"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the The Original, Nature, Property, and Use of the Law... 97 "Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, A Caution against Bigotry..... "And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbade him because he followeth not us. But Jesus said, Forbid him not." SERMON XL. PAGE "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, "Ye now have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you."-JOHN xvi. 22. "And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him The Cure of Evil Speaking....... "If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast "I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of un- righteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into On the Death of Rev. Mr. George Whitefield.............. 391 "Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like SERMON XXVIII. UPON OUR LORD'S SERMON ON THE MOUNT. DISCOURSE VIII. "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. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. "But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness !"-MATT. vi. 19–23. 1. FROM those which are commonly termed religious actions, and which are real branches of true religion, where they spring from a pure and holy intention, and are performed in a manner suitable thereto, our Lord proceeds to the actions of common life; and shows that the same purity of intention is as indispensably required in our ordinary business, as in giving alms, or fasting, or prayer. And, without question, the same purity of intention, "which makes our alms and devotions acceptable, must also make our labour or employment a proper offering to God. If a man pursues his business, that he may raise himself to a state of figure and riches in the world, he is no longer serving God in his employment, and has no more title to a reward from God than he who gives alms that he may be seen, or prays that he may be heard, of men. For vain and earthly designs are no more allowable in our employments than in our alms and devotions. They are not only evil when they mix with our good works," with our religious actions, "but they have the same evil nature when they enter into the common business of our employments. If it were allowable to pursue them in our worldly employments, it would be allowable to pursue them in our devotions. But as our alms and devotions are not an acceptable service but when they proceed from a pure intention, so our common employment cannot be reckoned a service to him but when it is performed with the same piety of heart." : 2. This our blessed Lord declares in the liveliest manner, in those strong and comprehensive words, which he explains, enforces, and enlarges upon, throughout this whole chapter. "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness." The eye is the intention what the eye is to the body, the intention is to the soul. As the one guides all the motions of the body, so does the other those of the soul. This eye of the soul is then said to be single, when it looks at one thing only; when we have no other design but to "know God, and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent,"to know him with suitable affections, loving him as he hath loved us; to please God in all things; to serve God (as we love him) with all our heart, and mind, and soul, and strength; and to enjoy God in all, and above all things, in time and in eternity. 3. "If thine eye be" thus "single," thus fixed on God, "thy whole body shall be full of light." "Thy whole body:"-all that is guided by the intention, as the body is by the eye: all thou art; all thou doest thy desires, tempers, affections; thy thoughts, and words, and actions. The whole of these "shall be full of light;" full of true, divine knowledge. This is the ; |