mendation to the favour of God. Else the prophet would have been sent to a widow of Israel only; and a Syrian leper would not have been chosen to receive God's mercy, when there were so many of God's people by name, who wanted it. Many of the Jews in old time expected eternal life, because they were the children of Abraham, had been circumcised, and attended to the rules and directions of the law of Moses; and many Christians are equally foolish-trust in outward ceremonies-in external and formal observances and never think of the necessity of having a new heart, of being born again of the Holy Spirit, in order to enter into the kingdom. And finally, The text offers a solemn warning

To all those who despise and neglect the means of grace. God was kind enough to send a prophet to the widow of Sarepta. What would have become of her, if she had turned her back upon him, and rejected his words? The little meal in the barrel would soon have gone, and the oil in the bottle have been all used; and then, what would she have done? So with those who neglect the words of the ministers of God. Their earthly comforts and satisfactions are soon gone, and the source of all their pleasures and gratifications drieth up; and then they are left without any food for their souls, and have nothing to sustain and support them when perishing with want.

SERMON VII.

MATTHEW vi. 24.

"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."

OUR Lord had been just admonishing the Jews to be more concerned about laying up a good store of heavenly treasure, than about heaping up the corruptible treasures of earth. And when He had given the people this admonition, knowing their hearts, and the objections and excuses which their evil minds would raise against the doctrine, He followed it up by the solemn assurance of the text, that "No man can serve two masters. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

People would say, 'I will try to do both; I will attend to both body and soul; I will have earthly treasures and heavenly ones; I will enjoy myself here, and yet will not give up my hopes and expectations of eternal life and everlasting glory hereafter.'

It is easy to make such a resolution in one's mind, but Jesus Christ says, that it is impossible to carry it into effect. The thing may seem easy; the dark mind of man may see no difficulty in reconciling the service of God with the love and pursuit of the things of the world; but God

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knoweth that the attempt is vain; and the man who makes it, only mocks the Almighty, and brings disappointment and ruin upon his own soul.

This attempt, indeed, will never be made by persons who are acquainted with the Bible. For the word of God tells us, that God will not be satisfied with any thing less than the whole heart -that if a man be a Christian at all, he must be so altogether—that if religion be any thing to us, it must be every thing. This attempt, moreover, will never be made by persons acquainted with themselves. For there is in every person living some one principle which rules and reigns, and which admits of no rival-no interference with its dominion. This principle in Christians is the love of God-anxiety for the soul's welfare-hatred of sin, and desire after holiness. In all other persons, it is the love of the world, and the desire for the enjoyment of some earthly object or another. And as in the one case religion will not be interfered with by worldliness, so in the other, worldliness will not be interfered with by religion. They cannot and they will not sit together on the same throne, and agree to divide the empire between them.

This important truth will be made clear, as we consider the words of the text, which contain, I. A SELF-EVIDENT PROPOSITION. II. OUR LORD'S APPLICATION OF IT.

I. THE SELF-EVIDENT PROPOSITION which the text contains is, "No man can serve two masters." I call it self-evident, for it is plain, without any argument, that no person can properly do the work, and mind the will of two different masters, of different tastes and tempers, different ways and habits, different employments

and occupations. Can a youth serve an apprenticeship to two masters of different trades, each of which requires all his industry and attention, his undivided powers of body and mind, at the same time? Can a soldier serve in two hostile armies in the same battle? Can a sailor do his duty on board of two different ships in the same voyage? No, common sense tells us it is impossible.

Observe the comprehensive and universal nature of this declaration, "No man can serve two masters." No one, however wise and clever and skilful, or strong and able and powerful and healthy-no one can serve two masters. There are persons who can and who will, sometimes, do double work for one master, but there is none who can do a day's work for two in one and the same day. For consider,

His physical and bodily strength will not permit him. A man who has been ploughing in the field or working in the factory all day for one master, cannot go in the evening when his day's labour is over, and begin working for another. His strength is not equal to it. Again,

His mind and faculties will not permit him. The ploughman cannot do the work of the manufacturer, nor can the artizan do the work of the farmer. Now if a farmer and a manufacturer were to unite, and hire one man between them to do their work, how, think ye, would it be done? The man would not understand how to do both sorts of work; and either the farmer would have all his hopes of harvest disappointed, or the manufacturer would have his goods put out of hand in so bungling and clumsy a way, that he would never find any one to buy them. Moreover,

His inclinations and affections will not permit any one to serve two masters. A British sailor or soldier loves his king and his country, and therefore does not engage in the service of any foreigner, if an enemy. A man will work even harder and for less wages in the service of a master whom he loves and respects, rather than leave his friend and kind benefactor, and engage to do the work of any one else. Therefore it is that "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." This is the self-evident proposition in the text, from which our Lord makes,

II. THE APPLICATION, which we have now to consider, "Ye cannot serve God and Mammon.” The argument is this, 'If no man can at the same time thoroughly and satisfactorily do the work of two masters, then be assured, ye cannot be the servants and do the work of two such different and opposite masters as God and mammon, at one and the same time.'

Consider these two masters-how different in character-how opposed in interest they are. One of them is

God-the High and Holy One-who loveth righteousness and hateth sin-who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity-who is righteous in all His ways, and holy in all His works. This is one of the two masters here pointed out to ús. The other is

Mammon or the god of this world-Satan the prince of wickedness and patron of sin, who delights in every thing that is unholy and sinful and worldly and carnal. These are the two spiritual masters, one of whom we must and do serve,