we fetch our comfort more from the thoughts of our provisions in the world, or our hopes of supply, than from our trust in God, and our hopes of heaven (Job 1:21).

13. When we are more thankful to God or man for outward riches, or any gift for the provision of the flesh, than for hopes or helps in order to salvation; for a powerful ministry, good books, or seasonable instructions for the soul.

14. When we are quiet and pleased if we do but prosper, and have plenty in the world, though the soul be miserable, unsanctified, and unpardoned.

15. When we are more careful to provide a worldly than a heavenly portion, for children and friends, and rejoice more in their bodily than their spiritual prosperity, and are troubled more for their poverty than their ungodliness or sin.

16. When we can see our brother have need and shut up the bowels of our compassion, or can part with no more than mere superfluities for his relief: when we cannot spare that which makes but for our better being, when it is necessary to preserve his being itself; or when we give unwillingly or sparingly (1 Tim. 6:17-18; Mal. 3:8, 9; Judges. 7:21).

17. When we will venture upon sinful means for gain, as lying, overreaching, deceiving, flattering, or going against our consciences, or the commands of God.

18. When we are too much in expecting liberality from others, and think that all we buy of should sell cheaper to us than they can afford, and consider not their loss or need, so that we have the gain: nor are contented if they be never so bountiful to others, if they be not so to us.

19. When we make too much ado in the world for riches, taking too much upon us, or striving for preferment, and flattering great ones, and envying any that are preferred before us, or get that which we expected.

20. When we hold our money tighter than our innocency and cannot part with it for the sake of Christ, when he requireth it; but will stretch our consciences and sin against him, or forsake his cause, to save our estates; or will not part with it for the service of his church, or of our country, when we are called to it.

21. When the riches which we have, are used but for the pampering of our flesh, and superfluous provision for our posterity, and nothing but some inconsiderable crumbs or driblets are employed for God and his servants, nor used to further us in his service, and towards the laying up of a treasure in heaven.

These are the signs of worldly covetousness.

The counterfeits of liberality or freedom from covetousness, which deceive the worldling, are such as these …

1. He thinks he is not covetous because he hath a necessity of doing what he doth for more.  Either he is in debt or he is poor, and scarcely hath whereon to live; and the poor think that none are worldlings and covetous but the rich.  But he may love riches that lacketh them, as much as he that hath them.  If you have a necessity of laboring in your callings, you have no necessity of loving the world, or of caring inordinately, or of being discontented with your estate.  Impatience under your poverty shows a love of the world and flesh, as much as other men’s bravado that possess it.

2. Another thinks he is not a worldling because if he could but have necessaries, even food and raiment, and conveniences for himself and family, he would be content; and it is not riches or great matters that he desireth.  But if your hearts are more set upon the getting of these necessaries or little things, than upon the preparing for death, and making sure of the heavenly treasure, you are miserable worldlings still.  And the poor man that will set his heart more upon a poor and miserable life, than upon heaven, is more inexcusable than he that setteth his heart more upon lordships and honors than upon heaven; though both of them are but the slaves of the world, and have as yet no treasure in heaven, Matt. 6:19-21.  And, moreover, you that are now so covetous for a little more, if you had that, would be as covetous for a little more still; and when you had that, for a little more yet.  You would next wear better clothing, and have better fare; and next you would have your house repaired, and then you would have your land enlarged, and then you would have something more for your children, and you would never be satisfied.  You think otherwise now; but your hearts deceive you; you do not know them.  If you believe me not, judge by the case of other men that have been as confident as you, that if they had but so much or so much they would be content; but when they have it, they would still have more.  And this, which is your pretense, is the common pretense of almost all the covetous: for lords and princes think themselves still in as great necessity as you think yourselves: as they have more, so they have more to do with it; and usually are still wanting as much as the poor.  The question is not how much you desire.  But to what use, and to what end, and in what order?

3. Another thinks he is not covetous, because he coveteth not anything that is his neighbor’s: he thinks that covetousness is only a desiring that which is not our own.  But if you love the world and worldly plenty inordinately, and covet more, you are covetous worldlings, though you wish it not from another.  It is the worldly mind and love of wealth that is the sin at the root: the ways of getting it are but the branches.

4. Another thinks he is no worldling, because he useth no unlawful means, but the labor of his calling, to grow rich.  The same answer serves to this.  The love of wealth for the satisfying of the flesh is unlawful, whatever the means be.  And is it not also an unlawful means of getting, to neglect God and your souls, and the poor, and shut out other duties for the world, as you often do?

5. Another thinks he is no worldling, because he is contented with what he hath and coveteth no more when that which he hath is a full provision for his fleshly desires.  But if you over-love the world, and delight more in it than God, you are worldlings, though you desire no more.  He is described by Christ as a miserable, worldly fool, Luke 12:19-20, that saith, “Soul, take thy ease, eat, drink, and be merry, thou hast much goods laid up for many years.”  To over-love what you have is worldliness, as well as to desire more.

6. Another thinks he is no worldling, because he gives God thanks for what he hath, and asked it of God in prayer.  But if thou be a lover of the world and make provision for the desires of the flesh, it is but an aggravation of thy sin, to desire God to be a servant to thy fleshly lusts, and to thank him for satisfying thy sinful desires.  Thy prayers and thanks are profane and carnal: they were no service to God, but to thy flesh.  As if a drunkard or a glutton should beg of God provision for their greedy throats, and thank him for it when they have it: or a fornicator should pray God to pander to his lusts, and then thank him for it: or a wanton man of fashion should make fine clothes and gallantry the matter of his prayer and thanksgiving.

7. Another thinks he is no worldling because he hath some thoughts of heaven and is loath to be damned when he can keep the world no longer, and prayeth often, and perhaps fasteth with the Pharisee twice a week, and giveth alms often, and payeth tithes, and wrongeth no man (Luke 18:11-13; Matt. 6:16-18).  But the Pharisees were covetous for all these, Luke 16:14.  The question is not whether you think of heaven, and do something for it?  But whether it be heaven or earth which you seek first, and make the end of all things else, which all are referred to?  Every worldling knoweth that he must die, and therefore he would have heaven at last for a reserve, rather than hell.  But where is it that you are laying up your treasure, and that you place all your happiness and hopes?  And where are your hearts?  On earth or in heaven? Col. 3:1-3; Matt. 6:20-21.  The question is not whether you give now and then alms to deceive your consciences, and part with so much as the flesh can spare, as a swine will do when he can eat no more, but whether all that you have be devoted to the will of God and made to stoop to his service and the saving of your souls, and can be forsaken rather than Christ forsaken, Luke 14:33.

8. Another thinks that he is not covetous, because it is but for his children that he provideth: and “he that provideth not for his own, is worse than an infidel,” 1 Tim. 5:8.  But the text speaketh only of providing necessaries for our families and kindred, rather than cast them on the church to be maintained.  If you so overvalue the world, that you think it the happiness of your children to be rich, you are worldlings and covetous, both for yourselves and them.  It is for their children that the richest and greatest make provision, that their posterity may be great and wealthy after them: and this maketh them the more worldlings, and not the less; because they are covetous for after-ages, when they are dead, and not only for themselves.

9. Another thinks he is no worldling, because he can speak as severely of covetous men as any other.  But many a one revileth others as covetous that is covetous himself; yea, covetous men are aptest to accuse others of covetousness, and of selling too dear, and buying too cheap, and giving too little, because they would get the more themselves.  And many preachers, by their reading and knowledge, may make a vehement sermon against worldliness, and yet go to hell at last for being worldlings.  Words are cheap.

10. Another thinks he is not covetous, because he purposeth to leave much to charitable uses when he is dead.  I confess that much is well: I would more would do so.  But the flesh itself can spare it, when it seeth that it must lie down in the grave.  If they could carry their riches with them and enjoy them after death, they would do it no doubt.  To leave it when you cannot keep it any longer, is not thank-worthy.  So the glutton, and drunkard, and whoremonger, and the proud must all leave their pleasure at the grave.  But do you serve God or the flesh with your riches while you have them?  And do you use them to help or to hinder your salvation?  Deceive not yourselves, for God is not mocked, Gal. 6:7.

False Accusations of Covetousness

Yet many are falsely accused of covetousness upon such grounds as these:

1. Because they possess much and are rich: for the poor take the rich for worldlings.  But God giveth not to all alike: he putteth ten talents into the hands of one servant, and but one into another’s: and to whom men commit much, of them will they require the more (Luke 12:48; 16:9-10; 2 Cor. 8:14-15).  Therefore, to be entrusted with more than others is no sin, unless they betray that trust.

2. Others are accused as covetous, because they satisfy not the covetous desires of those they deal with, or that expect much from them, and because they give not where it is not their duty, but their sin to give.  Thus the buyer saith the seller is covetous; and the seller saith the buyer is covetous, because they answer not their covetous desires.  An idle beggar will accuse you of uncharitableness, because you maintain him not in sinful idleness.  The proud look you should help to maintain their pride.  The drunkard, and riotous, and gamesters expect their parents should maintain their sin.  No man that hath anything, shall escape the censure of being covetous, as long as there is another in the world that coveteth that which he hath: selfishness looketh to no rules but their own desires.

3. Others are judged covetous, because they give not that which they have not to give.  Those that know not another’s estate will pass conjectures at it; and if their handsome apparel or deportment, or the common fame, do make men think them richer than they are, then they are accounted covetous, because their bounty answereth not men’s expectations.

4. Others are thought covetous, because they are laborious in their callings, and thrifty, and saving, not willing that any thing be lost.  But all this is their duty: if they were lords or princes, idleness and wastefulness would be their sin.  God would have all men labor in their several callings that are able: and Christ himself said, when he had fed many thousands by miracle, yet “Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.”  The question is, How they use that which they labor so hard for, and save so sparingly.  If they use it for God and charitable uses, there is no man taketh a righter course.  He is the best servant for God, that will be laborious and sparing, that he may be able to do good.

5. Others are thought covetous, because, to avoid hypocrisy, they give in secret and keep their works of charity from the knowledge of men.  These shall have their reward from God: and his wrath shall be the reward of their presumptuous censures.

6. Others are thought covetous, because they lawfully and peaceably seek their right, and let not the unjust and covetous wrong them at their pleasure.  It is true, we must let go our right, whenever the recovering of it will do more hurt to others than it will do us good.  But yet the laws are not made in vain: nor must we encourage men in covetousness, thievery, and deceit, by letting them do what they desire: nor must we be careless of our Master’s talents; if he entrust us with them, we must not let every one take them from us to serve his lusts with.