A Vile Weed and a Fair Flower

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"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as you have; for He has said—I will never leave you, nor forsake you. So that we may boldly say—The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do to me." Hebrews 13:5, 6.

Is it not deeply humiliating, beloved friends, that the best of Christians should need to be cautioned against the worst of sins? May the consecrated become covetous? Is it possible that the regenerate may drivel into misers? Alas, what perils surround us—what tendencies are within us! Although a man may be a sincere Believer in the self-sacrificing Jesus, yet it is necessary to say to him, "Let your conversation be without covetousness!"

Covetousness a very degrading kind of vice—therefore the more surprising that those who have a renewed nature, and in whom the Spirit of God dwells, should require to be warned against bowing down their souls before it. But such is the necessity that once and again the saints are warned against "covetousness, which is idolatry." As long as Israel is in the wilderness, she is not out of danger from the golden calf! There would be no superfluous text in the Bible had there been no peril; there would have been no precept but, alas, the best of saints may be betrayed into the most base sins! Moreover, the common talk of the people with whom we daily mingle in business is so much about buying and selling and getting gain that we are apt to be entangled in their nets and find ourselves in the meshes of their artifices, before we are aware of it. It is hard to live where greed grasps all and not to try to save a little for ourselves out of the wreck. "Take heed and beware of covetousness," is a necessary caution for these latitudes.

It appears from our text that the children of God need, also, to be exhorted to cherish that most simple and natural of virtues—CONTENTMENT. One would think that at least, in some instances, they would have this good thing as a matter of course. Among our villagers we have met with people so well satisfied with their lowly lot, that they would not cross the sea to gain an empire! Yet their contentment has sprung up 'wild' as the daisies and buttercups of their own meadows, for they have not been acquainted with the Truth of God as it is in Jesus—or the blessed hope which makes trials light to bear! Do Christians, then, need to be admonished with precepts and stimulated with promises to make them yield the commonplace virtues of life? Do their fields refuse to grow "the herb called heartsease," which simple folk have gathered unsown from their little garden plots? Must Believers be exhorted with earnestness—if you would have them content? It is even so! Against the worst of vices they need to be warned—and towards the humblest of virtues they need to be exhorted! O Lord, You know us better than we know ourselves, for You understand what poor, faulty things—even Your own children are!

The best of men are men at best! Unless the Grace of God had engaged to keep them every moment, and to defend them from the temptations of their many foes, they would long ago have utterly perished from the way! Great need have they to say, "The Lord is my helper," for if He is not, they will fall prey to covetousness and discontent!

At this time I will address you, not upon some high and lofty theme—but upon a simple matter of everyday life. Here in this sublime Epistle which tells us of the Person of Christ—the glory of His Sonship and the grandeur of His Priesthood—here in this storehouse of interpretation which opens up the most cherished statutes and ordinances of the Old Testament, only to show how they fade and vanish before the excellence of the New Covenant—here, I say, in this Epistle to the Hebrews, we find ourselves charged to avoid a vice which reason, itself, should cause us to abhor! And it challenges us to exhibit a virtue which human nature, itself, should commend to us!

Plain is the sailing; the rock is conspicuous—shun covetousness! The haven is open—anchor in contentment! Yet we need, even here, the teaching of the Holy Spirit, that we may shun covetousness and cultivate contentment. Plain and pointed are the words, "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as you have." May our lives as plainly show these commands written out in act and deed by the Holy Spirit. Our discourse, therefore, like the text which dictates it, must run out in three distinct branches. There is a covetousness to be eschewed, a contentment to be entertained and a confidence to be established—this last is referred to in the words—"So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do to me."

I. First, I shall have to say a little about COVETOUSNESS. We are told that our conversation is to be "without covetousness." The term, "conversation," includes, as you know, the whole of our lives. It is true that we are not to talk covetously, but conversation means far more than speech. It includes thoughts, words and actions—in fact, the whole of life.

Taking the first meaning of conversation, namely, TALK, we ought not in our words to be on the side of those who 'grip for wealth' or 'growl for wage'—who grasp for power, or grind the poor. We ought not, in our talk, to take part with the churl and the bigoted. If we hear of a shady transaction and it is called a 'sharp stroke of business' and commended as something clever, we are not to sanction it even with a smile, but make our looks and our language, alike, discountenance fraud and oppression. The skinning of flints and driving of screws are practiced by many people as if they were positively meritorious—and there are those who, while they would shrink from doing anything so questionable themselves, will smile at the crooked policy of others, perhaps feebly blaming the fraud, but all the while admiring the cuteness which carried it out and pocketed the result. With satiric praise, instead of severe censure, they will say, "Wonderful man! Nobody can ever get on the blind side of his head. He can get blood out of turnips, and profit out of losses."

Those who praise sharpers are the patrons of thieves! Never think that dexterity will condone deceit, or cleverness excuse a lie. Let your conversation savor of Grace and generosity and of kindness which is altogether unselfish. And never let it flatter the successful trickster or the greedy grinder of the needy. Never let your language be such as might help to sharpen the cunning of a Laban, or sanction the churlishness of a Nabal. May this be far from you!

"Let your conversation be without covetousness." But our conversation has to do with our ACTIONS as well as our words. The sugar of words is sickening—if it is not attended with the honey of deeds. Let our whole life, in our dealings with our fellow men, be moved by liberal principles, and enriched with a generous spirit. Let us be full of kindness, full of thoughtfulness, full of a desire that others may live as well as ourselves—that our coming into a country may not be like the coming of the Tartar’s horse of which it is said that no grass will grow where once it sets its foot. The 'miser' is a creature too hungry, too greedy, too ravenous to allow any other cattle to feed after him. He makes the land barren by gnawing the very roots out of the ground. There are some whose whole life is the use of the rake to scrape everything to themselves—these men leave nothing for others, however honest and industrious they may be. This is not Christ-like, nor will Christ acknowledge one who thus lives to himself. Let your actions, then, in trade and labor, as well as your words, be without covetousness.

But this will not do unless the word, "conversation," takes in our desires, our projects, our plans, our THOUGHTS. We must be without covetousness within, for if that vice reigns in the soul, it is sure to rule in the life. Our prayer should be that of David, "Incline my heart unto Your testimonies, and not to covetousness." Why is a man miserly in his actions? Why, because he is miserable in his thoughts. If the inner man were right, the outer man could not be wrong. Beloved, may God cleanse our ways, both in private and in public, from anything like greed, that we may be obedient to the text, "Let your conversation be without covetousness."

It is so very EASY a thing to be covetous, that no class of society is free from it. A man may be very poor and still covetous—and a man may be exceedingly rich and still may think that he is not half rich enough. It is not possible to satisfy the greedy. If God gave them one whole world to themselves, they would cry for another. And, if it were possible for them to possess Heaven as they now are, they would feel themselves in Hell, because others were in Heaven, too—for their greed is such that they must have everything or else they have nothing! Unless they can call all things theirs, they are as miserable as Haman, who, although all Shushan bowed before him, was not content—because one poor Jew who sat at the gate would not pay him homage.

A covetous spirit can enter anywhere and can live anywhere. It is necessary that we search ourselves, lest the wretched lust of greed should fix itself upon us, for, remember, it can live in one room in a back street—but it can also live in the most sumptuous castle. It can starve itself to save a shilling—and it can indulge itself in all manner of extravagance to grasp a fortune. Covetousness has many ways of manifesting itself and the text does not warn us against one of those ways—but against them all. "Let your conversation be without covetousness."

I have said that covetousness has many ways of showing itself. Let me mention some of them. In some it is most seen in discontent, and complaining against their lot. God has so circumstanced them that they scarcely ever have more than barely enough. They have struggled to rise, but they have never succeeded, probably because they have not the capacity for doing so. There must be people in the world to take the 'rough side' of it, and these men are evidently of the number, for although they are anxious to make headway in the world, they never rise an inch. Now, if we know our lot, it is idle to refuse it. If we do so, our conversation is not without covetousness—we are not satisfied with the things that we have. We are not satisfied with our heavenly Father’s will, nor willing that He should be Father and that we should be children. We have not learned to say, "Not as I will, but as You will." Here is the neglected part of our education and we must go to the school, again, of the Holy Spirit.

There are some complaining ones who would be no happier if their lot were changed. If they were lifted from a cottage to a palace, they would still complain—for discontent is far more a matter of the heart than of the condition. And a mind that has not bowed to the will of God in one place would be rebellious in another, also. There are some who have all that heart could wish who still murmur and still think that God deals harshly with them. This disease is born and bred in our very bones and it needs the Grace of God to get it out of us! It is evil when it shows itself in a perpetual fault-finding with all that Providence appoints—in always grumbling that we are left out in the cold—as if in every distribution of Divine love, we were given the last portion and the least share, and were doomed to be the forgotten ones of the family. Shake off that spirit, Beloved! God help us all to get rid of every particle of it, for it savors not of Grace, but it is earthly, sensual, devilish.

In some others this covetous principle shows itself in ENVYING others. If others are better off, or more esteemed, they immediately seem to regard them as enemies, cannot think well of them, cannot wish them well, would almost rejoice to see them dragged down! I have known some rich people that were very proud. I have known some poor people who were still prouder and their envying of those who were better off has developed in them a pride of an almost ferocious character, akin to the fury of savages! Wrath is cruel and anger is outrageous—but who is able to stand before envy?

Now, if I envy a man, I am clearly guilty of covetousness, for I wish that something which he has, were not his, but mine. And that may happen to you when you do not think about his property. You may becovetous of his gifts. Somebody in the little school to which you belong can address the children better than you—do you ever catch yourself feeling jealous of him? Go before God and weep over it and pray the feeling down! Possibly you are a minister and alas, even with us, this wretched feeling will come in. Some 'star' outshines ours, and we are likely to be eclipsed and immediately we are covetous of our honor. We do not like it, Brothers, but if we were right at heart with God as we ought to be—we would glory in being excelled by our fellow servants! We would be glad for our heavenly Father to be better served than we can serve Him and for the Church of God to have more valued servants in it than we are ever likely to be. This is not easy, because envy—that compound of baseness and malice—that vilest reptile of the old serpent’s brood preys upon us!

This evil-natured vice shows itself generally in finding fault. Of course our Brothers are not perfect, but why should we take delight in pointing out their peculiarities, their eccentricities, or their shortcomings? If they win a great many to Christ, the question is skeptically mooted, "But how will their converts turn out?" What makes us raise the question? Is it brotherly love? If throngs gather around them, we say, "Ah, they are a 'nine day wonder'—that little excitement will soon pass off." Is it Grace or envy which makes us hope so? Perhaps we complain that they are very young. This, I suppose, they cannot help—we were once young, ourselves— and would like to be so still! Or else we say, on the other hand, they have passed their meridian and if they flourish for a little while, their sun is setting and it is not much they will ever achieve. Ah, 'greed of honor', what is there which you will not say? Would God that Christians would cease from tearing one another! Let your conversation be without that covetousness which shows itself in envy.

If the Lord has given you one talent, use it! But do not waste your time in finding fault with him who has five talents. If your Master makes you a hewer of wood, throw your strength into your felling and chopping—do not throw the axe at your fellow servant! And if He makes you a drawer of water, do not empty your buckets on your neighbor—but do your own service well and bring what you have done and lay it at your Master’s feet. This will be thankworthy. This will be Christ like. You will then be obeying the injunction, "Let your conversation be without covetousness."

And covetousness may show itself in another way, namely, by perpetually craving and desiring that which we have not. The old moralists used to say that the man who would be truly rich had better reduce his appetites than increase his fortune. Some men seem as if they never could fix their thoughts on what they have, but they are always in the other tense and mood—thinking of what they could, would, or should have! They have swallowed the two daughters of Solomon’s horseleech and these continually cry, "Give! Give!" They must have something more—their desires are boundless—the sea is not more ready to swallow up all that it can come at. 'A little more', they told us some years ago, would content them—and a great deal more has been added to their stores—but still, they need 'a little more'. Let your conversation be without covetousness in that respect and be content with such things as you have.

In many, perhaps in the most numerous class, this anxiety for acquisition betrays itself in fretful fears about the future. And I must, in all honesty, grant that this form of the vice has sometimes the appearance of being the most excusable of the whole. "What shall I do," we are apt to say, "in case I should be laid aside and a precarious income should suddenly come to an end? It is not for myself, alone—it is for my wife and numerous family that I am chiefly concerned—how would they be provided for?" Many a man lies awake at night desiring to increase his income, not because he is ambitious to be rich, but because he is haunted with the fear of being poor. Gifted, perhaps, for the present with competency, he is still scared with dire forebodings—"What will become of my family if I die?" "Or should such-and-such a source of income be dried up—and it is very precarious—what, then, will become of my household? What then?"

Very many are not content with such things as they have because the dread of a distant season of trial is constantly harassing them. They cannot be happy in the present sunshine because they think, perhaps, a storm is brewing out of sight. They cannot lie down in peace because they want to lay up against a rainy day. In vain their table is bountifully spread unless they have a store in hand against every contingency that may happen! Do you notice how precious is that promise which provides for all possible casualties that may befall you? "He has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you." The censure, therefore, falls where this sacred pledge is unheeded—and he is accounted covetous, who walks after the cravings of the flesh rather than after the counsel of the Spirit of God!

If God would have you live by the day, why do you want to gather enough for seven days at once? If your Father bids you trust Him, why do you distrust His paternal care? Use 'prudent thrift' by all means! Do not waste what He gives, nor heedlessly forget that you will have needs tomorrow as well as today—but abstain from fretfulness, murmuring and abhor every tendency to unbelief, lest you provoke Him to anger—

"Commit all your griefs
And ways unto His hands.
To His sure Word, and tender care,
Who earth and Heaven commands."

He would not have you anxious about those earthly things after which the Gentiles seek. "Your heavenly Father knows that you have need of these things." "Let your conversation be without covetousness."

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