Chapter 2: False Professors. for the interest and at the will of his employer. Is it true that any man is supremely devoted to the service of God, when he shows that his own ease and comfort are dearer than the kingdom of Jesus Christ, and that he would sooner sacrifice the salvation of sinners than sit on a hard seat, or be separated from his family an hour or two?
6. Those are serving their own gods, who give their time and money, when they do give, grudgingly, by constraint, and not of a ready mind, and with a cheerful heart.
What would you think of your servant, if you had to dun or drive him all the time, to do anything for your interest? Would you not say he was an eye-servant? How many people there are, who when they do anything on account of religion, do it grudgingly. If they do anything, it comes hard. If you go to one of these characters, and want his time or his money for any religious object it is difficult to get him engaged. It seems to go across the grain and is not easy or natural. It is plain he does not consider the interests of Christ's kingdom the same with his own. He may make a show of fearing the Lord, but he "serves" some other gods of his own.
7. Those who are always ready to ask how little they may do for religion rather than how much they may do, are serving their own gods.
There are multitudes of persons who seem always to ask how little they can get along with in what they do for God.
You hear such a man making up his accounts of profit and loss "So much made this year then so much it costs for charity so much obliged to give for religion." (OBLIGED to give for the interests of religion!) "and so much lost by fire, and so much by bad debts," and so on is that man serving God? It is a simple matter of fact that you have never set your hearts on the object of promoting religion in the world. If you had, you would ask, How much can I do for this object and for that? Cannot I do so much or so much or so much?
8. They who are laying up wealth for their families, to elevate and aggrandize them, are serving gods of their own, and not Jehovah.
Those who are thus aiming to elevate their own families into a different sphere, by laying up wealth for them, show that they have some other object to live for than bringing this world under the authority of Jesus Christ. They have other gods to serve. They may pretend to fear the Lord, but they "serve" their own gods.
9. Those who are making it their object to accumulate so much property that they can retire from business and live at ease, are serving their own gods.
There are many persons who profess to be the servants of God, but are eagerly engaged in gathering property, and calculating to retire to their country seat by-and-by, and live at their ease. What do you mean? Has God given you a right to a perpetual Sabbath, as soon