treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath. By every additional sin, you are adding fuel to that fire which will torment your soul for ever. Consider these things. May they work in you a holy resolution to forsake the service of sin, and to choose the service of GOD! Surely you mean to do this at some time. Why delay the doing of it? Why delay to be freed from the bondage of the devil, from the guilt of sin, from the wrath of GOD? Is sin so profitable? Is the state of a sinner so safe, so happy, that any should be loth to leave it? Can you be happy too soon? Too soon be a child of GOD and an heir of heaven? Too soon be delivered from the danger of dying eternally? Would you gratify and please your worst enemy a little longer before you quit his service? Would you fix sin a little deeper in your heart, before you try to root it out? Is your life too long? Are you afraid of having too much time, and of beginning the great work of repentance too soon? Believe it, Satan is not idle in destroying your soul, though you are negligent in saving it. -Time is not standing still. You, together with it, are hastening fast towards eternity. When a few more days, or weeks, or years, at farthest, shall be past, your time of trial will be gone; your day of repentance øver ;

your doom for ever fixed. What mean you then by delaying to flee from the wrath to come? "Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead." Do you say, "We will repent to-morrow?" This night your soul may be required of you. "Behold, now is the accepted time: behold, now is the day of salvation:" While it is called. to-day, harden not your heart. Lie not down on your bed this night, till you have begged of God to enable you to renounce the service of sin, and to yield yourselves servants to righteousness. So" shall you have your fruit here unto holiness, and in the end everlasting life."

SERMON III.

Impossibility of serving God and Mammon.

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.

THERE are few persons who could be

brought plainly to say, even in their own hearts, We will not serve God.' Most men would be shocked at avowing such a resolution. But there are numbers who act in the spirit of it; who are resolved to serve the world, and, at all events, to have a portion on earth: And what is this, but, in fact, to give up the service of God? It is true that they do not professedly intend to give it up. They mean to secure a portion in heaven, as well as a portion on earth. But in attempting this they are attempting an impossibility. Our Saviour in the text strongly condemns

the folly of such an attempt.

"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." In discoursing on these words let us consider, I. The meaning and truth of the Maxim here laid down.

II. Our Lord's application of it.

I. The maxim is this, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will holl to the one, and despise the other." Now the meaning and truth of this maxim may be clearly seen from a very little consideration. Every one understands what is meant by serving a master. It is spendin our time and our talents in his service. It is doing his will and his work, furthering his interests, and obeying his orders. What should we say of the man, who should betray the trusts which his master puts in him; who, as soon as his master's back is turned, should neglect his business? or who, whenever his own inclination tempt him, should disobey his master's orders, or sacrifice his master's interests to those, of some other person? Should we say of such a man, that he served his master? No. The man who serves his master, is one who serves him with faithful

ness, with diligence, with singleness of heart, with a mind ready and willing, and wholly given up to his service. Now for a man thus to serve two masters is utterly impossible. He cannot love them both alike. He cannot be devoted to both of them alike. He must secretly, at least, prefer the one to the other; and thus, in truth, must belong to the one, and not to the other. So long, indeed, as both those, whom he calls his masters, may travel the same road, or give the same orders, he may appear to serve them both. He may follow both; he may obey both; and so may deem himself the servant of both. But when they go different ways, or give different orders; when one of them turns to the right hand, and the other to the left; when one of them commands one thing, and the other gives a directly contrary command; then what will be the case? It will then be seen, which of them the man really serves. It will then be seen to which of them he

really belongs. However he may have hitherto hidden his mind from others, or even deceived himself, by calling them both master;' yet he can now hide the matter no longer he must now follow one of them, and forsake the other; he