NO MAN CAN SERVE TWO MASTERS.

27

So then, the pro

of obedience unto righteousness."* fessor whose religion dwells in the head, and has its existence there, seeks first the things of this world, and gives the ends and scraps of his time and affections to God, forgetting (or acting in a stupid disobedience to) the warning, "Be not deceived: God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap; for he that soweth to his flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." Thus, as 66 No man can serve two masters;" as "he cannot serve God and mammon;"‡ so, whatever his profession, he either walks in Christ's narrow way, or the broad way: in the latter, he indulges himself, and especially avoids the cross, because he loves himself better than God; but, if, by divine assistance, he enters in at the strait gate,§ and walks in the narrow way, he gives up his whole heart to God; and, notwithstanding the many weaknesses which poor humanity is heir to, he still endeavours to pursue the path of duty; and though he may often start from the cross, he is kindly brought back by his all-powerful Master; he dares not altogether shrink from it, as he desires to be altogether obedient to it; he follows Christ not merely in words, but in deeds and in truth. He does not talk a great deal of God or of Christ, for the Holy Name is with him too solemn to be lightly used; but he glorifies the Deity in his heart; and the prayer, that if it were possible he might never again offend ; the prayer, that he might know all the will of God concerning his own path, and more especially that he might be endued with the desire and ability to perform whatever his gracious God might will for him; the desire, that he may be pre

* Rom. vi. 16. + Gal. vi. 7, 8. + Mat. vi. 24. § Mat. vii. 13.

c 2

28

THE SIMPLICITY OF REAL CHRISTIANITY.

served from intermeddling between any other creature and his God, except so far as it is the will of God manifested in the secret of his heart he should do; the child-like supplication as to a Heavenly Father, that He would be pleased to forgive him his sins; the gratitude and love for the many mercies of his faithful Creator and his blessed Redeemer; the prayerfor all the human family; the love to all God's creatures; the unity with whatever is believed to tend to His glory, whether in friends or opponents; the grief for whatever tends to offend Him, are the things uppermost in his heart; while the empty professor, and the noisy dealer in religion questions the christianity of his principles, because he dares not talk much of God and Christ. But he, feeling the solemnity thereof, comes experimentally to understand and observe, and keep the commandment, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain."* He loves God and His will, and desires that his own will should in all things be brought into subjection to the will of God. To him the path of duty is the most pleasant of all paths, the most desired, the most valued, the most enjoyed; it is his meat and drink, literally the meat and drink of his soul to do the will of God, and finish that work which the Lord appoints to him individually; and the chief theme of his gratitude is, that he feels that his faithful Creator is enabling him to cease from offending Him, and, in some degree, enabling him to understand and do His holy will, like a simple, obedient child. this state he feels and knows that he can do no good thing of himself; but yet, that he is enabled, by the power of God, to live to Him and not to himself; thus he renders all the glory to God, as well he may, knowing

*Exodus xx. 7.

In

HOW TO ABIDE IN CHRIST.

29

from heartfelt experience, that it all belongs to God, and loving Him too well to be willing to rob Him.

So this seems to be the sum of religion, to love God and keep His commandments; yet no man can obey the commands of God except by supernatural strength bestowed; therefore, "The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal."* Those who obey and co-operate with it have larger measure given them; more spiritual discernment to discover the will of God; more ability to steady, uniform obedience to that will; while those who neglect to use the gift bestowed;† or who, instead of obeying, attempt to rule, have that taken away which they seemed to have. Thus, (for such is the will of God), spiritual obedience earns spiritual strength, and that again enables to more perfect obedience; and thus, there is a going on from strength to strength, and thus is given grace for grace; and thus is realized, by co-operating with the talents received (but only in the will of God), that five talents are made ten; and such is the benevolence of our faithful Creator, that instead of charging us any thing for these talents, the more we have, the more He gives us. He actually rewards us for receiving, using, and taking care of His favours; yea, and He also rewards us for asking more, only we must be very careful not "to ask amiss; and the only way to avoid this, is to seek for ability from Him to ask aright,§ and to be very careful not to neglect the gifts bestowed. In so doing we may abide in Christ, and shall be preserved from asking out of the will of God, who is "able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power

* 1 Cor. xii. 7. † Mat. xxv. 20, 30. § John xv. 7.

James iv. 3.

30

OBEDIENCE TO REVELATION

that worketh in us.' ."* In this state we shall experience, both, that we have no inclination to build on any other foundation than Christ Jesus ;† and that the only means of coming to this foundation is to take it in Christ's own way, the rock of Revelation; and the only way to obtain the revelation of the will of the Divine Author of true religion, is to seek unto Him, in our hearts, and to obey the manifestation of His blessed will therein discovered. As He said, " Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And He stretched forth his hands toward His disciples and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother."Ş

In this progress or growth of regeneration, we come to know what spirituality means; we become as little children;" we aspire, "the Lord's will be done;" and we pray that our own wills might, if it were possible, never again thwart the free course of the only good and pure will. Here is divine harmony. Here is divine growth. Here is feeding "on the body and blood of Jesus." Here is becoming " His brother, or sister, or || mother." Here is the comfort of that answer, much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."** Here is the life of God in the soul of man. Here is the seed of the Everlasting Kingdom, "sown in weakness, raised in power," commencing in time, continuing, if we sell it not, to all eternity! But nothing in our own wills; it is all of God who worketh in us both to will and to do of His

66

Inas

*Ephesians iii. 20. † Mat. xvi. 17, 18. ‡ 1 Cor. x. 4. § § Mat. xii. 48, 50. || John vi. 48, 58. ¶ Mat. xii. 50. ** Mat. xxv. 40. ++ Cor. xv. 43.

THE MEANS OF DIVINE GROWTH.

31

own good pleasure; and as it hath pleased Him to give us ability or grace to chuse, and ability to plunge ourselves into perdition by rejecting Him, how careful ought we to be to watch and pray that we fall not into the sin of those Jews, who in their own wills attempted to serve God, or pretended so to do; who were loud in their professions of love to God and to the memory of deceased prophets, yet persecuted the good men of their own time. These Jews, instead of plain, simple, practical obedience and love to God, often contented their consciences by their praises of Moses and the prophets, while they persecuted the prophets of their own time, even to sawing them asunder. When the Blessed Redeemer was personally on earth, (oh! how full of love must He have been to leave, in degree, the presence of the Everlasting Father for wretches such as we), this temptation was continued with quite as much deplorable success as in preceding ages.

The preference of theory to practice; the preference of profession to obedience; the preference of superficial acknowledgment by the lips, to the incorporation of the soul with Christ, was as strikingly exemplified as by the former generations of the Jews, or as by the time-serving professors of the present day, who extol the prophets and apostles for their obedience to the revelation of the will of God in their hearts, yet " crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh,"* by denying the revelation thereof in the heart of man in these latter days. They extol the apostles, and particularly Paul, as though all his writings were immaculate; and this is favourable to the cruel designs of our adversary the devil; because a man may profess religion, and may extol prophets and

Hebrews vi. 6.