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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 25 cannot serve God and Mammon.

more awful than the natural night, how much worse than total blindness of the eyesight! 2 Cor. iv. 4. Some of the ancient sages used the same comparison, "as the eye in the body, so is the reason in the soul." Jesus speaks of a light in us; that would be a positive contradiction in terms, if all was originally totally dark and depraved there. He never taught the doctrine of Total Depravity. He assures us that the light may become darkness, reason may be dethroned, and conscience seared, and the heart hardened; but God did not create us in that state. Having dimmed the lustre of the spirit-eye, we shall pray with Milton:

"Thou celestial light,

Shine inward, and the mind through all her

powers

Irradiate; there plant eyes, all mist from thence

Purge and disperse."

24. The Saviour had spoken of the perishable nature of earthly treasures as one reason why they should not be pursued and laid up as the greatest good; he had alluded to the darkness which overspreads the covetous, worldly mind, more dreadful than blindness; he now appeals to the principle that man cannot serve two masters at the same time, as a further motive to labor for the heavenly inheritance in obedience to God. Every man has his ruling passion, his prominent object of pursuit. Two objects of different natures he cannot pursue with equal interest, affection, and unweariedness. He may worship and serve and love the Pleasure-god, or the Moneygod, but he neglects his Maker. All idolatry did not cease when the

Therefore I say unto you: Take

If

wooden and stone images were thrown down. It is to be feared that thousands in Christian lands offer their sincerest service, their heartiest worship to Mammon, or some idol of the heart.-Hate the one, and love the other. Which means, according to a common Hebrew idiom, to love less and love more, not absolute hatred and love. -Or else. Or, at least will hold to, obey one.- -Despise. Disobey the other.-Ye cannot serve God and Mammon. This is the inference from the principle advanced. Mammon is a Chaldaic and Syriac word, meaning riches, and is here used as the name of the money-god. we truly love and serve God, as devoted, dutiful children, we shall postpone all worldly aggrandizement as of inferior consequence. If rich, we shall esteem wealth of less value than religion. If poor, we shall still feel that we may have within our possession the grandest treasure of the universe. But on the other side, if we centre our desires and hopes in things earthly, we shall inevitably defraud our Creator; we cannot live to this world and to heaven also-give half a heart to God, and half a heart to Mammon. But how many are engaged in the futile attempt to bring about this impossible thing; and distressing their lives with the knotty problem, how they may be worldly and spiritually minded at the same time!

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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 26 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 ? 27

Take no thought. An unfortunate rendering. Rather, take no undue thought; be not anxious and solicitous, distracted in mind, tossed by cares. Phil. iv. 6. There is no countenance given here to the idle, the improvident, and thriftless. A degree of attention is necessary to secure a livelihood. Rom. xii. 11. 1 Tim. v. 8. But the point is, that we should not be so much concerned about living, as to neglect life, to distrust Providence, and to forego heaven. Food and clothing are the means, not the ends of life. Several beautiful and pointed illustrations enforce the doctrine through the following verses.-Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? This is the first reason for a calm, unanxious reliance on Divine Providence, the past experience of its care. 1 Peter v. 7. If God has bestowed life and bodies, certainly he will not fail in providing the lesser gifts of food and clothing. The splendid boon of a human, rational, happy existence is such a proof of his kind regard as to banish the fear of any inferior needed blessing being denied us. The formation of the body, with its wonderful adaptation to the outward world, with its perfect senses, its capacities of labor, endurance, and enjoyment, is such a master-piece of Heaven, as to leave us in no doubt that the requisite garb will be provided to shelter "this little moving temple." -Meat. This name was formerly given to all kinds of food.-Rai

ment. Old English for clothing. Luke xii. 22, 23.

26. Behold the fowls of the air. Observe the birds. Luke xii. 24. Job xxxviii. 41. The Saviour uses the simple and elegant reasoning of nature, and from the birds, flying around him, draws profoundest truths. It is obviously not his purpose to counsel men to do as the birds, and neither sow nor reap; but to cast themselves on the bosom of Providence without anxiety. If the bird, an irrational, insignificant, transient creature, "poor citizen of the air," sings blithely, without fear of the morrow, or questioning of Providence, shall not man, the lord of this lower world, favorite of the skies, be taken care of?—Are ye not much better than they? Of nobler nature, more important station, and sublimer destiny. The poet Bryant has finely paraphrased the sentiment of Jesus, in his address to the Water-fowl:

"There is a Power whose care
Teaches thy way along that pathless coast,-
The desert and illimitable air,-
Lone wandering, but not lost.

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28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the 29 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 the middle finger, of 18, or 22 inches. Few would desire to add thus much to their stature. It is more probable that the word here translated stature would be better expressed by age, as it is actually done in John ix. 21, 23, and Hebrews xi. 11. Though few wish to be taller, multitudes desire to add to the length of their lives. The argument is then-if we are so helpless as to be unable to add one cubit to our age, or prolong our life one moment, why should we not perceive our very weakness to be a motive against being "careful and troubled about many things"? The impotence and fruitlessness of all our solicitude, the impossibility of our prolonging our existence one second beyond the allotted period, is a reason why we should confide cheerfully in that tender Providence, which takes no advantage of our weakness, but ministers as the gentlest nurse to our needs. God will do for us better than our fears, better than our hopes.

28. From the fowls of the air he draws the conclusion that man should not be anxious for the means of supporting life. Now from the lilies of the field he infers that he should trust Providence for clothing.-Consider. Survey attentively. -The lilies of the field. Luke xii. 27. Flowers of this kind grew wild in Palestine, and probably multitudes of them were in sight from the hill where Jesus was addressing the crowd. "The white lily is a flower of the field in Persia, and some of its species may be field flowers in Judea. Besides this, there is the martagon, crown imperial, and other colored lilies." The

lily springs up and grows spontaneously, expands its brilliant blossoms, eclipsing the pomp of kings, and fills the air with fragrance. Does God deck with perfect beauty the fragile flower, and make it the glory of the vegetable kingdom, and is he unmindful of his own children, his image, his heirs?— Toil-spin. Reference is here made to the employments of males and females respectively.

"Flowers! When the Saviour's calm, benignant eye

Fell on your gentle beauty,-when from you
That heavenly lesson for all hearts he drew,
Eternal, universal, as the sky,—
Then in the bosom of your purity
A voice he set, as in a temple shrine,
That life's quick travellers ne'er might pass
you by

Unwarned of that sweet oracle divine. And though too oft its low, celestial sound By the harsh notes of work-day care is

drowned,

And the loud steps of vain, unlistening Haste, Yet, the great ocean hath no tone of

power

Mightier to reach the soul, in thought's
hushed hour,

Than yours, ye lilies, chosen thus and
graced!"

29. Even Solomon in all his glory. Solomon was the richest and most magnificent king of Israel, and the reference to him possesses great force and beauty. "If the comparison of our Saviour be to the whiteness of Solomon's raiment, then, certainly, it never equalled the brilliant whiteness of a lily:if it be to the resplendence of colors, then the mixture, the relief, the glow of colors, in some kinds of lilies, exceeds whatever the manufacturers of stuffs for Solomon's wardrobe could compose." How bold, yet true, the figure that the lily of the field outshone the monarch, arrayed in his imperial robes, in his kingly glory, seated on an

of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which 30 to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, 0 ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying: 31 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 32 heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But 33

ivory throne overlaid with gold! 2 Chron. ix. 17.

30. Clothe. The subjunctive ought not to be employed here, for a fact, and not a contingency, is spoken of; the indicative would be the proper mode. The grass of the field. This in the original has a wider sense than what we call grass; including all kinds of plants and herbaceous productions.-Today-tomorrow. Expressive of its extreme frailty; suddenly destroyed; one day in full bloom, the next consumed to ashes.-Cast into the oven. On account of the scarcity of wood in the east, it is usual to employ dried grass, or the leaves and stalks of plants for fuel. A traveller tells us that in Barbary myrtle and rosemary are used to heat ovens. The Jews had various methods of baking their bread: in the ashes, on the hearth, upon copper plates, in pans, and stoves. But the common kind of oriental oven, and the one no doubt referred to here, consists of a round hole in the ground, with the bottom covered with stones, and heated by fuel cast into it. When the stones are hot enough, the ashes are removed, and the dough is placed on the bottom of the oven, and turned whilst baking. O ye of little faith. Distrustful. Luke xii. 28.

31. Luke xii. 29. The injunction of verse 25 is reiterated.-Take no thought. Take no undue thought, be not over anxious and troubled about food, or drink, or clothing.

32. For after all these things do

the Gentiles seek. This sentence is not parenthetical, as represented in our Bibles, but composes a regular part of our Lord's reasoning. It constitutes the fifth argument why we should repose implicit and child-like confidence in the providence of Heaven. Luke xii. 30. Mat. v. 47. This kind of reason was often made use of in the Old Testament, as if to shame the Jews into virtue, by comparing them with their heathen neighbors. Jesus says it is heathenish, it is what Pagans, ignorant of God, his providence, and a future state, do, to be chiefly solicitous to secure earthly goods and pleasures, and to tremble for the future as if they were to become orphans in the world. We need not be surprised that they should be distracted and anxious, lest their wants should not be met. But how unbecoming in those enlightened with a true knowledge of the love and care of the Father, to doubt and question his providence towards man!-Seek. To seek earnestly, to strive after intensely, is the force of the Greek word.For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. Another motive to banish all slavish solicitude about the circumstances of life. The argument is from God's knowledge to his goodness. He knows our wants, therefore he will supply them. He who gave life knows how carefully its fitful taper must be guarded to prevent its being extinguished. He who created the frail body knows its

seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all 34 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.

need of constant reinforcements to its strength, and shelter and clothing to its tenderness. The vital air, the pure water, the comfortable fire, the warm garment, the cheerful light, the wholesome food, the quiet home, the welcome sleep, the grateful rotation of the seasons,-and all the thousand glorious and wonderful ministrations of Nature, testify that our Great Friend, conscious of our necessities, is most kind and liberal in supplying them.—

“Oh, mighty love! Man is one world, and hath

Another to attend him."

33. Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness. Luke xii. 31. The kingdom of God is spiritual blessings; the influences of Christianity; the promises of heaven.-His righteousness means the righteousness he enjoins and requires. Micah vi. 5-8. Put religion forward, as the high, brilliant, blissful aim of your being. Call that primary, and every thing else secondary. Other things are good; this is an essential good; it is our life. And all these things shall be added unto you. Another reason for a serene reliance upon the care of Heaven. Let religion be the first thing in our affections, and in our labors, and Providence will be our mighty partner and helper in business. As an addition to this verse, the following words are quoted by early Christian authors: Ask great things, and little things shall be added unto you; ask heavenly things, and earthly things shall be added unto you." All the vices are expensive and losing, as all the virtues are gainful

and thrifty. Other things equal, the good man prospers better in worldly affairs than the bad man. Shrewd calculators never miss it more than when they live and labor for temporal good alone. They overshoot their mark. Seeking the world solely, they lose both the world and heaven. In cases without number, their unrighteous policy overleaps itself, and crushes to atoms their false and godless hopes. Virtue first, Virtue last, Virtue midst, should be the motto of every human creature; and then all other needful inferior goods will be ours. Said David: "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread."

34. Take therefore no thought. This injunction has been thrice repeated, showing its importance; and each time has been reinforced by some fresh and cogent argument, though without the formality and ceremony of reasoning.-The morrow. The future.-Shall take thought for the things of itself. Will bring

its own cares and anxieties along with it, and the needed strength to meet them. This is the summing up of the whole. Do your present duties, unanxious about futurity. With wants and trials coming to beset you, there will also spring up a present help in every time of need.-Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Still another reason why we should not harass ourselves with imaginary troubles. Every day has its appropriate load of care, and it is injustice to borrow from the morrow to increase that load. We always have evils enough with

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