3. How vain is it for any man to aim at this? To attempt the serving of two masters. Is it not easy to foresee, what must be the unavoidable consequence of such an attempt? _Either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one and despise the other._ The two parts of this sentence, altho’ separately proposed, are to be understood in connexion with each other. For the latter part is a consequence of the former. He will naturally _hold to_ him whom he loves. He will so cleave to him, as to perform to him a willing, faithful, and diligent service. And in the mean time, he will so far, at least, _despise_ the master he hates, as to have little regard to his commands, and to obey them, if at all, in a slight and careless manner. Therefore, whatsoever the wise men of the world may suppose, _Ye cannot serve_ God _and mammon_.
4. _Mammon_ was the name of one of the Heathen gods, who was supposed to preside over riches. It is here understood of riches themselves; gold and silver, or in general, money: and by a common figure of speech, of all that may be purchased thereby; such as ease, honour, and sensual pleasure.
But what are we here to understand, by _serving_ God? And what, by _serving mammon_?
We cannot _serve_ God, unless we believe in him. This is the only true foundation of serving him. Therefore, the believing in God, as _reconciling the world to himself_ thro’ _Christ Jesus_, the believing in him, as a loving, pardoning God, is the first great branch of his service.
And, thus to believe in God implies, to _trust_ in him as our strength, without whom we can do nothing; who every moment endues us with power from on high, without which it is impossible to please him: as our help, our only help in time of trouble, who compasseth us about with songs of deliverance: as our shield, our defender, and the lifter up of our head above all our enemies that are round about us.
It implies, to trust in God as our happiness; as the center of spirits, the only rest of our souls; the only good who is adequate to all our capacities, and sufficient to satisfy all the desires he hath given us.
It implies (what is nearly allied to the other) to trust in God, as our end; to have an eye to him in all things; to use all things only as means of enjoying him: wheresoever we are, or whatsoever we do, to see him that is invisible, looking on us well-pleased, and refer all things to him in _Christ Jesus_.
5. Thus to believe, is the first thing we are to understand by _serving_ God. The second is, To love him.
Now, to love God in the manner the scripture describes, in the manner God himself requires of us, and by requiring engages to work in us, is to love him as the one God: that is, _with all our heart and with all our soul, and with all our mind, and with all our strength_: it is to desire God alone for his own sake; and nothing else, but with reference to him: to rejoice in God; to delight in the Lord; not only to seek but find happiness in him: to enjoy God as the chiefest among ten thousand: to rest in him, as our God and our all. In a word, to have such a possession of God, as makes us always happy.
6. A third thing we are to understand by _serving_ God, is, To resemble or imitate him.
So the antient Father, _Optimus Dei Cultus, imitari quem colis_. It is the best worship or service of God, to imitate him you worship.
We here speak, of imitating or resembling him in the spirit of our minds. For here the true Christian imitation of God begins. God is a Spirit; and they that imitate or resemble him, must do it in spirit and in truth.
Now God is love. Therefore they who resemble him in the spirit of their minds, are transformed into the same image. They are merciful, even as he is merciful. Their soul is all love. They are kind, benevolent, compassionate, tender-hearted: and that not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. Yea, they are, like him, loving unto every man, and their mercy extends to all his works.
7. One thing more we are to understand by _serving_ God, and that is, the obeying him; the glorifying him with our bodies, as well as with our spirits: the keeping his outward commandments: the zealously doing whatever he hath enjoined, the carefully avoiding whatever he hath forbidden: the performing all the ordinary actions of life, with a single eye and a pure heart; offering them all in holy, fervent love, as sacrifices to God, through _Jesus Christ_.
8. Let us consider now, what we are to understand, on the other hand, by _serving mammon_. And first, it implies, the _trusting_ in riches, in money, or the things purchasable thereby, as our strength, the means whereby we shall perform, whatever cause we have in hand: the trusting in them as our help, by which we look to be comforted in, or delivered out of trouble.