Matthew Poole and continuators on Matthew 6:24

24 No man 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, you cannot serve God and mammon.

No man can serve two Masters, that is two Masters that Command contrary things each to other, for that is the pre [illegible: 1 letter]ent Case of God, and Mammon. Or, No man with the [illegible: 1 letter]ike Diligence, and Alacrity, and Faithfulness can serve two Masters. It is a proverbial Speech, and in reason to be understood of contrary Masters, he will either hate the one, or the first, and love the second, or else he will cleave to the first, and contemn the other, that is, so in his Actions behave himself, that he will appear a true Servant but to one of them, and despise, or [illegible: 2 letters]ight the other; You cannot serve God and Mammon. It is not improbable, that some of the Ancients have thought that amongst some of the Heathen, they had an Idol called Mammon, which they made the God of Money, thence Mammon by a Figure signifieth Riches, as Luk. 16.9. So as it is of an Equivalent Sense to, no Man can serve God and Bacchus, or God and Venus: That is, none can be a Drunkard, or an unclean Person, and a true Servant of God. So no Man can serve God, and yet make the getting of Riches right or wrong, his Study, hence the Apostle calls Covetousness, Idolatry, Col. 3.5. So that by serving here must be understood a giving up of our selves chiefly, or wholly to the Service of God, and to the business of getting the World: Or, serving the latter, in what it Tempteth or Commandeth us to, contrary to the Will of God.

Marginal references: Luk▪ [illegible: 1 span]