Ver. 19. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth. -Superfluous treasures. Whatever men do themselves, I am persuaded they cannot help thinking that those are the best Christians who come the nearest to this command. Beg of God to explain it to thee.

Where moth and rust doth corrupt, &c.- What we thus treasure up is liable to accidents; and so far as we trust in it, our happiness is built on a wave of the sea. But there is something worse in the case; "for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." - The assertion is evident. Would it were as evident to us, that whatever has our heart, is our God!

Ver. 20. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. - What makes the Christian, but a steady aim for heaven, and an utter contempt of every thing in comparison of it? For this end Christ came from heaven, and is now speaking to us. Pray, pray, pray that it may not be in vain.

Ver. 22, 23. The light of the body is the eye, &c. We all know the blessing of sight, and what follows upon the loss of it. The soul too has its eye, and is, as that is, all light or all darkness. Now when is that eye clear, and fit to do its office? When it is singly fixed on God and heaven. Prevailing love of the world, in a high or low condition, puts it out; and then how great is our darkness! We are blind in the worst sense, and cannot take one step in the road to happiness. If you think this one of Christ's hard sayings, you bear witness against yourself that your eye is not yet single.

LECTURE.

THERE are three or four things relating to our Saviour's sermon on the mount, which should be more especially taken notice of, and well fixed in our minds.

1. One is the authority, and infallible certainty of his teaching, and the necessity of understanding the law of the ten commandments, and all other parts of our duty, according to his declaration and exposition of them. For he says, "Verily, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled;" that is, as the law of God's giving and appointing, it must not be diminished, it cannot be dispensed with in any respect; it is in force to the end of the world, and must of all necessity be received with full submission, as the rule we are to conform to, and by which we shall be judged.

2. The result of this must needs be conviction of sin, and the danger of our condition. We have not fulfilled the law at all times, in all points, both according to its outward and inward, literal and spiritual meaning, and, therefore, are liable to its condemnation. If you do not know and believe this, you neither do nor can know any thing else in the Bible.

3. Here Christ takes us up, fulfils the righteousnes of the law in our stead, and pays the penalty of our sins, and what follows in this gospel, the miracles he wrought, his ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension, exhibit him to us in the office and character of the Saviour, the very help we all want, and is the opening of that saying which we meet with in the first chapter, "Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins."

4. It must be well remembered, that his people whom he saves, are those, and those only, who think it their happiness and bounden duty to be taught by him, to keep their eyes and hearts upon the rule he has set before them, and, in love to him, sincerely endeavour to obey his commandments. So that the law, by convincing us of sin and the danger of our condition. is our school-master to bring us to Christ and Christ brings us to God pure and clean

in himself and mercy, when it is earnestly sought after, and the greatness of it understood, turns the heart to God in love and obedience.

In the portion of our Lord's sermon, which has now been read, he has delivered to us a form of prayer, therein pointing out our greatest wants; for it is remarkable, concerning it, that all the petitions relate to spiritual things, except one, which is a prayer for nothing more than needful food, and intended to teach us our absolute dependence on God for every morsel we eat. He inculcates the necessity of our forgiving others, if we would have forgiveness of our offences at the hands of God. In the case of fasting, he repeats the caution he had given twice before, not to perform our religious acts with a view to the praise of men, but of God, who is to be the dearest treasure of our hearts; insomuch, that if we do not covet and seek after his rewards, and make it the great business of life to secure our heavenly inheritance, undervaluing every thing in comparison of it, we are in utter darkness, and as destitute of all spiritual light in our souls, as our bodies would be in the want of sight. Now what is the reason that we are generally so little better for Christ's instructions and commands, and have not so much as the form and appearance of his disciples, by putting in practice the rules of holy living which he has given us? Why do we not pray more, with a better knowledge of what we should pray for, and more earnestly than we do? Why is forgiveness of others so hard a matter with us, who all stand so much in need of forgiveness from God? Why do we not attain to that singleness of heart, and purity of intention, in seeking after God and heavenly treasures, which he recommends to us; but are as blind, sensual, and earthly-minded as ever? The reason is, because we are first blind to our sin; and, seeing no need of Christ to save us from it, have no lively, thankful sense upon our minds of the great mercy of

being so saved. For it is by our faith in him as the Saviour that he gets possession of our hearts, and brings them over to him in willing obedience as our teacher and lawgiver. See then how one thing depends upon another in the doctrine of Christ, and in what way and order we must attain to that perfection of holiness and heavenlymindedness which he requires of us. It is a point never to be disputed, that under him, and as his disciples, we must be aiming at it, and continually going on to higher degrees of it; but, if you begin not here, you will lose all your labour. You must first know your sin, which you cannot do but by his teaching. You must come to him under a deep sense of your guilt, danger, and helplessness, for the grace of remission; and, when you can trust in him, and venture your souls upon him as your peacemaker in his blood, you will be in a condition to learn of him, and turn out all your own wisdom to submit to his directions. Then you will think it the greatest of all mercies that you may say to God, " Our Father," knowing that you are his children by faith in Christ Jesus, and entitled to all the blessings of his family and kingdom: and pray, as for your lives, that you may not come short of his heaven, where your home and inheritance is, and where your hearts should be.

PRAYER.

O Lord, who by thy Son Jesus Christ has taught and commanded us to pray, give us, we beseech thee, the true spirit of prayer, in the true knowledge and desire of what we should pray for. Convince us of the vanity and insufficiency of earthly things, and the exceeding great value of heavenly treasures, that we may not spend our days in the pursuit of what will not profit us, but wisely make choice of thee for our present portion and everlasting happiness. Great is our misery in forsaking thee, the God of all grace, and the fountain of all good; and thou

knowest that we are seeking death in the error of our lives. Deliver us from this blindness; give us the single eye and the pure heart; that knowing thee as a reconciled Father, we may commit our souls to thee in faith and prayer, in patience and well-doing; humbly depend on thee as thy children for the supply of all our wants, earnestly covet thy spiritual gifts; and be careful to secure thy promises and the blessings of Jesus Christ. Oh! send down the Holy Ghost to help our infirmities, to pray and groan within us for the true riches. Thou who didst deliver up thy own Son for us, and wilt also with him freely give us all things; grant us a right judgment, enlighten our dark minds, bend our stubborn wills, give us praying hearts. Fill them with the love and esteem of thy own blessed self; be thou our hope and our treasure in the land of the living; teach us, in the spirit of adoption, to call thee our Father; to hallow thy blessed name; to desire the coming of thy kingdom of grace in our souls, and in all the world, as the way to thy kingdom of glory; to imitate the holy angels in doing thy will; to depend on thee for the supply of our bodily wants; to forgive, that we may be forgiven; to trust in thee to support us in all dangers and temptations; to deliver us from all evil; and to be our God for ever and ever. Hear us, O Lord, for Christ's sake, thy beloved Son, in whom thou art always well pleased, and accept us to thy mercy in him, our blessed and only Saviour. Amen.

SECTION XII.

ST. MATTHEW, vi. 24.

No man can serve two masters— Of opposite tempers or interests.