[Yes, the Lord Jehovah is his God ; and him alone is he disposed to serve. The Christian sees that Jehovah alone has any claim upon him. As his Creator, his Governor, his Redeemer, and his Judge, Jehovah demands of him all the affections of his soul, and all the services of his life : and he not only accedes to this demand, but accounts it his highest honour, and his truest happiness, to fulfil the duties imposed upon him.]
And in the name of this God he walks —
[This God he confesses before men ; and for him deter- mines to brave all the contempt and hatred of an ungodly world. He sees that the servants of Satan will cast every obstacle in his way : but he resolves, by the grace of God, to go forward, and to serve his God even unto death. Look at
c Phil. iii. 19. d Col. iii. 5. e Eph. ii. 3. Tit. iii. 8.
the saints of God in every age: they all united in devotion to one God, even to Him who made them, and to Him who redeemed them by his own most precious blood. The voice of every one of them was, in fact, "Whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is none on earth that T desire besides Theef." And in the name of this God they walk; proceed- ing continually from grace to grace, from strength to strength, from glory to glory.]
And now, Brethren,
1. Choose ye whom ye will serve —
"Ye cannot serve God and mammon." "To whichever of the two ye cleave, ye must, of necessity, renounce and despise the other g." And can ye dotibt whose ye shall be, and whom ye shall serve? What can the vanities of the world do
for you? On the other hand, what cannot, or will not,
the Lord Jesus do for you? Take him then as your God,
and serve him faithfully with your whole hearts11 ]
2. Be not out-done by the votaries of this world —
[Are they constant? Be ye also firm, uniform, unre- served. Let there not be a worldling in the universe so faithful to his god, as you to yours. Let the Apostle's coun- sel be the entire rule of your life: " As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him ; rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abound- ing therein with thanksgiving1."
f Ps. lxxiii. 25. s Matt. vi. 24.
h Josh. xxiv. 15. » Col. ii. 6, 7.