Ye cannot serve God and Mammon The God of heaven, and the god of this world, or the covetous desires of it. Some choose the service of the latter, with an open contempt of the former, and more pretend to serve both : but the wisdom from above says it cannot be. It is impossible that the love of two things, so contrary in their nature, should dwell in the same heart. Ver. 25. Therefore, I say unto you, take no thought for your life, &c.-Not no thought at all, for the Scripture is as much for industry and prudent carefulness as any book in the world; but no anxious, distressing, distrustful thought, as if this world were your all, or as if there was no God in it, and he had not given us sufficient evidence of his fatherly care over us, or we could procure any thing for ourselves without him; or, as if contented, cheerful dependence on him was not our best security for the supply of all our real wants. See what follows in this view, and God give you understanding hearts. - Is not the life more than meat, &c. 26. Behold the fowls of the air.-28. Consider the lilies of the field-Look at the book of nature, at yourselves, about, above, and beneath you, and see whether you have not abundant proof in every thing of God's power and will to provide for you. Ver. 27. Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit to his stature? All such care is as vain as impious. We can no more gain our ends by it, than we can add to our stature, or prolong our lives. Ver. 31. Therefore take no thought, &c.-Our Lord has been endeavouring to argue us sweetly out of this worldly, carking, unbelieving, fruitless care, and repeats his own words to add weight to them. And now hear what cause you have to pray for yourselves. Ver. 32. For after all these things do the Gentiles seek— And if you do, to the neglect of your souls, you are just such heathens, whatever you think or call yourselves; that is to say, unenlightened by Christ, and no better for his teaching, than if you had never heard of it. For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things-Necessaries for the body; and will give us what we want; but is too wise and good to give us all we desire. Most of the heathenish soul-destroying care that is in the world is amongst those who have enough and to spare. Ver. 33. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness. -A place and inheritance in it, as your chosen portion from God, together with the righteousness by which it is distinguished, and which all must have who belong to it; and take notice, it is here called his righte ousness; the righteousness of faith; both that which he gives in Christ, and that which he alone can work in us. Do you indeed seek this in the first place? Be not ignorant of what you are concerned above all things in the world to know and do; for it is in vain to seek it only in the second place. ·And all these things shall be added unto you. What are you, if you cannot stay yourselves quietly upon this promise? Ver. 34. Take therefore no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. — It shall be provided for by him, who takes care for to-day, and who alone can provide for any day. Do not thou foolishly double the burden of every day by adding that of the next to it. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.—Every day has trouble enough of its own, and will require all our thought to pass well through it. But why has every day some evil attending it? Because we are sinners, and to correct and bring us back again to God. Happy, O Lord, is the man who takes thee for his God, and makes full proof of it, by trusting in thy providential care, and resigning himself wholly to thy wise disposal. Let thy Spirit convince us of our sin in the want of this disposition, teach us an acceptable righteousness, and purge out the worldliness of our hearts, that, under a deep sense of thy infinite purity, we may do all our works as unto thee, who seest in secret, and will reward us openly, not for our imperfect and polluted services, but for the alone merits of Jesus Christ. LECTURE. THE point to be brought under consideration upon hearing this passage of Scripture, is the desire or bent of the heart, what it chooses and seeks for itself, this world or the next, earthly things or Christ and his blessings. He would gladly turn our desires and affections into the right channel, and is very urgent with us to set up our rest in God; plainly giving us to understand, that if we do not seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness in the first place, and clearly prefer our portion in it to every thing else, we are not his disciples. You will say at once, must we neglect our business? Is not industry a duty, and idleness a sin? Must we not provide for ourselves and families, and can we do this without working, thought, and care? No, certainly: let me therefore tell you wherein your mistake lies, and what that state of mind is which Christ would bring you to, and you must be aiming at, as Christians, with the whole will and endeavour of your souls. It is true, he says, and repeats his instruction, to the end it may be well observed, "take no thought for your life, or the support of it, take no thought for the morrow." And the reason he gives for it is, that our own care is vain, and that there is a God above who knows, and will provide for our bodily wants. Now he does not, he cannot mean that we should take no thought at all about our worldly business, or leave the care of our maintenance wholly to God, without any contrivance or endeavours of our own; for this would be a flat contradiction to many other parts of Scripture, which is as much for diligence, industry, and prudent carefulness, as any book in the world, and never makes sloth and idleness the way to heaven. When, therefore, he says, "take no thought for your life," &c. he means, in comparison of heavenly things; not to give way to any distrustful, distressing, fretful, heart-vexing thoughts about your worldly affairs, as if there was no God; or as if they were your all, and you had not a better portion in him. is Now, you see where the mistake lies, and your way plain before you. You must be diligent and careful in the management of your concerns; the Scripture calls you to it, God requires it of you, and will not otherwise provide for you; but then you must not be slaves to your bodies, you must take care of your souls in the first place, and so as you care for nothing else; your hearts are God's due, and if you take them from him you lose your interest in him, and are undone for ever. Here then you must examine yourselves, consider what is uppermost in your thoughts day by day, what you account your treasure, and what you most wish to see prosper in your hands. Christ says it must not be the world or the body; for if it is, you are still in an unbelieving, unenlightened, unconverted state. His aim is to turn our hearts, the desire and will of our souls to God, as our portion and treasure, in time and eternity; and if it is not ours to be so turned, we are still in the darkness of heathenism, and cannot have one true prayer for the life of our souls, I beseech you understand that this, and nothing but this, is conversion and the Christian state, viz. when God and his heaven, Christ and his blessings, the Spirit and his work of power, are the things of your choice, eagerly coveted, and what you resolve to secure to yourselves, whatever becomes of your worldly concerns: nay, my brethren, you may leave them quietly and cheerfully in God's hands; for if "you seek his kingdom and righteousness in the first place," you have his word and promise, "that all these things," necessaries for the body, “shall be added unto you." The man who knows what the kingdom of God is, what Christ is, what it is to be righteous in him, and growing up under him to a new state of holiness, has found the pearl of great price, can leave his portion of worldly things contentedly to God, and rejoice in his lot whatever it is, because he knows it is God's choice for him, and that "all things shall work together for his good." This is the lesson which Christ has been teaching us, and knew to be necessary for us, though we think it hard, and have many things to say against it; but if we do not receive all his instructions. with a full persuasion that he could not possibly be mistaken in what he has taught us, how can we pretend to believe in him? He has blessedness for us, tells us what it is, and came into the world to put us in the way of it; his sermon on the mount is the light of heaven put into our hands to guide us to glory and happiness; but if we will not hear him, he leaves us to our own choice, that is, unhelped and miserable. PRAYER. Blessed Lord, who gavest us our being, regardest us as the work of thy own hands, and hast thine eye continually upon us for good, give us grace to know thee as our God, and to depend on thee as our heavenly Father, We are naturally blind and self-willed, take the world into our hearts, and choose it for our portion, and are there |