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Such exercises, when engaged in from right principles, are at once salutary to the soul, and acceptable to God. Your Father who seeth in secret-he marks your humiliation of spirit-he accepts of the sacrifice of a broken hearthe "looks to, and he will dwell with, the man of a humble and contrite spirit, who trembles at his word"—he graciously approves now of such a fast, and on the most eventful day of the world's history "he will reward you openly."

From these injunctions of our Lord, we may warrantably draw the conclusions, that Christians while they ought to manifest a habitual seriousness, should carefully avoid everything like affected solemnity of manner; and that "if, even when engaged in those religious services which, from their nature, are most fitted to sadden the countenance, they are to guard against all external display of melancholy, surely much more is it their duty to manifest, in their general deportment, the natural symptoms of a cheerful, contented, happy mind."1 Few things injure religion more than the moroseness and apparent inward unhappiness of its professors. Wherever the religion of Jesus is understood and believed, it sheds over the mind a peace which passeth all understanding, and gives to the whole manner the air of quiet satisfaction and tranquil happiness. We do not call on professing Christians to assume the appearance of a peace and happiness they do not possess; but we do call on them to open their minds to the blessed influence of the truth they profess to believe; and by a natural display of the effects of this influence on their hearts and characters, to "adorn" and recommend "the doctrine of God our Saviour." Oh, it ill becomes a Christian so to yield, it may be, to the power of a constitutional tendency to melancholy, or it may be, to mistaken apprehensions and unbelieving fears, as to give plausibility to the calumny of the infidel and scorner, that Christianity, after all its boasting, is at least as incapable as anything else to make men happy.

1 Brewster.

VOL. I.

Let us all, my brethren, who in any measure know the truth, make it evident that the truth has not made us slaves, but "made us free," and that when we "keep God's commandments," we then "walk at liberty." Let us show that "in keeping these commandments we have indeed a great reward," that our Saviour's yoke is "an easy yoke, and his burden a light burden," that "his ways are pleasantness and his paths peace," and let the rational happiness, "the rest and the refreshing" we obviously enjoy from our religion, not proclaimed in words, but exhibited in our mein and conduct, form as it were an invitation to all around us, to "come and taste" with us "that God is good." Even while we are silent, let our holy, happy lives, say to the worldly and the wicked around us, "Come with us and we will do you good, for the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel."

V. THE OBJECT OF SUPREME DESIRE TO CHRISTIANS, AND THE MEANS OF OBTAINING IT.

MATTHEW VI. 19-34.

I have had occasion to remark repeatedly to you, since I began these expository discourses on "the Sermon on the Mount," that the key to it is to be found in the word "REPENT"-change your mind-that it is an extended illustration of the general exhortation which held so prominent a place in our Lord's preaching, as well as in that of his forerunner. The Jewish people expected in their Messiah a temporal prince, and the happiness which they anticipated under his reign, was merely a very high degree of worldly prosperity. They expected to enjoy, in abundance, riches, and honour, and pleasure. In the passage before us, our Lord informs them that such anticipations were founded in error-that the happiness to be enjoyed under the Messiah is spiritual, not carnal, in its nature

that it is to be found in perfection, not on earth but in heaven -that just views on this subject are of infinite importance that the attainment of this happiness ought to constitute their chief end-that this end could be gained only by strenuously prosecuting it—and that in making the pursuit of this happiness their principal employment, there was no ground for anxiety about things seen and temporal, to those who "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness," for everything they need shall certainly be given them. Such is the outline of this interesting paragraph, which commences with the nineteenth verse, and reaches to the end of this chapter.

Let us proceed more minutely to examine its various parts :-"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." 1

Some have interpreted the command, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth," literally. One class of these interpreters understand the command, without any limitation, as a prohibition of accumulation in any measure, as a declaration that in no case is it lawful to add to our property, but that our expenditure should keep pace with our gains, and that no man should ever allow himself to become rich.

This, however, does not seem to be its meaning. It has been very justly said, that they who condemn all accumulation, to be consistent, "should not stop here, but go on to 'sell all that they have and give it to the poor,' for the one is no less expressly enjoined than the other. But this were to overturn all distinctions of rich and poor, and all possession of property; which is as contrary to the whole current of Scripture as inconsistent with the welfare of human society."

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The other class of interpreters who understand the words literally, consider our Lord as saying merely, 'Do not bestow your principal attention on the accumulation of earthly treasures, but on the attainment of heavenly happiness,' as when he says-"Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for the meat which endureth unto eternal life," that is, 'Let not the attainment of material bread which nourisheth the dying body, occupy so much of your time and attention, as the attainment of spiritual food which sustains the never dying soul. Be not so anxious to heap up wealth as to secure heaven.' This idea is, I have no doubt contained in the words, but it is contained in them merely because they are expressive of a much more comprehensive sentiment.

The phrase "lay up treasures" in the first injunction, is, I apprehend, figurative, as it obviously is in the second. To "lay up treasure in heaven" cannot mean, to make heaven, not earth, the repository of the wealth we may accumulate. It means obviously to seek for, and expect, happiness in heaven. In like manner, to "lay up treasures on earth" is to seek, or expect, happiness on earth, or in earthly objects, in the wealth, in the honours, in the pleasures of the present state. It is as if our Lord had said, 'I know you are looking for happiness on the earth under the Messiah's reign, that you are expecting it in a state of worldly prosperity; but you must "repent," you must change your mind, or you will be miserably disappointed. The happiness which the Messiah brings is spiritual happiness. It is to be enjoyed in perfection not on earth, but in heaven, and it is of a far higher and more excellent nature than that earthly happiness which you are making the chief object of affection and pursuit. "Lay not up treasures on earth," do not attempt to build a permanent residence for yourselves here. Do not set your hearts on any thing seen and temporal as worth your supreme attention, or capable of satisfying all your wishes.'

The reason our Lord assigns for this injunction is appropriate and forcible: All things material are liable to change, and destruction; they may be wrested from us by the arm of violence, they may moulder away in our possession.

There is a peculiar beauty and propriety in the figurative language used by our Lord: "Moth and rust corrupt-thieves break through and steal." In Oriental countries, and in an age when commerce was comparatively in its infancy, the rich were distinguished from the poor, chiefly by large wardrobes of costly garments, by hoards of the precious metals, either in small pieces for the purpose of exchange, or formed into vessels of curious workmanship, and by richly stored repositories of grain and fruits, and similar provisions. These treasures were peculiarly liable to be consumed by the moth, and by rust, and in danger of being carried off by the thief or the robber.

The idea intended to be conveyed is, 'All happiness of a worldly kind is uncertain, all earthly enjoyments are at once perishable in themselves, and in danger of being lost by innumerable accidents.' All the possessions and pleasures that are to be found in this life, are unquestionably, in their own nature, liable to decay, and "perish in the using.” Even when they are not taken from us, how often do they lose the qualities which originally fixed our regard, and though they do not cease to exist, cease to please! Like faded flowers, they become offensive instead of pleasant. Even if they were more satisfying and less corruptible than they are, how difficult-in many cases, how impossible-it is to retain them long! "They take to themselves wings, and fly away as an eagle towards heaven;" and though they continue, how easily can the stroke of disease render us totally incapable of enjoying them, and how suddenly may, how certainly must, the stroke of death separate us at once and for ever from them, and send us away "Naked as we came."

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