for seeing thou valuest this inheritance so highly, what art thou but a man? He wished to
make him something more than man. What more did He wish to make him, from whom
He wished to take covetousness away? What more did He wish to make him? I will tell you,
“I have said, Ye are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High.”3394 Lo, what He
wished to make him, to reckon him that hath no covetousness among the “gods.” “Man,
who made Me a divider among you?”3395 So the Apostle Paul His servant, when he said, “I
beseech you, brethren, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no schisms among
you,”3396 was unwilling to be a divider. And afterwards he thus admonished them who were
running after his name, and dividing Christ: “Every one of you saith, I am of Paul, and I of
Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? or
were ye baptized in the name of Paul?”3397 Judge then, how wicked are those men, who
would have Him to be divided, who would not be a divider. “Who,” saith He, “hath made
Me a divider among you?”
4. Thou hast petitioned for a kindness; hear counsel. “I say unto you, Beware of all
covetousness.”3398 “Perhaps,” he would say, “thou wouldest call him covetous and greedy,
if he were seeking another’s goods; but I say, seek not even thine own greedily or covetously.”
This is “Of all, beware of all covetousness.” A heavy burden this! If by any chance this burden
be imposed on them that are weak; let Him be sought unto, that He who imposes it, may
vouchsafe to give us strength. For it is not a thing to be lightly regarded, my Brethren, when
our Lord, our Redeemer, our Saviour, who died for us, who gave His Own Blood as our
ransom, to redeem us, our Advocate and Judge; it is no light matter when He saith, “Beware.”
He knoweth well how great the evil is; we know it not, let us believe Him. “Beware,” saith
He. Wherefore? of what? “of all covetousness.” I am but keeping what is mine own, I am
not taking away another’s; “Beware of all covetousness.” Not only is he covetous, who
plunders the goods of others; but he is covetous too, who greedily keeps his own. But if he
is so blamed who greedily keeps his own; how is he condemned who plunders what is an-
other’s! “Beware,” He saith, “of all covetousness: For a man’s life consisteth not in the
abundance of the things which he possesseth.” He that stores up great abundance, how
much does he take therefrom to live? When he has taken it, and in a way separated in thought
sufficient to live upon from it, let him consider for whom the rest remains; lest haply when
thou keepest wherewith to live, thou art gathering only wherewith to die. Behold Christ,
behold truth, behold severity. “Beware,” saith truth: “Beware,” saith severity. If thou love
3394 Ps. lxxxii. 6.
3395 Luke xii. 14.
3396 1 Cor. i. 10.
3397 1 Cor. i. 12, 13.
3398 Luke xii. 15.
911
On the words of the Gospel, Luke xii. 15, ‘And he said unto them, take heed,…