other hand, we can suppose a man
of God falling asleep in Jesus, and his surviving widow finding
scarcely enough left behind him to suffice for the funeral, who was
nevertheless rich towards God; in the sight of God he may possess
five thousand pounds sterling, he may have laid up that sum in
heaven. Dear Reader, does your soul long to be rich towards God, to
lay up treasures in heaven? The world passes away and the lust
thereof! Yet a little while, and our stewardship will be taken from
us. At present we have the opportunity of serving the Lord, with our
time, our talents, our bodily strength, our gifts, and also with our
property; but shortly this opportunity may cease. Oh! how shortly
may it cease. Before ever this is read by any one, I may have fallen
asleep; and the very next day after you have read this, dear Reader,
you may fall asleep, and therefore, whilst we have the opportunity,
let us serve the Lord.--I believe, and therefore I speak. My own soul
is so fully assured of the wisdom and love of the Lord towards us His
disciples as expressed in this word, that by His grace I do most
heartily set my seal to the preciousness of the command, and I do
from my inmost soul not only desire not to lay up treasures upon
earth, but, believing as I do what the Lord says, I do desire to have
grace to lay up treasures in heaven. And then, suppose after a little
while you should fall asleep, some one may say, your wife and, child
will be unprovided for, because you did not make a provision for
them. My reply is, the Lord will take care of them. The Lord will
abundantly provide for them, as He now abundantly provides for us. 5,
The Lord lastly adds: "For where your treasure is, there will your
heart be also." Where should the heart of the disciple of the Lord
Jesus be, but in heaven? Our calling is a heavenly calling, our
inheritance is a heavenly inheritance, and reserved for us in heaven;
our citizenship is in heaven; but if we believers in the Lord Jesus
lay up treasures on earth, the necessary result of it is, that our
hearts will be upon earth; nay, the very fact of our doing so proves
that they are there! Nor will it be otherwise, till there be a
ceasing to lay up treasures upon earth. The believer who lays up
treasures upon earth may, at first, not live openly in sin; he in a
measure may yet bring some honour to the Lord in certain things; but
the injurious tendencies of this habit will show themselves more and
more, w