'Voices From The Past' Vol. 1 — October 20

We need to guard our lives against the love of riches and worldly cares. All love for earthly goods, however, is not a sin. Their sweetness is a drop of his love and they have his goodness imprinted on them. They kindle our love for him as love tokens from our dearest friend. Loving them is a duty, not a sin. Earthly blessings are the means of sustaining our bodies, and preserving our life and health, as we do God the service we owe him in the world on our journey to heaven. We love them as remote helpers to our salvation. Riches may also enable us to relieve our needy brethren, so we may love and be thankful for them. The sinful love of riches is when they are loved, desired, and sought after to satisfy the flesh more than the love of God, or when they lift up our pride that we may shine among men and live at a high rate of splendour. This is a great sin because it is a sin of deliberation and not just a sudden passion. It becomes idolatry by setting up a love for something, which love is due solely to God. It shows a contempt for heaven, preferring the world to heavenly glory. It perverts the direction of a man's life to the wrong ends. There is no cure for an earthly mind, but by presenting far greater matters to the mind. If a man were given the sight of heaven and hell, he would consider the world less than he did before. If he heard the joyful praises of the saints or woeful lamentation of the damned, but one hour, he would seek after greater goals than scraping together a heap of wealth. Look to heaven, man, there is your home and hope. O blinded mortals that love to dwell on the earth like worms! You are immortal souls, made for God himself, to admire him, love him, serve him and enjoy him. O beg of God a heavenly light and mind to look often into heaven, and worldliness will vanish away in shame.

Devotional Readings taken from Puritan Devotional Readings 'Voices From The Past Vol.1.'
Richard Baxter, A Christian Directory, I:214-218
Banner of Truth has granted permission for the use of this material.