SERMON I. RELIGION THE FIRST AND GREAT CONCERN. MATT. vi. 33. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness." THE chapter from whence my text is taken, forms a part of the beautiful sermon on the mount, in which our blessed Lord condescended, for the benefit of his disciples, and of all those who in succeeding ages should" name the name of Christ," to set before them the general nature and design of the religion which he came upon earth to establish; to point out to them the most striking and important features of it; and to instruct them as to the various duties that would be required of them, and the spirit and temper which should actuate their whole conduct. Among other benign and equally beneficial B injunctions, given by the Saviour of mankind for our perpetual and faithful observance, there is none, perhaps, more important and more deserving our best attention, than what we read in the 24th verse of the chapter before us; and which is enlarged upon in the succeeding verses, and forms, as it were, a kind of preface to our text. "No man,” says this heavenly teacher, can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body what ye shall put on." And after bringing forward, by way of illustration, the never-failing providence of God over the natural productions of the earth, and his other inferior creatures, and thus gently, though irresistibly, conveying a reproach to men for their too great anxiety about worldly matters, and their want of confidence in God, our Lord concludes his gracious admonition in the words which I have now read to you: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness." What language can be more plain and posi tive? What can be so consistent with the whole tenor of the Gospel? What so agreeable to the notions we all must entertain, of this life being merely a state of temporary possession, and of its being preparatory, to a far more exalted and eternal state of existence? Whatever, be the engagements and the ties by which we are bound to this earthly scene; whatever, be the duties and obligations that we are called upon to observe, as members of a common family; however strong the claims which a regard to the temporal welfare of ourselves, or our fellow-creatures may have upon us; yet, we are here (as indeed we are every where in Scripture) instructed, that all these things are, comparatively speaking, of little moment, and must be subservient to the grand and only really important object, for which we were sent into the world-the eternal salvation of our souls through Jesus Christ. Before all other considerations we must "seek the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;" that is, religion must be our first and great concern. A constant and unremitting attention to all those means, in mercy appointed, by which, heaven alone is to be gained, must ever be observed by us. The kingdom of heaven |