X.

"No man can serve two masters." MATT. vi. 24.

I HOPE you understand clearly, my dear children, from what I have said about repentance, that there must be, on your part, a resolute turning from sin, or else all that Christ has done and suffered for us will avail us nothing.

If you keep this in mind, you will be better able to understand what our Saviour meant when he said, "No man can serve two masters."

He meant that we must be either on one side or the other, and that there is no such thing as serving both. Unless we give up all wilful sin, and trust to Christ alone for salvation, God will disown our service, however good, and religious, and charitable we may appear in the eyes of men.

Do you remember the story of Solomon's judgment ? You know the child's mother would not have it divided; but the other woman was willing they should share it between them.

So "

Satan, who hath no right to the_heart, will be content with a part of it: but God, who made it, will have all, or none."

It is evident, then, that there are in fact only two great classes of people in the world—the servants of God, and the servants of the devil.

And yet, judging from appearances, we should not suppose so we should be inclined to think it quite possible to be serving both.

We see many kinds of people around us: some we believe to be good; others we know to be wicked; but of a great number we could not possibly say whether they are good or not, whether they are likely to go to heaven or not.

But God knows exactly: and at the day of judgment he will " separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth the sheep from the goats."

The difference ought to be more perceptible than it is; but even in God's dear children there is often so much of remaining sin, that we are led to form a false judgment of them.

And therefore we are commanded to refrain from it altogether. Our Saviour says: "Judge not, that ye be not judged." Matt. vii. 1. "Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? To his own master he standeth or falleth." Rom. xiv. 4.

"Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts.' 1 Cor. iv. 5.

But I am desirous that you should clearly understand the difference, that you may be able to judge yourselves.

The grand distinction, then, between the children of God and the children of the devil, is this: the former are living to God, and the latter are living to themselves.

God's children are habitually denying themselves, and striving against sin; and the devil's children are indulging their evil and selfish inclinations.

God's children wish above all things to please him; and the devil's children only think about pleasing themselves or somebody else in the world.

God's children set the Lord always before them; and labour that, whether present or absent, they may be accepted of him.

And the devil's children live in utter disregard of God, and of his claims over them.

As I said before, God's children too often dishonor their profession by falling into sin.

For you know "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked" (Jer. xvii. 9); and though God can change it and make it better, the process is slow, and it will never be made perfectly good in this world.

But when they have done anything wrong, they are very sorry: and they wish above all things to be made holy and free from sin.

The devil's children, on the contrary, wish above all things to get money or other worldly things, to indulge their sinful passions and inclinations, or to live as easy a life as possible.

In one way or other, their own gratification is what they are living for.

And in this respect they are all alike, though there is a wide difference in their conduct and character.

Many of them live in open wickedness, without ever thinking of death and judgment, or caring about their souls.

Many more have some serious thoughts about dying, and intend to repent at a more convenient season.

And some of them are kind-hearted, industrious, honest people, who think they have never done any harm, and who fully expect that God will take them to heaven for the sake of their own goodness.

They do not know that there is only one way of salvation; they do not know that they have been sinning against God ever since they were born.

Even granting that they have done no harm, (which is impossible), they could not be justified before God. We shall be called into judgment not only for the

evil we have done, but also for the good we have left undone.

"Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” (Gal. vi. 7). A man that sows wheat, will reap wheat; a man that sows thistles, will reap thistles; and a man that sows nothing, will reap nothing.

"He that soweth to his flesh," that is, he who thinks only of pleasing himself, "shall of the flesh reap corruption." Gal. vi. 8.

The unfaithful servant was condemned for burying his talent in the earth, not for wasting it.

He did no harm with it; but he ought to have done good with it.

We do not read of anything wrong that the "rich man" did; but "he was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day," without thinking of his poor suffering neighbour.

"And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments." Luke, xvi. 23.

The men who neglected to come to the supper, were all provided with a plausible excuse: they were attending to their farming and domestic affairs.

But they never received another invitation. "None of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper." Luke, xiv. 24.

And in the solemn description of the last judgment, in the parable of the Sheep and the Goats, we do not find any crimes laid to the charge of the wicked.

Their sins of omission were sufficient to condemn them. "Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me." Matt. xxv. 45.

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Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." Matt. xxv. 41.

But granting still further, that these persons had

done all the good they could, it would not avail them anything.

For, as I have told you before, nothing less than perfect obedience will be accepted, and this no man living can offer.

Besides, their best actions are utterly worthless in the sight of God, nay even displeasing to him, because they do not spring from love to him.

For "works done before the grace of Christ, and the inspiration of his Spirit, are not pleasant to God, forasmuch as they spring not from faith in Jesus Christ." (Article.)

God looks at the motive; and therefore it is possible for two people to be doing exactly the same thing, and yet for God to be pleased with one, and not with the other.

Because he sees their hearts, and knows that one is trying to do his will, while the other cares nothing about it.

You know God commanded Noah to build the ark; but as he could not possibly do it all himself, no doubt many others helped him.

Now these people were doing what God had commanded; but they had no desire to serve and please him.

They worked only that Noah might pay them wages, and therefore God did not regard their service as done to himself.

And when the flood came they were all swept away, and destroyed from the face of the earth.

God employs many of those who are not his real children, in the same way now. Many of them are teaching, in his churches and schools, things which they do not practise themselves.

And God, who is no man's debtor, pays them their wages in this world. He gives them credit, and favour, and influence, and affection, and the pleasure