ticular persons, the sacred writer here alluded, it is neither easy nor material to determine. But there is a question which it is very material, and I doubt but too easy, for most of us to answer; whether the description in the text may not be justly applied to ourselves? In whatever sense we take the word PLEASURES, whether as denoting those which are in themselves criminal, or those which only become so by excess and abuse, it is surely doing us no injury to say, that we "love them more "than God." At present I shall confine myself to that sort of pleasures, which are usually styled innocent; and in a certain degree, and under proper restrictions, undoubtedly are so ; I mean the gaieties and amusements of life.. SERMON XIV. 2 TIM. iii, 4. LOVERS OF PLEASURES MORE THAN LOVERS OF GOD. TO what period of time, and to what par ticular persons, the sacred writer here alluded, it is neither easy nor material to determine. But there is a question which it is very material, and I doubt but too easy, for most of us to answer; whether the description in the text may not be justly applied to ourselves? In whatever sense we take the word PLEASURES, whether as denoting those which are in themselves criminal, or those which only become so by excess and abuse, it is surely doing us no injury to say, that we "love them more "than God." At present I shall confine myself to that sort of pleasures, which are usually styled innocent; and in a certain degree, and under proper restrictions, undoubtedly are so ; I mean the gaieties and amusements of life.. If we are not lovers of these pleasures more than lovers of God, if our piety is greater than our dissipation, it must be great indeed. If we served our Maker with half that zeal, half that alacrity and perseverance, with which we pursue our amusements, we should be the most pious nation this day upon earth. But how far this is from being the case, at least with respect to a large proportion of almost every rank of men amongst us, is but too apparent. It is not the LIVING GOD, it is PLEASURE that they worship. To this they are idolaters; to this they sacrifice their time, their talents, their fortunes, their health, and too often their innocence and peace of mind. In their haste to enjoy this life, they forget that there is another; they live (as the Apostle expresses it)" without God in the world*," and their endless engagements not only exclude all love, but all thought of him. However carefully right principles of religion may have been originally planted in their breasts, they have no room to grow up. They are choked with the pleasures of * Eph. ii. 12. |