"Now money has very much the nature of eyes and feet. If there fore we lock it up in chests, while the poor and distressed want it for their necessary uses, we are not far from the cruelty of him, that chooses rather to hoard up the hands and eyes, than to give them to those that want them. If we choose to lay it up, rather than to entitle ourselves to an eternal reward by disposing of our money well, we are guilty of his madness that rather chooses to lock up eyes and hands, than to make himself for ever blessed by giving them to those that want them." 25. May not this be another reason why rich men shall so hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven? A vast majority of them are under a curse, under the peculiar curse of God; inasmuch as, in the general tenor of their lives, they are not only robbing God, continually embezzling and wasting their Lord's goods, and by that very means, corrupting their own souls, but also robbing the poor, the hungry, the naked; wronging the widow and the fatherless; and making themselves accountable for all the want, affliction, and distress, which they may, but do not remove. Yea, doth not the blood of all those who perish for want of what they either lay up, or lay out needlessly, cry against them from the earth? Oh what account will they give to Him who is ready to judge both the quick and the dead!

26. The true way of employing what you do not want yourselves, you may, fourthly, learn from those words of our Lord, which are the counterpart of what went before: "Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven; where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal." Put out whatever thou canst spare, upon better security than this world can afford. Lay up thy treasures in the bank of heaven; and God shall restore them in that day. "He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord, and look, what he layeth out, it shall be paid him again." "Place that," saith he, "unto my account. Howbeit, thou owest me thine own self besides!"

Give to the poor with a single eye, with an upright heart, and write, "So much given to God." For "inasmuch as ye did it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

This is the part of a "faithful and wise steward." Not to sell either his houses or lands, or principal stock, be it more or less, unless some peculiar circumstance should require it; and not to desire or endeavour to increase it, any more than to squander it away in vanity; but to employ it wholly to those wise and reasonable purposes, for which his Lord has lodged it in his hands. The wise stevard, after having provided his own household with what is needful for life and godliness, makes himself friends with all that remains, from time to time, of the "mammon of unrighteousness; that when he fails, they may receive him into everlasting habitations:"-that whensoever his earthly taber nacle is dissolved, they, who were before carried into Abraham's bosom, after having eaten his bread, and worn the fleece of his flock, and praised God for the consolation, may welcome him into Paradise, and into "the house of God, cternal in the heavens.”

27. We "charge" you, therefore," who are rich in this world," as having authority from our great Lord and Master, ayadoɛgyen,—to be habitually doing good, to live in a course of good works. "Be ye merciful, as your Father who is in heaven is merciful "who doeth good and ceaseth not. "Be ye merciful,"-how far? After your power;

with all the ability which God giveth. Make this your only measure of doing good, not any beggarly maxims or customs of the world. We "charge you to be rich in good works;" as you have much, to give plenteously. "Freely ye have received; freely give;" so as to lay up no treasure but in heaven. Be ye "ready to distribute" to every one according to his necessity. Disperse abroad; give to the poor; deal your bread to the hungry. Cover the naked with a garment; entertain the stranger; carry or send relief to them that are in prison. Heal the sick; not by miracle, but through the blessing of God upon your seasonable support. Let the blessing of him that was ready to perish, through pining want, come upon thee. Defend the oppressed, plead the cause of the fatherless, and make the widow's heart sing for joy.

28. We exhort you, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to be willing to communicate; xowvix sivas; to be of the same spirit (though not in the same outward state) with those believers of ancient times, who remained steadfast ev xoivuvia, in that blessed and holy fellowship, wherein " none said that any thing was his own, but they had all things common." Be a steward, a faithful and wise steward, of God, and of the poor; differing from them in these two circumstances only, -that your wants are first supplied, out of the portion of your Lord's goods which remains in your hands,-and, that you have the blessed ness of giving. Thus "lay up for yourselves a good foundation," not in the world which now is, but rather, "for the time to come, that ye may lay hold on eternal life." The great foundation indeed of all the blessings of God, whether temporal or eternal, is the Lord Jesus Christ, -his righteousness and blood,-what he hath done, and what he hath suffered for us. And "other foundation," in this sense, 66 can no man lay;" no, not an apostle, no, not an angel from heaven. But through his merits, whatever we do in his name, is a foundation for a good reward, in the day when "every man shall receive his own reward, according to his own labour." Therefore "labour" thou, " not for the meat that perisheth, but for that which endureth unto everlasting life." Therefore "whatsoever thy hand [now] findeth to do, do it with thy might." Therefore let

"No fair occasion pass unheeded by ;

Snatching the golden moments as they fly,
Thou by few fleeting years ensure eternity!"

'By patient continuance in well doing, seek thou for glory, and honour, and immortality." In a constant, zealous performance of all good works, wait thou for that happy hour, when the King shall say, "I was a hun gered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.-Come, ye blessed of my Father, receive the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world!'

SERMON XXIX.-Upon our Lord's Sermon on the Mount.

DISCOURSE IX.

"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

"Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature ?

"And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

"And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

"Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, oh ye of little faith?

"Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

"(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

"But seck ye first the kingdoin of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

"Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof," Matt. vi, 24–34.

1. It is recorded of the nations whom the king of Assyria, after he had carried Israel away into captivity, placed in the cities of Samaria, that "they feared the Lord and served their own gods." "These nations," saith the inspired writer, "feared the Lord;" performed an outward service to him; (a plain proof that they had a fear of God, though not according to knowledge;) "and served their graven images, both their children, and their children's children; as did their fathers, so did they unto this day," 2 Kings xvii, 33, &c.

How nearly does the practice of most modern Christians resemble this of the ancient heathens? "They fear the Lord;" they also perform an outward service to him, and hereby show they have some fear of God; but they likewise "serve their own gods." There are those who "teach them [as there were those who taught the Assyrians] the manner of the God of the land;" the God whose name the country bears to this day, and who was once worshipped there with a holy worship: "Howbeit," they do not serve him alone; they do not fear him enough for this: but "every nation maketh gods of their own: every nation in the cities wherein they dwell." "These nations fear the Lord;" they have not laid aside the outward form of worshipping him; but "they serve their graven images," silver and gold, the work of men's hands: Money, pleasure, and praise, the gods of this world, more than divide their service with the God of Israel. This is the manner both of “ their children, and their children's children; as did their fathers, so do they unto this day."

2. But although, speaking in a loose way, after the common manner of men, those poor heathens were said to "fear the Lord," yet we may

observe the Holy Ghost immediately adds, speaking according to the truth and real nature of things, "They fear not the Lord, neither do after the law and commandment, which the Lord commanded the children of Jacob; with whom the Lord made a covenant, and charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear other gods, nor serve them.-But the Lord your God ye shall fear, and he shall deliver you out of the hands of your enemies."

The same judgment is passed by the unerring Spirit of God, and indeed by all, the eyes of whose understanding he hath opened to discern the things of God, upon these poor Christians, commonly so called. If we speak according to the truth and real nature of things, "they fear not the Lord, neither do they serve him." For they do not " after the covenant the Lord hath made with them, neither after the law and commandment which he hath commanded them, saying, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." "They serve other gods unto this day." And "no man can serve two masters."

3. How vain is it for any man to aim at this,-to attempt the serving of two masters! Is it not easy to foresee what must be the unavoidableTM consequence of such an attempt? "Either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other." The two parts of this sentence, although separately proposed, are to be understood in connection with each other; for the latter part is a consequence of the former. He will naturally hold to him whom he loves. He will so cleave to him, as to perform to him a willing, faithful, and diligent service. And in the mean time, he will, so far at least, despise the master he hates, as to have little regard to his commands; and to obey them, if at all, in a slight and careless manner. Therefore, whatsoever the wise men of the world may suppose, "Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

4. Mammon was the name of one of the heathen gods, who was supposed to preside over riches. It is here understood of riches themselves; gold and silver; or, in general, money; and by a common figure of speech, of all that may be purchased thereby; such as ease, honour, and sensual pleasure.

But what are we here to understand by serving God? And what, by serving mammon?

We cannot serve God, unless we believe in him. This is the only true foundation of serving him. Therefore, the believing in God, as "reconciling the world to himself, through Christ Jesus," the believing in him, as a loving, pardoning God, is the first great branch of his

service.

And thus to believe in God, implies, to trust in him as our strength, without whom we can do nothing, who every moment endues us with power from on high, without which it is impossible to please him; as our help, our only help in time of trouble, who compasseth us about with songs of deliverance; as our shield, our defender, and the lifter up of our head above all our enemies that are round about us.

It implies to trust in God as our happiness; as the centre of spirits; the only rest of our souls; the only good who is adequate to all our capacities, and sufficient to satisfy all the desires he hath given us.

It implies (what is nearly allied to the other) to trust in God as ouf end; to have an eye to him in all things; to use all things only as

means of enjoying him; wheresoever we are, or whatsoever we do, to see him that is invisible, looking on us well pleased, and to refer all things to him in Christ Jesus.

5. Thus to believe, is the first thing we are to understand by serving God. The second is, to love him..

Now to love God, in the manner the Scripture describes, in the manner God himself requires of us, and by requiring engages to work in us, is to love him as the ONE GOD; that is, "with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind, and with all our strength ;"it is to desire God alone for his own sake; and nothing else, but with reference to him;-to rejoice in God;-to delight in the Lord; not only to seek but find happiness in him; to enjoy God as the chiefest among ten thousand; to rest in him, as our God and our all;—in a word, to have such a possession of God, as makes us always happy.

6. A third thing we are to understand by serving God, is, to resemble, or imitate him..

So the ancient father: Optimus Dei cultus, imitari quem colis : "It is the best worship or scrvice of God, to imitate him you worship." We here speak of imitating or resembling him in the spirit of our minds: for here the true Christian imitation of God begins. God is a Spirit; and they that imitate or resemble him, must do it in spirit and in truth.

Now God is love: therefore they who resemble him in the spirit of their minds, are transformed into the same image. They are merciful, even as he is merciful. Their soul is all love. They are kind, benevolent, compassionate, tender hearted; and that not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. Yea, they are, like him, loving unto every man, and their mercy extends to all his works.

7. One thing more we are to un lerstand by serving God, and that is, the obeying him; the glorifying him with our bodies, as well as with our spirits; the keeping his outward commandments; the zealously doing whatever he hath enjoined; the carefully avoiding whatever he hath forbidden; the performing all the ordinary actions of life with a single eye and a pure heart, offering them all in holy, fervent love, as sacrifices to God, through Jesus Christ.

8. Let us consider now, what we are to understand, on the other hand, by serving mammon. And, first, it implies the trusting in riches, money, or the things purchaseable thereby, as our strength,-the means whereby we shall perform whatever cause we have in hand; the trusting in them as our help,-by which we look to be comforted in, or delivered out of, trouble.

It implies the trusting in the world for lappiness; the supposing that "a man's life [the comfort of his life] consisteth in the abundance of the things which he possesseth;" the looking for rest in the things that are seen; for content in outward plenty; the expecting that satisfaction in the things of the world, which can never be found out of God.

And if we do this, we cannot but make the world our end; the ultimate end, if not of all, at least of many, of our undertakings, many of our actions and designs; in which we shall aim only at an increase of wealth, at the obtaining pleasure or praise, at the gaining a larger measure of temporal things, without any reference to things eternal.